Pen Turning Magazine, its time.

[Marines1407]

Hello all,

I know I am new to the hobby (right at a year) and I have not posted much to IAP but I think pen making should have its own published magazine. I think the articles in the library are a great resource but a full color magazine would be great.
I have learned a lot in my first year and just like all of you, I wish to continue to learn and grow in this hobby. Just look at all the thread topics and library topics. Everything from how to turn your first pen, to selecting and using a lathe and tools, to advanced pen turning such as stabilization and blank casting.

The downside, I have no idea how to start such publication.

Who's with me?

 

[PTsideshow]

Unless you have an independent source of unlimited funds. It probably isn't going to happen.

This is as close as you will get, check the back issues as there are a lot of great articles. Inside the October 2013 Issue of Woodturning Design
There are 2/3 articles each month.

Another masterclass is Pen Makers Guild Articles Page Some of the members are active on here a great resource to the best of the best.

The problem with the print magazines is cost vs. subscriptions the costs keep going up, so the cost of subscriptions go up, the number of people willing to pay for generally a declining number of pages and issues is going down.

The model of how this forum is funded is probably the best one out there.

Since pay to read on the net has a very small subscriber-ship, net magazines. The response I have seen has been everything from; are you "Fing" nuts, to you got to be kidding, to a large silence of the keyboard. Whether it is a video magazine of how to's, to a on line magazine, Or the latest one of taking over the copyright of a forums posters and turning them into an Ebook.

The other thing is single magazine publishing is a dead horse kind of thing. A publisher that publishes under 10 assorted titles on dogs, home shop machinists, Live model steam and outdoor RR Is also a printhouse that is in the food service industry, menus place mats etc. and does books on the subjects.

Even if the people that write the articles, are compensated on the lower end of the scale. It is a very slim margin, when advertising is the major point of income.

On the other side how many of the vendors that sell pen part products, could afford to advertise in more than the magazines they do.

Principally Pens - join our club

American Association of Woodturners - Official Website

Woodturning Reference and Information Magazine Online

PenHero.com An online magazine on writing instruments

Do a google on just penmaking, 528,000 hits .2ths of a second! and you will find more under pen turning etc.

I understand about the paper magazines, I have 4 digital subscriptions, I have been rethinking renewing them. As there are to many problems with the electronic subs. problems with the net, ISP's,they keep tweaking the viewers and making it almost impossible to read the magazines.
Having to download the magazine in parts, The one for sure I will not be renewing as in the middle of the multi year sub they switched over to digital format.

The vendors can address it from their end, as this sub psart of the wood turning hobby has more vendors taking part in the hobby etc.
:clown:

 

[maxwell_smart007]

Woodturning Design has been very good about bringing more penturning in recently...

 

[its_virgil]

More Wood turning published by Fred Holder has a regular column called The Penturner's Corner and often there will be other pen articles included.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

 

[BRobbins629]

The editor of AAW's American Woodturner is always looking for articles on penturning. If you're interested in publishing an article email Betty Scarpino at their site. Tell her I sent you.

 

[johns486]

Go digital, rather than create a paper version why not create a website magazine.
All the cost would be minimal as you can get Free templates for wordpress.
Domains start at $1.99 a month.
Vendors wouldn't have to pay masses for advertising.

 

[Jim Burr]

A version that loads to a Kindle format (there are many...just what I use, and there are several of those!) would ne a cool idea. We use that for disaster management on a quarterly basis. More time for more stuff!

 

[low_48]

E-Zine would be the way to go.
Amazon.com: How To Create A Profitable Ezine From Scratch eBook: Omar Johnson: Kindle Store