The Birth of a Magazine

I’m pregnant. Yup. I’m about nine months along. And, yes, I am a male…a pregnant one too. The doc said it was about 40 pages, 5,000 copies for the first issue…definitely going to be a difficult labor. But, I’m ready for the big day. Nervous, but ready.

Don’t send flowers yet. I still have a long way to go.

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Although I’m not an athlete, I’m using this space to gab about whatever. And, you are the lucky one – reading this is all the fun.

So, I’ve been working on trying to get this print issue out the door. I have to say, many people have contacted me about help and/or supplying their advice – less than 25 percent have been true to their word and exude admirable qualities. I’m not complaining. I figure weed out the bad to find the good…and I have had the pleasure of working with some talent during this entire process (Web and print). Good talent, too.

Organizing a print publication is no day at the park. I’ve referred to it as a necessary evil…because that’s what it is – evil. What kind of person would do something like this? All the elements have to be corralled in order for it to work properly. And, everything I thought would be a headache…nah! And the good times, those were sometimes bitter (the coffee I buy is terrible).

Advertising. Unbelievably easy to sell. Why? I don’t know. Either I’m a good salesperson or Snowshoe Magazine has the right vibe. Thanks to all that got on board. I’m certainly excited.

Content. The writers were there, but editing and obtaining the photographs has been a kick in the head. Was I ready? Apparently not. So much editing can ruin a person’s perception of the final product. After reading the same article for the 100th time, I felt no more at ease to deliver it for final production than I did when I first received it. But, that’s just me. Not the writers.

Sigh.

I could give you story after story. And, not ALL are nightmarish explanations of a small business jumping into the deep-end of the pool. I’m a pro now. Ask me a question. I’ll have a semi-intelligent and qualified answer for you.

Does this make me seem arrogant? Probably. But, when many people look down upon the eagerness of a young soul to reach a certain $ – it’s infuriating. I had the same problem in college. Sure, I was a slacker, but did that have an indication of how I was going to be 10 years from that point? Absolutely not.

I remember it so well. Dr. Delusional (we’ll call him that), an old college professor, looked at me and said, “You’re just not good enough to be here.”

So, I left after graduation, married a beautiful woman, moved to Colorado, and then helped bring two children into the world. How do you like them apples! Did the craziness stop there? Absolutely not.

Do you want to know more? E-mail me your thoughts, I’ve got plenty to talk about: ryan@snowshoemag.com.