Appreciate Matt Broze' analysis of vertical vs. horizontal magazines. As a magazine editor myself, I have had a long interest in paddling magazines. I met the founder of CANOE (whose name I have forgotten during the interim 25 yearrs) when he was in Chicago and just getting started. At the time I was writing 'A Guide to Paddle Adventure,' which appeared in 1974. He contacted me and we lunched together and shared info. I envied him, because I wanted to launch a magazine but lacked the funds. Through the years, CANOE changed owners, editors, and headquarters. I continued to read it almost as an obligation. I finally stopped when it went to lots of pix, short articles, and voluminous ads. Many magazine editors believe the reader must be "hooked" with glitzy layouts, splashy color, and "creative" leads. They argue that people don't like to read, so copy must be kept brief and articles short (two page maximum). For a while, CANOE succumbed to this philosophy. The philosophy may work for some general-interest publications aimed at the fourth-grade reading level, but for more vertical magazines it is a disaster. I'm a paddler, and I WANT to read something with some length and depth. You don't have to titivate me, but you do have to give me something engaging enough to hold my interest. Sometimes, that requires lots of print and adequate length to cover the subject. Matt is right about the Folding Kayak newsletter. It will hold the interest of its target audience much better than Sea Kayaker. On the other hand, if you don't paddle a folder, it probably won't engage you much at all. That's the strength and the weakness of verticality. Having said that, I want to pay a compliment to SK. Over the years, it has added advertising and color, but it has substantially remained a writer's and a reader's magazine. It alots sufficient length to articles so that they can be thoughtful and say something worthwhile. It has never become the victim of "creative" editors and writers who think a precocious lead can triumph over an absolute dearth of content. Or that a plethora of vignettes will exhaust the reader's intellectual capacity. It has also presented the bitter with the sweet, something most magazines that support a single activity refuse to do. If SK has a failing, it is that it tries to cover too many aspects of sea kayaking and therefore shortchanges readers who have traversed the basics and are seeking the arcane. But, then, sea kayaking, however fragmented among us afficionados, is a rather vertical stripe in the plaid of paddlesport. Of the paddling magazines, I still consider it the best. Rick *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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