Time flies

[Gordon Maney]

A long time to go without an increase, Gordon, considering that your costs have all gone up.

Even with the new price, the monthly magazine and the on-line forum are a good value.

Have you considered optional electronic delivery of the magazine as a way to reduce printing and distribution costs, and accelerate delivery speed?

I have considered it, yes. There are several problems with that strategy. One is that a lot of subscribers are not on the internet, as hard as that may be to believe. They would be shut out, if it went electronic. As bad as the postal service manages to be, we get better service with the large mailing. If the mailing got a lot smaller, the service would suffer.

Also, our hobby, our mentality, likes real things. Paper magazines you can hold in your hand while siting on the couch. I admit, I am not interested in a Kindle to read books.

Security and/or copyright protection is the final issue. If I sent out the magazine as a .pdf, for example, one subscriber could share a subscription with 30 other people. There is no way I am presently aware of to ensure the security of a document sent to one person. Until there is, I can't do that. Bentley service manuals utilize technology like that, but it requires a web based service provider and special software to support. That is all too expensive and not practical.

[NNICKB]

Count me in

The magazine world has certainly changed. There is a lot of editorial content available for free on the internet, and it has certainly changed car shopping...the last 9 or 10 cars or trucks I bought were the results of internet searches.

One magazine which has made the transition very successfully is Hemmings. They have a nice website, but still have print advertising and have beefed up their editorial quite a bit. There is something about putting a magazine or book in hand. I write a lot for a living, and often have to print out my work on paper before I can edit it properly.

You can buy a one year subscription to one of the mainstream full color car magazines for as little as twelve bucks. But then, these guys make up the difference by selling advertisements for carpet protectors, smoked license plate frames, and male performance enhancement pharmaceuticals, none of which are items the Power Wagon owner has any particular need for.

Gordon, I say keep doing what you are doing. I have been getting PWA for over 20 years, and have added and dropped a lot of other periodicals during that time. The website is great. You have taught (or reminded) me of topics like craftsmanship, good tools, work habits, and friendships, all of which go far beyond the trucks themselves. I don't want to lay it on too thick, but I'm sure there are others who will agree.

[Gordon Maney]

The new rates are in effect. The increase for domestic subscriptions is 42 cents per issue; the first increase in eight years.

Those who were mailed yellow or blue cards at the old rate may still use them and pay the rate they bear. The store now only has the new rate, so if you are renewing with an old card you will need to send a check.

Each issue is all Dodge, and more early Dodge 4X4 content than you can ever get in any news stand publication. At an annual subscription cost working out to $4.15 per issue, I am reminded you can't by lunch at a fast food joint for that amount of money.

Welcome to the 28th year of publication. Thank you for your enthusiasm and loyalty!

[JStinson]

It's a two way street, Gordon. Thank you for YOUR loyalty.

I defy anyone to find the caliber of PWA content in any other 4x4 magazine.

Besides, the PWA forum means I don't have to battle meanies over at Pirate4x4.

[Jake]

Keep writing Gordon.

I know I've been absent from the forum for awhile but when the magazine shows up it gets read from cover to cover. I will eventually have more time to work on my own projects but until then keep the magazine coming because that's all I get for my Power Wagon fix.
The increase is long overdue and still does not reflect the true value of the content inside the pages of "The Power Wagon Advertiser".

[Gordon Maney]

Anyone having an old renewal card stuck on their refrigerator, or those who just received a card with the old rate, may renew at that old rate. The store no longer has the old rate, so anyone using their card would have to renew via a check in the mail.