Loading ...Issue 3 Update: At the Printers
June 23rd, 2008 Filed Under editorial, print mag
Seems like it’s time for an update on our next issue.
We’ve been quiet about it intentionally, since with Issue 2, we probably jumped the gun a bit, letting folks know it was at the printers and that it should be in the mail shortly. But what we didn’t realize is that for some, that meant a month crossing the country on snails, creating some anxious ‘cross fans!
So while we’ve kept a bit mum on Issue 3’s progress, we’ve been working hard behind the scenes to improve our delivery and eliminate some unknowns as we ramp up for the upcoming season. As part of this “hard work” we’ve written some big (and painful) checks to the USPS and dealt with endless forms and meetings to make sure future issues are delivered in a more reliable fashion. And we’re contracting with a mailing service to take care of the bigger mailings. What does that all mean for you? Hopefully faster and more reliable delivery. Down the road, that means quicker hits of ‘cross love in return for your current patience.
Back to Issue 3. It’s at the printers as of last week, and with some luck, that means it’ll start mailing next week. And, with some more luck, once it leaves our printers, it won’t take a month for it to arrive in some easter locations. It’s going to be a new process for us again, so you never know, but we’re going off of what we’ve been told (and what we’re paying for).
Some folks have been asking about our intended frequency, as it’s clear not everyone just wants to be surprised. Well, our goal has been 4 issues a year for the first year, but not necessarily at exact three month intervals. The current goal is to be a bit more frequent during the season. To this end, while we’ve taken a little more time to work behind the scenes and get out Issue 3, Issue 4 is already coming together and should have a quicker turn around with an early September delivery. Looking further ahead, our Issue 5 should be in November. Looking further out, if all goes well, and we do our job and keep advertising and subscriber growth going, we may up the frequency. That’s the goal!
You can help us get there by continuing to the spread the word on blogs and forums that our mag is worth a race entry fee. Now is the time to get those “I keep meaning to subscribe” subscriptions in, as subscribers this week will still get in our initial Issue 3 mailing. Tell your buddies to get their own. There’s another reason to get those subs in now: one downside of going to a mailing service is that we won’t be able to send out back copies as frequently.
Stay tuned for our Contest #2 winners and updates into Issue 3. Get ready for a great season!
(What’s up with that cover photo? We thought we’d slowly give you a hint of what’s to come. Got a guess of what it is? Post your guess below)
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Cyclocross Magazine Files Class Action Lawsuit Against USPS
April 1st, 2008 Filed Under Industry, cyclocross news, print mag, publishing
Note: This was one of three April Fools stories, posted on April 1, 2008. We have no plans to sue our hardworking USPS, even if delivery in some areas took much longer than expected. We now can plan better with delivery times for Issue 3.
Cyclocross Magazine has filed a class action lawsuit against the USPS on behalf of its readers, alleging that inexplicably slow, irresponsible, and discriminatory delivery practices are entirely responsible for a some pockets of subscribers still waiting for Issue 2. With deliveries in North Carolina and New Hampshire confirmed but nothing in Massachusetts, Montana or Minnesota, the folks behind CXM feel they have no other choice but to resort to legal action.
CXM part-time editor and sandbagger columnist Hector Finely explains the drastic move. “We get emails from the ‘M’ states all the time saying they haven’t gotten their mag yet, a good four weeks after it hit the mail, but many in the ‘N’ states have…what kind of service puts ‘N’ before ‘M’?” he laments. “Even my four year old son knows M comes before N!” He claims the USPS is discriminating against “M” states and likely even “O” states, stating that Oregon subscribers received their mags well after Washington state. Finely says the lawsuit is for the readers. “We’re not tired of responding to each email asking ‘where’s my mag’ but we gotta fight for our subscribers. We can’t put up with this messed up mailing monopoly any longer. Our whole goal was to provide ‘cross joy throughout the year, not to give free magazines to the postal workers. We’ll give mags to grass-roots race promoters and high school racers but not postal workers.”
Cyclocross Magazine has hired famous cycling-scandal lawyer “Mo” Suh to represent them in their attempt to successfully sue the USPS. [More…]
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Cyclocross Magazine - In a store near you, perhaps
March 22nd, 2008 Filed Under editorial, print mag
Thanks to the input from many of you, we’ve been calling and emailing local bike shops across the country and steadily growing our list of shops that carry Cyclocross Magazine. We’re not in Borders yet, but these ‘cross shops below should have Issue 2 in stock already. If you’re not a subscriber yet or you’re one of the unlucky folks who still haven’t received yours from USPS, you can hop down there and check it out. Maybe give them a call to make sure they’ve got some left.
If your favorite shop in your state isn’t on the list below [More…]
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Announcing Contest #2 - Promote the Promoter - Deadline Extended
March 16th, 2008 Filed Under contests, editorial, print mag
As some of you have seen in our print mag that’s still traveling the country, we’ve got another contest running, which means another chance to win some really nice stuff. TRP, Gore, Vittoria, Bike Mine, De La Paz Coffee, 1×9 Designs, Twofish and our own Hector Finely have all donated prizes for this contest. It’s a chance for you to get to know your local promoters a little better, and give them some exposure to the rest of the ‘cross community.
Because USPS still has not delivered our mag everywhere, we’re extending the deadline to April 10th to give our mid-west and east coast readers more time to get something in. Read all about out Contest #2.
Got questions about the contest? Wanna sponsor our next one? Contact us.
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Dude, Where’s My Mag?
March 14th, 2008 Filed Under editorial, print mag
Well, it’s clear from the emails we’ve received USPS hasn’t made it that far with the magazines. Is it the price of gas? Their trucks in disrepair? (See photo). As we mentioned before, this time we used bulk rate shipping (typical magazine shipping rate & speed) but we’re really wondering if it’s worth the savings (it is significant). [More…]
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Where do you shop for cyclocross gear?
March 11th, 2008 Filed Under editorial, print mag
Where do you buy your ‘cross stuff? Sure, there are the various online channels, but do you have a local bike store that carries cyclocross bikes, tires, and knows a little about the sport? Perhaps a shop that sponsors a race? We’re looking for your input on shops [More…]
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2nd Issue is in the Mail…
March 2nd, 2008 Filed Under cyclocross news, editorial, print mag
Our second issue was mailed by our printer last Friday. U.S. folks that got their subscription in before Feb 26th will be in that first mailing. Look out for a plain white envelope with the good stuff inside. Although we’d love to leverage the marketing power a clear shrink-wrap provides (and recruit some postal workers to join our sport in the process), we’re told it doesn’t hold up to the USPS abuse very well.
Drop us a comment on this post to let us know when yours arrived and what state you’re in. We’re using a new bulk rate for mailing them, so we’re curious how long it takes.
And send us hugs or hate once you’ve had a chance to read it. We want your feedback!
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Second Issue Done…Finally!
February 17th, 2008 Filed Under cyclocross news, editorial, print mag
Our second issue (Late Winter) went to the printers last week, and should be a good one. We think we have about three typical magazines’ worth of content in this one (the upside of being young and not chock full of ads), so hopefully it’ll be worth the wait. But who said each issue should get easier? It certainly took longer than we expected — maybe we bit off too much? We had a lot of help with content, as many of you have offered support and contributed, but production was more of a challenge. We’ll have to ramp up in that area for our third issue for sure. Any volunteers? Design or editing skills can come in handy, and there are many perks too! If so, contact us.
Also, we’re trying to avoid the $2.16 per issue first class mailing cost we incurred last issue, so this one may take take a little longer to get to your doorstep, as we’re trying to use the appropriate bulk mailing options this time and not donate our life savings to USPS. Know of someone who’s been meaning to subscribe? Whether that’s you or a friend, there are just a few more days to get into that first mailing.
Here’s a hint of what’s to come:
Wellens reveals his Spirit of ‘Cross to Vardaros in a steamy Belgian trailer at Kansas City while Mo, CJ and 31 other riders eat ubeer oatmeal, thrash new bikes and gear, and race singlespeed balance balls pumped to 20 psi in Estacada wearing golden Speedos to win cool prizes. Hup hup!
Hope you enjoy it!
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Last Minute Gift Idea: Give a Subscription to CXM!
December 22nd, 2007 Filed Under print mag
We’ve been getting emails about giving a gift subscription to a ‘cross friend. You can do it, it’s easy, and we’ll email your friend on Christmas Day if you’d like them to be notified of the gift.
Simply use the buttons below to place an order. Just change the shipping address (not billing) to the lucky recipient before placing the order. You can leave your phone number for the phone number of the recipient — we won’t call unless there’s a problem.
If you’d like us to send an email to the recipient, after placing the order just click the link “Have questions about this order? Contact Cyclocross Magazine”. Then choose “I have other questions about this order” and send us your friend’s email address (and name/mailing address if you couldn’t figure out how to change the shipping address). We’ll shoot out an email on the 24th or 25th. Happy Holidays!
There are two options: Starting with issue 2, and starting with issue 1. Issue 1 is a bit more because we’ll drop that in first class mail to get the ball rolling right away.
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5×8 or 8×11?
August 7th, 2007 Filed Under print mag, publishing
We’re debating between two sizes for our magazine, 5 1/2″ by 8 1/2″ OR 8 1/2″ by 11″. Here is a short list of our reasoning for either:
Smaller is easier to read on the go, good subway reading is so hard to find these days. Larger is easier to see on a magazine shelf, although one could argue the opposite since the smaller one might stand out more because it’s different. Larger will allow for more content, conversely, smaller is cheaper. [More…]
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