Pyrates Magazine

[John_Young]

I was a bit shocked to find issue 5 of Pyrates magazine in my mailbox yesterday. Seeing as I got it only for a year and I rejoiced when issue 4 came.

Too much nonsense in it. First off, if it is a subscription then I should probably get it before the pirate festival advertisement is almost a month past!

Secondly, could you please have an issue that doesn't deal with POTC? The DVD is out. The trilogy overstayed its welcome. Enough is enough. I do not care nor need to read about a minor actor... nor about how to be the best Jack Sparrow you can be. Know what? Every convention I go to has at least 3 Jack Sparrows at them. Too many.

Pyrates Magazine will no longer get my hard earned coin. From now on it is only No Quarter Given. Now if only we can get them back on track like they were 10 years ago...

[Will Fiddle]

Was Pyrates Magazine ever intended to cater to people really interested in pirates, or was it intended to be a glossly rag that capitalized on the pop culture presence of the films made a few bucks and then faded into obscurity all within three years time?

A salutation to John Young for at least giving it a try.

[reelpirate]

I just started recieving Pyrates Way. Like it a lot. Also like Lattatudes & Attitudes. (Sailing Mag)

[hurricane]

I only received one copy. But if I was an advertiser, I'd be furious that my ad ran after the event. I think there were three events in there at least that had already past that had full page ads.

Remember people. . . it's all about meeting deadlines in the publishing biz!

I too hope No Quarter Given gets back and track with their schedule. I've been a long time subscriber to the pub... Haven't given Pirates Way a try yet, but might!

-- Hurricane

[John_Young]

Annoying was last year I went to the Clearwater faire... and Pyrates was there with the latest issue in stock. As a subscriber, I got it exactly a month later. Since when do the people who pay get it later?

Now bear in mind... While I still do historical events I find "Hollywood" piracy much more entertaining I did than in previous posts.

But too much potc spoils the pot!

[Bilgemunky]

I wasn't exactly thrilled about the Jack Impersonation article either, nor did the Isaac Singleton interview answer any buring questions (indeed, like many, I have few burning questions about PotC at this point), but I would commend Scarlett Harlott for sharing the game "Slap Jack". If you haven't heard of it, it requires no real explanation - just think Slug Bug at a pirate convention, and then fill in the blanks

Regarding NQG, is Jan/Feb 07 still the most recent issue? I know they've been well behind for some time, and I don't begrudge them in the least. But I do occassionally wonder if I may have unwittingly let my subscription lapse.

[hurricane]

Wow Bilge... I wonder if mine did too! I don't recall a newer edition. Anyone have a more recent?

- Hurricane

[John_Young]

Jan/Feb is the last NQG I have too. I thought it was because I didn't have money to renew again this year. Huh. Sad.

[Jamaica Rose]

I'm glad to see people are anxious for No Quarter Given to get back on track. I've been very frustrated about being behind. Due to a complex of events and personal situations, NQG has gotten very far behind schedule. I even gave up my day job of teaching so I could have time for No Quarter Given, then things have conspired (like my mother breaking her hip and moving in) to seriously impact my ability to find time to edit and write.

The last issue that has come out was the Jan/Feb 2007 issue (sent out in June 2007). I finally decided that rather than trying to catch up, we are going to skip the March through Sept. 07 issues. The next issue (about to come out) will be the Nov/Dec 2007 issue. We will move everyone's expiration date up by 4 issues, so everyone will get all the issues they have paid for.

Yr humble editor for the Sweet Trade,

--Jamaica Rose

[TheBlackFox]

The Pyrates Way for Winter (our sixth issue) will be out in mid January. I wanted to push to get it out before Xmas but the timing with advertising didn't work out. It's going to press on Monday to meed the mid January deadline.

We have a much lighter take on this hobby called pyracy. We do try to reserve at least one article for the GAOP pirates (Blackbeard, Morgan, and the like) and our new series of "modern day pyrates" has been well-received. We covered pyracy of the 1960s last issue and this coming issue we discuss the Rum-Runners of the Prohibition era.

We're locked in with PyrateCon2008 and will be providing FREE Spring issues of The Pyrates Way to every PyrateCon guest and all of the vendors get a free subscription as part of their vendor package. We'll also be devoting a portion of the Summer issue to a PyrateCon recap.

In defense of our competition, in this day and age of keeping one's publication afloat, you MUST include POTC articles/info/flashbacks in your magazine. There are a lot of folks out there who collect POTC and will buy anything with POTC on it.

It's always been my plan with The Pyrates Way to appeal to the widest audience in the marketplace. To narrow our focus to die-hard pirate reenactors and historians would cut our throats with the full-color, thick-page, museum-quality publication that we put out ($$$$). That's why we cover some of the peripheral pyrate subjects like The Phantom, FSMism, Jean LaFoote, and we even have an inside to McDonalds who's giving us an article about Captain Crook, the fillet-o-fish pyrate of the 1970s! From history to POTC to the fun side of our hobby, I think we do a pretty good job of covering it all. Is there room for improvement? Hell yeah. . . . it gives us room to grow in the future!

I subscribe to No Quarter Given for my die-hard pyracy. . . and I have nothing but praise for Jamaica Rose & Michael for all they provide. Their writing, research and format are perfect and I wish them the best of success.

Regardless, I think this hobby is lucky to have three magazines devoted to it. If you read both Bilgy's and Cindy Vallar's reviews of all three magazines, you'll find that there's something in each one of them for every pyrate. . . you should subscribe to all three and keep our hobby alive!

(stepping down off soapbox)

Bilgemonkey's Review

Cindy Vallar's Review

[John_Young]

In defense of our competition, in this day and age of keeping one's publication afloat, you MUST include POTC articles/info/flashbacks in your magazine.  There are a lot of folks out there who collect POTC and will buy anything with POTC on it. 

There is a word for what that kind of pandering is. It is very unsuitable to be called it.

You DO NOT have to put PotC in your magazine. Those fangirls will be gone after the next fad comes along and Who will be left? No one, because you offended them with too much PotC. Non-PotC reinactors are where the money is. We constantly work on our kits. Upgrading, we have the money to spend are willing to do so. We are your demographic, do not forget that.

[TheBlackFox]

You DO NOT have to put PotC in your magazine. Those fangirls will be gone after the next fad comes along and Who will be left? No one, because you offended them with too much PotC. Non-PotC reinactors are where the money is. We constantly work on our kits. Upgrading, we have the money to spend are willing to do so. We are your demographic, do not forget that.

Not to get in a pissing match with ya mate. . . but I very much disagree. . . and so do the the literally thousands of POTC fans at keeptothecode.com . . . a very popular pyrate bb targeted at POTC with a side-order of pyracy. POTC is as much a fad as Rap music. . .it's here to stay. With scripts for POTC IV & V being writtten, an animated series underway, it's clear that we've got another decade at least on the POTC front.

As pyrates, we owe a LOT to the POTC franchise. There's a lot of folks who joined our ranks because of those movies that might not have been exposed to the pyracy hobby otherwise.

How many re-enactors in pyracy are there? 5,000 tops? mate, that's not enough to support a high-quality, full color, expensive magazine at $6 a copy. As a businessman, making his livelihood off of this hobby. . . not just dressing up on the weekends. . . I'm into it full time. Upgrading one's kit does not equal a hundred thousand dollars of revenue to keep a rag like ours in operation.

As a matter of my magazine's survival, I have to recognize all of the trends, fads, and nostalgia that constantly have an impression on our hobby. I can ill-afford to narrow my vision to that of the serious reenactor only. I have to be open to all the levels of pyrate hobbiests from those who love POTC and never "get pyratical" to those who just enjoy the history . . to those who take their outfits "somewhat serious" and on. There are so many levels that you can't please them all without "offending" someone with too much "this or the other."

The Pyrates Way demographic is pyrate enthusiasts. . . not just reenactors. . . not just chanty singers. . . not just pyrate festivals, conventions, or pub crawls. . . our demographic is all of that plus the casual pyrate wanna-be who's looking for a fun guide to the hobby.

. . . and it's working as our distributor numbers increased five-fold in one year and our subscriber base is now pushing 7,500 people, with over 2,000 of those re-subscribers! We're doing something right! LOL

[Bilgemunky]

Non-PotC reinactors are where the money is.

I would disagree - at least in part. Reenactors are a portion of the demographic, but there are other long-term pirate afficianados that have little to do with reenactors. I myself am not a reenactor - not by a long shot. My interests are far more pop cultural. Pirate video games, pirate music of a nontraditional variety, piratical influences on modern fashion, etc.

These magazines need to make their own marketing decisions. I am not amongst the crowd that continues to be impressed by articles on PotC - for me that ship has sailed. But historical, reenactor type articles often fall flat for me as well. A writeup on Cap'n Crunch's pirate nemisis holds far more interest than yet another article on the difference between pirates and privateers - that ship, too, has sailed.

I'm just one subscriber, and one that unlikely represents the readership at large. But I'll take new and different any day over been-there-done that, be it PotC, historical, or any other pirate subject that's already been widely visited and revisited again.

[John_Young]

Fine, "Pirate enthusiast". That's fine. "Pirate Pop Culture", fine. But a constant "Look here's the guy who powdered Pintel's butt on the set" run of articles just gets old fast.

PotC went the way of the Matrix Trilogy. Should have stopped at the first one.

A Fourth and Fifth movie will be an ultimate downfall. Will I see them? Hell yeah. Will I dress up and work the crowds on opening weekend at a local theater? Hell yeah. I might even have fun. But it doesn't mean a 4th and 5th movie need to be made.

Are the majority of potc fangirls hot babes that I'd lie through my teeth to just to plunder some booty? Hell yeah!

And a Potc cartoon? Oh yeah... because a cartoon version of ANY Disney property do so well don't they? Alladdin, Little Mermaid, Timon and Pumba, etc... The only tv show cartoon adaptation that I think did well was the Lilo & Stitch show and even that was too "pokemon".

[Bilgemunky]

Well mate, you may have a bit more piss and vinegar on the subject than me, and I think PotC 2 and 3 had a wee bit more substantce than Matrix 2 and 3 - but overall, I feel where yer comin' from on that last post.

[John_Young]

Nah, potc 2 and 3 weren't so bad. They were fun. Matrix 2 and 3 where fun too. Could have done without the 1/2 hour rave in M2 though.

[Captain Tito]

The last issue that has come out was the Jan/Feb 2007 issue (sent out in June 2007). I finally decided that rather than trying to catch up, we are going to skip the March through Sept. 07 issues. The next issue (about to come out) will be the Nov/Dec 2007 issue. We will move everyone's expiration date up by 4 issues, so everyone will get all the issues they have paid for.

Thankee Ms. Jamaica! Will be lookin forward to it soon

[TheBlackFox]

"I'm filled with piss and vinegar. At first I was just filled with vinegar". -Grandpa Simpson

[callenish gunner]

As was once stated "Any press is good press" whether it be in the magazines or in film. If any of these modes of communication get more people involved in the hobby at whatever level it is good for us all ...as they say you have to start somewhere. The more that we embrace the "newbies" and nudge those along who want to be historically correct the ranks of those will grow ....but if it is an "us or them" philosophy it doesn't do anyone any good! Read the mags see the films .... make informed decisions over what you like or dislike ...its a big world and can use both sides of the coin.

Edited by moderator because 'size really does matter' when trying to read on a video monitor.

Edited December 13, 2007 by Black Hearted Pearl

[blackbonie]

silly question: is Pyrates Magazine and Pyrates Way magazine the same thing? i have some issues of pyrates magazine and like it pretty well (tho alittle high priced). i have never seen one actually titled Pyrates Way.

[TheBlackFox]

silly question: is Pyrates Magazine and Pyrates Way magazine the same thing? i have some issues of pyrates magazine and like it pretty well (tho alittle high priced). i have never seen one actually titled Pyrates Way.

www.pyratesway.com luv. . . . we came out about the same time as Pirates Magazine but have kinda' taken the lead in race . . .they skipped a few issues and put a bad taste in both subscribers and advertisers' mouths. . . I know full well because many folks were like yourself and thought we were the same magazine, so I got complaints eventhough our magazines kept going out as scheduled! LOL

Anyway, it looks like they're back on an even keel. . . . so no. . . . The Pyrates way and Pirates Magazine are two different magazines.

[TheBlackFox]

Waitaholdit. . . I just got an email saying that pirates magazine now has a pirate pinup in each issue . . . . wow I wonder where they got that idea from?

Pyrates Way covered pyrate events. . . then they did

Pyrates Way had a pyrate enthusiast as the managing editor . . . then they did

Pyrates Way has 5 Wenches of the Quarter . . . now they have one

What's next, crosswords, jokes, cartoons and FSMism? LOL

I guess it's a compliment to copy us. . . but it was more fun when they were original.

EDIT: I admit that having pirate events and reviews in a pirate format were started by the originator of pyrate magazines, Jamaica Rose and the very insightful No Quarter Given. My point in this rant that someone is attempting to copy my success in the original format that I presented it in.

My argument is less than exactly what's being copied and more of a "why copy these ideas now?"

I apologize for any misunderstanding.

[Honour Bright]

I write for Pirates Magazine.

[Black Hearted Pearl]

Ahhh, the trials and tribulations of publishers. I know it well.

One could say 'pirating ideas' and another could say 'not re-inventing the wheel.'

I say, "The more treasure, the merrier!" Now who's going to do a Pirate Captain centerfold? I can think of many of fine pirate captains to use for models.

[John_Young]

I write for Pirates Magazine.

Yes you do. And while your style of writing may appeal to some... it is not my cup of grog.

I'm sure the editors, writers, contributers, interviewees are very nice people. Pyrates Magazine, just isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

Maybe I'll give Pyrates Way a chance in the new year.