Pirates Magazine

[MDRF_Lumpy]

While walking through Revel Grove today Brambleberry called me aside and showed me a treasure. He pulled out the first issue of Pirates Magazine and all I can tell you is that it looks good. This is of the same professional quality as Faerie Magazine. You can find the first issue at Borders and Barnes & Noble, if you want to wait and take your chances it will also be for sale at the festival from the booksellers booth.

There are some really good articles and even one by Jean-Michel Cousteau, you won't have any trouble finding it on the rack either because it has Captain Jack Sparrow plastered on it. You can find out more at piratesmagazine.com.

[Cap'n Pete Straw]

Crap! Is this the one I sent in my subscription cehck & never heard anything? Now I have to dig through old checks...

[MDRF_Lumpy]

Crap! Is this the one I sent in my subscription cehck & never heard anything? Now I have to dig through old checks...

I doubt it, but it could be. Pirates Magazine is the one from the publisher of Faerie Magazine, so if you subscribed you should get what you ordered.

[MDRF_Lumpy]

I picked up an extra copy of this High Quality Professional Publication today at Borders, so you can find it at any of thier outlets. I plan to have at least one copy for folks to flip through at the MDRF this weekend and they will be available for purchase at the festivals booksellers.

The two articles by Jamacia Rose (Yep I said Jamacia Rose) will be a sort of flash back for those Piratical types who get No Quarter Given.

[TheBlackFox]

It is excellent layout work . . . much cleaner than Faerie Magazine. Content is appropriate as well. . . very good job and kudos to Kim & crew on such a fine product.

I just wished they'd come out with the issue in June as they promised. . . now the shelves will be overrun with Pirate-themed magazines! Disney now has two of 'em out for POTC. . .

Room for all, says I, as long as the content is different. . . I guess ya can't get enough piracy readin'!

[Pew]

While walking through Revel Grove today ...

Sorry, couldn't get past this part.

Another local to me port.....Welcome.

[Cap'n Pete Straw]

So you say...

The local Borders does NOT have the magazine, and could not find it in their system.

I went to the local Tower Records, which stocks every magazine known to mankind, and several which belong to distant alien galaxies (did you know there is a fetish/porn magazine catering to the crowd of "ponies" -- people who dress up in leaher bridles and like to be ridden as if they are horses? Does this magazine get a wide distribution?) ... Anyway. No Pirates. Never heard of it.

I might still hit the Barnes & Noble, but I am getting rather disillusioned.

[Bilgemunky]

Don't lose hope, Pete. I haven't seen it in stores yet, either (and I've certainly looked). BUT, I do have a copy that arrived in the mail. I don't know if this issue arrived as my subscription, or if it is an early release sent to me as a member of "the media" (it was surprisingly well packaged for a standard subcription issue, what with all the bubble wrap.)

Anyways, the point is that the magazine DOES exist, and it IS terrific! If you do in fact have a subscription but haven't seen the issue yet, I would recommend sending them a shout to find out the ETA. But remember, there are two new mags in the stew - Pirates Magazine, and Pirates Way. Pirates Way hasn't come out yet. You might want to double-check which one you're subscribed to before emailing anyone

[Cap'n Pete Straw]

Bilgemunkey -- thanks for the helpful reminder regarding magazine titles... now if I can find that other topic thread, I might be able to find out what I did... (I really do not want to search through all my previous posts!)

[TheBlackFox]

There's another Pirate Magazine thread, but I think I'll cut n paste my reply from there to here:

I was originally on staff with Pirates Magazine but found that the publisher wanted to create a magazine that was similar to their other publication "Faerie Magazine." i.e. lots of huge photos, large type, good articles but not "piratical" enough.

Thus we parted ways back in late March and I started work on "The Pyrates Way" magazine. I won't besmirch the competition because their magazine is finally out (May's release became June, then finally came out a week ago). I've flipped through the magazine and it really looks nice and I give them a Huzzahh for the great work.

The Pyrates Way, however, treats pyracy with a much more "Margaritaville" approach. The pyrate history in our pages isn't just history. We find an interesting angle on a pirate or pyratical event and bring you a new prospective on an old story. We also fill the magazine with beautiful big pictures including "Wenches of the Quarter" which highlights three lovely tarts upon which you can vote upon on our website (interaction with readers is always a good thing).

Tomorrow I put the first issue to press. We have a 15,000 piece press run of a full colour magazine and for subscribers, we have "booty" in each issue. The booty in the first issue includes a "Plank Owner's" card and certificate with your name hand-calligraphied (if that's a word) on them and a COA for the first issue of the magazine, should you get two and want to sell one on eBay in the future.

We've already begun work on the Winter issue.

I hope that clears up the confusion and I think both magazines will have their own nitch in the pirate community. . . . I just think ours will be more fun!

[TheBlackFox]

So you say...

The local Borders does NOT have the magazine, and could not find it in their system.

I went to the local Tower Records, which stocks every magazine known to mankind, and several which belong to distant alien galaxies (did you know there is a fetish/porn magazine catering to the crowd of "ponies" -- people who dress up in leaher bridles and like to be ridden as if they are horses? Does this magazine get a wide distribution?) ... Anyway. No Pirates. Never heard of it.

I might still hit the Barnes & Noble, but I am getting rather disillusioned.

The copy of Pirates Magazine that I got to look at was from an advertiser who is also advertising in The Pyrates Way. It was his impression that the magazine has not in wide release through distributors.

A lady at MDRF on Sunday said she looked for it at every Borders and Barnes & Noble in Maryland the Firday before. (I kinda' doubt she hit EVERY one)

For our magazine, we've cut out the middle man and are going to the retail chains directly and to the specialty stores as they order wholesale from us. There's only two major independent magazine distributors used by the major chains and dealing with them could put an independent out of business!

I look at it this way, our magazine is $5.99 on the shelf. You can subscribe for only $20 a year which is only $5 a magazine including delivery. Now, we do have a huge percentage of our print run going to the retail chains but they won't list us in their directories until they have two issues in house on time in a row. (they're kinda' persnickity about having to update stock on computers if the periodical arrives haphazzardly).

We'll have our magazine out prior to the 19th of each quarterly month that it's due out.

There's also lots of outside problems that magazines have to deal with and their distributors, Pirates Magazine could just be still on the trucks, on their way to the stores and arrive at different locations at different dates. . . same could happen to us. . . it's a crap shoot unless we deliver them ourselves all over the country.

. . . and I can't afford to put that kinda' milage on my Honda Pilot!

[Cap'n Pete Straw]

TheBlackFox -- thanks for your input... now I have to contact the publishers of "my" magazine to see what happened to my paid subscription...

[kerrystagmer]

Not sure whats up with your local book stores but the piratesmagazine is definitely in stores and has been for a couple weeks. I've had many contacts from my ad/article and my site hits are up over 4 times over the last 2 weeks...

Most of the people have purchased the magazine at Barnes and Noble or Borders. Attempts to scuttle should be ignored.... If they dont have it , most likely its sold out waiting for a reorder... The publisher has stock as well...

Kerry Stagmer

www.baltimoreknife.com

www.fireandbrimstone.com

[William Brand]

I found it at Borders. There were at least five copies on the shelf, and there still are five copies on the shelf.

[Black Syren]

I recieved Pirates from Barnes and Nobles as a Birthday Present there were only two copies and my co-worker bought both. I must say Im really enjoying it and cannot wait for Pirates Way.

[Rumba Rue]

Been to three Barnes and Nobles here, and none of them have the magazine, nor is it in their computers to have.

[kerrystagmer]

for some odd reason they have it listed in the Spiritual Healing section of Magazines.....

Very strange! My local B&N was already sold out (they did have FaerieMag on the shelves)...... But it took the guy a bit to find the info.

From what I hear Borders has them front and center...

[Cap'n Pete Straw]

Well, I am getting rather bitter about this publication. I e-mailed the contact people at the magazine about my subscription, and have not received any response at all. My kudos to those who had also pre-subscribed but had later canceled their checks due to the delay... I should have followed suit.

[kerrystagmer]

Hey Pete,

I contacted them today (my brother was at the publisher) and they have your email. Expect a response right away.....

[Hrothgar Addams]

In Spokane and environs It is available at Barnes and Noble and Hastings Books.

[Cap'n Pete Straw]

Hey Pete, I contacted them today (my brother was at the publisher) and they have your email. Expect a response right away.....

Thanks -- I received the e-mail before seeing your post.

Well, I am a little less bitter about the deal. But now I need to dig up a copy of the cancelled check so I can back up my claims. I may be a pirate, but I am not a dick.

[Gentleman of Fortune]

Ok.... well we seem to know where we can get it now...

Does anyone who bought it care to give a REVIEW of the magazine?

Greg

[William Brand]

I'm going to get yelled at, but you asked, so I'm answering. I looked at it but I didn't buy it. Here are my reasons why.

1 - Not to harp, because I understand the reasoning behind it, but to put a Hollywood pirate on the cover before any other famous pirate, was a small turn off for me. I loved the movies and found them entertaining, but give me an Edward Teach, not a grainy photo of a pop culture icon.

2 - The advertising. Like many magazines, and this is a pet peeve of magazines in general, it had far too much advertising for my taste. Most of the advertising was geared toward sites I am already familiar with and the rest were a mix of strange fantasy vendors and Simplicity Pattern models.

3 - There were articles highlighting people who were vendors in the advertising, so some of the articles were just more advertising.

I'm sure there were some good things, but I wasn't moved enough to find them. Well, actually, the same things I found wrong will probably keep the magazine alive.

1 - The cover has a very well established pop culture icon. That sells magazines and it will draw some added people to the hobby.

2 - It had a great many ads for those pirates looking for items that are pirate oriented, if only in an Adam Ant sort of way.

3 - See item 2.

Alright, I thought of something good. It had a great ad for Pyracy.com. I liked that ad very much. You'll understand when you see it.

[Gentleman of Fortune]

Thanks WRW!

Greg

[Bilgemunky]

WRW's observations are all pretty accurate, although my own interpretation of them is a bit different from his. Baltimore Knife Works and Pat Croce are both advertisers, and the subjects of articles. That said, I found both articles very interesting, and didn't feel like they were raw advertisement.

The articles on the Queen Anne wreck and mapmaking were also interesting. The mapmaking seems to be a first part of an article series (written by the guy that makes the glorious deluxe maps sold at Port Royal Trading Co.) Less exciting was the first in a series of articles on sculpting mermaid fairies - I imagine this is a runnoff from the publisher's Faerie magazine, and while it's nice they made it sea-oriented, I don't see many members of our community taking up this new hobby.

Regarding the fashion spreads and visual ads, I'm all for it - historical or pop-cultural, I love seeing other folk's take on pirate clothing. The Gypsy Moon shots were particularly fun. Not quite over the top enough to be "Adam Ant", but certainly a bit more flair than historical accuracy would warrant.

Additional articles included writeups about pirate games, the Maritime Museum Pirate Exhibit in Hampton Roads, an interview with a writer from Pirates of the Caribbean, and a few artsy-poetry pieces. Not all of it was my thing, but much of it was.

I think it's worth checking out. My biggest hope for future issues would be they don't overly feature PotC on the covers and as recurring articles. For the premiere issue, which came out smack in the middle of the Dead Man's Chest excitement, putting Depp on the cover makes sense. But speaking as someone who loved Jack Sparrow in the first movie, but found him downright annoying in the second, I'd love to see other aspects of piracy get their share of the limelight.