Publication

Wally Parks sat in his office, letter opener in hand, and began the ritual he performed every Friday. Reading the “letters to the editor” was a way for Wally to gauge the magazine’s performance and reach. It was a fairly normal occurrence for Wally to see a suggestion in the letters and immediately act on it in the next issue. Wally knew that his readers were his life blood and keeping an open ear to them was the absolute key to the magazine’s success.

As Wally began to read a letter from a customer in the Midwest, a light went off. This guy was on to something. This idea was bigger than a simple article suggestion or format improvement. This reader had unknowingly sparked an event that would change the world of hot rodding forever. Wally started the NHRA just months later.

He listened to his readers, served them as best as he possibly could, and found success that he never could have imagined.

………………

Have you read a vintage (pre-1970 or so) Hot Rod Magazine lately? I mean, really read one? They are capturing. The writing isn’t perfectly eloquent, but it’s so passionate. The photography is awkward and sometimes just plain bad (I love technology), but composition is thoughtful and correct. And this isn’t a “everything was better back in the day” type of deal. These magazines were painstakingly produced with an audience in mind. This was a magazine for the people!

I love my old Hot Rod Magazines and I love what they represent. I want desperately to bring that level of consciousness back into the fold. What’s old is new. Wally paved a path and I want to find it and follow. I’m not 100% sure how I am going to do it yet, but I am energized and ready to go fellas. Get ready.