I shelled out for a sub, and have not received the January issue yet. Are other Hambers getting there issue on time?
i just bought my issue on the newstand at walmart today we beg them for a subscription and then they come up with some stupid sub price 1.00 off what it would cost on a newstand wow! what a deal they practically give away hotrod ....cause no one wants to read that drivel and charge out the ass for probably the only mag they have that sells
....wouldn't you if it were your mag? Glad to here they're doing subs now - can't find it this end of the world most times.
...I agree, when I saw that I figured I'd just buy off the newstand, at least I'll get a good copy, not torn up.
Still waiting for mine. I know the subscription was no deal but at least I dont have to hunt and then fight for a copy at the grocery store anymore.
If I had more time, I'd go through and do a search of every one of your posts, and see if you're one of the guys who whines, bitches, moans and bellyaches about "all the ads in magazines." But I don't have that kind of time. Mags make money two ways: through advertising, and through selling on the news stands. And of the two, the newstands are barely profitable after the distributors take their cut, and shred the issues that don't sell. Selling subscriptions for $9.99 doesn't even cover the cost of mailing it to you, let alone the production, printing and trucking costs. But you knew that, right? So if you want HRDx to become one of the other magazines that does nothing but Advertiser Install tech and has a million ads so you can subscribe for $9.99 and not get "charged out the ass" at the news stand, keep bitching. If you would rather have a good, traditional magazine with features that are cool, un-paralleled history and archive features, and tech that doesn't do anything but show the readers how to do something or give them some info they won't find anywhere else, then pay "the stupid sub price that only gives $1.00 off the news stand price," or pay full-boat at the news stand. But you can't have it both ways. -Brad edit: and for the record, even though I contribute every month, I don't get free copies--I have to go down to the news stand before they're sold out and shell out my hard-earned freelancer dollars for it. I just picked up the newest issue today, and will be filling out the on-line subscription tonight, and am damn glad it's finally available, because now I know I won't miss an issue, and I'm getting one free to boot. double edit: I don't speak for Source Interlink, DF, Dave Wallace or HRDx... I'm just a freelancer who gets to speak my mind. And sometimes, when I do, they cringe.
It has become a very good little magazine...which I think means it is no good at all for most of the big streetrod avertisers that float the other mags. I hope it isn'y doomed by the very things that make me like it. It needs a detail editor...lots of little factoids are off a bit. The tech they publish is really good.
Thank you! Next to The Rodders Journal {subcription}, HRD is my favorite rag to look forward to at the newsstands.
I don't give a rat's ass about magazines containing ads...I understand that they make the whole thing possible, and if most of them are ads for parts and tools, there is some potentially useful information or even sometimes something I might buy. What kills rodding magazines is the apparent fact that the role of the magazines has largely become supporting the ads, giving advertisers a large measure of control of tech and range of acceptable cars. Ads were always important, but in the past the editorial content was created by gearheads for gearheads, and 3/4 of the ads were from gearheads who were integral parts of the community. There was no need to control what the readers got because what they wanted drew the right people and right advertisers...now, much of the content is there seemingly to push the big ads. This is why I fear for HRD...I think its readership is in a niche that does not mesh well with the big advertisers paying for the other (insert whoever the hell is Petersen now) titles. There just isn't that much you can sell on a commercial high volume level to a bunch of people who want a deuce or a '40 willys containing nothing that wasn't available in 1962.
They offer subscriptions now? Cool, I will have to go buy one so I can get the card. I would always buy one if I saw one, but hey I don't go to the store and the magazine stand ain't exactly handy....
I got mine last week. I love HRD, and subscribing makes it easier on me. Now I don't have to look for it at the store.
Had mine for about a week now, good part is that it arrived in a nice envelope, not torn up like other magazines I subscibe to.
Sigh.... Single issue on the news stand: $7.99 Six issues bought on the news stand: $47.94. Plus tax. Six issues via subscription: $39.95 No tax. Difference in price of buying six issues off the news stand versus getting six issues via subscription: $7.99. Or, one free issue. Plus saving all the tax. Thank you for buying the magazine and keeping me employed. And such. -Brad
Here's the link to subscribe. Copy I bought on the news stand didn't have a sub card in it. https://www.circsource.com/store/Subscribe.html?offerId=3971 Please subscribe and keep me employed. And such. Thank you. -Brad
Thanks for the link Brad. It saved me a trip to town where I would have spent an additional 30 bucks at the book store.
I understand it cost alot to make a magazine. But being old and retired I've had to cut back. $7.00 a pop still a lot of money for a mag. So I look at them at the news stand and the make my decision. Regularly get Hot Rod Deluxe and Rodder's Journal, sometimes R&C, Street Rodder etc. After I've read then I give them{except RJ} to a young fellow who has even less money than me. Bruce
I'm young (ish) and not retired, and think $7 a pop is a lot of money for a mag! I'm glad the sub is going to save me the cost of an issue, plus tax. And that's damn good of you to pass your copies on to another guy. I love hearing stuff like that. -Brad
Well, I just got my first subscription in the mail. I guess they decided not to put it in any protective cover like they said they would do and just slap an address sticker on the outside cover like they said thay wouldnt do. Oh well......I got it!
Got my first issue after subscribing and it came in a manila envelope. Glad i don't have to chase them down every other month.
I have every one of the Hot Rod Deluxe issues, and I really like the magazine. I'm a hot rod history buff, and the mag has incredible vintage pictures. I hope it stays just the way it is. I subscribe to a lot of magazines every month, and some of the comments in this thread about the magazines being slaves to the manufacturers is true. Unfortunately, it's how they make their money. I really miss the days when they used to have articles where they went junkyarding and used ingenuity to make things work for cheap. I think that the desire to use your thinking cap exists in every hot rodder, but a magazine with that theme would go under for lack of advertising. It's too bad, but that's the business environment today. We just need to keep posting our junkyard adventures, making build threads for our projects, and never take off our thinking caps.