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It's a little unconventional for a webzine like 1099 to launch
a print magazine -- usually it happens the other way around. But if
we were normal, would we be publishing 1099 in the first place?
Don't answer that. But do consider our answers to two other questions:
cost and motivation.
Cost
How much money do we expect you to cough up for our new print magazine?
Answer: None. The print version of 1099 Magazine will be sent
free to qualified IPs
who request it. But
you have to request it, because... um... our Web-based mindreading subscription
technology is still under construction.
"Free," huh? What's the catch? Well, we may call you later and
ask for a few little things...
- Your unyielding devotion and abject obedience
- Informative photos of yourself assaulting your client-from-hell
when the bastard won't pay you the money he owes you; or a photo of
the nonexistent doctor you couldn't get because you can't find health
insurance; or other fun pix
- Your first-born child
See, we don't expect much! Other than that, there's no catch.
Motivation
But why are we launching a print magazine, you ask? We have
hundreds of half-baked reasons, but here are just three:
- We wanted to give you something to read on the can, and our careful
research indicates that most independent professionals are concerned
about accidentally dropping their laptops into the toilet.
- Our research also indicates that (surprisingly) many IPs aren't
online much, so a webzine doesn't help them. Of course, the Catch-22
here is that you're obviously online or you couldn't be reading
this in the first place, so what's the relevance of this explanation
to you? We don't have an answer to this paradox, but we're
studying it.
- Our new print magazine is going to rock the proverbial house. We've
figured out that there are cool things we can do in print that we
can't put on the Web -- things like longer, more in-depth articles,
new departments, gorgeous high-resolution photographs, more detailed
illustrations, beautifully designed layouts, and... uh... pages of
ads. (No, wait! We'd never be so mercenary as to try to make a profit
on this thing! Who, us?)
That's
Great, But What's the Bad News, You Ask?
Look, you cynical bastards, there is no bad news. For example...
- This is not a death notice; this webzine will continue to exist.
We're not bagging this just because we're launching that.
We're doing both, get it?
- No, they're not just going to be two different forms of the same
publication. There will be some overlap, especially at first, but
the webzine and the printzine will complement each other -- each will
have some things that the other lacks.
- No, we're not just fantasizing about printing this puppy. It's
happening -- 1099 Magazine is going to be a real quarterly! (That
means four times a year, according to the janitor.) In addition to
useful content, it will feature cool design (not shlocky) and nice
paper (not pulpy) and bad jokes (not funny), and the first issue will
mail sometime around January 4, 2001. But it will only mail to you
if you subscribe.
(Yes, we know we're nagging. Deal with it.)
- No, we're not offering you one of those phony "free subscriptions"
while planning to hit you up for money a little later. If you're an
IP, and you fill in the online
subscription form, and you don't say something truly stupid (like
"I've never freelanced in my life but I need something to wrap my
fish in"), you'll get it free for at least a year, or until we go
bust. Or until we get arrested. But the "free" is not a scam. It's
free, get it? Free! Which part of "free" don't you understand?
Well, that's about it, lovers. 1099 Magazine is going to print.
It's free. It's unique. It's only slightly psychotic. And it's designed
for you. So what are you waiting for? Subscribe!
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