From: ddoyle9570@aol.com
Date: Sun Oct 06 2002 - 15:48:58 PDT
Friends,
I genuinely hope I do not make enemies out of any friends over this, but I simply must speak.
As some of you may know, I occasionally have articles appear in print about military vehicles, usually not about WWII vehicles or Jeeps. (not knocking either the era or the vehicle, its just that both are outside of my limited, so called, expertise) While there have been more of my articles printed in Krause's Military Vehicles Magazine, than in Army Motors, that is not a result of either the MVPA Board, or Reg Hodgson, the Army Motors editor. Reg has asked me REPEATEDLY to send him more, or longer items, particularly regarding big, non-WWII trucks.
I even have a very pleasant letter from him asking these of me. He is more than willing and eager to publish these things.
However, this is a time consuming process. You don't get instant results...in the current Army Motors 101 (came last week)) there is a little piece by me, that I wrote back in 2001. As I recall from what Reg said, there are items by me coming in issues 103 and 104. Notice how far out the preparations begin.
To create an article that will present will in a publication, there are things at play here that, at least for the articles I TRY to write, perhaps you fellows should know.
There is a LOT of time that goes into the research, and a lot of resources. As I type this with in two feet of me, much to my wife's chagrin, is 30 linear feet of technical manuals, and 3000 plus photographs.
A photo must be copyright free, or a release obtained (usually for a fee) in order to reproduce it in print. As a rule digital photos do not reproduce well.
References must be checked, and double checked, before they are stated, or a disservice is done to the hobby. How many times have you heard that the WWII went to soft cabs to save steel? Wrong, more material in the military open top cab than in the civilian based closed cabs in most cases. Just an example, and there can be many. So be prepared to spend time researching your subject matter.
Then, after the research is done, the photos gathered, any charts or tables must be prepared, as well as any drawings. Notice I never use drawings? I have no artistic talent, and am not much of a photographer for that matter (result, in my case-use archival photos). Now, write the text. Then correct it, then rewrite it. Then cut it down in size....a lot, no matter how interesting you may find it. Some of you may remember the LONG article I did on wire rope for Military Vehicles 90. Five pages including illustrations on rope...it started as 8 pages before illustrations!
The above remarks are based on personal experience...now for the conjecture.
Been to an MVPA convention? What category has the most entrents? WWII Jeep. Looked at the vendor tables, what are the most linear feet of selling space devoted to? WWII Jeep.
Go to Barnes and Noble and look for books about your favorite military vehicle. Now count them. Count the number of Jeep books, which is more?
Thus I feel the qualified pool of authors for the magazines on the subject of Jeep exceeds the pool of authors on M114, or M35, or M4A4 by a factor of several hundred fold. If each member of the MVPA sent in but one piece about their favorite subject, and they all were printed, WWII Jeep articles would still dominate the club magazine.
And also since the officers are drawn from the same pool of membership, the odds MUST be that there is a greater chance of the officers being WWII Jeep buffs than anything else, althought I am convinced that the board tries to fairly and equitably represent the hobby as a whole.
As far as the qualitity of the paper in Supply Line....I happened to be at the MVPA Board meeting in Dallas, and the subject of dues increases came up, and the desire to hold down costs. As I recall there was much wailing and nashing of teeth before increasing dues.
Personally, I prefer the better paper. If it costs 5 bucks more (it effects both printing and postage costs)per year, so what? If I can't afford that 5 bucks, why am I looking in Supply Line....I'm gonna find something for sale in it for LESS than five bucks?
But, the choice was made to try to lower costs, to keep the color in Army Motors, and keep the dues down.
With respect to the MVPA website, dunno nothing about it, but have found a pleasant, polite, friendly phone call to MVPA HQ always gets immediate and effective results.
I will get off my stump now, and prepare for the flames.
Regards,
David Doyle
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