NEWSLETTER OR MAGAZINE ?
HE SHORT ANSWER IS , it does not matter . Your state association probably only produces one periodical . The Chess Journalists of America annual awards do not differentiate between the two . Yet , I am prone to ask stupid questions . I am told astronomers made certain advances in their field by asking “ Why is it dark at night ?” So maybe stupid questions can sometimes lead to fruitful discussions .
I suggest the difference defies definitive categorization and is more a matter of psychology and organizational culture .
Those organizations that tend to make their periodical a higher priority tend to regard it as a magazine ; those who don ’ t tend to think of it as a newsletter . Inwardly I cringe whenever I hear a Georgia Chess Association board member refer to Georgia Chess as “ the newsletter .” My knee-jerk reaction is to regard him with suspicion , someone who does not hold the publication in high enough esteem — for , in the editor ’ s eyes , the esteem had better be very high indeed .
Correspondingly , the organizations that prioritize their periodical are more willing to support the cost of producing a nice-looking magazine . Most annual memberships to a state chess association cost $ 10 – 20 . Assuming the association ’ s tournaments and other activities pay for themselves , that leaves about $ 3 per member to produce , print , and mail each periodical . If you are doing it within that budget , it ’ s probably a newsletter . If the organization subsidizes the periodical , it might be a magazine .
And if you are publishing it online ? Newsletter ! Nowadays it is tempting for associations to forego printing and mailing costs by switching to an online periodical . ( I touched on this last issue , and the topic deserves an entire column and a lively follow up exchange .) If you look carefully at traditional print magazines and at websites , you ’ ll see that the content for print and web is different . You could begin by comparing Chess Life and USCF Online . You can of course throw a PDF file up on your site , but a real online publication is not a magazine — not yet . Kindle ? Perhaps , but not yet relevant to us . Back to print , what are some physical features that might distinguish a magazine from a newsletter ? a Dimensions — 8½ x 11 inches is standard for both . I think all state publications in 5½ x 8½ inches are newsletters . None of them come close in appearance to similarlydimensioned international publications , such as Larry Evan ’ s American Chess Quarterly , Chess Mail , Britain ’ s Kingpin , and , of course , the BCM . a Length — Not to put too fine a point on it , newsletters tend to be shorter than magazines , from a four-page single sheet to a dozen or so pages . Magazines tend to run two to four dozen pages .
a Layout — Newsletters tend toward the simple , amateurish , uninspired , but they need not be . One should strive to do good work within whatever limits . I tend to move onto new software only once I ’ ve thoroughly outgrown the last . Software is available today that is easy to learn and use and some will even do much of the work for you , if you don ’ t mind a rather mechanistic look . Photos and graphics , once limited to magazines , can be included in any newsletter today . a Cover — Newsletters used to begin text on page one , now most give the cover over to a photograph or graphic . Magazine editors , however , eschew the blurry trophy shot in favor a more complex and carefully composed cover . Sometimes I have spent weeks creating an appropriate cover ( usually when I have not got a good photograph to use !). a Content — both newsletters and magazines run tournament reports , crosstables , games , and local news . Magazines , however , tend to have more and regular feature articles and columns , and the features are often lengthier . a Timeliness — this is not to be underestimated . If your association is not mailing out a periodical consistently and on time , then it is not a magazine . This is also one of the hardest things to maintain , especially during periods of rapid turnover of editors .
It is good to always be improving the work you do . It ’ s also good to hold steady and maintain consistency , although that does not require ambition . To move immediately from a newsletter to a magazine , however , is very ambitious . It ’ s like playing a decisive combination in the middlegame : if it turns out not to be sound , your position will be left in tatters .
Here is a cautionary tale . In 1977 the Georgia Chess Association had been publishing a solid but unambitious newsletter for some 15 years . Under the president , J . Earle Morrison , the board decided to change the publication ’ s name to The Chessman , go large format , print a photograph on a card stock cover , and try to place the magazine in newsstands . Meanwhile Morrison was working to bring other state chess associations into the orbit of this new publication . The newsletter editor initiated these changes , but by the second issue he submitted his resignation letter . It reveals that , Because this issue was destined for newsstands in and around the state , we made several changes . We increased the size of the Newsletter to 8½ x 11 , printed on better quality paper , changed the title to The Chessman to give it better selling chances regionally , and , most importantly , printed on all this good stuff quality material [ sic ] the likes of which had never been seen in a GCA publication before .
( continued on page 11 )
Fall 2011 The Chess Journalist 9