A Keppler Editorial

JavaScottC

It amazes me how quickly things get churned up. Honestly, is there anything to do with Will that hasn't been said 100 times? I have no ill will towards him, he just played himself out, in my opinion.
As for the origin of this post, I'm on the same page as Al. I stopped purchasing BT at issue 101, and have occasionally browsed through it, but see much of what was mentioned in the earlier thread. The advertising space has increased ALOT, and while I am woefully short in the library department, have no need of buying too many books in the near future. I will say that Wayne runs a tight ship. I purchased the "pine" book by stonelantern, and the binding was bad, so I wrote them. His wife was quick to respond, and said she would send out a new book. I asked if I should send the bad book back, and she replied, no, that wasn't necessary. So the right thing was done, in a day and age that doesn't see that a whole lot. But I will tell you, if there is a book to buy, I will do my business with Stonelantern, due to their proven track record.
And just like Forest Gump...thats all I have to say about that.

Scott

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Jon Chown

Zen says,

Quote:

It doesn't sound like there is much learning to lose in recent issues,...at least on growing bonsai,...but if you like mushrooms, then perhaps there is,...or if you are an advertising and marketing student. Oh well, not having a subscription just saves me the trouble of having to cancel it.

There are none as dumb as those that do not want to see!!! There is something to learn from every issue and in my opinion mushrooms go in line with accent plants and make an interesting change from Trees.



As to advertising, some of us understand the commercial and economic logistics pertaining to these publications. Due to some discussion on another site, I decided to purchase my first copy of Bonsai Europe and while I have not read all of it yet or counted the ads (I am sure that there are less than BT), my initial thoughts are that it is a nicely presented magazine showing lots of pictures of people (This will stroke some egos), the articles are similar and I believe that it will be equally as successful as BT and I will certainly begin collecting them for my library. However less ads equals me paying $20 Au compared to $16 Au for BT. I am sure that as BE grows there will be more companies wanting to advertise in it and when they do, perhaps the purchase price may come down – but maybe not?



Joanie said

Quote:

Look for my auctions to start again, I've been selling off almost a complete collection of Bonsai Today magazines. I'll start again next week, so check out the "auction" link above.

Thanks Joanie, I will have a look, although someone has already contacted me with all of the issues that I don’t have and if his price is right, I would rather purchase them from one place.



And from ChrisM

Quote:

as far as will, some may have hated him, i kinda liked the guy, but he got too "high and mighty" for his own good here. i wish him all the best, but i can't say i miss him.

In Australia, we call that ‘Tall poppy syndrome’.



And Scott, They did the same for me, I purchased 10 back issues and one of them came with the cover upside down to the rest. I sent an email and they sent a replacement to Australia withing a few days (no cost) and I still have the other magazine which may become a collectors piece. I can't thank them enough and they will continue to have my support.




Jon

ianb

Hey Will,

I was just about to mention this, Bonsai Europe is still an excellent magazine and worth the extra money. in fact I would probably pay more for BT if they started publishing more good japanese (actually it doesn't matter who writes them as long as the quality is there) articles again. As it is I cancelled my BT subscription after issue 100 and having scanned through a few of the issues 101-104 I can say I haven't missed too much.

Cheers
Ian

bonsaikc

I don't have anything to say on most of the peripheral issues on this thread. It's all been said. However, I do understand the purpose of each and every successful magazine or publication in the U.S.:

To make money.

I think it's a worthy endeavor, the only one that will stand the test of time and produce the fine side benefits of edifying the chosen demographic. You can't edify if you can't pay the bills, witness Air America.

That being said, I ended my subscription at #99. I haven't seen the articles mentioned. My rationale was this:

1. A great deal of the new issues is devoted to reprinting articles previously published, where I found most of the value.
2. There was a real increase in "guerilla" marketing, meaning "book reviews" (incuding videos) that just happened to be sold by Stone Lantern. I am always one to look for new products and to increase my knowledge. But treat me with respect. Sell me the product. Don't try to make me think it's an honest, unbiased review.
3. The first two are all I really had, I put a third spot here to give the post some symmetry.

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bonsaial1

Walter, Thanks for your intelligent well thought out reply. No, jealousy is not the issue. Content is the issue. Do you really want to see articles from Al Keppler in Bonsai Today? I didn't think so.

This magazine has always been about the best there is. The pictures of bonsai from Japan that graced the gallery pages were inspiration for thousands of budding bonsai enthusiasts. The content is low and not to the excellence, this magazine brought many years ago. I would say that the small sampling of feelings that exists within this thread and those that have quit their subscriptions or have just not bought the magazine says a lot, about where it is today.

Bonsai today is not what is reflected in Bonsai Today. Bonsai is so much more and beyond. Bonsai is about everything that this magazine is not. With all due respect, your opinion on this matter is a non sequitur. You are technically and artistically so far above Bonsai Today that you can't really fathom the point of view that many of us on this forum share. You are the very essence of the articles that most people wish to read. Many people look to your guidance on bonsai matters and wish to emulate many of the things you do.

Zube, I agree with your assessment of the article about the bonsai of Mario Komsta. The problem is that this article is another reprint of basically the same thing that Art of Bonsai had a few months back. It’s now getting to the point that if you read AofB you can read it all again when Bonsai Today comes out. I am sure that the winners of their previous photo contest will be there soon and I am sure it won’t be long before the profiles make their way to the magazine as well. In defense of the magazine, the article about carving with Francois Jeker was also very nice. I did learn a lot there.

Jon, thanks for the post, but with all due respect neither of know how this magazine is run and neither of us know if there is or isn’t money for compensation. To speculate is futile. There are also many other way’s that a writer could be compensated, but I will reserve them for my editorial at the end.

Mike Page and Bonsai Freak, thanks for adding to this post. I understand my perogative to cancel or refuse to buy. Why? I have always enjoyed the magazine. I feel that the proper exercise in this case when you are purchasing a product that you are dissatisfied with is to complain about it. Me writing a note to Wayne would be a noble effort. But a thousand notes from lots of clients due to a blurb on the internet may jog someone where it hurts. Why can’t this magazine be more than it is now. It was in the past, it put the magazine where it is today, if it ain’t broke don’t screw it up. I feel that the path chosen has not been prudent. Opinion yes, but an opinion felt by many.

Kindai Bonsai is one of the premier magazine on the planet. I thoroughly enjoyed it’s pictures and it’s translations years later in Bonsai Today. I think maybe a step back would help rekindle some of the former glory the magazine had. In it’s present form it reflects the image of bonsai in America today. It reflects that mediocrity is OK. It also wishes to be everything to all. The magazine should take a stand and reflect what bonsai should be in America. It should reflect the efforts of prestigious exhibits here in America as well as keeping true to its origins from Japan. Why a magazine would choose to reprint articles from past issues makes no sense. If the idea is to attract new readers by reprinting articles due to inaccessibility of past issues, then reprint the issue so that loyal old customers are not forced to give up the few pages devoted to new content. I do not appreciate paying 10.00 for an article I read ten years ago.

Editorial to the editorial.

In years past, I have read articles in Bonsai Today that I felt were below par and written with a beginners eye in mind. They were somehow out of place in a magazine like Bonsai Today. These were the days before the internet and wide distribution of magazines like Bonsai Today. By the time I bought my first Bonsai Today they were already to issue 14 and I had to search the country to find the missing issues. I did and I am glad for it, those early issues are masterpieces. Those articles that I felt were substadard were looked over and given the benifit of the doubt due to:
1. not knowing the person doing the writing.
2. I have seen many professionals write bad articles.

The 21st century has brought us the internet and the communication gap has been bridged by the internet. We are so familier with the leading experts in the bonsai business that we feel like we know them the first time we meet them. They are old friends without ever seeing them in person. When articles show up in the pages of Bonsai Today and the "written by" contains the names of people we are familer with, we no longer pass them by and look to the next article. There are no more articles. We must choose to read this or nothing. I want more. I pay for it, and I expect it to be delivered. It's not free, and I can choose to not buy it, but it seems that there are ways to fix this. In light of recent articles in Bonsai Today, the bar has been lowered. Not what I expected from the premiere magazine in the US. Bonsai Today truely reflects the attitude of Bonsai in America, and that's a shame

As I said above I don’t think the readership of this magazine is looking for an article from the likes of me. So what are the options? Fall back on Kindai, that would be a good start. If I were in charge of a magazine and had to rely on the readership to provide me with free articles I might think about the ways in which to accomplish this and make some friends around the country and world for that matter. It seems that the consensus is that Bonsai Today is not in a position to pay for articles. I guess that may be true but it seems to me that the readership of this magazine seems to need all the things that Bonsai Today has for sale. It seems that subscriptions to the magazine could be a start as well as gift certificates to the coffers of Stone Lantern. There are many items that would wet the lips of most bonsai enthusiasts like pots, soil, dry goods, books, etc. Gift certificates are a good choice since they would be redeemed at retail value and Wayne still makes his markup. Not a total loss, seems everyone would be happy.

Further… I would think that there are many exhibits each year that go un-noticed. I would think that mailing lists could be provided by national and regional club authorities. I know that GSBF in the west has 31 clubs under its umbrella. I am sure there is someone that could provide exceptional color photo’s and do a little essay on an exhibits such as Redwood empire or Boon’s extraordinary exhibit and even the yearly GSBF Convention.

How about the extraordinary demo’s that go on at most of our regional exhibits each year. Kimura will be at the GSBF Convention next month, is anyone from BT going to be there to handle what’s going on with bonsai in the West? Heck I would even take the south north and East for that matter. Our nation is so large that a simple email to national leaders should lead to some worthwhile reading. I have been very surprised that Bonsai Today has not included many articles from Kathy Shaner, Kenji Miyata, or Colin Lewis. All live here in the US and we never hear about them.

The Pacific Northwest is also a hotbed of Bonsai with the Weyerhaeuser collection and some of its recent avandt garde bonsai exhibitions. I have yet to hear about this in Bonsai Today. Elandan Gardens? Nothing yet!

It seems to me that most magazine I have read have regional contributors. People that work their respective areas in search of bonsai news and photo’s as well as articles about what’s going on. The Jimmie Olson of the bonsai beat. These contributors could be compensated thru the above ideas while enjoying something that dovetailed their own interests.

Best Regards, Al

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Attila

Al,

As far as I know, the only article we have about Mario Komsta on the AOB site is this:

http://www.artofbonsai.org/galleries/komsta.php

This gallery shows the picture of the Red pine and Korean hornbeam featured in the Bonsai Today article, but that's all. Mario's article in the latest Bonsai Today was never published at our site, not even one paragraph.

Sorry,

Attila

bonsaial1

Sorry, My sincere apoligies then. I guess I just remembered the picture and went with that.

Regards, Al

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Walter_Pall

Attention: RANT and a mixture of everything.

Al,

I have to admit that I found your intentions being better than I thought when I first read your editorial. You are seriously concerned about this magazine and it seems about the state of the art of bonsai in America.

You seem to have not much of an idea though what it means to run a magazine on a tight budget in a society that could care less. I am not running a magazine, but I have been involved in several magazines since 20 years. Bonsai magazines were and are ALWAYS on the verge of bankruptcy. Most of them survive only because some club pays for them. BT has been and is the leading English speaking magazine. So many Americans think that it then MUST be an American magazine. I don’t think so at all.

BT, like ALL the other magazines in the western world depend on what is being sent to them for free. Otherwise there would be no magazine! There is no staff to travel the world and write about it and take pictures, there is no money for this. The staff is fully employed in editing and printing the magazine. If you want more of the things you are describing and more from the people whom you mention, then someone will have to write it. A magazine editor in general does NOT write articles. He/she waits for what comes in.

We all are totally spoiled by the big magazines of the non-bonsai world. There usually it is a quite different story. A magazine with good colour prints and as many pages and editions per year as BT can only survive in the long run if it sells way over 10,000 copies. Normal magazine companies don’t touch anything if the volume is below 20,000 or even 50,000. Without knowing numbers really I guess that BT is selling between 5,000 and 10,000 copies. This is just not enough. Common business sense would tell one to close it altogether. Well, this is the leading English speaking bonsai magazine. That throws a light upon the magnitude of the whole bonsai market.

The very same applies to bonsai forums btw. Whatever people feel like writing will be sent - or not. The people running a forum cannot be blamed for the contents in general.

While we are at magazine bashing, we might speak about the whole thing: Has someone else noticed the serious decline in quality contents in bonsai forums. Or is it just me and my very egocentric view? I only find les then 3 % of what is written in bonsai forums worthwhile reading. I look at something like 15 bonsai forums in several languages almost every day. I only read the headings and the names of the authors. 90 % out of the times I actually do not read a single thread just because the heading is not inviting. This used to be very different. Have the forums changed, or have I changed?

Now you can blame me as I did you: Walter, why don't you write something worthwhile. Well, I do here and there, but only when I feel like it. I don't often feel like it. and when I feel like writing more I want to post it where it will be read. Read by the right people. This applies to magazines and forums as well.

Many participants in bonsai forums think they ARE the bonsai crowd. They are not. They are like the same hundred people who frequent the big conventions every time and think THEY are the bonsai crowd.

You are right though: whatever we have read on the internet and seen pictures of will appear in magazine a few months later. Have you ever given this some thinking? Are you aware that this means that magazine are a dying species. Most of them. Well, they are and exactly for that reason. But then instead of the magazines we are used to we would have the contents we want on the internet. The forums as we used to know them since years are NOT accomplishing this task well. The two forums which must not be named were created exactly for that reason. They are endangering the old forums because they are doing it right. at least they are trying. This is part of the hatred against them. But they serve a different purpose. They are online magazines, while the old forums are more chat-rooms.
If you mention AoB several times as having the content that will appear in BT and somewhere else later, you are hitting it on the head. That’s what AoB and the other one are there for. What exactly would be a reason for a photo contest if not then printing exactly these photos which the magazine got for free?

So very little will be in a magazine that was not published a few months before on the net. Will magazines survive?
I think the only things that they can do better and even much better than the internet is quality contents which are very well edited and then quality pictures. Many people think that they have seen a picture when they have seen it on their screen. This is NOTHING compared to a very good print of a quality picture. There magazines can always beat the net by far. And so they should.

Solution? well, I do my thing. It cannot possibly be my mission to change the bonsai world to the better. And It would not be well accepted if I tried to change the American bonsai scene to the better. It would be a bit unfair to blame me. I think more should do similar things though.

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TreeBay

Walter there really isn't anything new on the net with respect to bonsai. Putting a magazine online is not new. Andy Rutledge did it years ago and even in association with Bonsai Today with his bonsaienthusiast site.. I think the only reason it failed was because the subscription model didn't carry over well to the Internet.

Now we have similar content available at AoB. But you miss the mark if you think it is endangering the other forums. AoB is, as you say, an online magazine. Not a forum, not with respect to any definition of what forums are. It's competing with the print magazines.

Regards,

Matt

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