My early years as a writer were all in print media, so it's a thrill to see one of my blog stories appear in the March issue of the magazine Riders' Collective.
Actually, Riders' Collective is a web-based publication; an e-zine. But publisher Paul Kramer gives the stories inside such a full-blown print magazine treatment with snappy graphics, large photos and stylish fonts that you can imagine it's something you'd find sitting out on a coffee table.
And Kramer does it all without felling one tree.
Kramer has coined the term “aggrezine” to describe his publication. That word is protected by trademark.
Aggregating
Essentially, he scours the Internet for a wide variety of web stories, chooses 8 to 10, contacts the authors to get permission to reprint, then puts them in an attractive package. In other words, he aggregates the content.
I got back in touch with Kramer after the March issue of his aggrezine came out, and wasn't surprised to learn that he's worked for the past 25 years in the traditional magazine publishing business as editorial production director. That includes 10 years at Vogue and six at Glamour.
“I conceived of Riders' Collective as an opportunity to share cycling-related material, both text-based from blogs and news sites, and visual, from sites such as Flickr and YouTube, that I've combined — with a dash of my own creativity — into something that hopefully is greater than the sum of its parts. I coined (and trademarked) the term “aggrezine” to describe this — aggregated content in a magazine format.”
Avid cyclist
I also asked Kramer, who lives in Montclair, N.J., about his life on the bicycle:
“Riding has a powerful effect on me. If I weren't such a rational person I'd say it was almost spiritual — but I am so I won't. Riding clears my head and lifts my mood; it makes me healthier and improves my outlook on life.
“Off the bike I enjoy the tinkering, the maintenance, the shopping, the exchanging of ideas on nutrition, lighting, training, components — all the countless ways that cycling can occupy all your time if you have the luxury to let it.
“I used to do a lot of solo touring (I wrote about my misadventures in Iceland in Adventure Cyclist) but for the past five years have devoted my time, energy, and resources to randonneuring. I'm an avid booster for the sport and could go on and on about why I enjoy it.”
March issue
The March issue is Kramer's 11th monthly edition. After his opening column, the e-zine starts off with my story on “Myth-busting the RAGBRAI and Ride the Rockies bike tours.”
The other articles for March:
“Endurance Cycling's Five Mistakes to Avoid,” by Chris Kostman, head of the AdventureCORPS endurance event organization.
“Dirty Pictures,” by William Rugen for Motofish Images. The dirty pictures in this case are photos from cyclocross competitions.
“My Ti with a Twist,” by Tom Stokes of Plum Grove Cyclery. It's a review of the Ti Deluxe 29'er.
“Uh Oh, Canada,” by Kaitlin Duck Sherwood, writing a review of a week-long bicycle tour presented by Backroads, Inc.
“Cycle Messengers World Championship 2010; Special Delivery: Guatemala,” by Diane Dreyfus.
“Wheels of Fortune,” a photo essay of bicycle storefronts.
“Roll Over America — Coast to Coast by Velomobile,” by Josef Janning, of www.rolloveramerica.eu, a cross-country ride by velomobile.
Here's a link to the March issue of Riders' Collective (.pdf file). Also here's Riders' Collective website (with links to previous issues) and the Riders' Collective Facebook page.
Recent Comments