The Future of BattleGrip?
After the headaches of the last few days and the “joy” of someone hacking the site — thank you to Justin at generalsjoes.com for saving the site today — I find myself returning to some thoughts I have been toying with for a month or two now. The site has been a headache to deal with at times since I’m better at creating content than I am programming and playing webmonkey, so I’m now starting to think that it’s time for a dramatic change to how I use battlegrip.com and how I distribute reviews and other material online.
BattleGrip as a Free PDF Magazine
My background is in print, specifically in designing books, newspaper work, and even magazine work. While working on battlegrip.com over the years I’ve considered how I would approach things if I were to create the site as a magazine, and then while putting together Transforming Collections* I realized just how much I miss creating pages that are fixed and not the variable-control pages of websites and blogs.
So I’ve decided to try something a little different over the next month. Rather than post new reviews and features to battlegrip.com I’m going to assemble that content in InDesign, slowly building a magazine that I’ll then post in early September as a free PDF for everyone to download. I know this is a fairly significant change from how I’ve handled things before, but the near-loss of every review and feature I’ve ever posted here at the site has me thinking it’s time I experiment.
Shown here are the four pages I’ve created for a review of the Predator 2 Trophy Wall Diorama* that NECA recently released. The first image above shows how the two page spreads look and the other images here are each of the pages. The Trophy Skulls Pack* will also be reviewed — I’ve already shot those photos — and I hope these sample pages give you an idea of what I’m working toward.
I Hope You’ll Give it a Shot
Toy magazines are growing fairly rare these days so I hope that my experiment with battlegrip.com is something you’ll keep an eye on and try. I know that eliminating the reviews and features from the usual mix will likely leave some of you dropping the site from your rotation, but I hope that when I post the PDF in September you’ll give is a try and give me some feedback. I have no idea if this is the right thing to do, but I do know that I’m better at using Photoshop and InDesign than I am using webtools so at the very least I’ll be less frustrated with the site than I have been recently.
What Do You Think?
So battlegrip.com may be a hobby and a creative outlet for me, but for almost five years now many of you have been visiting the site and watching as I jump from line to line and as I write about everything from designer toys to mass market action figures to . . . well, I try to keep things random and feel I do an okay job with that. But what do you think of this experiment I’m jumping into? What are your thoughts on the reviews and features getting shifted to a monthly PDF?
I’d love to hear any feedback you may have.
Umm, maybe you and I should talk. 😉
http://coolandcollected.com/introducing-cool-collected-magazine-maybe/
I’m in the exact same boat as you in many regards. My site’s been hacked four times. I love print–been designing printed publications for years. We’re a dying breed but I think there is a market for readers in the collecting community. I toyed with the idea of doing a PDF version only, but kept circling back to an actual printed project. I’ve set in things in motion and would love to compare notes with you. Good luck!
This sounds like a really exciting project! I’m certainly looking forward to checking it out.
@Brian – I had completely missed your magazine announcement. Damn, now I feel kinda late to the party. Good luck and I know I’m ready to support your project! We need more magazines.
@FigureFan Zero – Thanks. I’m hoping that the shift doesn’t lose too many people.
great idea Phil! LEt me know if you need any help from DK bud!
Brilliant, and the preview looks great. Eagerly awaiting the future Battlegrip.
My first reaction: will Philip Reed release an ePub version?!
But that’s just me being greedy. I like the idea of sitting down, relaxing, and reading a range of articles in one setting. Sure, you can kind of do that with a website, if you visited periodically, but reading a magazine might feel less fragmented than individual web pages, and you can take more time putting the thing together.
Looking forward to it, and good luck!
Damn. Your links list is how I keep up on toy news. I just shamelessly starting using it a little over a year ago… Well, I will try to keep up with whatever you do next!
@drrampageo – Thanks! If you can share the news with your readers, and the link to the first PDF when it is ready, I would appreciate the help.
@Connor Seraph – Thanks, Connor. Those sample pages were tests for me; the final PDF may look a bit different as I work through ideas.
@A.M. – Unfortunately, my ePub skills are basically zero. But I’ve read PDFs on my iPad just fine so I am hoping PDF will work for everyone.
@Jason S. – The links and pages should remain here. And I will continue to post news and random links and stuff to the site. It’s just the reviews and feature-like material I’m going to test in PDF.
I’d certainly be interested in a ”magazine” version of the site. My only request/comment/suggestion would be – if you do move forward in this way – that there’s a specific date for each issue’s publication, just so we know when to check for it. I’m guilty of not sticking to my own lax schedule I know but it can be frustrating to keep having to check-in for something you’re waiting for, only to find it’s still not there.
That aside though I think it sounds like a really exciting idea.
i’m down with this idea! great!
I use the RSS feed to get emails whenever you make a new post, so I shouldn’t miss out on the PDF when it’s released.
Also, as for your preview, that was a perfect set of pages to let us see, I’ve been trying to decide if I should get that diorama. I like the look, but it seems pretty expensive for what it is. However, your pictures do sway me more towards buying it.
Phil, the magazine project sounds phenomenal. I’m more predisposed to the web myself since I consume content on my phone more than anything else. The rss feeds for new posts and not having to download files make it an attractive alternative. Plus, I’m a blogger awho enjoys reading others’ blogs. That said, I’ll do my best to keep up!
P.S. I rather enjoy the discussions on your site. I assume that aspect will be lost if you switch exclusively to a pdf format, yes?
This sounds really cool, and I’m looking forward to the digital magazine!
@Iok – I would like to release each PDF at the start of each month, but I’m not sure of the exact day. My current thinking is the first Monday in September for the first issue. We’ll just see how it all comes together.
And I hope that sites like yours will help raise awareness once issue one goes live.
@Ralph – Thanks, Ralph! Maybe we can arrange for you to contribute an illo to a toy review in one issue.
@ryanlb – If you’re hesitating at all on that Trophy Wall Diorama I suggest skipping. It really is nothing more than a giant statue that’s waiting to hold the skulls you’ll need to buy separately. I like it, but I’m also thinking I may use it for some future photos so for me it has more use than just as a backdrop on a shelf.
@Jay – I’m assuming the comments section for the issue is where discussions will happen, but I suppose we’ll wait and see.
And I’m looking at issuu.com as a delivery method. Then there’s no need for anyone to download the PDF; and I’ve looked at issuu.com on my phone, iPad, and computer and all three displayed the magazines without issue.
No problems. You can always depend on us to get the word out. I just know from my own experience of not publishing daily content now that having a fixed schedule (or at least, a firm ETA) is a big help and, as somebody who reads Battlegrip every day, if your update schedule was to change it would be really cool to know when to start looking!
this sounds swell! but…let me get this other drawing done for you first ;D
I look forward to it! You’ve got an eye for the design, so it should be an interesting change from reading blogs. Been forever since I’ve read a magazine about toys…
It’s a shame the site was hacked – makes me wonder how that even happens, or for what purposes.
I’d love to read a monthly e-magazine, done Battlegrip style. 🙂 Having read through my copy of the Kickstarted Transformer book you produced, I know I’d enjoy something similar with more of the Website’s editorial style mixed in that covers a broader range of content.
When it comes to transitioning away from daily/weekly blog-posts- it makes me wonder about how this site functions. Don’t most toy-related sites ensure their costs are met by having affiliated links (to BBTS, Amazon, TFsource, etc.), + banner ads click-though revenue? By changing that, does it undermine your ability to run the site/pay for webhosting?
I’m lucky with my dark-ware.org domain that it’s owed by a friend who provided webspace/unlimited bandwidth for my use. Since I (think?) Battlegrip is more like a hobby than business for you Philip, does your potential move to .PDF magazine not require ad revenue that you’d normally get from your current setup?
In any case, I’d fully support any ventures you take in the future with BattleGrip. 🙂
I think a near-print option is a great idea considering your content. There’s no reason your content needs to be “day of” published. If it’s a weekly cycle and I don’t see my review of the latest GI Joe until Friday, so be it. This isn’t breaking news, per se, just really good writing and great photos. Taking time to produce quality content is always better, if you ask me.
I’m not sure what your plans are exactly but the only thing you lose in the process is direct feedback (ie, comments). So I might suggest finding a way to post the PDFs in a way that still lets us readers post quick comments about the issue.
And while a PDF is awesome, I hope you consider upselling some actual print copies. If there’s an issue that has a really good spread or a toy I really love, I’d shell out a few bucks to have a physical copy.
I’ve tossed around the idea of a magazine for Redline Derby Racing but just haven’t really done the research to see if it’s worth it. While I spent 10 years in print media and broadcast, I’m a “webmonkey” at heart so those are the problems I like solving…helping guys like you come up with the best way to manage and present your content.
Anyway, I’m excited for BattleGrip: The Magazine. Can’t way to see what you come up with.
I think a near-print version of BattleGrip would be awesome! I understand your frustrations with blogs if you’re not a big tech head…they can be limiting and are open to trouble (my sites were hacked a while back, not fun).
PDFs do offer you more freedom in presentation but limit accessibility. In many cases for niche content like this I’d almost prefer a hard copy version. I’m not above paying a few bucks for an issue I really want so I have it on the coffee table.
PDFs can also limit your interaction with readers since there’s no real commenting as you would on a blog. If you post the PDFs as a blog post with a download, that might still offer readers a way to comment and share their feedback.
I’ve thought about doing a magazine for Redline Derby Racing but never really did the research or inventory of content. I’ll be interested to hear about your journey in this venture…I hope it all works out.
Personally, I miss the Toy Magazine, so I would very much look forward to the magazine idea. I do like being able to interact on the various posts on the site as well, so I guess I’ll be following in whichever direction you go. If the site goes away, I’ll be sad, but I’d be very excited for the mag as well.
@googum – Thank you! I’m hoping that I can settle on a functional and attractive design; I keep switching things up and experimenting with pages as I try to find exactly the blend that makes me happy.