01/22/2025
THE EDITOR OBSERVES:
For a couple of years people have been telling me that the publishing industry is in turmoil, that print itself is dying, that Rosebud's audience is aging, and that because of that and related factors ROSEBUD is doomed. Well, that may be true, but we have been hearing that sort of thing for several decades now, and we are still alive.
Our late founder John Lehman used to say: "We have been walking this tightrope for so long that is feels like a floor if you don't look down."
What I think is true is that we have to hold onto old readers and find new readers, hopefully including some younger ones--and I believe there are readers that will like Rosebud and subscriber if they actually see an issue, hold it in their hands and sit down to browse for a moment. The challenge is, given that we have no funds to do national marketing, how do we bring it to their attention?
Since day one (back in the fall of '93), Rosebud has been specifically designed to sell itself and be its own best salesman: displaying beautiful colors, internal art, and inviting internal information architecture. But here's the thing:
As the decay of print continues, we need our fans and readers to continue to subscribe, resubscribe and introduce other people to Rosebud-- because we know that when people actually see Rosebud, hold it in their hands and read a page or two, there is a good chance they will be hooked. The reality is though, that we need the help of those who already read it to show it to others via gift issues or gift subscriptions. Ane we would like people to petition their local libraries.
In the current political climate--literature is seen as a threat to conservative values, and reading and writing are viewed as the enemy of truth, not a means by which great truths are revealed. We believe reading and writing are tools of selfhood that are essential for future generations as well as our own--and out experience is that when younger people pick up a copy of ROSEBUD and leaf through it--they like it!
So please , friends, subs and resubs are lagging right now, even though we have just published one of the best issues ever. In the short run we can sustain ourselves, as we have been able to for many years--but we will need the help of readers to help us stay on our feet over time. So please, subscribe, resubscribe, gift--or donate to non-profit Rosebud, Inc. (www.rsbd.net). Do that for us, and we will keep bringing ROSEBUD to you.
Sincerely:
J. Rod Clark , Ed/Publ
ROSEBUD
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