While in some quarters things look bleak on the automotive magazine publishing front, with circulation and especially ad revenue in a freefall, one publishing company is bucking the trend. Amos Automotive, a division of Amos Press, publishers the monthly titles Cars & Parts, Corvette Enthusiast, Musclecar Enthusiast, Mustang Enthusiast and the bi-monthly titles Mopar Enthusiast and Pontiac Enthusiast is increasing frequency of both Mopar Enthusiast and Pontiac Enthusiast to monthly this fall. Noted Pontiac author Jason Scott, who formerly edited both Pontiac Enthusiast and Mopar Enthusiast on alternating months will be making the Poncho title his full-time responsibility and long-time Mopar authority Geoff Stunkard will be taking over the reigns at Mopar Enthusiast.
And what is welcome news to freelancers every where, Rich Truesdell, who edits his own web site automotivetraveler.com and has contributed to all the Amos titles as well many other US and European publications, will be the launch editor for Chevy Enthusiast. “To think that I’m being given the opportunity to launch a monthly print magazine in this Internet age caught me totally by surprise,” says Rich. “But there are still many things that a print magazine can do that can’t be done online and I’m going to try to leverage that advantage to give all Chevy lovers a truly different magazine.”
”While I’ll have some very experienced contributors on board, people like Gary Witzenburg, Brad Bowling, Steve Statham, and Richard Prince, several of my columnists come from blogs and have never written for a monthly magazine before. I’m optimistic that they will bring a fresh perspective to covering the Chevy community. While the staples – Camaros, Chevelles, Corvettes, and Tri-Fives – will be an important part of the editorial mix, look for Chevy Enthusiast to cover ground overlooked by many of the current magazines covering the Chevy community, especially coverage of pre-war and late model Chevys.”
Chevy Enthusiast will premiere at this year’s SEMA Show. Like all the current Amos Automotive titles, Chevy Enthusiast will be available in a free, online digital format, but you can sign up for a free three-month trial print subscription at the Amos Automotive web site.
Interested in making a feature pitch to Rich? He can be contacted via E-mail, Twitter, or Facebook for editorial and photographic guidelines. But he offers up this warning. “The pitch must be fresh, think out of the box, the kind of projects you’ve wanted to do but never thought you had the right editorial outlet. We’ve got a monthly series, ‘See the USA in a Chevrolet’ so in addition to car and truck features and tech, I’m looking for top-tier travel-focused features that showcase Chevys, past and present. What I’m not looking for? First-generation Camaro features; I already have a 10-year supply. And no checkbook restorations of 1957 Bel Air ragtops. I think we’ve all seen enough of that. Find me a father and daughter who’ve restored their Tri-Five together and you’ve got my attention.”
