We’re Shaker crazy here at Hammock. Not only does the May/June issue of American Spirit feature a cover story on the restoration of the Mount Lebanon Shaker Village in New Lebanon, N.Y., but Jamie recently paid a visit to the beautifully restored Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill. (Read about her trek to Kentucky here.)

General James T. Conway, 34th Commandant of the US Marine Corps, leads the May/June issue of Semper Fi, which we publish for the Marine Corps League. In an exclusive interview in late March with Semper Fi contributor Otto Kreisher, General Conway presented a frank assessment of the state of the Corps as it winds down its presence in Iraq and moves in greater numbers into Afghanistan as part of the Long War on Terror.

If a blank page terrifies and baffles most writers, imagine how an editor must feel when one issue of a magazine goes to bed and the next one awakes and demands that its 64, 72, 80 or more blank pages be fed – and soon. Small wonder that a lot of editors find cleaning up their offices after completing an issue much more important than welcoming that new number with open arms.

Of course, it’s not quite that bad (that is to say, it better not be). Editors assign stories several issues ahead; depending on the publication and story, it might be as much as a year ahead.

We at Hammock take a conservative approach to most assignments, preferring to work only a couple issues ahead so we can adapt to changing client needs and wants. So we’re constantly working the idea file – which may consist of a thicket of sticky notes as well as multiple file, bookmark and email folders.

Here in late April, I’m just finishing up some mid-course changes for the 2009 editorial calendar of Semper Fi, the Magazine of the Marine Corps League, and working on a draft of 2010’s calendar.

We at Hammock take a conservative approach to most assignments, preferring to work only a couple issues ahead so we can adapt to changing client needs and wants. So we’re constantly working the idea file – which may consist of a thicket of sticky notes as well as multiple file, bookmark and email folders.

Here in late April, I’m just finishing up some mid-course changes for the 2009 editorial calendar of Semper Fi, the Magazine of the Marine Corps League, and working on a draft of 2010’s calendar.

Next year has several important milestones for the Marine Corps, including the 65th anniversary of the Corps’ landmark battle on Iwo Jima, as well as the end of World War II. It’s the 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean War, and also of the legendary battle of the Chosin Reservoir, with Marines and Soldiers desperately holding back a much larger North Korean force. It is also the 35th anniversary of the fall of Saigon; two US Marines were the last American Warriors killed in direct action there.

Decisions on these stories will be made well in advance, with the knowledge that opportunities may arise that we’ll have to jump to take advantage of.

Nevertheless, with all this looming in the near future, and the covers still settling around the chin of our May-June issue, the July-August issue is demanding full attention for now. So we start the process of checking with writers about their progress, sifting through what will add up to hundreds of photos, and reading constantly about the Corps and America’s military and history.

The July-August issue will get an “esprit de Corps” boost from my visiting the 2009 Marine South Expo at Camp Lejeune next week. It’s inspiring, and sobering, to get out behind the computer screen and talk to Marines who have been in harm’s way, and are likely going back fairly soon. It’s also uplifting to meet “Mature Marines,” who have served their hitch, or their career, and are on hand with the Marine Corps League to greet today’s Warriors.

Because Marines study deeply the Corps’ history, a few words can convey volumes – Peleliu, Tarawa, Chosin, Tet, Khe Sanh, Desert Storm, Fallujah. There’s a bond, a sense of continuum that permeates these events, and that we strive to convey every time we fill those blank pages.

Last fall, when the economic downturn became a daily news topic, it didn’t take long to get a little sick of all of the doom-and-gloom reports. On one hand, it is what it is. The economy stinks. But on the other hand, come on already!
That’s why we decided to take matters into our own hands, and shine a different light on the economic downturn with the April/May MyBusiness cover story, “A Helping Hand: How small business is stepping up to end the recession.”

Two of our magazine projects—the DAR’s American Spirit and the Marine Corps League’s Semper Fi–regularly include book review sections. Although publishers happily send cover images, we’ve found that photographing the books adds–as you might expect–a custom look to the page.
While several of us have done this job, lately we’ve called on designer Ben Stewart to handle the tasks. There are a couple of reasons for this: Ben originally minored in photography at Middle Tennessee State University before switching to graphic design, and his Canon Rebel EOS is ideal for capturing the quality images we need.

In this economy, magazine advertising sales can be a challenge. That’s why it’s more important than ever to make sure your ad sales team is getting the support they need from you to be successful. We recently held an annual advertising sales meeting for the sellers of MyBusiness magazine, which we publish for our client the National Federation of Independent Business. We partner with the advertising sales rep firm the James G. Elliott Company on the advertising for MyBusiness. With our recent meeting still fresh in my mind, here are five tips to consider when conducting your annual magazine sales meetings:

An exclusive interview with Gen. Anthony Zinni, USMC (Ret.) headlines the March-April issue of the Marine Corps League’s magazine Semper Fi, which we publish for the League. Gen. Zinni, who many believe was a strong candidate to command the Corps before he retired in 2001, is widely respected for speaking his mind even when his opinions run contrary to those of Marine and White House doctrine.

Soon (though not soon enough), winter weather will start to disappear and spring will be ushered in by budding plants and flowers and, for the green thumbs among us, the first hints of a garden. We thought it appropriate to kick off American Spirit‘s March/April issue with a feature on growing a heritage garden. Maureen Taylor investigates the significance of Colonial-era flower gardens and provides steps to help amateur gardeners create a modern version of an 18th-century garden in their own backyard.

Over the last few years, my life has become almost entirely wired—I pay all my bills online and haven’t bought a stamp in ages, I blog instead of writing in a journal, I take digital photos and publish them to Flickr instead of printing them out, and I get all of my news online. (Is it obvious that I work in digital media yet?)

But despite my gravitation toward all things digital, one hard-copy habit I haven’t been able to totally kick is magazines. No matter how obsessed with my computer I am (and believe me I am—friends tease me for having an emotional attachment to my Macbook), sometimes I just need to curl up on the couch with a cat and a magazine. (Also, it’s a lot less hazardous when eating a ham sandwich and drinking a Coke.)

Some of my subscriptions have changed over the years, but one I have loved as long as I can remember is Rolling Stone. The writing is edgy and witty, the layouts cram a ton of information in but stop right before I feel overwhelmed (Wired, which I used to love, could learn a thing or two here), and the photography often makes me feel as though I’m standing right in front of my favorite artists.

I’ll admit I was a bit disappointed in Rolling Stone‘s decision to abandon the large format they had used since 1981 for a traditional size, perfect-bound (no staples) style. I loved how the cover photos were larger than life almost. I loved the crinkly sound the cover made as I cracked it open.

But more importantly, I still love the content (everything music + acerbic, unforgiving take on politics + cussing = perfection, for me at least), so I’m letting this one slide. Just no more Britney Spears covers, ok?!

It’s no secret we’re nuts about magazines around here. So today when I asked the Hammorati what their favorites were (besides the ones we do for our clients, of course!) it was no surprise that I was immediately inundated with passionate responses.

My magazine subscriptions have changed over the years, but my favorite will probably always be Rolling Stone. Read on to find out the favorites of the other Hammock staff: