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Winter '06 Articles:
IMPACT's Survival & You
Corrupting the Cross
Dog & Cat Fur From China?!
The Muddlemarch: 1
The Muddlemarch: 2
The World's #1 Terrorist
Cut Your Kids No Slack
Quickies
(music reviews)

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IMPACT's Survival and You

December was a difficult month for IMPACT and for me, as a result. For the last couple years, the magazine has struggled financially.

Because IMPACT is a free magazine, all revenue is generated from advertising. When advertising is down, the magazine struggles to make ends. To make matters worse, this time of year has historically been difficult for generating advertising revenue for IMPACT and this one was particularly bad. So, after years of putting my own money into the magazine in order to keep it afloat, enough became enough. I love this magazine, but I could no longer afford it.

That said, I am happy to present the WINTER 2006 issue of IMPACT press. It made it out and it isn't going to be the last issue thanks to many of you. Thank goodness. I really didn't want to put the magazine to rest. We're entering our 10th year. After humble beginnings in March 1996, the magazine has morphed into the publication you see before you.

When I sent out a note to the IMPACT e-mail list about its possible gloomy future, the response was awesome and I felt a bit renewed. Considering the magazine publishes 12,000 copies and is available across the U.S., I knew there had to be some people out there who really cared about it. Well, I had hoped. The responses I received to my e-mail confirmed that and it felt good to know that people really count on the magazine. But kind words of support don't pay the bills.

So, what happened? How did IMPACT nearly fold, only to be saved?

Upon my sending out the note to the email list (as well as notes to my potential advertisers begging them for some urgent support), IMPACT received a number of donations as well as last-minute ad reservations. I was flattered and excited.

Of course, in a perfect world, I won't need to send such a note ever again. Hopefully this is the beginning of a new financially-secure situation for IMPACT. Probably not, because running a small, indie magazine isn't profitable and times will likely always be tough.

IMPACT is the kind of magazine that survives because you believe in it–not just those who work on it like myself, the writers, artists, distributors, etc., but also those who have the means to financially support it, whether through donations or advertising. It's too all those people that I say, Thank You. Thank you for believing in IMPACT, supporting independent publishing and contributing, in your own way, to changing the world for the better.

Happy 2006, and may this be the last time any of us have to consider saying goodbye to IMPACT press.

Email your feedback on this article to editor@impactpress.com.