March 11, 2004
Good feedback on the cover dilemma. Here’s some of the immediate reaction to yesterday’s post:

“Sorry Bob, I agree with RG on this one. Advertising has gotten way too confusing, especially trying to sell the customer on an idea. Way too much small print, too many words, too many
asterisks. Advertising spends too much time with trying to be cute and playing with words and not enough on the actual idea.”
—Beatrice Ray (This is our Production Manager Robert Ray’s wife. She is the Production Manager for Dillard’s department stores and I’m betting they have nightly dinner discussions that include the phrase, “That’s nothing, you should see the idiots where I work!”)

“The article you mentioned is right on the money as far as how I started buying True West. Was walking past the magazines in the grocery store and saw "Hellcats, strumpets and other WAYWARD WOMEN". Didn't look twice, just grabbed it, found my favorite radio personality was running the show and the rest is history.”
—Julie from Wyoming

“The Transcontinental Railroad makes me yawn. But sacred dogs? I'm gonna grab that thing. Of course, I'm a weirdo. Seriously, having followed the cover line discussion for the May issue on the blog, it's the ‘sacred dogs’ phrase that puts the whole concept into high gear. Some of us are thinking, ‘Oooh, maybe some cool Coyote legend stuff!’ and others read it and think, ‘Whoa, sacred dogs. That's bizarre. My dog would like it, though. What is this mag, anyway?’ That said, RG sounds like a very smart man, and you should follow his advice if at all possible.”
—Emma Bull, Bisbee AZ

“‘Iron Horses & Sacred Dogs’, grabs me. ‘Transcontinental Railroad’ is old hat and as you say, over used.”
—Don Hall, Macon, Missouri

”Buying the right computer and getting it to work properly is no more complicated than building a nuclear reactor from wristwatch parts in a darkened room using only your teeth.”
—Dave Barry