After three years of successful electronic publication, your BAC Board of Directors has voted to begin publication of BAC’s own four-color magazine. The electronic format of BAC Talk will soon become a quarterly print magazine. The Board feels this is a major step for our organization and as we move forward, Editor Rick Koch will begin soliciting our members to submit stories and photos for the magazine. This will be an opportunity for the aspiring writers amongst us to see their work published.For the past four years the funds necessary for such a venture have been allowed to accumulate. With solid financial underpinnings, the board authorized the publication of the magazine through a “vanity press” arrangement which simply means the printer prints exactly what we send them to print in the specified number of copies and there is no contractual commitment by BAC. The plan is to publish four seasonal magazines a year beginning with summer and fall of this year. The decision to continue the magazine format in 2009 will be determined after we see how the first two issues go.
This key step is important to the continuing growth and development of BAC. Studies show that membership in organizations like BAC grows and that members stay in the organization longer if such a publication exists. Our challenge will be to produce a quality magazine that will attract attention and advertisers. Of course, BAC’s relatively small membership adds to the challenge but the board believes the magazine will prove beneficial in many ways.