The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

On Mike Yardley's FB page:

"Too many articles in the sporting press appear written by persons who are not truly independent. It seems that the amount of real journalism declines as advertorial increases. Part of the problem is that the print magazines are losing budget to pay professional writers, they succumb to the line of advertisers more easily than they did."

The bread and butter income from magazines is not the sale of the mag itself - that cover price of £4.50 (or whatever) a pop barely covers the cost of getting the publication on a news stand. The real money is, obviously (to everyone apart from Mike it appears), generated by the advertising your readership attracts. If you go around alienating a huge chunk of your readership by trying to throw their sport under a bus and openly insult them whilst at the same time aggravating businesses catering for them ...

Well, as an editor of a magazine, who are you going to sacrifice; your readership and advertisers or the bloke that gets up their nose and threatens your profit? Surely it's a no-brainer. Welcome to planet Earth, Mike.

I spoke to someone on the inside of the profession who explained that there's a new generation of writer that's willing to submit their work to the publications for free! That doesn't really help the rest who are trying to make a living.

DL. wrote:I spoke to someone on the inside of the profession who explained that there's a new generation of writer that's willing to submit their work to the publications for free! That doesn't really help the rest who are trying to make a living.

Perhaps it is a good thing to have enthusiastic and knowledgable amatures , writing for the love of the sport, rather than the old boys club of the same old self serving, self opinionated and in some cases self riteous (we all know who that is) hacks, spewing out the old cliches from under a cringe worthy photo in a silly hat.

DL. wrote:I spoke to someone on the inside of the profession who explained that there's a new generation of writer that's willing to submit their work to the publications for free! That doesn't really help the rest who are trying to make a living.

That may well be true. Years ago I wrote a regular two page piece for a car magazine (a big one) for nought but a free mag and the odd ticket to shows. I used the exposure to blag expensive sponsorship for my competition car. I'm sure there are plenty of spins on this approach in play.

Having said that I'm pretty sure if Mike offers to insult a magazine's readers for free he still won't be any better off. :)

I'm of the opinion that writers who know what they're talking about, and put together informative pieces deserve to be paid a fair rate of pay.
Yardley on the other hand, doesn't deserve to work again for his aloof behaviour towards the shooting community, who have effectively been paying his wages for all these years.

DL. wrote:I'm of the opinion that writers who know what they're talking about, and put together informative pieces deserve to be paid a fair rate of pay.
Yardley on the other hand, doesn't deserve to work again for his aloof behaviour towards the shooting community, who have effectively been paying his wages for all these years.

I agree. Having said that to people starting out what constitutes a fair rate of pay may differ from traditional payment. Exposure and a toe hold in the business is worth accepting less initially.

Mike Yardley only has himself to blame for his fall from grace with the shooting community - I barely recognize the bloke I stood and listened to in London during the numerous Save our Sport marches.

All good stuff, why any Editor would entertain Mike is a mystery.

But the sale of Magazines is in decline because of of a couple of other reason, first the Internet, who's going to pay a fiver for a magazine when you can get everything from the Internet?

The other reason though is the high markup charged by the High Street Shops, on a five pound Magazine they are making at least two pounds as my Son discovered a few years ago when he produced his own Motorcycle Mag. (Tankin) but the markup demanded by the shops made it uneconomical after only three editions.

I have to agree with Yardley about the poor quality of journalism in gun comics, and across the whole of the media.

Hopefully if Yardley gets ignored by the publications that will be one less hack journo to pollute our eyes with their miserable scribblings.

Hard to disagree with you Dromia, I have read some absolutely awful articles recently which appear to focus on sensationalist dross as opposed to well informed and supported observations. There are some notable exceptions however they are few and far between.

For once I agree with him. Nothing new though I guess, except now we are subjected to it without shelling out for a magazine.

On facebook you have people posting about this great scope or this great gun, and blatently they are getting it for nothing or free to review etc...