Note: This is a longer message than we usually post here on the blog and is in two parts. First, Steve Shanesy, our publisher and leader in the woodworking community at F+W Media, sends a message. Next, a message by Christopher Schwarz, Editor.
Rejoining The Front Lines Of Writing
It was almost 17 years ago that I was working on a ladder and painting when the phone rang.
I am a member of F&W Publications in Cincinnati and recently purchased a woodworking magazine. We are seeking an editor. Do you have an interest in this job?
How could I have known that call would lead to such a long career with Magazine?
A couple months back, I decided to leave my busy and often demanding position as business leader of everything relating to woodworking at F+W. I wanted to spend more time at the shop and write about the craft. It may have seemed like retirement to many people, but it was actually about shifting gears as I approach 63 years old.
Well, folks, the phone rang again.
And other days youre not so lucky. In what Im sure to many will look a bit like a soap opera, I had the unhappy task earlier this week of letting the staff know that our longtime and much-respected editor has decided to move on as well. Chris will be sharing his plans with you below. They look great. We are all happy for him, and we’re now focusing on the business of keeping the magazine going.
I know there will be those who will look for intrigue behind these staff changes. It’s just an incredible set of coincidences. As with Glen, we have every intention of Chris continuing to have a role in the magazine by contributing articles, online content and presenting classes at Woodworking in America this fall.
I have had the privilege of working with a solid editorial team over the years, something that is rare in the magazine industry. It is inevitable that it wont last forever.
– Steve Shanesy
Im Leaving The Editors Chair
To launch the next stage of my life, which has been a long-term goal of mine, I will be stepping down from my position as editor at this magazine on June 15. I love it almost as much my family and my children.
An organic llama farm.
I was just kidding about the llama farms. My little company, Lost Art Press LLC, will allow me to delve deeper into woodworking history, traditional hand-tool techniques, and old texts. This move should not surprise my friends. Ive always preferred to work independently. Before coming to the newspaper in 1996, I was co-founder and editor of a small newspaper covering state politics in Frankfort (Ky.).
That business struggled mightily (and eventually failed), despite our every effort to grow it. And I left it in defeat and came here to this magazine, tail between my legs, and learned a lot about the business side of a publication from my boss, Steve Shanesy.
However, I’m now ready to get back on my feet and stand on my own. This time, I may succeed. It could not.
Either way, I hope that youll still hear a lot from me in Magazine, on this blog and at Woodworking in America. Ive offered to keep writing my blog here at popularwoodworking.com, author regular articles for the magazine and demonstrate at Woodworking in America.
Also, I don’t want to leave this place.
I know it looks like we have been shifting around a lot of duties and job descriptions here at Magazine. The last 15 years have been relatively stable for a national magazine with very few notable changes.
So perhaps, from a karmic point of view, we were overdue for some change here. Or perhaps, in my particular case, the right timing, urges and opportunities arose all at the same time.
No matter the reason for the personnel change, I know what isnt going to change: The quality of the magazine. No one in this organization, from the very top down to the bottom, thinks that Magazine is due for an overhaul. Our balance sheet is excellent. Our bean-counting superiors are happy. Our readers are (generally) satisfied.
So why am I messing with things?
It’s difficult for me to answer that question. I turn 43 in a few weeks, and I want to make sure Im heading into the rest of my life with no regrets.
This means that I have to make another big bet.
– Christopher Schwarz
p.s. I promise you this transition will be transparent. I have not been fired or forced out. Im not leaving in disgust. Well be offering more information on the coming changes and Steve and I will even be answering your questions in a public forum.
Product Recommendations
Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. Although we may be compensated for sales made through our links, these products have been carefully chosen for their utility and quality.
