"Boys Life" spotted in public!

[fgoodwin]

Imagine my surprise, when I was shopping at the local grocery store, to see copies of "Boys' Life" on the magazine rack! Heretofore, the only places I'd ever seen "Boys' Life" (outside my own home) was at a Scout shop or office, or at the public library.

 

I hope this is an example of BSA trying to re-establish itself in the public eye.

 

--

National Episcopal Scouters Association

http://www.nationalepiscopalscouting.com/

[emb021]

I've seen them in Books A Million stores in my area.

[Mr. Boyce]

This could be a pretty expensive experiment. I would guess the national organization is pretty much giving them away (which might be a positive from an advertising point of view), since the rate of pulping leftover mags from national stands is exhorbitantly high.

 

But I think it's a great idea!

 

I have some BL from around 1960. A very large circulation (2.3m.) and you would be surprised at the caliber of authors the magazine had: Yogi Berra (alright!), Arthur C. Clarke and a few others. Of course, the great American magazines suffered by the mid-60s with the increasing popularity of television.

[skeptic]

The local elementary school libraries love them; I take my read copies in to one of them every few months. They seem to be one of the most popular items in the library I am regularly told.

 

Also heard rumor that they plan on putting merit badge books out in regular stores as well. Anyone seen them yet?

 

 

 

[Sarge]

Barnes and Nobles and Borders bookstores carry them in my area. That's how I was first able to get my son interested in Scouting.

[GaHillBilly]

If they need some more copies, my son (and some other Scouts in his troop) would be happy to donate his copies!

 

His comment: "Dad, it's all just advertising for overpriced stuff!"

 

GaHillBilly

[shortridge]

I've only seen them in libraries. Interesting approach.

 

I love the "old" issues. My first SM gave me some copies from the '60s (not that that's old!!! ), and the articles and illustrations and photos are just of amazingly high quality.

 

IMHO, BSA would do better by publishing two magazines - one for Cubs and one for Boy Scouts/Venturers. It's virtually impossible to write something that appeals to ages 6-17 without dumbing it down so you lose the older segment.

[SctDad]

as for the point of, they should make different versions for Cubs and Boy Scouts. As far as I know, they already do that. there is some variation.

Maybe if we as leaders and volunteers, could possibly submit articles and things.

[Gold Winger]

"I have some BL from around 1960. A very large circulation (2.3m.) and you would be surprised at the caliber of authors the magazine had: Yogi Berra (alright!), Arthur C. Clarke and a few others. Of course, the great American magazines suffered by the mid-60s with the increasing popularity of television."

 

The Boys Life that I remember from my youth was far different from what I see today. :-( It's hard to beat that electronic demon.

[Eamonn]

I leave my extra copies in the offices of local doctors and leave a copy in the hospital where HWMBO works.

 

Not to change the subject,but...

A few months back I went for an x-ray in a local medical center. The magazines were all old, but I picked up a copy of the National Geographic Magazine from 1978!!

It was fun reading th ads!!

Eamonn.

[emb021]

"Maybe if we as leaders and volunteers, could possibly submit articles and things."

 

While that may seem like a great idea (I certainly like it), I know I've read somewhere that both Boys' Life and Scouting do NOT accept unsolicited articles. In other words, unless you've been asked to write an article, they won't look at anything just sent to them.

 

 

As someone who collects old Boys's Life, Scouting, Exploring and Explorer Program Quarterly (they also had a Boy Scout and Cub Scout Program Quarterly as well) magazines, I feel that many of the issues from the 'old days' (30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s) where much richer in the amount of information in them. It seems todays issues are just too much flash and such, and not enough depth.

 

 

 

[shortridge]

Like the vast majority of publications, both Boys' Life and Scouting *rarely* take unsolicited manuscripts. Those end up on the "slush pile," as book publishers call it, and might get a cursory glance, but little else.

 

That said, they do publish freelance articles, and welcome article ideas - it's not just an "as-assigned" type of thing. Just don't waste your time writing the whole thing up first. Send them a detailed query with your idea, and wait until you get the go-ahead. They'll let you know if it meets their needs. (It might be a good article, for example, but it's just not the right time on their editorial calendar... or they may have done something similar within the last few years.)

 

Writers guidelines (read carefully):

http://media.scouting.org/boyslife/about/contributors/writers.pdf

http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/about/contributors/writers.html

[Lem]

 

When Pappy wrote about switching over to that Young Marine group I went ahead and checked it out. It seems that the Young Marine's official magazine Esprit is mostly written by letters sent in by Young Marines. It is pretty inspirational. And I think they pretty much accept everybody's letters and photos. I could imagine scouts being psyched if they could have their photos and letters published in a National Magazine. Also, Esprit Magazine has very little of the obnoxious ads all over it like Boy's Life. They leave most of the pages to the kids. It is like a year book format with articles throughout talking about the activities and reflections on those activities. BSA could learn something from this magazine. It embraces in spirit the patrol idea of being youth and program-centered.

 

Link to ESPRIT MAGAZINE

http://www.youngmarines.com/New_site_06/Esprit/View_online.htm

 

 

Jeff