It's a great time to be a fan of 8-Lug magazine. At a time when so many businesses are contracting, reducing costs, and cutting back...Source Interlink (the parent company of 8-Lug) has invested in the magazine so that it can continue on the growth path it started more than two years ago.
Our website, www.8-Lug.com, is finally a reality. It is live and kicking thanks to the efforts of digital media experts Monica Thompson and Ed Sanchez. These two have championed the cause of 8-Lug within our company, and as a result, the investment was made in creating our own website.
We have populated the site with a lot of features, tech, and more from previous issues of 8-Lug. But we will be adding web-exclusive content regularly and often tipping you off to what's coming out in print before it's available. We have video capability, so we'll be adding interviews with truck owners, shop tours, and more. Plus, the Readers' Rides section is interactive. You can add photos of your truck to it, and I will be searching the site, looking for candidates to put in 8-Lug magazine.
As if the website alone wasn't enough to show the company's dedication, we are proud to announce that we now have 8-Lug gear and stickers available for purchase. Just go to www.cafepress.com/8-Lug and you can get 8-Lug shirts, hats, mugs, stickers, and much more.
In a world where print media is struggling and trying to redefine why it exists, readers have made it clear that they value 8-Lug and will continue to buy it-even if it means they might drop a magazine or two with a different title.
8-Lug readers are loyal, that's a proven fact. And why not? We offer a solid package that entertains, educates, and illuminates every month. I've said before that we use nothing but the best photographers in the business, and it's worth repeating.
Take a look at Veggie Burner on page 22. Seriously. Flip over to the opening spread right now. I'll wait, you can come right back...OK, thanks for coming back. Now, did you see how incredible Isaac Mion's photography was? You won't find that kind of quality in very many diesel truck magazines.
Now go to page 44 and take a gander at Joe Greeves' story on the Spring Fling truck show in Florida. There are some really cool trucks in the Panhandle, and Joe keeps feeding us more and more of them. There's no West Coast bias around here thanks to guys like Joe. His features are top quality, too.
Now take a short trip over to page 52 and see how a tech story should be done. Gary Wescott's Amsoil Dual By-Pass Oil Filter installation article includes super-fine detail shots of the product so you can really tell what it's all about. And the installation photos are clear, well-lit, sharply focused, and relevant. When you add intelligent text to a story like that, it's no wonder readers look to 8-Lug first for help and advice with their purchasing decisions.
Don't miss Larry Saavedra's On The Hunt, Part 2 on page 70. Larry has been a car and truck magazine editor for more than 20 years. He doesn't just scratch the surface with his stories, he gets under the skin and really finds out what's going on in the eight-lug world. This story is a perfect example. Last month, in Part 1 of On The Hunt, Larry introduced us to some interesting guys, their dogs, and their trucks. Now he comes back with some sensible power modifications to the same trucks. It's a full-circle kind of story. We're lucky to have a guy with Larry's talents on the team.
And if you read regularly, you know I take some pretty decent photos myself. And I'm not just saying that either-not too long ago the editor of one of our competitors told me my photography was "second to none." So I'll just let his comment hang there so I don't feel all awkward talking about myself.
There are other freelancers who do a great job for us too, and if you read 8-Lug regularly, you will get to know their strengths and appreciate their talents. Thanks for supporting 8-Lug in these difficult times.