Now & Then: Ready to

After 2003 budget cuts forced Now & Then into premature retirement, the Appalachian magazine is back. Since its rebirth, the parents of the magazine have set new goals and visions in hopes of making Now & Then the premier magazine of the Appalachian region.
The campuswide budget cut during 2003 dropped campus funding for Now & Then. "The magazine was in danger of dying," said Dr. Roberta Herrin, director of the Center for Appalachian Studies and Services.
In fact, the magazine did die, and as a result Now & Then was not published for a year. The last issue before its retirement, Now & Then: A Tribute to Twenty Years, celebrated its 20th anniversary.
One year later, however, the magazine was reinstated, and with the spring 2005 issue, "The Media and Appalachia," Now & Then was once again being published. This first issue of the magazine's reincarnation coincided with a media symposium the Appalachian Studies organized.
"The magazine was reinstated because I made a direct request to Dr. Bert Bach, provost and vice president for academic affairs, as a result of numerous queries and pleas from readers who did not want to lose the magazine," Herrin said.
Bach gave Herrin and the Now & Then staff enough money to produce the first two issues and to develop a marketing plan.
"Developing a marketing and business plan was part of Dr. Bach's package. He would give us the money if we would find ways to make the magazine viable and profitable," Herrin said.
Earnest H. Cornett Jr. was hired as the business and marketing consultant to help Now & Then become a self-supporting magazine, Herrin said.
The staff's goal for the next year or two is to produce three magazines a year.
Now & Then presently publishes two a year. "Ultimately, we would like to release four magazines a year," said Nancy Fischman, managing editor of Now &Then.
This, Cornett said, will help them reach their goal of becoming self-sufficient. In addition, the only way to sufficiently fund production, editing, design, printing and mailing costs is to increase from their 685 subscriptions, to 1,500 one-year subscribers by the end of this year.
Increasing revenues is another goal of the magazine staff. To do this the staff is seeking companies that will trade advertising space to overwrite costs, such as printing or mailing, Herrin said.
To pick the themes for the first four issues, Herrin and other members of an advisory board met in spring 2005 to choose topics that tied into the Appalachian region during the time of releasing the issues.
For instance, fall 2006 issue "Digging Appalachia" is scheduled to coincide with the opening of the Gray Fossil Site Visitor's Interpretive Center in Gray, Tenn. By corresponding issue releases with big events such as this, Herrin said that Now & Then embraces the opportunity to sell individual copies at the event.
The latest issue focused on NASCAR, a big local moneymaker. And following their marketing plan, Fischman and New York Times bestselling author Sharyn McCrumb, sold copies at Family Race Night.
Future themes are posted on Now & Then's web site so that visitors, as McCrumb did, can electronically submit works to be used for the next issues. Articles have already been collected for the spring 2006 issue titled "All in the Appalachian Family," Herrin said, however articles are being collected for fall 2006 issue "Digging Appalachia" and spring 2007 issue "Celebrating Institutions in Appalachia."
For advertising information, subscription requests or to submit works of fiction, articles, personal essays, book reviews, graphics and photographs, the Now & Then staff can be contacted at nowandthen@etsu.edu.