EDITOR'S COMMENT—September 2003
What some of you have heard is true; the plug has been pulled on Skin & Ink. Citing "not enough subscribers and not enough advertisers," Larry Flynt decided to end our six year relationship. The July issue was his last. Quite a shock, considering we just announced winning the Folio Magazine Editorial Excellence Award. Quite ironic. But, hey, life is full of surprises.
Needless to say, all of us were dumbfounded. It was not looking good. But, thanks to the folks at LFP, seven days later I got a call. Skin & Ink had a buyer. And, as it turns out, we're already considering subtle facelifts to raise Skin & Ink to yet another level of excellence.
But the fact remains: we did not sell enough magazines and not enough people advertised. I can understand why. At a tattoo shop, for example, one person buys Skin & Ink and shares it. Then they toss it on the coffee table. With 20 or 30 people coming through the door each day, each copy gets looked at hundreds of times. Stop and think; if everyone bought their own copy, we wouldn't have been cancelled.
When the news leaked out, I got over 200 phone calls asking, "What can I do?" You can buy a copy or subscribe, that's what you can do.
As for advertising, we have not accepted supplier ads during the last six years. But now we will. Except for Jack Rudy, very few supporters came to our rescue. Plain and simple, the no-supplier-ad advocates didn't purchase ads. Sure, we stuck to our guns, but we almost lost the magazine in the process.
The fact is, unless we welcome supplier ads, there's no more magazine. The choice is easy. From now on, we open our doors to suppliers, with one caveat: we will not publish advertising for starter kits without autoclaves. As before, we believe that tattooing without the knowledge of and access to proper sterilization is irresponsible and wrong. Although some critics have twisted our words, we have never been against free trade or the right to sell products to consumers. Hey, sell anything you want to a bona fide shop or established artist, just don't sell untrained beginners the tools without the sterilizer.
A lot of you care. I can tell from the e-mails and letters. I experience it when I go to conventions. People who love tattoos love Skin & Ink, and we're proud to be a part of that. But, as recent events demonstrated, we can't do it alone. We need your help. Please buy your own copy. Please advertise.
Thanks for your support. It does make a difference.
―Bob Baxter
Editor in Chieff