HUGE NEWS for Readers of *This Rock*

[Sophia Sproule]

Catholic Answers announces big changes coming to its flagship publication, beginning with the September-October 2011 issue.

From publisher Karl Keating:

"We realize we need to make our flagship publication even more useful to its readers—which is to say, to you. So here are some of the things you’ll see:

• We’re re-emphasizing our roots: more articles about apologetics, including many how-to pieces.
  
• Shorter articles. In recent years we’ve had four or five feature stories per issue. Some have been quite long. Now we’ll have six or seven shorter stories per issue.
  
• Feature stories will be marked by level of difficulty—“basic,” “intermediate,” “advanced”—so you can go straight to the ones you’re most interested in.
  
• All this will be packaged in a wholly redesigned interior, with a new font that’s easy on the eyes, more white space, generous margins, and clearer, more explanatory article titles.
  
• We’ll showcase a more contemporary selection of art, including photographs, both inside and on the cover. (We’re saying good-bye to reproductions of classical paintings. We’ve had a good run with them, but it’s time to move on.)
  
• Our redesigned cover will highlight more clearly what’s in each issue, and the contents page will be on page one, just where you expect it to be.
  
• Throughout each issue you’ll find links to related material at catholic.com—and, starting a bit later, to a digital version of the magazine.

We have more changes in store, including a particularly big one that you’ll discover when you receive the first of the redesigned issues."

So keep your eyes on your mailbox this September! And thank you for your continued support of our work.

[kimmielittle]

Originally Posted by Sophia Sproule

Catholic Answers announces big changes coming to its flagship publication, beginning with the September-October 2011 issue.

From publisher Karl Keating:

"We realize we need to make our flagship publication even more useful to its readers—which is to say, to you. So here are some of the things you’ll see:

• We’re re-emphasizing our roots: more articles about apologetics, including many how-to pieces.
  
• Shorter articles. In recent years we’ve had four or five feature stories per issue. Some have been quite long. Now we’ll have six or seven shorter stories per issue.
  
• Feature stories will be marked by level of difficulty—“basic,” “intermediate,” “advanced”—so you can go straight to the ones you’re most interested in.
  
• All this will be packaged in a wholly redesigned interior, with a new font that’s easy on the eyes, more white space, generous margins, and clearer, more explanatory article titles.
  
• We’ll showcase a more contemporary selection of art, including photographs, both inside and on the cover. (We’re saying good-bye to reproductions of classical paintings. We’ve had a good run with them, but it’s time to move on.)
  
• Our redesigned cover will highlight more clearly what’s in each issue, and the contents page will be on page one, just where you expect it to be.
  
• Throughout each issue you’ll find links to related material at catholic.com—and, starting a bit later, to a digital version of the magazine.

We have more changes in store, including a particularly big one that you’ll discover when you receive the first of the redesigned issues."

So keep your eyes on your mailbox this September! And thank you for your continued support of our work.

Whooo whooo : tiphat:

[jwinch2]

Thanks for the heads up. I'll look forward to seeing the new issue format this fall.

[Trebor135]

Good stuff.

What I'd like to see a lot more of is apologetics for other beliefs besides Protestantism.

Islam especially, as well as secular humanism/skepticism/postmodernism.

Keep up the good work and God bless.

[ESMDHokie77]

I read about this in the most recent issue. This will be great!

[pnewton]

I think it is a good move. It has always been helpful to me to break down the magazine in small chunks, at least part of it. That way if I only want to read for fifteen minutes or so, I can read it a little at a time. I usually finish the whole thing before the next edition, but it is spread out over a dozen times.

[Soldier Of God]

I'm looking forward to the new magazine format.

[manygift1spirit]

I love This Rock, and I agree going to slightly shorter articles will be a readability improvement.

Keep up the great work This Rockers.

[ddarko]

Originally Posted by Sophia Sproule

• We’ll showcase a more contemporary selection of art, including photographs, both inside and on the cover. (We’re saying good-bye to reproductions of classical paintings. We’ve had a good run with them, but it’s time to move on.)
  

Aww, that was unnecessary Could have kept both classical AND contemporary.

God Bless

[MichaelTDoyle]

Shorter articles. In recent years we’ve had four or five feature stories per issue. Some have been quite long. Now we’ll have six or seven shorter stories per issue.

The longer articles are a virtue. There is a glut of short marketing style information already.

[ESMDHokie77]

Originally Posted by MichaelTDoyle

The longer articles are a virtue. There is a glut of short marketing style information already.

They'll still be likely a page or more in length, just not 4-5 pages long.

[Monte RCMS]

I hope the new type face will hold more ink and be darker.

A lot of magazines have been redesigned and the new formats are very difficult to read because of the type being too light.

Also, please do not, like some magazines, print on top of photographs ... makes it very difficult to read and impossible to xerox to pass long to friends.

[yinekka]

You forgot to mention the change of name - out withThis Rock and in with Catholic Answers Magazine. I loved the beautiful artwork used in This Rock and will miss it. You also forgot to mention that the online magazine will only be able to be accessed one year after publication - this I think is a good idea. Hopefully it will encourage more people to take out a subscription. The shorter length of article was inevitable - people's concentration span is decreasing and even tertiary educated people are finding it difficult to read/comprehend a long/ish article. Will there be a sacrifice of quality in order to achieve brevity - we shall see.

[pnewton]

Originally Posted by yinekka

You also forgot to mention that the online magazine will only be able to be accessed one year after publication - this I think is a good idea. Hopefully it will encourage more people to take out a subscription..

Oh yes. Some of the articles are sooooooo timely, like the one this month on the cult of personality. Come on folks, pony up the money and give it a try for one year. I will bet you will not be disappointed.

[faithfully]

I'd really like to get this in digi format... Please make sure you make a BIG deal out of this when it happens...

Thanks