Hayburner Magazine

We would like to start by saying that this is our most important announcement in over 10 years of trading as Hayburner Magazine. All those years ago we came up with a concept for a business where everybody benefits. The VW community receives a free magazine to read, our advertisers get very reasonable rates, and we create work within the industry for feature writers and photographers, hopefully spreading enthusiasm and encouraging people to build cars. In this time we have exceeded these targets and Hayburner Magazine has become far more than we ever dreamt. A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MAGAZINE Around 10 years ago a discussion was made sitting around a campfire with some friends with a few beers, discussing the current UK economic climate and how it was affecting the VW scene/industry. At the time the editor, Ned was doing auto jumble just to keep afloat and to make rent. This was the night the Hayburner concept was thought up. “I’m not sure when, but the idea had been discussed and was still in my banging head when I woke up. The idea was to start a company that benefitted everyone involved. Businesses get to push their products at a very cheap rate and the people get a free magazine to read.” 43 issues in and the concept is still going strength to strength concentrating on aircooled builds, VW/Porsche stories, keeping up to date with classic car enthusiast news and features. WHY HAYBURNER? It’s an old 50s hot-rodders’ term for a car that will always cost you money. WE ARE DETERMINED TO KEEP TO THIS ETHOS. It is no secret that over the last 12 months we have struggled with rising costs and constant hurdles, like so many other independent businesses. Please do not think this is the fault of our readers. We have received so much support; website sales have never been better and subscriptions are up – we really do not know how we can show our appreciation. After printing Issue 43, we had a meeting that we had all been dreading. After recently losing a full sponsor due to liquidation, enduring a huge print cost increase and seeing another on the horizon, we had to take a financial hit on the mag, which was taken directly out of Vic and Ned’s pockets. However much we would love to be able to afford to pay for the community to have a printed publication for free, it is just not sustainable. So with this in mind, we have to make a change, but we want this change to be positive. Hayburner Magazine is in demand more than ever and no one here is ready to give up. After weeks of planning, these are our new concepts and this is how it is going to work: HAYBURNER DIGITAL – this is the current Hayburner Magazine format but it will be moving online as a download, available for everyone in the entire world to receive 100% free, with the same content and advertising we have always produced. HAYBURNER PLUS – if you still want a hard printed copy to read, as we know so many of you do, Hayburner Plus is a new bigger and better quality version of the magazine with extra features and content. It will give us the freedom to make Hayburner Magazine the quality publication we have always wanted it to be and have the opportunity for more giveaways/extras, etc. If you would like to carry on receiving the hard copy, we have no choice but to charge to cover the cost of print. HAYBURNER MEDIA – we have invested in having a new website built and have taken on a new member of the Hayburner team dedicated to bringing the VW community more free online content, with videos, interviews, articles, podcasts, plus much more. We are extremely excited about this as we are close to completion and ready to go live within the next few weeks. We hope you can see these changes as a positive. We believe that this is going to be better for everyone: a free online magazine if you want it, a bigger/better hard printed copy available, and double the exposure for our loyal advertisers. Over the years, many people have said that they would be happy to pay for Hayburner Magazine and have also said that if there is anything they could do to help to let them know. We have never called in any of these favours and we require your support more than ever. On a personal note from Ned, Vic and everyone at Hayburner, we haven’t made this decision lightly. The choices were to let the magazine fade away, something we knew we would regret for the rest of our lives, or we could breathe new life into it and give it everything we’ve got.