Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters MD & Guns Magazine

John, question I have been meaning to ask, have you cut ties with Guns? A comment you made in one of the other threads about some changes in the magazine further prompted my question. If you have parted ways, hope it was on a friendly basis.

Hi Dick,

Yeah, I resigned from GUNS late last summer, though they ran the articles I had already submitted for few months afterward. Partly it was because they were making some changes that didn't make it is much fun to write for them anymore, but partly it was because I'm easing into semi-retirement, and they paid the least of my magazine markets. (Gun writers never actually retire. Instead they just write less.)

More time is needed to answer questions on the phone about loading different cartridges...

Wait a damn minute.
You can't retire.

You have to submit a request to resign/retire.
The board then has to vote and approve.


Until then, we own your stinky Montana gun/hunting writer ass.

And we ain't letting you go!

John, the semi-retirement idea holds a lot of appeal to those of us born in the fifties. We're too young to quit completely, still have enough energy to spend money and worry about how long our nest egg will last. Cutting back work should offer some of the best of both the retirement and working worlds. It is a concept I'm applying today though very poorly. So far, announcing semi-retirement has just caused more work to come my way. I'll keep trying to slow down until it actually works. Best wishes to you. Ward

Thanks, Ward. I'm also having some trouble actually slowing down, even though GUNS was literally half my magazine work in terms of numbers of columns and features. Partly it's because one of our "retirement investments" worked a little too well: www.riflesandrecipes.com is a pretty good-sized part of our income now, but still requires some work--like writing a book every couple years! But with rare exceptions, you only get paid once for articles, and if books keep selling they're less work in the long run.

I also know, from knowing many other full-time writers, that there's a certain amount of compulsive behavior involved--an actual NEED to write. Which is why so many of us never fully retire. One of those other people was the late Charlie Waterman, who continued writing a couple of magazine columns until he passed away at 91. He didn't need the money, partly due to buying houses in both Florida and Montana decades ago, when real estate was far cheaper. But he was a writer--and it gave him an excuse to keep fishing. (He did eventually give up hunting, as I recall sometime in his 80's.)

The other side of it is I spent my professional life doing what many hunters want to do more of when they retire. Consequently my "bucket list" is pretty much crossed off, and while I can still be persuaded to travel for some things, what I prefer now is hunting near home--and Montana's not a bad place to do that. Also plan to fish more, something I quit writing about over 20 years ago, when gun writing started paying a lot better. But I also live amid some of the best fishing in the country, and while I'm not much for ice-fishing (to put it mildly) do plan to be out there when the water turns from solid to liquid.

The only times I have seen semi retirement work real well,
have been the guy who wanted to retire, but actually didn't
want to quit working.

They essentially work full time, with more vacation time.

It will work well for MD. He is a known talent, people will buy
what he wants to produce.


He just can't quit the 'fire.

My being here is his fault.
He mentioned it a time or two in the Wolf mags.

This really sucks, I just renewed my subscription to Guns.😂 --- Mel

Good deal, John. Enjoy it all while you can.

I semi-retired in 2014 and continue to do consulting/contract work as it comes in. At first, there were lots of calls and projects but that tapered off. I wanted to cut back even more so I raised my rates 25% and damned if I didn’t get more work coming in to the point I started saying no.

I also cut ties with a few clients that were a PITA and slow to pay. When those clowns call these days, I just say I’m too busy to take on additional work when in fact, I just don’t want their drama and being slow to pay per the agreed terms.

Raise your rates. They’ll think you are worth more and a hotter commodity. Happy Trails

Like Hell!. I walked away nine years ago with a clean conscience and a song in my heart. Waiting for Direct Deposit is the best job I ever had, and there's plenty to do, or nothing, as required.

John has my permission to give up the magazines altogether if he writes say, one book a year.

John, I started reading guns way back in 1955 when it first came out. Introduced to me by my high school history teacher. I resubscribed about ten years ago. I like the mix of articles and writers, yourself included. Although you're gone from there I will still be picking you up in Rifle, Handloader and Sports Afield. In addition, I'll continue buying your books. Again, insight of your comments, it will be interesting to see if the magazine moves in a different direction. They still have guys I like to read such as Venturino, Ayoob and Taffin among others. It must be tough having to turn out the volume of articles you do. Coming up with ideas and meeting deadlines gotta be tough. Ever get writer's block?

WAM,

Thanks!

But my "rates" right now are right at the top end of the business. Which is one reason we (actually primarily Eileen) started our website over a decade ago: We could go directly to readers, bypassing "traditional" magazine and book publishers. While both are still definitely part of the picture, between the books and RIFLE LOONY NEWS (our quarterly on-line magazine) we upped my "rate."

Back in 2014 I started asking myself how many heart beats I had left in me and could never come up with a fixed number. I did decide I was only one heart beat away from leaving this earth, so I retired. Now I subsist on a couple of direct deposits. Life is good and I am content. But, it seems like it is going to be a long "break up" this spring in Alaska.

I am looking forward to bike rides with Otto the mini Schnauzer, hikes, fishing, shooting, hunting, and ATV riding and camping with my wife, etc.

I enjoy your books and articles MD and wish you a long happy and healthy retirement hen that day comes.. If you really enjoy fishing you should spend more time in Alaska. We gots some fish!

"John has my permission to give up the magazines altogether if he writes say, one book a year"........... I'm with Pappy 348 on this one. I retired April 2016 at age 66. John's old enough and he earned it and he's entitled to it. Even though I'll miss his work I hope riflesandrecipies.com can continue so there will still be stuff available. All of us 60-somethings better realize we're getting old and time waits for no one. I just turned 69 last month but I'm enjoying the heck out of being retired and having two direct deposit paydays a month.

Well good luck in semi-retirement! Your articles are one of the reasons I subscribe to GUNS. And I would never have thought you would have left before Taffin. When he leaves and if course Ayoob, there may be nothing left.

Anyway, happy trails and I look forward to reading more on Rifle Looney News.

RgrNo1Shtr,

Actually, I don't write nearly the number of articles as some others in the business.

Also have almost never suffered from "writer's block," and even when I did it was brief! I suspect the same is true of most full-time writers. Have also never had a probem or coming up with ideas for articles--or books. Have found that playing with lots of guns, and hunting a lot, provides me with plenty of ideas. (The same was true when I fished a lot.) In fact am usually scheduled up for at least a year ahead, which makes it easier to write, since there's plenty of time to do the R&D and thinking before the deadline.

1Akshooter,

I have been lucky enough to spend plenty of time in Alaska fishing! Have done a few strictly fishing trips, but always put a rod or two in the gun case when going hunting. Among other things, have caught all the Alaskan salmon on a fly rod, and a 120-pound halibut. And I always bring a cooler along to bring the fillets home as well.

22250rem,

Riflesandrecipes,com will probably continue as long as Eileen and I are capable of putting it together. It's probably the most enjoyable writing we do, partly because there's no advertising, which drives so much magazine content these days. We can write anything we want. In fact many of my articles are ideas no magazine wanted.

Which is also why Eileen decided to start publishing her own cookbooks. She always wanted to write one including side-dishes for game recipes, because so many people who bought the cookbooks she wrote for "standard" publishing companies asked for them. But none of those companies would even consider the idea. The result was SLICE OF THE WILD, the first cookbook we self-published, which not only included side-dishes but everything from the science of game-care BEFORE it gets to the table (another thing the standard publishers weren't very interested in) to various home-butchering methods, depending on what you and your family want. It turned out to be her all-time best-selling cookbook,. and her previous ones had all done well.

One thing we've been considering as I semi-retire is increasing RIFLE LOONY NEWS from quarterly to every other month. We shall see, but we've been doing it for a decade now, and Eileen is planning to publish the printed collection of the second five years sometime soon.

John,

I would love to see RIFLE LOONY NEWS go to ever other month

JB, as long as you enjoy writing I am sure I and others will enjoy reading your stuff. A man who loves what he does produces top-notch stuff! You've earned your place at the top.