I had never heard of this magazine and decided to give it a try. It was available for the Kindle, with the first issue free. Unfortunately, the Kindle format is only available for Kindle devices, not on Kindle apps (which I found out is how all magazines are, it's not just this one). So I couldn't read it on my PC, which is my preferred way. But that was a free trial, so nothing gained, nothing lost. I canceled that subscription, as I would not be able to view it.
I considered ordering the print version of the magazine. The cover looks well done. Nowhere did they give you any opportunities to view inside, though, so you didn't really know what you were getting. Sometimes magazines are filled with more ads than content, etc., so I was curious. Many (all? I didn't count) of the back issues seem to be available, though the prices range from $5-$9. That would add up. There doesn't seem to be a subscription option for the print version. If each new issue is $6.99, that would be $83.88 a year, which is very high for a magazine, particularly one of less than 100 pages.
I ended up getting an inexpensive digital subscription from the publisher. I appreciate that you get it in .pdf, .epub, and .mobi formats so you can choose what one is best for you.
Some observations of the formatting and text:
1. Though the cover page is in full color and nicely done, there is not a single other image in the rest of the magazine. The titles of the six stories are in red, everything else is black and white. This isn't necessarily a deal breaker, but with the gorgeous cover, I kind of expected a bit more content and layout. It is simply a nicely formatted Word document.
2. As I said, it's formatted just like a Word document. But at least it's nicely formatted. The formatting is consistent. The files, including the PDF file, all have the Table of Contents linked to the stories, which is nice. In the PDF file there is a header and footer with the page number and the magazine title. A little attention to detail would have standardized that formatting to have the page numbers on opposite corners, as well as instead of having "Mystery Weekly Magazine" appear on the bottom of each page, have it alternate with the title of the article. A minor thing, of course.
3. There wasn't much foul language, which is always appreciated. I have seen many good stories otherwise ruined by lots of foul language or gratuitous sex.
For a magazine going on it's 5th year, I guess I would have expected a little better. Here's what I think it needs:
1. A few illustrations inside would have put this up a few notches.
2. An introduction from the editor would have really added to it, and they could have given a little insight as to why they chose these stories, and maybe a one line summary/introduction to the stories, as well as perhaps brief introductions to the writers, even if only just a sentence.
3. Also what might be interesting would be to see some themed issues - an issue where all the stories involve a haunted house, or adventure on the road, or at the beach, etc. Something to kind of tie everything together rather than just 6 random stories.
I think this magazine has a lot of potential and plenty of room for improvement.
Douglas Forney
Peri Dwyer Worrell