It has slowed up a lot. I had a subscription years ago and it came out irregularly but enough to keep me happy. I let it drop but after a few years paid for it the end of October last year and so far eleven months later have one issue to show for it. I figured with all the new games coming out there would be a lot to fill issues. I understand it comes out when it does but would also hope it was a little more than it currently is.

He did send out an email. It stated he has been unwell and it has been taking it out of him, but has figured out a cocktail that gets him back to where he can get on with the magazine. So hopefully magazines will be on there way. As he said on Spooky he is trying for two or three more in this year on top of the one so far.

Holy crap, I forgot I have a subscription as well. Now that I think about it, it's been months and months since I remember pullingnonenoitnofmthe mailbox!

What # was the last issue that anyone got? I thick mine was the calendar issue.

I feel for Jim. I've been having some relatively minor but chronic health problems lately, so I can only imagine what it's like to run a magazine with major chronic health problems. Praying for you, Jim...

http://www.pingamejournal.com/

Last issue March 2013 "March Pinball Madness"

I may have missed that one. Thanks.
Get well soon Jim.

Below is Jim's explanation from the email blast...

Greetings all pinball curious!

Long time/no blast … I have a couple big announcements to make but first …..

It’s been interesting. I’ve always thought of PGJ subscribers as friends. Really. I don’t look at all that I do in pinball as a business or a job, I look at it as fun and I enjoy getting the information as much as sharing it. Like I might call or text a friend to talk about the latest cool thing I heard or found out, I often think of creating the PGJ in much the same way. Of course it’s different, but it’s the feeling that’s the same.

In that vein, I used to launch into long stories about how this and that didn’t work out and how family, work or health kept getting in the way of the important thing … PINBALL! When I did that, most people would reply in a friendly way by telling me to stop whining and just do it. SO, I’m not going into detail about why there have been a decided lack of issues lately but I will give you a very brief, overview as long as it’s just between friends and friends want to know.

About five years ago I was diagnosed with a pretty serious illness, was in the hospital for a few days and then started on a three year treatment that controlled the problem but the side effects were not fun. After a year off the treatment I felt a little better but about 6 months ago the illness came back in force and I immediately went back on treatment, this time, indefinitely. Same thing. The illness is controlled but the treatment is “killing” me and this time the side effects are much worse.

To speak in Spinal Tap terms, I usually functioned at a 7 but the treatment turned me down to a 2 and sometimes 1. SO, being a man of medicine I started playing around with a few drugs (legal drugs, and under the watchful eye of my internist!) and I think I have found a cocktail that will allow me to function at least near my previous level. I found this about two weeks ago. I am now back up to a 6 or 7 and while sometimes I’m at a 4 or so, I’ve also been known to hit 10 or even 11, so it equals out.

I say all that to say that I’m hoping to be able to get back to stuff as I did in the past. I’m also saying this to make it clear that while I have been a little AWOL lately it was not due to lack of interest on my part. It’s still not the same. It’s still a struggle. But I really like doing this so I’m going to do whatever I can to keep doing it. The illness? It’s there, it will always be there but for now, as long as I can stay awake I’ll be fine!!

I wonder if Jim would be up to letting Clay babysit the magazine again?

I really enjoyed those issues.

I don't think that ended well unfortunately the last time around.

i gave up on this 10 pages pingame flyer.

pinball magazine is the answer.

Wow, I would cut Jim some slack with his serious health problems. Just relax & wait for some to come out in the mail. Myself & others, lost months or years on Gameroom magazine going under. I just renewed for 2 years. No real explanation or refund our money for nothing as promised.

http://www.ask.com/wiki/Gameroom_magazine?o=2801&qsrc=999

Yeah, I know.

They did make for some *entertaining* reading.

I got some strange looks from my guests when they would open one up.

I liked the gameroom photo of the month, but I guess not everyone shared my enthusiasm for it.

Bummer, I know.

Whoops! I just subscribed! Oh well.

I have been waiting months for a back issue I ordered. Still no luck, I'm about ready to write it off...

I can understand the delays with the subscription issues, but no one should have to wait *months* for back issues to ship out.

If Jim is falling behind due to health issues, he needs to find someone responsible to help him out ASAP!

I absolutely agree. Now someone will have to convince him of that...

One issue of Pinball Magazine delivered is about the same price as five or six PGJ's. As a long term subscriber, PGJ has been great.
Jim's recent health issues are an understandable explanation for the delay in PGJ issues this year. Besides, ovdr the years, PGJ has interviewed and covered almost everything there was up to the recent times. Most of the Roger Sharpe intdrview in Pinball Magazine was covered previously in PGJ or other trade and hobby magazines.

I believe he just did a big interview On Spooky pinball podcast.

I loved Pingame journal when Bally/Williams was still around. We would get all the game plastics and game flyers with each issue. Those days were great. I am sure Jim has his reasons.

I ordered a back issue and after a few weeks sent him a note asking about the order. He ended up sending me 3-4 issues (including some cool ones from around 10 years ago), several Stern flyers and a nice note apologizing for the delay. He's obviously going through a difficult time but is a stand-up guy.

I also ordered a back issue this past year and months went by. I did email him and he did send it. So if you haven't already done so, try that.

WE need to come up with someone to maybe help Jim and then take over magazine. He will be at EXPO next month come on lets get a plan for him ok

As someone that has "been there and done that", frankly it's not possible. It's Jim's car and he wants to drive, even if both his legs are broken and he's blind. I did the magazine for almost a year, and even though i was trying to help, it was frustrating to say the least. Actually it was beyond frustrating. And the better i got at doing the magazine the more frustrating it got.

Even though i was doing him a huge favor, doing the entire magazine from design to writing to pictures to editing (i did everything except the printing), Jim felt he was losing control and just couldn't see the forest through the trees. The idea was to get Jim well from his cancer, to concentrate on that, but instead i think the thought that someone else was driving his car just drove him nuts. In the end, even though PGJ was coming out every 6 or 7 weeks, it was creating more stress for him (and me.) So in the end, the juice just wasn't worth the squeeze (for either of us.)

I would have kept doing the magazine if things went smoother, but that just wasn't gonna happen. Also my idea of what to print (i'm way more edgy) and Jim's idea never really overlapped. Jim likes to drive on the right side of the road, making full stops at stop signs, and signaling all turns. Me, i like to peel out, weave all over, pass old ladies (and give them the finger), and generally cause a little trouble. Again Jim didn't like this approach, and it lead to more "cock blocking", making the job of doing the magazine impossible. Jim refused to give me prior submitted articles from other authors, wanting them for "his issues." This forced me (after wearing out all my friends to write articles) to write nearly every article for the last three issues myself. I even had to invent author's names (or give friend's credit) so it didn't look like this was in fact happening. (The only guy that actually wrote consistently for me was Wiley - thanks mike!)

I would spend a month of my life doing an issue, and Jim would pretty much refuse to print it until i threatened him with putting it out in PDF for free. That situation repeated itself for nearly every issue i did, with Jim ultimately printing the issue in question... Except for the last issue i did, that's when he refused to budge, and we split ways. Jim did ultimately print that issue, but after he editing it down, taking out all the stuff that, in my opinion, made that issue really interesting and unique. (I had documented game design steps for Python, and exactly how much he got paid for each step. Jim felt this was inappropriate to print. I felt it was extremely interesting, but he removed all that stuff, including many Python sexy art pictures from the issue that ultimately got printed. My version did get released for a very short time as a PDF, which in the end probably really helped with PGJ subscriptions, but again Jim wasn't happy about that either.)

Also the job of doing a magazine is extremely time consuming. From the CS software to dealing with advertiser copy (which often changed daily) to writing and editing, it's a huge time suck. When Kevin stopped doing Game Room Magazine he called me and asked if i "wanted the magazine." As in, take this from me, it's yours, here it's free. This was after i had done my nearly year of incarceration with the PGJ. I told him, "thanks but no thanks." It's just too much work. On the PGJ thing, nearly a year of my life was down the tubes, for which in the end i received: A) no money [in fact it cost me a significant amount of money, paying for software, travel, model shoots, etc.]. B) loss of time. C) crap from people that felt i was "taking over the world of pinball." D) reputation degradation.

Frankly, doing the PGJ magazine was one of the worst experiences of my life. Talk about a thankless job (actually negative thanks) with zero (negative) pay. Jim got to cash the checks (he did also pay for the printing though), and i got a bucket of crap in the end (some would say it was deserved, but if they could walk a mile in my shoes, well, they may see it a bit differently.) I can't possibly see how anyone would or could take over a pinball magazine. The only way to go is to start a new one, and on your own terms. And frankly in today's world of blogs, doing that is probably crazy.

Also doing a magazine is expensive. The cost of printing/mailing for PGJ at the time, from what I could tell, was about $3000 to $5000 per issue. This created another problem... if you're putting out issues every 6-7 weeks, that means you need $3000 to $5000 to pay for them in that same period of time. Money comes from subscription renewals. If you're not getting that much in renewals, then you're burning through money. Yes eventually word gets out, and more money comes in, but that takes time. I think when i was doing the mag and it was coming out consistently, it was burning through Jim's money too quickly. Also Jim is not what i would call a good money manager. That is, he didn't see this coming. So he almost had to cock block me to slow down the process, hoping to get more advertising or subscription renewals to pay for the next issue. And then in the end Dennis Dodel released all the "cock block" emails in a highly edited format, making me (and Jim to some degree) look stupid. (My theory was this was orchestrated by Jim, because he was pissed about the PDF thing, but that's just my take on it.) At least that's how it all looked to me...

So call me crazy

Actually you're doing it the right way. No subscription, so people can't get pissed about not getting their next issue on time. And doing it on your time frame, means you can do it when you want/need to, without heckling from the public. It's smart how your set that up. But on the other hand, because you're not coming out monthly (or every other month), it's not really a "magazine" after all. What you have is more like chapters of a book (released when you feel like it), than a magazine.

Both publications are assets to the hobby. I love the new Pinball Magazine, unbelievable work on that. Now that I'm up to speed on why the PGJ has been so delayed, I understand and my prayers go out to him for a recovery that allows him to enjoy his life. PGJ is such a neat publication and I miss receiving it but now I fully understand. I wish you well Jim.

You are indeed "lucky", my experience is just the opposite, waiting months with nothing happening---oh, I did get emails telling me he "almost" got to it!

I'm with you on this. It seemed disrespectful and inappropriate to censor Python's artwork. I also stand behind your decision to publish your version of the mag online in uncensored form. It was your work. I think it's reasonable.

I used to be a PGJ subscriber and stopped years ago when it was obvious he couldn't meet his business obligations. I don't know Jim. I'm sure he's a great guy, but if you take money from people and promise a product, how great a guy is, or what health condition they're in is a separate issue. If you agree to a business transaction, you have to meet it.

I am willing to help contribute to something new that anybody wants to do. I would like to see a more active, regular pinball publication.

Unfortunately, I think it's hard to produce any kind of "magazine" in this internet age. I like the look of the new Pinball publication, but most of the information that I've read is retreads of well-known stuff. Oh look, another interview with Roger Sharpe where the same story gets told. I really dug seeing the stuff Clay dug up where he listed how much people got paid for what work. Receipts showing parts orders, drafts of work in progress.. that was interesting stuff. I'd rather see that than re-worded sales pitches and press releases. The problem is, there are so few manufacturers in this industry, someone probably can't afford to run a publication and produce a totally objective review of a game without alienating fans and the company itself. So it's becoming harder to get good info. I'd like to see more "edgy" reporting.

and a 100 times better, actually you get more than publicity.
grabe issue #2.

When was the last time you received your GAMEROOM Magazine? I'm still sour after renewing for 2 years. Did he declare bankruptcy for that mag? Or just take our money?

Hence why I stopped all pinball related magazine subscriptions as you can just read content on the internet.

Loved the "Clay Issues" of PGJ and still have those. Wish Jim S. well.

Its just not looking good at all. I hope Jim is ok. Did anyone see him at expo?

I subscribed well over a year ago and I think I got 2 issues - one of them was the 2013 calendar.

I think it sounds bad that no one is hearing anything much on this. NOTE: it's not about the money - I don't want it back.

I would be interested to hear any information in response to what thepinballworks asked.

I saw him at Expo, but didn't talk to him. He "looked" good, but who knows what that means. My understanding is he's back on Kemo. If so, often you're up and OK for a small portion of the day, but when you crash, you crash hard. If he's still working that would explain not doing a magazine at night after work...

I wish I had seen this thread back in October before I placed my order... I ordered a book, some DVDs, and a back issue... $75+ worth and not being in any hurry, I hadn't thought about it until today when I was browsing my PayPal transaction history. No order confirmation, no shipping notice, no product. It's now a few days past the 45-day window to file with PayPal, so I emailed the addresses on the web site.

A delay in producing new issues of the magazine with all the health issues going on is understandable, but everything I ordered is just "in-stock" items. Hopefully I'll get a response via email soon.

I agree with jedimojo -- if this is standard operating procedure, the site's order functionality should be shut off and/or disclaimer posted on the site.

---

UPDATE: I got quick replies to my emails, and they had just mailed out my partial order last week. It arrived yesterday. The rest of the order hopefully will follow soon.

_{Post edited by TheKreator : Update to My Situation}

I wrote for GameRoom for a number of years....it pained me when Kevin stopped publishing, but I know it was worse for him.

I had hoped to write for Jim but beyond an email or two he never expressed interest so I dropped it.

Kevin is part of a brand new retromag group. The first print issue is due soon.

I do wish Jim well. It looks like he is going through a very terrible time.

I have 3 (yes 3!) different friends going through chemo/radiation as we speak. It literally destroys them-both in spirit and in body. Trust me when I tell you, nothing else matters during this time than to get yourself well. Survival instinct is at a high. Depression can and usually does set in. Normal life issues and hobbies just don't make the cut. They are insignificant. I'm not speaking for Jim here, but I feel we should cut the fellow some slack. He's sick. Very sick. Hopefully he'll get better. He has a long and respected history in this hobby. I don't see him as trying to pull anything over on any of us, he's just at a very bad chapter in his life. My .02

I don't think anyone faults a guy who falls ill. The question is if there are still open solicitations for money on webpages or pin sites. If you aren't up to fulfilling the orders, return the checks. If you already spent people's money and owe refunds, borrow the money and send out refunds. If you can't scrape the jack together to give refunds, apologize and shut down any solicitations of money.

I wish the best for the guy, but why is it that in the game industry, people think they can say, "oops!" and keep others' money? Stop accepting orders you can't immediately fill. For those of you who may be confused, if an order can't be fulfilled within 10 business days (MAX), an immediate notification and offer of cancellation is due to the customer. In fact, the moment the order is processed (i.e. money deposited or transferred), the vendor owes the customer notification of expected shipment date if it is longer than 1 business day. When you accept anything less, you reward incompetence. I'm not trying to kick a guy when he's down, but when diabetes sufferer loses his legs, he doesn't keep his roofing job.

I once dealt with a guy whose wife was dying of cancer. He took an order of about $200 from me and then didn't ship for a few weeks because she died. Of course he let me hang a couple of weeks. I felt sorry for the guy, but I can't understand how he had time to take my money, but didn't have time to tell me of the delay or refund it. I empathize when others suffer, but most of the time they could do a lot better by taking a break from their "business" activities while they are distracted. If they need the money, non-delivery of orders is not the best option in my opinion.

I hope you'll never get sick, I really do.

Here's an update from Jim:
"I have been working on the calendar, there are a couple months images that I wanted to use and only just got the ok last night for one and while I might not get the other one I wanted to wait to give it the best chance. But it will be at the printer on Wednesday and in the mail 5 to 6 working days after that. I also fully intend to produce issues after that and while I have to deal with a number of personal issues, my excitement about the magazine and pinball is just as strong and I'm not going anywhere ... "
I'm looking for any shows, dates and web sites that I may have missed ... I can take them up until midnight Tuesday ... at [email protected]