Hello again from Yellow Springs, Ohio!
When Ertel Publishing finds an up-and-coming magazine that has great potential, we love getting involved. In our opinion, Patriots of the American Revolution—a high-quality, four-color quarterly— exemplifies such a magazine. We are enjoying our partnership with Tim Jacobs, the magazine’s editor and publisher, and are determined to promote his vision.
The December issue of Patriots of the American Revolution, which highlights the roles of African Americans in the war, is now in the works. Below is an interview with Tim Jacobs about his magazine’s past, present, and future.
Ertel Publishing: Your seventh generation grandfather, Ezekiel Jacobs, served in the American Revolution with the Connecticut Militia. What else do you know about him?
Tim Jacobs: He was a landowner, farmer, and helped build the steeple for the North Haven Congregational Church in 1799 (the steeple is no longer there). He married Eleanor Walter and they had five children. He is buried among family at the Montowese Cemetery in Connecticut and his stone is decorated with various medals for his service in the American Revolution.
At one point you wrote an article about Ezekiel, but ran into a problem. What was that problem?
I could not find a magazine that would publish an article about an unknown Patriot.
You currently publish Patriots of the American Revolution, but previously you published a magazine called Common Patriot. What was/is the difference between the two?
Basically, Common Patriot was a way to see if there was an interest in a publication about unknown Patriots. It was a website for three years and a printed publication for two years.
What ultimately happened to Common Patriot?
Common Patriot evolved into Patriots of the American Revolution.
The first issue of Patriots of the American Revolution came out in June of 2008. Describe the first issue. Was it hard it put together?
It was certainly a learning curve—I took over the layout and design of the magazine—but it was fun because I met a lot of interesting people with interesting family stories and histories.
What has been the overall reaction to Patriots of the American Revolution?
Pretty positive so far. There seems to be a genuine interest in this sort of publication. I've heard from everyone including the Executive Director of the Sons of the American Revolution to such authors as Dave Palmer, Gary B. Nash, and Richard Brookhiser.
What are your goals for the magazine?
My goals are to publish a quality magazine about the unknown Patriots of the war. The real veterans who risked all there was to risk. We want to become the main source or outlet for people to learn what the common soldiers did in that fight for independence. We'd also like to contribute to various organizations and assist with education and preserving this history.
Why should people subscribe to Patriots of the American Revolution?
Subscribe to help us reach our goals of preserving this history. Subscribe to learn what the real veterans of this war did for you and your family. Subscribe to remember that our independence came with a cost—lives of farmers, ministers, tavern owners, etc., who fought in this war and put everything in their lives on hold.
What are some tough lessons you have learned about the publishing business so far?
Everything is marketing and marketing is money. A great idea needs a plan, an outline, and an error-proof way of reaching your target audience.
What do you like the most about publishing?
Seeing the finished product each quarter. Meeting so many people with fascinating stories about their ancestors.
What has your experience been like working with Ertel Publishing?
It's been great. It's nice to have another group of professional people to bounce ideas off of and to see things from a different angle. Their enthusiasm and interest in Patriots of the American Revolution, along with their guidance, makes the magazine what it is today.
Let's say you and I have another conversation five years from now. What are you doing? What does life look like for Tim Jacobs?
He is working on the magazine full time and also venturing out into publishing other works both related to, and not related to, the American Revolution.
Finally, do you have any words of wisdom for people out there who are about to start their own magazine?
Believe in what you want to publish and team up with people who know the business and the field. Learn from their mistakes. Somewhere, someone has the same idea as you, so plan on doing that idea first and better.
