The Winter 2015 issue of Fly Fusion is set to hit newsstands on November 24, 2014.

As a quarterly, the magazine has to make sure that every cover is particularly relevant to their audience.  The goal with each cover is to create something that generates a feeling of passionate excitement, what we call a “Yes Moment.”  It’s that nano-second where your pulse rate races and the adrenaline is released.

“With every cover, we try and learn from what has worked in the past, and what hasn’t.  We then apply those teachings to the cover at hand, ” says Chris Bird, Group Pulbisher.

I asked Jennifer Bird, Executive Publisher, what a “Fly Fusion moment is:  “The idea is to chase after relevance and those hard to reach ideas that always deliver. Beyond that it is an unmistakable brand and mark. Those who fly fish know it.” It’s that incredibly profound and almost religious experience of rapture that happens when you are engaged in a passion that you love, like watching snow flakes fall from the sky on the perfect Winter fishing trip.

So, what is a perfect cover?  I suppose a 100% sell-out would be one way, after the fact, of describing perfection.  Another more poetic and soulful way of defining it is: does the cover make your heart thump louder and faster?  Are subscribers thrilled when they get home from work and find the magazine in their mailbox?  Are advertisers proud to be in the issue? And do newsstand buyers step up and buy more copies than they ever have before?

“In 2010, 3 of 4 issues set new sales records. In 2011 3 of 4 issues set new records.  In 2012 2 of 4 issues set new records. In 2013 1 issue set a new record.  And so far in 2014  2 of 3 issues have set new records.  That’s 11 new record breakers in the past 5 years, so we set a very high standard for excellence,” says Scott Bullock, Newsstand Consultant.

So the question is:  Does this cover meet the test?  Time will tell, but we think the Fly Fusion “Yes Moment” has been achieved.  It’s almost like a perfect song, the kind that just makes you want to get up and dance.

The Dec/Jan 2015 cover of Canada’s History magazine is set to hit newsstands on November 24th, 2014. The Last Spike cover, designed by James Gillespie, uses an iconic photograph to help sell the package of train stories. The cover quickly communicates the feature story…"radical clarity!"

Rule #30: If it works, keep doing it.

This November, Legion Magazine will publish their 6th SIP.  Now is your chance to help pick the cover. Vote here.

Just in time for the Christmas gift giving season, Diva’s Guide to Dinner Parties will hit newsstands the first week of November.