I can't begin to tell you how many times in all my working years I was on the asking or granting end of the same question, and never once did I stonewall someone or get stonewalled myself. For example, I remember an occasion when I went to the Austin American-Statesman newspaper in the Texas capital with a request to reprint a huge article of national interest at the time--so huge that I had to ask their permission to run it in six parts in my magazine. Within 72 hours, I had their OK to reprint the article in its entirety, in six parts, with full attribution of course, and all I had to do in exchange was to provide them a copy of each issue of my magazine that contained a part of the story.
That's the way this process is supposed to work. But in the case of In-Fisherman, it's as though I had asked for permission to reprint a Pulitzer prize-winner, or perhaps they're a lot busier than I've ever found any other newspaper or magazine office. After two emails and a voicemail I left for In-Fisherman's senior editor, whose byline appears on the article in question, I still don't have an answer to my question.
I haven't given up hope yet, though. Two days ago, I received an acknowledgement from a representative of the magazine's customer-service department, who apologized for the inconvenience I've been experiencing and said she was forwarding my inquiry to "the home office to review."
I can't help wondering if perhaps this all would have been a non-issue if the Lindners still owned the In-Fisherman company. However, they sold it to Primedia Broadcasting in 1998, and therein may lie an explanation for my current predicament. I'll get over it, though--in about the same time it takes me to fall asleep after a long day on the water. Just needed to vent a little.
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