At the end of this month, the Demopolis Times will publish its annual Profile edition.

It’s the largest edition we publish each year, and it’s chock-full of stories.

I’ve worked in the newspaper business for going on 10 years, and I’ve done one of these editions every year. I’ve always called them the “all-day challenge.”

Basically, the staff works on them all day every day for about two months, and it should take the average reader all day to read it.

The production process is about the most stressful thing the advertising and editorial staff endure on an annual basis. We start swearing and grumbling around November each year, and by February we’re under a blizzard of editorial copy, photos and advertising.

But, as you begin to throw yourself into the task at hand, it becomes a lot of fun. Profile stories are not typical news items. They are the stories we want to write; stories we can have fun with.

Every writer has their “thing.” Those are the stories we feel most comfortable writing. For Jeremy Smith, it’s sports. I like hard news stories.

Profile stories are neither. They force us outside of our comfort zone as writers and they challenge us in a way we only appreciate after we’re done.

This year’s Profile theme is “Where are they now?”

Our Profile sections will be dedicated to the men and women who once held a prominent place in our community and left that limelight for one reason or another. Some people retired. Some people moved away. Others were promoted within their company and moved for their work.

Our list of story assignments reads like a “who’s who” list of local leadership and fame.

I’ll stop short of giving away the roll call so I can hold you in suspense for a few weeks. With the launch of this annual edition just around the corner, there’s never been a better time to subscribe to your Demopolis Times.

For the month of March we’re offering a “Crazy 8” subscription special.

For only $8.88, you can have 8 weeks of the Demopolis Times delivered to your home.

I hope you will take advantage of this offer, which will also guarantee you receive a copy of this year’s Profile.