Welcome to ShootingSavvy.com™. We’re dedicated to giving you the very best content and wisdom on how to become a better shooter, with a focus on gun & gear, hand loading & reloading, and training. Jay Langston’s professional pursuits over the past 35 years include publishing more than 1,500 articles and 2,000 photos that have appeared in hundreds of magazines, newspapers and web sites. His articles have been published in publications such as Outdoor Life, Turkey Call, Tactical Life, Ballistic Magazine and Personal Defense World. He’s been a Content Creator for Athlon Outdoors for several years, too.
Jay Langston Bio
Over the past few years, Jay Langston has busied himself working on a new house on his northwest Marshall County, Tennessee farm, where he and his wife, Jacqueline, moved in October 2015. After a stint as Editor of the twice-weekly small-town newspaper, the Marshall County Tribune, Langston refocused his efforts towards freelance magazine and book editing.
Between 2013 and 2015, Whitman Publishing launched 2nd Amendment Media, their newest imprint. Beginning in the 1930s, Whitman grew to fame with their industry-leading Red Book of Coin Values. Expanding on that theme, Whitman brought in publishing veteran Langston to venture into the collectible firearms and outdoor publishing and media markets as the General Manager in their Franklin, Tenn., office. While there, Langston authored America’s 100 Greatest Guns and the Red Book of GunValues series.
Five years prior to coming on board with Whitman Publishing, Langston worked as an outdoor industry marketing and publishing consultant. Throughout that time, he wrote and edited more than 500 magazine articles focused on firearms and hunting. Additionally, he took on the role of Consulting VP of Marketing for OEI Properties to publish a quarterly magazine and provide sales and television production expertise. Also during this period, Langston served as Editor for Southern Trophy Hunters Magazine, published quarterly.
Between 2005 and 2008, Langston served as the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s Director of Marketing. Hired by the longest tenured state wildlife agency director, Gary Myers, Langston’s role was to not only develop and launch new marketing campaigns, but also provide business guidance, long-term strategic planning and facilitation for state-agency-level reorganization. Also during Langston’s service to TWRA, he worked closely with the National Shooting Sports Foundation to improve user participation and increase hunting license sales. The TWRA was also the leading recipient of state-level NSSF grants funding marketing research during Langston’s tenure. Other state game and fish agencies have since copied and implemented those same strategies pioneered by Langston while at TWRA.
After a decade-long stint serving in several leadership roles for the National Wild Turkey Federation, Langston ventured into the private sector from 2001 to 2005 as Publisher for Stoeger Publishing. During his time at the helm of Stoeger Publishing, a division of Beretta Holdings, Langston took a languishing 75-year-old book company and vastly expanded its list of traditional “hook and bullet” titles, as well as venturing into novels and biographies. His crowning achievement was signing Iraq fuel convoy commander and hostage, Thomas Hamill, to a book deal. After a frenzied rush to press, Langston orchestrated a coast-to-coast marketing and media blitz. Released October 11, 2004, Escape In Iraq: The Thomas Hamill Story, hit the New York Times Bestseller List after one week on sale and climbed the charts.
“Negotiating The Thomas Hamill Story in competition with much larger publishing companies was a thrill,” Langston said, “but my favorite project was Wounded Moon. It gave me a chance to be the first major outdoor book publisher to break into the new category of outdoor fiction. It also gave me a chance to work with one of my favorite writers, Gary Cook, again.” Cook is a retired TWRA regional manager from Jackson, Tenn. Some will remember Cook’s Old Man series from Tennessee Wildlife magazine.
On the business side, Langston grew Stoeger Publishing’s distribution dramatically in four years. He expanded sales into more than 4,000 retail outlets nationwide, and Stoeger’s sales grew by a staggering 282%.
In addition to guiding the publishing, production and marketing efforts for Stoeger, Langston authored two titles. Turkey Hunter’s Tool Kit: Shooting Savvy™ was released in 2002, and it was followed by Tennessee Whitetails in 2004. He also served as the Editor of Shooter’s Bible and Publisher of Gun Trader’s Guide.
“Rebuilding Stoeger had its rewards, but working on a day-to-day basis in wildlife conservation was much more satisfying,” Langston said. During his time at the NWTF, from 1990 to 2001, Langston climbed the ranks from assistant editor of Turkey Call Magazine to the leadership role in the communications and public relations division of the non-profit wildlife organization giant. At the halfway mark during his time with the NWTF, Langston implemented his long-term strategic communications plan and grew his department’s staff from four employees to 32 full-time professionals who published five national magazines, produced two weekly television shows and powered a full web and public relations machine.
Prior to leaving Tennessee in 1989 for an editor’s job at Game & Fish Publications, where he was the editor of Mississippi Game & Fish, Arkansas Sportsman, Louisiana Game & Fish, and assistant editor of North American Whitetail magazines, Langston was Assistant Editor of Mid South Hunting & Fishing News in Memphis.
Langston’s additional professional pursuits over the past 35 years include a number of ghost-written titles that have proven successful for their namesakes. He is also a graduate of the University of Memphis, holding a B.A. in journalism.
Organizations
Chairman of the Board and President of Southeastern Outdoor Press Association (SEOPA); past member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America; and the South Carolina Outdoor Press Association. Served as board member for the S.C. Sportsmen’s Coalition. President of MSU Magazine Signature Society.
Honors, Awards & Addictions
Recipient of 16 state, regional and national writing awards, as well as winning numerous competitions; from National Field Archery Association titles to NRA matches in Handgun Silhouette, NRA Hi-Power and Small Bore. Langston is an avowed addict to chasing mature white-tailed bucks and long-spurred tom turkeys, which is evidenced by his hunting one or both in 26 states, Canada and Mexico.