In a message dated 1/6/2006 8:38:07 PM Central Standard Time, ELG440@xxxxxxx writes: If we need to get it out on time, how would you do that? Do we hand deliver it, do we force the post office to do better work? Do we insist on the printer to find a new system of deliver? How do we make it more interesting? For me I think I want some rope tricks in each issue. Or maybe some Penthouse letters to Gail? What about babes of the Detroit German Shepherd Dog Club? I want real suggestions, ------------------------------------------------------- Now that is progress. Another member at least realizing there is a problem... Only the folks currently doing the Review know the details that solutions can be drawn up from. It's not the Post Office, even if the Post Office is sometimes slow. Adjustments could be made for a target mailing date for each issue, which takes in the possibility of slow mail delivery. The target date should attempt to get Reviews delivered by the 15th. That way, if there is a postal delay, the issue should still be there the same month that the cover has printed on it. If the printer is a problem, get a new printer. I don't know any details of problems with the printer. Anything that can be done to decrease lead time for advertising should be done. Deadlines should be in granite ... The Review should never be held up for any single advertiser. I don't know that it is now, but deadlines are necessary. I suspect part of the problem is advertisers letting the editor arrange their ads. That is a good service, but camera ready copy should be guaranteed the shortest lead time. Any copy needing work from the Review staff may be delayed to the following month, and that should be stated in the advertising information section. That should instantly decrease the work load for Review staff. There is a simple solution to getting more advertising submitted by the membership. Drastically lower the cost of an ad. Until you prove to potential advertisers that the Review is a good place to spend their advertising dollar, you will only go backwards by charging more than the space is worth. At this moment, an ad in the Review isn't worth much at all. How can I say that? Because very few people are buying ad space. Improvements to delivery and lead time will eventually help that situation, but it will take time so lowering the cost is the only solution for the time being. Ad rates should be reconsidered at the end of each year, and adjustments made accordingly. I think some advertisers are not interested in having their ad overshadowed by color ads which are too expensive for many people. I'm not sure how to solve that problem, but I do believe it exists. I know I saw ad rates in a Dachshund magazine in which the color rates were a lot cheaper than the Reviews. I don't remember the specific numbers though. The Education Committee should submit an article every month. Those articles should be on breeding dogs, or perhaps discussions about old bloodlines. The cost for printing that article should be taken on by the Education Committee, or even by the Parent club itself. There has also been an obvious push to make the performance people happy. I think this has been done at some cost to things interesting to the folks who are only interested in conformation. The GSDCA should have a Performance Committee which is dedicated to all of the performance venues. That committee should also submit a monthly article to the Review. The cost of that article should go to the Performance Committee, or to the PC. There should also be a feature article similar to what we see now. That is a total of three articles in each Review with some attempt to print something interesting to everyone. How do we pay for that? The first year would be difficult. Before you're going to make money, you have to convince people your product is worth what you're selling it for. I'm no advertising person, but as I understand it, circulation dictates the value of advertising in any magazine. If you manage to increase circulation, you will increase advertising. Commercial advertising should always be sought out, and that will get easier as circulation increases. Unfortunately, because of today's Review problems, a lower subscription cost to non members should also be considered. I've heard there is a rule that dictates how many pages can be printed, based on how many ads are received. That sounds wise from a financial stand point, but it is foolish in the long run. All you get from that rule is a thin, uninteresting Review. If the GSDCA wants to put out one of the best dog magazines, we will have to invest in that hope first. The goal should be the best dog magazine. A great help to all of this would be a serious increase in membership. For the time being, inexpensive memberships without a Review subscription should be available. Advertising for membership should also be done as much as possible in various dog magazines. Is advertising on the PC's website making a profit? If it is, some of those funds could be directed to the Review. After all ... that would have a direct negative impact on advertising dollars received through the Review. I'm throwing ideas out there just for the sake of making suggestions. Only the people directly involved really know the problems and therefore what might be the best solutions. I don't expect any or all of these ideas to be popular, but any ideas should be taken into consideration. I also have no good answer to the logical question .â?¦ "How are you going to pay for this?" That is a question that should be asked after the best possible magazine is debated and designed, not before. Tom Langlitz ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2005. 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