Re: Book and Back Issue Sales

[Neil Frank <nfrank@mindspring.com>]

>perishable and have extra needs. I am copying Diana on this issue because
>I want her input on it and because I don't want any unpleasant surprises
>for her if we decide to implement the idea.

Even more so than book sales, back issues sales is a huge job.... a even
bigger PITA. Diana tries to keep all 47 issues in stock.... as many as 25
each at one time. Although it might be an advantage to an AGA member to buy
everything from one address, it would be an additional burden on the AGA
volunteer. It may it more difficult to find 1 person to do everything. In
fact, I hope that your inquiry did not cause Diana to throw in her
resignation. She has been doing it for as long as I can remember.
Back issues sales and the book store have also been managed different.  For
the most part, Dave talks to the suppliers himself.... but the decision to
add or subtract individual items has historically been decided or guided by
the SC.
On the other hand, back issue sales have managed between the editor and
Diana. This is a good opportunity to briefly document and comment on the
current SOPs. 

I keep and supply the back issues. Because Diana lives in a trailor,I have
been storing the extras in my attic. Based on the constant demand for back
issues, I always print an extra 50-75. The printer immediatedly mails diana
25. Up till a year ago or so, he also mailed DOrothy some... 10 or 15... I
can't remember the number.  Currently I think I only have back issues for a
few recent years....maybe 1997-99 (but enough to fill 2 or 3 xerox paper
boxes). In the past, I have also been arranging to get individual back
issues reprinted when the supply is exhausted. New members continue to
order the early years and I believe this is a good service to the members.
We might be one of the only national/international groups to do this. A few
years back, I had the entire volume 4 (1991) reprinted as a self contained
publication.... I still have some of those stored too.  Diana and I
discussed using that approach when her supply of other early issues got
depleted. Starting in 2000, however, TAG will not be printed in North
Carolina. So, this brings up a related issue..... someone else needs to
manage the storage and reprinting of TAGs. This will make a nice job for
someone.(I am not volunteering). However, I will be happy to continue to
keep existing issues in the attic or mail them off to someone new. I have
not yet discussed this BIG ISSUE with Mary. This is not necessarily part of
the editor's job.. but it certainly could be. The editor does not need to
personally do it... it could be someone on the editor's team. As long as I
have described so much about the process, I should continue to describe the
other steps involved with making new reprints. Up till the time we went
with the current printer, the issues were printed from "camera ready" hard
copy. So, I have the "originals" for the first 7 years of TAG. I should
mail these off to the new Back Issue Reprint manager. Universal Printers in
NC have been printing from an electronic image. This produced a nice crisp
copy and it also allowed them to reprint 25 copies on demand without the
need for the "hard copy original." Unfortunately, Universal has not been
doing a good job for us. The printer also needs to be near the editor.
Unless these old electronic copies can be transferred from Universal to the
new printer, reprints will have to be done from the printed original.

 Perhaps we should put all
>sales in abeyance until we have our incorporated status?

I would not recommend this with back issues, unless it was only for a few
months. 

--Neil