Re: TAG ideas (long)

[Neil Frank <nfrank@mindspring.com>]

Karen, You have put together a pretty complete palette!

>Finances:
>
>Find out:
>*Who is doing printing now?
>*What are the costs of:
> -Black and White
> -Color pages
> -Color covers and inside cover
> -Mixed
> -Numerical cost breaks
> -Mailing
>*Can we get better quality and/or better price elsewhare?

>From my experience, the cost per color cover was the same as inside color.
A page is a page. Clearly, the color cover is flashier - we only had a few
issues with full color covers because there was more content value with
color on the inside. I elected to use  "slick" paper for color printing and
cheaper paper for text only. I only used "cover stock" for the first issue
(It did not fold well). Once I learned that duotone was only a few bucks
more, I used it consistently.
 I always liked the look and feel of the slick paper thoughout (like BB),
but did not think we wanted to spend the $$, so instead developed the
'convention' of using thin slick paper for cover. To the extent that
anything stays the same thru multiple issues, the printing costs can be
reduced... because the printer can make more copies... and even use a
bigger press. I thought about having all the covers printed with the same
color photo (with overprinted dates and issue numbers), but found it more
convenient to tell the issues apart if they had different colors. One idea
that I  never implemented was to make extra copies of individual color
pages to be used for other purposes - ads, brochures, flyers, membership
applications. The incremental costs drops greatly after 1,000 or so copies.
For getting best pricing on printing , I would suggest asking Dave G.  I
always felt he was person to ask when you wanted to find the best deal...
not just printing!

>
>Can we afford to pay:
> *$50 per new feature length article ($100-$150 per issue)
> *$10 per photo ($100-$150 per issue?) (ask for donated material when
>possible)
> *Annual award for best article and best photo ($$??)

To answer these questions, the board would probably want to see the TOTAL
cost per issue which includes editorial staff pay, content pay, printing
(function of number of pages), etc... minus revenue (ads,
subscriptions,etc). For photo payment, you might vary for cover and small
vs. large prints (even though photo quality is exactly the same)... as
alternative to best photo.

>
>How much do we need to charge for ads?
>*Full page color ads should pay for at least that whole sheet of paper (3
>add'l pages)
>*Cover ads should pay for cover the add'l cost of mailing magazines in an
>envelope
>*Ads less than a full page in size must be paid in advance for one full year
>(4 issues) and must have B&W and color options

I'm glad you mentioned envelope... I am definitely tired of getting a torn
TAG in the mail.  If you choose not to use wrapper (which can be paper
evelope, or plastic shink wrap), then PLEASE do not use the paper tab which
is supposed to keep it closed. I think those darn things get stuck in the
postoffice machines and contribute to the torn covers.

>
>Short Term Goals (within 2002):
> *1-2 New feature articles per issue (try to have one more technical, one
>beginner-ish)
> *1 Asian article (Amano) per issue (translated)
> *1 European article per issue (translated)
> *Featured plant
>*Featured tank or aquarist
> Can be submitted by members or chosen from contest entries
>(ask owner to answer questions about the tank via the members' list)
> *Tips gleaned from APD and elsewhere
> *Local/Regional club news
>*rotate full ads for back issues, book store, etc. (don't need more than a
>website pointer in every issue)
> *Some color in every issue
>*Move most of the administrivia to the web site, and include just pointers
>in the magazine

All of the above sounds great. With the column approach mentioned by David,
it should be easier to keep material flowing (wish I thought of that!). I
was thinking about "tips from APD" and even have a large electronic file
with tips from years past.... but was never used. It was fun picking out
the wheat from the chaff. 
Oh... how about literature reviews. This can include books (aquatic plant,
water garden,including beginner stuff), club mags, even stuff from american
and foreign mags (as a column as done in AQUAPHYTE and AQUA PLANTA, or
whenever). 

You may find that you will still need filler. That was the main reason that
TAG had ads for membership renewal, book store, etc. The selected ad fit
the available space. However,the space wasnt necessarily utilized in the
most creative way. I had the same inside front and back covers for
convenience only. I like your idea of rotating.
>
> *Establish committees:
>  -Advertising sales
>  -Materials search
>  -Translation (Tomoko Schum, Michael Ekherdt)
>  --Have AGA buy subscriptions to promising foreign magazines for these
>people
>  -Local club liaison (to collect news from local clubs)

Looking at BB and the other TAG jobs that were discussed in previous
emails, maybe technical and production?

It may be possible to re-establish links to Russia and eastern Europe.
There is a lot of amazing stuff that exists over there. My main contact has
recently died (Mark Mahlkin), but I have other contacts that I can work on
if there is interest.

>
>*Develop strong link with Members' list
>-(Including monthly updates on news/announcements)
> *Develop an electronic archive of photos and drawings by species/subject
>
>Long Term Goals:
> * Financially Self-sustaining
>*Full color
>*6 times annually
>

As a related TAG long-term goal, I would add boosting membership (though
better advertising) or possible store sales -- to allow more copies to
print. It would be great if we get membership to 1200-1500. Then full color
would be easy.

Cant think of anything else. You covered it pretty well.
Neil
  ------------------
  To unsubscribe from this list, e-mail majordomo@thekrib.com
  with "unsubscribe aga-sc" in the body of the message.
  Old messages are available at http://lists.thekrib.com/aga-sc
  When asked, log in as username is "aga-sc", and password "incorp".