May K-Factor

Tue Jun 29 19:10:51 AKDT 2004

Paul,

If you don't have April... That IS a problem.  I'm not sure why you don't
but I would contact Maureen Dunphy and let her know.  How many other
Canadian members don't have their April issue?

Bottom line... We're working on the problem and hope to have it addressed
soon.  BTW, setup stays constant - it is the printing that changes
dramatically when pages/totals change.

-----Original Message-----
From: discussion-request at nsrca.org [mailto:discussion-request at nsrca.org] On
Behalf Of pbrine at uoguelph.ca
Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 2004 6:54 PM
To: discussion at nsrca.org
Subject: RE: May K-Factor

Derek:

You missed my point: I STILL DON'T HAVE APRIL YET, NEVERMIND MAY AND IT'S
NOW THE END OF JUNE.

Membership numbers were as published in the February issue.

As you noted the major product NSRCA has to attract new members and hold
existing members is the K-Factor.  Without this magazine on a timely basis
the problem will get worse.  I expect it will get harder to sell advertising
as well. If I were an advertizer I would not want to spend money to
advertise in a publication that is a month or more late.

with regards to the mailing cost. Unfortunately I didn't keep any envelops
from the direct mailing days.  I don't recall seeing the postage being more
than about $1.25.

Currently NSRCA is spending about $0.65US plus whatever shipping to Canada
is costing to mail the Canadian issues.

An eversion is not an option due to download time on dailup.  Not everyone
has highspeed.

As far as saving money by going electronic goes my experience is that the
most of the cost of printing a publication is in the setup.  Changing the
number of copies unless the change is very large does not change the total
cost significantly.  As an example for a recent small print run at work
changing number of copies from 200 to 500 only changed the total cost by
about $200.  
Most of the cost is in the set up.

Paul
Quoting Derek Koopowitz <derekkoopowitz at earthlink.net>:

> Paul,
> 
> I live in California and got my May issue last week... And I'm the 
> editor of the K-Factor.  What is up with the postal service in this 
> place?  You'd think that as the editor I'd get special attention from 
> the USPS but I don't.  Darn.  :)
> 
> Here's the problem with your suggestion... And I'm now wearing the hat 
> of the NSRCA Treasurer.  Mailing the K-Factor to our Canadian friends 
> 1st class would be prohibitively expensive for us.  Back in 2001 bulk 
> mailing rates were $1.25 per issue to Canada and 1st class was $2.40 - 
> now it costs us more than that per issue, unfortunately.  BTW, we have 
> 25 Canadian members now and dues is $40 per member... If you figure 
> that mailing the K-Factor 1st class is going to cost us at least $2.50 
> per issue (I'm not sure of the exact cost) then 12 issues times $2.50 
> is $30 per year.  That doesn't give us much room to actually use the 
> remaining $10 to include production of the K-Factor into the mix.
> 
> Now, if advertisers paid for the bulk of the K-Factor then I would 
> have no problem mailing it out 1st class to everyone - but they don't.  
> Currently the NSRCA operates at a loss - period - this year we are 
> projected to lose $5400.  Our budget alone for the K-Factor is $39,600 
> which includes production, setup and postage - our projected 
> advertising income is only $20,000 and last year we only brought in 
> $14,939 in advertising income.  So you can see a HUGE difference - the 
> bulk of the dues income goes toward the K-Factor production.
> 
> If anyone has some good ideas to speed delivery and/or increase 
> advertising income - I'm all ears.
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: discussion-request at nsrca.org 
> [mailto:discussion-request at nsrca.org] On Behalf Of Paul Brine
> Sent: Sunday, June 27, 2004 7:56 AM
> To: discussion at nsrca.org
> Subject: Re: May K-Factor
> 
> John:
> 
> Still nothing here yet as of June 27th.
> 
> May I make a suggestion.  Go back to what works.  First class mail in 
> an envelop.  For the 15 or so Canadian members the cost would be 
> mininal and may help to prevent further membership erosion.  As I 
> recall back in 1999-2000 there were about 50 Canadian members.
> 
> When I first joined NSRCA in 1999 Canadian (and other international 
> members
> too?) received their issues via first class mail in an envelop.  Based 
> on postmark delivery was 1-2 weeks.
> 
> Dues presumably reflected the cost.  As I recall it was even 
> advertised on the membership application form.
> 
> K-factor goes on vaction - enter new publisher.
> 
> With the new publisher we still got the K-Factor via first class mail 
> in an envelop with a delivery time of 1-2 weeks.  At some point in the 
> relay mailing was started, still in an envelop.  This added another 
> 2-3 weeks to the delivery time.  With this the K-Factor now arrives 
> the month following the issue date.
> 
> Enter another new publisher (yourself)
> 
> Relay mailing is still in place.  Issue is no longer in an envelop.  
> Issues are now an average of a month and a half late or more.
> 
> I know the K-Factor is now available on-line.  However, I am still on 
> dial-up and downloading is not an option.  I am also not inclined to 
> burn off ink-jet cartridges to print it out.
> 
> All of these changes happened without any published announcement from 
> NSRCA about them.
> 
> It gets harder and harder to justify membership and promote NSRCA when 
> the major benefit for the non-US based members is the magazine and it 
> gets later and later.
> 
> You can imagine the conversation.
> 
> "You get this really good monthly magazine about pattern"
> 
> "Can I see the latest issue"
> 
> "Well, all I have is March"
> 
> "But this is the end of June ...."
> 
> Paul
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: John Avery <javery at nxs.net>
> To: <discussion at nsrca.org>
> Sent: Friday, June 04, 2004 3:26 PM
> Subject: RE: May K-Factor
> 
> 
> > The reason for the Canadian delay is most likely due to the change 
> > in mailing times. Earlier this week the new postal system in my 
> > local post office (new and different computer system) gave me an 
> > estimated 5-10 weeks (that is not a typo) for the issue I mail to 
> > get to the Canadian person who remails them direct. For the May 
> > issue I had to airmail the Canadian to avoid that delay. I suspect 
> > the US Post Office has undergone some delivery time changes with 
> > their pricing structure, for the Canadian used to be 10 to 12
days....not weeks.
> >
> > As I said in an earlier email, they may have changed the bulk 
> > delivery schedule as well. I could possibly change that to a quicker 
> > cycle as well with some work and some luck. I would have to get the 
> > K Factor approved by the post office as a monthly magazine or 
> > periodical to get the better rates and faster delivery times.
> >
> > I will talk to the NSRCA board after getting price estimates for 
> > mailing the issues direct versus mailing them bulk. Then the board 
> > can decide what route to take.
> >
> > John Avery
> > Avery Publishing
> > PO Box 282
> > Vonore TN 37885
> > 1-865-856-0480
> > www.averypublishing.com
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: discussion-request at nsrca.org
> > [mailto:discussion-request at nsrca.org]
> > On Behalf Of pbrine at uoguelph.ca
> > Sent: Friday, June 04, 2004 1:21 PM
> > To: discussion at nsrca.org
> > Subject: Re: May K-Factor
> >
> > You're still part of the the USA.  You only have to deal with USPS.
> >
> > We have the "priviledge" of having our KFactor shipped in bulk to 
> > someone here who then remails them individually through Canada Post.
> >
> > Way back when we had them mailed directly to us it used to take a 
> > week or so to get here based on the postmarks.  The new and improved 
> > method adds 2-3 weeks or more to the process.  This is measuring by 
> > the posts on the mailing list.
> >
> > As I said April is still early by recent standards as it's not the 
> > mid of June yet.
> >
> > Paul
> >
> > Quoting Michael Laggis <fishgod at pobox.mtaonline.net>:
> >
> > > Got mine in Alaska.
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > > Michael Laggis
> > > AKA Moose Boy
> > > NSRCA 3618
> > > http://www.alaskarc.org
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: <pbrine at uoguelph.ca>
> > > To: <discussion at nsrca.org>
> > > Sent: Friday, June 04, 2004 4:48 AM
> > > Subject: Re: May K-Factor
> > >
> > >
> > > > Has anyone north of the border gotten April yet?
> > > >
> > > > Only a little over a month late.  That makes it still early.
> > > >
> > > > Not everyone is in a position to download the issues.
> > > >
> > > > Paul
> > > >
> > > > Quoting Ed Hartley <roho2 at rcpattern.com>:
> > > >
> > > > > Is now on line.
> > > > >
> > > > > Ed H.
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