June SCR- Cover Price $15 ??!!

[tom dougherty]

The June 2007 Issue is a tremendous piece of work, and reflects very positively on the entire organization! However, I was deeply puzzled by the addition of a cover price of $15 to the magazine.

It seems to me that if you are going to try to recruit new members, handing them a magazine that is a quarterly with a $15 cover price makes them do some very simple math and arrives at a membership cost (for the magazine alone) of $60 per year. Now we all know that's not so, membership doesn't even cost half that amount. OK, so it's the newstand price-but, wait, the SCR isn't available at newstands. The fact is no one pays that much for the magazine, as the only way to get it is to join and pay $26 per year (in the US).

So, what's the rationale? We might be scaring some people away due to (incorrectly) perceived high cost, and we are not benefitting economically from a newstand price that no one pays.

[pirate]

The $15 cover price is

The $15 cover price is to establish a value for this wonderful magazine of ours. It is not FREE. You must be a member. And membership dues pay for it, barely. But its value is much higher than $6.50 an issue, which is what membership costs now. And that would be if the membership dues only went to the magazine publication. They go for much more, including the wonderful Sub Regattas we've been having.

So isn't that an incredible deal to receive such an outstanding club publication and everything else for such a measly $26 per year? I think so, and we want everyone to realize that.

That's why there's a cover price. It is a more accurate price per issue in relationship to the value of the magazine. I'm glad someone noticed the price. That was the intention. I'm surprised you didn't think of what a bargain you've been getting.

Pete Piekarski
SubCommittee Report
Managing Editor

[tom dougherty]

OK, Pete, I don't at

OK, Pete, I don't at all disagree that the magazine is a bargain for the membership. Having been a member since 1995, I've seen the quality of the SCR improve while remaining a constant (low) price. The recent upgrades to the look of the magazine have come a long way from the photocopied days of yore. I'm always surprised at how much we wring out of about a total of roughly $25,000 a year for the whole SC budget.

Again, though, my chief concern is recruitment, and the perception of a high priced magazine that might scare away prospects who would think they have to ante up a lot more money for membership dues than they really have to ($15 X 4 issues = $60). If you look at our membership numbers in each issue, we're not growing as an organization, and haven't been for years. I'd hate to lose even a few prospects on an erroneous assumption of membership costs.

[pirate]

I would simply counter that

I would simply counter that with, no one ever pays the cover price on any magazine subscription, including our membership.

Second, if someone is interested out of the blue because they saw The SubCommittee Report, I think they'll look into it on the web and see the membership dues are currently $26/yr, and it's in the back of the magazine with the membership sign-up form. And if they're interested because they've heard about it from a current member, then that question (if it would really be thought of) would probably be asked and answered of that member.

If you are hearing this question asked, then correct it. That's the least you can do as a member to try to recruit new members, right? Put the positive spin on a question like yours.

I respect your asking this question Tom, but really don't think putting a cover price on the magazine will make any difference in turning someone on or off to our club. The fact is is comes 4 times a year with membership dues—what a bargain.

Also, if you're thinking of the price of membership scaring away potential members, then we should go the other way, and cut back on this magazine, maybe make it all black and white again, and cut the page count in half—maybe only do two issues per year, and that perhaps could lower the membership dues to less than where they are now. But if we did that I'd say we lose more members than we'd gain because many of our members don't even build boats, they just like the magazine. Without question, I would say The SubCommittee Report is the one biggest factor in why many of our members join. That's why I joined. I can go to a pond and run my sub with other members and don't need to belong. But this magazine is full of info I can't find easily anywhere else. And I enjoy reading it and looking at it every time.

My main goal is to get at least our membership to realize the true value of this magazine if we had to pay a staff of editors, writers, designers, and full price for printing to get the quality we are getting.

Thank you for your comments. I have to agree to disagree with you on this one.
Pete

[tom dougherty]

I have to agree to

I have to agree to disagree with you on this one.

That's OK, it was a healthy debate. And, as you know, I very much respect & appreciate the work you are doing on our magazine!
At least you know I am paying attention.

[Scale Shipyard / WLU]

Cover Price

Pete:

Was the subject of putting a cover price on the publication checked to see if it effected our Non Profit status?

[pirate]

People, relax. No one pays

People, relax. No one pays that. We don't charge that for it. We don't collect that much for it, so we don't make a profit, and we can't get in trouble if we don't make a profit.

We don't charge hardly anything for it, really. It's just type on a page. But it got your attention, didn't it. That was the goal.

Notice, none of you argued the point, or claimed, "There's no way this magazine could cost this much, are you guys crazy?" Which goes to my point that this magazine is very nice and is worth something. That was all I wanted our members to realize, and potential members too.

Would you like the opposit, to print what we really pay for it, or what it's really worth. I say value is always more important than price.

Again, what a fantastic bargain to join The SubCommittee.

Pete