Hi John & Paul;
Welcome to the sucker club. As Andy pointed out, this list doesn't get much
traffic, most of us are too busy getting the next newsletter finished. But a
lot of us lurk around so if you need help, just holler.
Question #1 - How do you get articles to publish?
Answer - You have to make very good use of your motivational skills, your
telephone and your abilities to both bolster and bullshit people. When all
else fails, make good use of your Uncle Angelo who breaks knee caps for a
living.
If you have some very technical people in the club, ask them to make a list of
the things they could discuss in 1 to 2 pages. Then schedule one for each
issue with them & give them dates for submission for every issue.
Find someone who is currently doing a restoration and have them chronicle
their adventures. Makes interesting reading and might spur someone else who
has one sitting in the back of his garage.
When you are at car shows, look for someone who is really into it & nail them
while they are still psyched up. In all cases, don't expect that they will do
what they said they will do; keep communicating with them to "see how they are
doing", offer suggestions and keep their creative juices flowing. Have a
backup plan for each issue just in case. When you do get their work, you may
have to do some heavy editing, but don't forget to tell them what a great job
they did and how much you are looking forward to their next article.
And don't forget to use lots of pictures. People like to see themselves in
print and the judicious use of pictures really pumps up a "we got to the show,
cars were there, yatta, yatta, yatta" article.
Question #2 - Is the price of printing going up?
Answer - Most definitely. I am a "small potatoes" editor (250 copies) but
here's some things I did when the bills got too large: 1) I changed to a
smaller format. I produce my pages in 8.5 x 7 format so that I can get four
pages on each 8.5 x 14 paper. Can still get services in that size for ~ $0.03
per page. 2) Pass on folding, stapling and mutilating by the printer. Bring
the unassembled newsletter, labels, stamps and stickers to the board meeting
and let everyone knock their sox off while they talk. With 6 - 8 people at the
meeting, the newsletter will be ready for the PO the next morning. And you
save the price of a stamp for everyone who was at the meeting.
Tech Tip #1 - NEVER EVER mail your newsletter on the first Monday of the
month; you don't need it getting lost in a sea of bill payments. Shoot for the
Friday prior or wait till about Wednesday after; you will have better
consistency in delivery and your readers will be happier.
Hope this get's you going ....... good luck and good hunting!
Joe Laurito, Editor
Triumph News
Central Pennsylvania Triumph Club
TRglory@msn.com
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