But to whom the newspaper? - 2

Continuation (beginning in the challenge No. 3 (72) dated 02.15.2011)

There is no story sadder in the world
than the story of an unread newspaper.

Part 2. For money

The subscription was also seen in the pink light. Maybe because most of the editorial office from the USSR, when for each decent person to write three or four editions to the house was a rule of good tone. Moreover, by and large, all newspapers wrote about the same thing ... But they appeared exactly every morning in your mailbox without any problems, and the loss of one copy was an emergency. And the most persistent could always take a walk to their native communication department and demand a replacement. And replaced! In the post office, there were always spare specimens.

Of course, the posts of mail were even then, but for some reason it was precisely the system of delivery of paper correspondence that was most firmly stuck even not even in the past, but in the century before last. I affirm from personal experience: the speed of delivery of letters is now about the same as in pre -revolutionary Russia. No, of course, you can arrange some super-duper express tariff. But first of all, the super-duper will be at the tariff, and not by express ...

To our specific rams. We planned to develop a subscription in three directions: in Russia as a whole; In the city where the publishing house is located (and which, in fact, gave the name to the newspaper), and, finally, the so -called corporate subscription - at those points where there is the maximum concentration of the target audience. It is clear that we are talking about research institutes and universities. Alas and ah! Corporate subscription plans have safely degenerated into a free distribution system. Almost no one was in a hurry to pay us money. With some efforts, thanks to personal connections, two (!) Institute was signed. Probably, we ourselves work poorly and are not convincing enough of the advance of the brand, but.

A characteristic example. The next number of the TRV-N with a good-good article on the Institute as a whole or its leader is released. On the second or third day, a call is heard in the editorial office-is it possible to get 30-40 newspapers (and it happens, they ask a pack of 200 copies at once), you wrote it remarkably about us. Notice, they don’t offer to sell, although the newspaper, even one, costs money. Well, we almost do not earn on sale and subscription, we function thanks to the support of not indifferent people and organizations. Therefore, we agree to supply our heroes with a set of newspapers. But at the same time, we are no longer at all embarrassed to offer the institute to subscribe to it, the newspaper “Unusual, interesting and writes on deeply exciting topics,” as the petitioner himself says. But for some reason, a subscription proposal does not cause much enthusiasm. No, it does not happen intelligently completely, but “chewing chewing gum” begins on the topic: it would be nice, but how to do it, but it’s not very convenient for us, but it would be good for you, and according to what expenses it will go, but we will solve the problem, let's sign it - we subscribe to one (!) Copy. The whole institute!

However, 700 rubles. Also money, the account is issued and ... on this in 90% of cases everything ends. And subscribing to 20 percent from institutes, abundantly scattered in Moscow and the region, each for 15-20 copies, you look, and the three would fit into modern economic realities. And you can’t say that people do not know about our newspaper. They know, read, mainly praise, declare the right publication reflecting the aspirations of the scientific community, but do not sign!

In general, the institution in the person of its bureaucratic apparatus offers employees to solve the issue with a subscription on their own: we pay you a salary - so support your favorite publication. And people support! But after all, another harden-at least some dividends bring us a subscription only inside the city of Troitsk. The cost of one copy of the newspaper, according to the most modest calculations, is at least 16 rubles, plus 3 rubles. The Trinity news agency is mercifully taking from us, spreading newspapers to city addressees. But even in better times, the number of subscribers in the city does not exceed a hundred. So the total “income” provided by local fans of the scientific press is as many as 400 (four hundred) rubles. From the circulation. You can live!

The situation for nonresident subscribers is even sadder. It has absolutely nothing to do with the real economy. But if you completely shift the cost of subscribing to the shoulders of subscribers, then we simply will not have them.

Therefore, special and additional thanks to our sponsors, which not only allow the editors, but also hold and even increase our readers.

The process of organizing the newsletter in Russia has passed several stages with us. At first we did everything ourselves, by the forces of volunteers in the editorial office. They bought envelopes and stamps, glued stamps and labels with addresses on envelopes, stuffed the newspaper inside and handed them up at the post office. The number of subscribers grew. Grew and the volume of work on the preparation of the newsletter. First, there was a need to attract special people sharpened for this business. On the one hand, the work is not too intellectual (but less than 10 rubles from the envelope, for some reason no one agreed to it), on the other, requiring meticulousness and accuracy. Alas, it was not difficult for people from the outside to confuse addresses, unopalled brands, lack newspapers, send two envelopes to one address, etc. It was impossible to control migrant workers in the course of the process. And fair claims of subscribers poured to the editor.

Mail, as far as possible, participated in the generation of problems. Regularly in the department there was no need for the circulation of the number of brands (“Next week should be delivered, go in” ”). Newspapers sent by simple letters reached the addressees with a probability of just over 90%. Regularly envelopes with newspapers were returned "for the absence of the addressee at the specified address." The addressee as a sin immediately called the editorial office in search of his beloved and often the only discounted publication. The most competent and persistent readers did not call us, but went right into the mail. Most of the lost newspapers were safely in any of the post offices, of which up to 5 pieces could be counted on the difficult path of the newspaper. It is not surprising that the “riding on the crossroads” leads to the fact that even without any loss of the first path of the first, this year, the treasury from Troitsk to Novosibirsk took exactly 21 days.

But this is by no means a record of the “turtle” of the post - among our subscribers (boasting!) The head of Rosnanetha Anatoly Chubais. From the post of Troitsk to the office of a mighty state corporation 32 km. The letter with the newspaper overcame this full difficulties and dangers of the route in 18 days, i.e., at an average speed of 74 meters per hour. In general, tired of fighting the dishonesty of their own random employees, the unpredictability of the mail, with the complaints of our patient fans, we decided to transfer the case to the strong hands of professionals. About how they collaborated with the agency "Rospping" for the good of our subscribers-in the 3rd part of my narrative.

Ilya Mirmov

PS The most advanced Russian corporation is signed by 2 copies. "Trinity option is science."