Rick,
I have subscribed to your magazine for a couple years now and like most of the content. Previous to getting the subscription, I picked up the magazine in dive shops or quarries that I visited. My concern is this; I just received the September issue on September 27th. Most magazines are sent out well in advance of the published date. Your dive “Club Meetings & Events” is always out of date by the time I receive the latest issue!
The real issue is that I know you could have the magazine at my door on time. This is a bold statement, so let me tell you how I know. I was diving at Pearl Lake on September 10. They had a supply of not only the September issue of Midwest Dive News, but also the September issue of Northeast Dive News! If I were publishing your book, I would make sure that the paying customer received the issue before the dive shops and other venues.
For me to pay for something that is dated, I need to see the value. Presently, the value is diminished. I am the leader of a dive club and have considered placing an ad in the calendar section, but realize that the event would probably have happened before anyone would read about it. Please take this as constructive criticism and strive to publish on time in the future.
Thank you,
David Dewhirst
David,
Thank you for the constructive criticism, I appreciate it! Most people will not take the time. We appreciate your feedback and concern. You are correct, it does show poorly of us to get you the magazine after the first and we CAN get it there by the first. AND we should. I am changing our process this month, so you and the other subscribers who are paying for the magazines get the mag as quickly as possible. We work extremely hard to gather relevant news and events. And, mostly, get the magazine out on time, so the problem is really with the mailing process.
Please let me explain our mailing process. he Dive Shops who support the magazine by paying for a “Dive Directory” listing on page 30-31 get 15 magazines mailed in a flat rate envelop - 3 day service. They have them by the first week of the month. It costs them $12.50 per month to be listed, which covers the magazines and the postage but not much else. However, it is a great Win-Win and we are happy to have their support and support them in turn. Other shops not listed in the Dive Directory and our subscribers were getting magazines mailed bulk rate which can take 10 days to 3 weeks depending on the season. We are changing to first class service for our subscribers (who really do deserve it). Next month you will get your magazine as close to the first as possible – thanks for the suggestion and “call to action.”
With regards to listing your activity for your club, we encourage participation in the calendar, especially since it is FREE! We only ask that your club meetings and events are submitted at least 6-8 weeks in advance. The challenge is how difficult it is to print the magazine just a few weeks ahead. We can’t do what other magazines do and print the “December” edition in October if we are going to include your events in the activities section at no cost to you. As a leader in a dive club, I’m sure you understand not planning June dives in January.
Lastly, we are a hybrid magazine with a PRINT and ONLINE edition. You can get our magazines and its contents FREE 24-7 by visiting our website www.divenewsnetwork.com.
You can easily share events on our web calendar. You can also subscribe FREE to our new “e-dition” of our magazine. It is a quick reminder that the magazine has just been posted to the website and to come read the updated version. If you prefer the look and feel of the paper version, we will continue to print that one too. You will have to pay for it, and the cost is still $20 per year. We will mail it to your house. First class, from now on!
Thanks for the suggestion, and Happy Diving.
Rick
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