I got an unconventional email pitch from an ad rep yesterday: a "shame on you". It was a form letter which, in some ways, makes it even more offensive. Taken alone, the email is galling. Here's an excerpt from the 600-word email (the boldface is my addition):
"I pay the (below industry standard) salaries to editors, art/design, reviewers, salespersons and web tech personnel out of advertising revenue. I pay the printer, for paper, for postage and shipping to chain bookstores out of advertising revenues. I pay our rent, office supply, computer, internet and utility bills out of advertising revenues. I pay for trade show participation at BEA, ALA and some regionals out of our advertising revenues. I pay for ten years worth of your reviews archived at our website out of advertising revenues. As you work hard at putting out beautiful books for the marketplace, we try just as hard putting out a beautiful magazine..."
"Quite frankly, ForeWord Magazine has never really been supported fully by the independent press community we most prominently feature in our review pages. As I look through issues over the last ten years, I feel frustrated by the continued coverage of so many presses with nary a dollar of ad support in our ten year history. You can quickly check to see the amount of coverage your press has received by doing a search at our website. In the past, I could overlook this unfairness because we had ample advertising from small presses who were so thrilled to have an affordable means to reach such a valuable audience. Those days seem to have gone. And as entrepreneurs, (perhaps like you are/once were) we don't have a corporate parent to make sure we stay flush."
"I am actively engaged in exploring other options for our efforts. As a business person, I'm sure you would agree that it does not make sense to support a community of great book publishers when they appear to have no interest in supporting us. However, the possibility remains that I am overlooking some significant reason that is preventing you from supporting us. If we can improve our offering and it would mean your help in keeping us in print, I hope you will feel free to share. You grow thick skin in this business."
I guess the takeaway messages here are:
1. ForeWord is a business that has expenses.
2. ForeWord is sick of you moochers.
3. ForeWord deserves your money.
4. ForeWord is really kind of pissed at you for not giving it your money.
5. ForeWord is probably going to stop supporting small publishers.
6. Hey, maybe you have a good reason for not giving us your money?
Like, say, the worst recession in decades? Or Borders's near bankruptcy and stock adjustments? Or perhaps the loss of three months of revenue from the AMS/PGW bankrupcty two years ago?
Considering that I have given a few thousand dollars to ForeWord over the past few years, I thought the tone of this email was inconsiderate. I prefer the approach of my old ad rep, Pete Chamliss, who often sent chummy reminders to support our books with advertising in one of the most affordable of the widely-read publishing magazines.
This ad rep's approach is a little more entitled. Maybe that's why I've barely advertised with ForeWord since Pete got canned?
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