CompuServe Messages

After 22+ years in magazine (and books) publishing, yes I have seen plenty of requests for proof of posting. Auditors (ABC, BPA) also demand these, together with copies of printer's invoices. "Rate Card" circulation numbers are in my view of pretty dubious value at the best of times; they are too easily "cooked" by publishers looking for bigger cpm numbers. I don't think I would ever do an insert mailing (catalog insert or one like you did) without insisting on _at least_ a verification via a copy of the post office receipts/invoices … those can still be rigged by a publisher (if the incentive is high enough, he could for instance mail his office copies back to himself to boost the numbers), but they are a _lot_ more certain than whatever numbers the sales director dreamed up for the rate card. I'm not trying to claim all publishers are crooks — the great majority are honest — but there are far too many people in this business who don't want to be accountable for their sales claims. If I were on the media buying side of the equation, I would always look for ways to directly measure response, whether to an advertisement or an insert (assuming it called for response) … it would be interesting to nagotiate a "pay per response" rate, versus a rate based on the publisher's claims or qualified readers … Showing my age … I enjoyed your Soul of CP/M and the CP/M Primer … ! Regds. Ric Day There is 1 Reply.