Folio: the Magazine for Magazine Management

Business audits: Don't neglect fine points New York City--Business circulators, test yourselves: Must reader request cards contain a signature in order to be counted on a magazine audit statement? No, says former auditor Barry Green, now director...

Cracking 'the big story' It's not every day that a business magazine gets a crack at real trenchcoat journalism: lifting the lid on a financial cover-up or piercing together an expose. But even a cut-and-dried financial report can be turned into...

Dial 'M' for mistake * At first blush, M magazine's new business subscription direct mail piece, which mailed (among other times) during the first week of January 1988, seem like a pretty good-looking package. Fairchild Publications' answer to...

Editorial backup: How much should you save? What should you save once a story is written? The notes and every edited version of a story? Or only the final draft? Your decision might affect the outcome of a libel case. Unfortunately, there is...

Elle looks to the East New York City--Patricia Wang, Elle/World Fashion's new editor in Shanghai, has a mission: to teach Chinese women what to wear, when and with what. The typical young woman wears all her jewelry, cosmetics and best clothes at...

How to analyze Printing bids Print buyers would be wise to note that they purchase a process as much as they do a product. Perhaps every industry has its purchasing nuances, but it's hard to imagine that four-inch carriage bolts are sold in anything...

Keys to developing contract sales There's something satisfying about selling an ad into a special issue of a magazine. You get the advertiser on the phone, pitch the issue and close the sale. The effect of your actions is clear, and when it is all...

Movie USA seeks 'untapped' movie market Movie USA, a monthly film magazine that began regular publication in July, offers fresh competition for the popular monthly Premiere. But, as a free magazine distributed through more than 400 theaters nationwide,...

Net names: Breaking the rules Like other direct marketers, magazine publishers are finding that owning and renting lists is a far different ball game in the eighties than it was 10 or 15 years ago. Computerization has allowed direct marketers to grow...

Secrets to selling ad supplements There was a time when advertising supplements succeeded almost in spite of themselves. Even when a specific idea for a supplement was less than spectacular, the concept of supplements was so novel the idea would...

The art of interviewing New York City--So how do you get Jimmy Carter to admit that he "lusted in his heart"? It's not just luck, a witty exchange or clever questioning that makes a good interview; it's a judicious blend of preparedness, timing and...

VAC: The overlooked auditor Marina Del Rey, Calif.--Verified Audit Circulation (VAC) audits only about 100 business and 15 consumer magazines (nearly all nonpaid), and many ad agencies aren't even aware it exists. Still, for publishers in not-so-competitive...

Where are the minorities in publishing? Look around your magazine's offices: Chances are, you'll find few minorities. Throughout the industry, only a handful of blacks, hispanics and Asians have found magazine publishing positions, particularly in...