Four genealogy magazine hot tips

I had a good conversation at Gene-O-Rama with Ed Zapletal, editor of Moorshead magazines: Family Chronicle - the longest established, History Magazine, Internet Genealogy, and the newest - Discovering Family History.

Tip 1. According to Ed about half their sales are at newsstands, half by subscription. Subscribers save. The cover price for Discovering Family History is $6.95, that's $41.60 for six issues during a year. A one year subscription is $28, $22.50 for the online special advertised in the February issue, and sometimes less if you subscribe at their stand at a conference.

Tip 2. We're advised not to judge a book by its cover, but it's certain you're more likely to pick up a magazine that has an eye-catching cover. Ed told me that when the cover features a "best websites" or "hot tips" article it's usually a sales winner. Think about that when you're choosing the title for your next presentation or article.

Tip 3. Moorshead magazines are always looking for article proposals. Information for prospective authors, which should be read carefully, is at http://discoveringfamilyhistory.com/anotes_dfh.htm

Tip 4. The company have recently moved to less expensive offices and renegotiated their printing contract. Has your society asked for a rebid on your magazine printing costs recently? With the recession your Society may be paying too much. Keeping costs under control should be just as important for a genealogy society, especially one where membership is declining, as for a company like Moorshead.