From: poehland%phvax.dnet@smithkline.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: FEBRUARY AC: ON THE WAY!!
Date: 22 Jan 1993 11:34:36 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu

From:	PHVAX::POEHLAND     22-JAN-1993 12:35:38.40
To:	INET::"comp-sys-atari-8bit@cs.utexeas.edu"
CC:	POEHLAND
Subj:	FEBRUARY AC: ON THE WAY!!

Well last nite I spent 2 hours on the phone with our publisher, correcting the
final proofs of the Feb. AC.  It will go the printer probably Monday Jan. 25.
Assuming the printer isn't backed up, printing will take a week.  Which means
the Feb. issue will get mailed out during the first week of February.

Actual delivery to mailboxes will probably commence Feb. 20 & likelt continue
in smeared-out fashion thru March 15.

I was about 2 weeks late completing final assembly & editing.  I had hoped we'd
be mailing it out around Jan. 18, but that was not to be.  A series of crises
totally derailed me, beginning right around our copy deadline on Dec. 5.  Under
the circumstances, I did extremely well to only be 2 weeks late.

The highligts of events are as follows.  Due to the slow November delivery of
the December issue, incoming subscriptions peaked during the first 2 weeks of
December.  New requests for the Premier Issue also rose steeply.  I was unable
to deal with all that PLUS commence work on the FEb. issue AND our Softare Disk.
I ended up spending all my time processing incoming subscriptions & outgoing
requests.  I finally ended the logistical nightmare by halting free distribution
of the Dec. issue on Dec. 15, although a final batch of freebies was mailed out
Dec. 28.  During that same period, a personal crisis developed with our Adver-
tising Editor.  I devoted enormous resources in an attempt to salvage the 
situation, but in the end it was for naught.  Our Ad Editor resigned just before
Christmas.  (I've since interviewd 2 people for the job with no luck.)  He hung
in there long enough to secure some ads for the Feb. issue, but with the
position unfilled prospects for ads in future issues are now uncertain.  Coord-
inating the Softare Disk with the Magazine turned out to be extremely tedious
(one of those things where you have to do something before you can do it).  The
disk problem was aggravated by the fact that our Disk Editor was buried under 9
feet of snow, with power outages & the roof of his house buckling under the
weight.  Despite these difficulties all editing of the disk is complete & the 
disk is now in duplication.  It will probably be mailed out around the same time
as the magazine.  Since the disk goes First Class it will probably hit mailboxes
during the period of Feb. 13-27.  (The disk is mailed seaparately.)

I made up the lost time by taking extra vacation days during Christmas-New Year.
With the exception of Christmas Day, I spent my entire vacation assembling/
editing the Feb. issue.  Editing was finished Jan. 11, typesetting completed
Jan 18, & proof correction will be finished today (Jan. 22).

There have been many inquiries about subscriptions.  We distributed approx-
imately 1700 free copies of the Premier Issue during the period of Oct. 10-
Dec. 28.  As of this date, paid subscriptions total somewhere around 350-400.
Of the original 615 people who returned cards during Jeff McWilliams' 1992 Mail
Campaign, fewer than 200 have honored their pledge.  I won't comment on that.

However, AC needs 500 subscribers to maintain a full production schedule.  There
are 3 results of the 8-bit community's faiulure to reach that goal, as follows:
1.) AC won't maintain a full bimonthly schedule in 1993.  I'm guessing we'll do
    5 issues, with the slowdown coming during the summer months when things are
    slow anyway.
2.) We won't be able to afford a 2nd Class mailing permit.  That means AC will
    continue to go out 3rd Class Bulk, which is the Slowest of the Slow.  Non-
    North American subscribers who opted for Airmail service will receive their
    issues before we in the USA/Canada will (!).
3.) We will be stuck at 32 pages.  I had hoped to increase page count to 40,
    but not without the Magic 500.  Not even Alchemists can squeeze blood from
    a stone.

Having delivered all these sobering facts, let me ay there IS a bright side.
Those of you in the ranks of the Faithful & Patient will be richly rewarded.
If you liked the December issue, the Feb. issue is EVEN BETTER.  Despite the
32-page limit, we squeezed in MORE ARTICLES by reducing the font size.  Plus,
there's the Software Disk, to which Steve Hoffee has added his own brand of
sparkle.  All meat.  No fat.

On Feb. 1, the few remaining copies of the Premier Issue will become Back
Issues.  Back issues of AC & the disk will be available for $3 each, checks
payable directly to Ben Poehland.

Subscriptions may be ordered at any time.  $25/year for the magazine, $9/year
for the disk (non USA parties, please inquire for overseas rates).  Checks
payable to: Atari Classics, 179 Sproul Rd./Rt. 352, Frazer PA 19355 USA.

Some Really Neat Stuff can happen when our subscriber list reaches 500.

     - BEN POEHLAND
       Managing Editor
       ATARI CLASSICS Magazine

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