Open the book on library subs

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, June, 1998 by Michael Keating

Paid-circulating magazines are boosting sales by targeting the country's 10,000-plus non-public libraries. Here's how you can too.

Think you've tapped out every possible source for paid subscriptions? You probably haven't. One source you may not have considered is corporate, institutional and other non-public libraries. Titles that have marketed to these institutions have had good results, and if you haven't you might be missing an opportunity.

Non-public libraries are a good source of revenue for paid-circulation titles for two reasons. First, renewal rates tend to be very high, with little marketing required to get these sources to renew.

"Once librarians begin receiving a magazine, they'll generally renew it every year in order to keep a full collection, says Nick Cavnar, vice president of circulation for Overland Park, Kansas-based Intertec Publishing Corporation (parent company of Folio:). Additionally, notes Mark Williams, operations manager for publisher services at the EBSCO subscription agency in Birmingham, Alabama, subscription agencies have developed a very efficient renewal system for libraries that makes it simple for them to renew. Williams says this is why EBSCO sees renewal rates as high 90 percent for some of its library accounts.

The second factor that makes these accounts worth pursuing is that they buy their magazines mainly through sub agents, making it easy for a publisher to target them en masse. As Intertec's Cavnar says, "Because the librarians are purchasing so many subscriptions, it's much easier for them to deal with renewals through a single agent, and subscription agencies are one of our primary contacts with the library market." Williams also points out that agencies provide a single consolidated invoice that simplifies and speeds the renewal process. EBSCO, for example, takes the approved invoice, orders and processes the renewals, puts them on a common expiration cycle and pays each magazine publisher on behalf of the librarian for all subscriptions on their list.

One-stop shopping

Because of their relationships already in place, the agents who work with non-public libraries in the country--like the Ford Motor Company's facility in Dearborn, Michigan, which has 650 magazine and journal titles, and Motorola's Global Information Center in Austin, Texas, which has 130--can offer something that approaches one-stop shopping. Besides EBSCO, other options include Faxon, Inc., in Oregon, Illinois, or Blackwell's Information Services, in Turnersville, New Jersey. Mark Rathe, circulation manager of the Houston, Texas-based Oil & Gas Journal, explains his marketing approach as follows: "We're currently using EBSCO's sample issue program to display our magazine at librarian's conferences. We're also buying a quarter-page ad in a Faxon publication, and listing ourselves in EBSCO's Librarians Handbook Catalog."

Another way for publishers and circulation managers to generate demand for their title among non-public libraries is by ensuring that it's listed in print and online directories, such as H.W. Wilson's Applied Science & Technology Index and Information Access Company's Trade & Industry Database. "A title that's abstracted and indexed widely so that librarians can easily get to its contents will enjoy greater visibility than one that's not indexed," says Mary Fugle, director of publisher services at Blackwell's Information Services.

Keep in mind that these library outlets may not work for all titles. I would think general business magazines, newsweeklies and financial publications probably would tend to be stronger than, say, a general-interest title like People," says Jeff Fisher, manager of subscriber acquisitions for Business Week, which goes through subscription agencies that deal with these libraries. "Business, news and financial titles, like the Economist, would probably have the strongest niche."

Eileen Zelenka, Cleveland, Ohio-based Penton Media's manager in paid circulation, says that it's perfect for certain trades, adding that most of Penton's paid subscriptions originate there. "We're also doing a mailing to corporate librarians on behalf of Industry Week, and investigating soliciting librarians via e-mail," she says.

E-mail and other new-media approaches could be the best way to reach librarians, who are typically more tech-savvy than the general population. One company doing this is Elsevier Science of New York City, which publishes 1,100 scientific, technical and medical journals. "Recently, we've been shifting a good amount of our energy from print, direct mail promotion into Web- and e-mail-based electronic promotion, "explains John Tagler, director of corporate communications. One example of this approach is ContentsDirect, which delivers the table of contents of Elsevier Science's journals via e-mail to librarians' desktops.

Circulators interested in non-public libraries should contact Todd Rothman at MGI Lists, 703-706-0362. MGI is the official broker of the Special Libraries Association's mailing lists. For information on the SLA (www.sla.org) and its 56 regional chapters representing 25 subject areas, call 202-234-4700.