Re: "Angie's Special for Trail Blazer!!"

["LINDA SWARTZ" <rudeco@worldnet.att.net>]

Dear Angie & Susan:

 

How much I appreciated your posts and Susan, your letter.  Having spent 25 years of my life devoted to making things happen for other people,  I was and am very appreciative of your publication and knew of your struggles.

 

I have won Press Club awards, nominated folks for them, and been a judge and TB is one of the finest (paddock boot string) publications I have ever been graced to subscribe to.  Uproar from the ranks if I confessed that I think your subscription price is not too pricey...not for the quality and info.

 

Sorrowfully, the USPS has some terminals that just don't care about publications and they come close to being dead lettered  ("Dear God"movie

material).  I have not received my July/August issue, but then I wasn't too stressed because many of my issues have been delayed due to the postal service. 

 

One of the more funny things I read today came from a joke mag called

"Funny Times" ...." did you know that, as their official tie-in to Warner Bros. cartoons, the U.S. Postal serves sells a cap with Bugs on it captioned

USPS-Looney Toons!!!

 

;>)          This too shall pass....Linda in Hicksville Florida (DeLeon

              claim to fame - - - ferns!

-----Original Message-----
From: Angela C. McGhee <rides2far@juno.com>
To: ridecamp@endurance.net <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Date: Tuesday, August 18, 1998 6:42 PM
Subject: "Angie's Special for Trail Blazer!!"

Dear Everybody,

(That includes everyone who has posted me individually about this...I'm
supposed to be stripping wallpaper from our bathroom right now...first
time Bill's asked me to strip anything in a long time...and somebody
un-subscribed me to Ridecamp today (cruel joke...total panic...suspect
husband who rented steamer!)...So, here's one post to answer EVERYTHING
(I hope).

Oh boy!  This is fun.  I sent a note to Susan last night and we had a
fairly in depth discussion about Trail Blazer.  I have the "official
address" for those with subscription problems...and a special offer named
after ME  :-) for New Subscribers interested in subscribing on the "Buy
one year, get one free" offer.  Note there the "buy one get one offer" is
for NEW subscribers only. (sorry, but you've got to admit, this is darned
near "cost" and not a surviving publication rate)

I really am one of Trail Blazer's number one fans...and I've already read
MY stories, so that's not the reason.  I hate to hear that people have
quit subscribing because of distribution problems, so I asked was there
anything I could do to help...and if the "Buy One Year Get One Free"
offer was still available.

I'll give you the best news first.  Susan said the "Buy One Get One"
offer was over...BUT, if you will mention "Angie" when you ask for it, it
will be honored.  That's an offer available only on Ridecamp...of course
you're welcome to let any friends who aren't on Ridecamp right now in on
it...I won't tell.  I think this is a GREAT deal, and I'd love to see
some of you get to check out Trail Blazer at such a low price.

I guess I look at Susan Gibson sort of like I look at Ride Managers.  I'm
just thankful they're willing to do the job...and if there's a problem, I
won't to help them fix it, not criticize them until they decide to give
it up...so that I don't have a ride...or a magazine to enjoy.

For those of you with subscription problems, Susan has hired a
professional in the field to take care of distribution.  Please call
Janna Deardorf at 615-799-9396 between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm M-F if
you have a problem. Turns out she's in Brentwood, Tn. so, if she doesn't
fix it, it's just an hour and a half drive for me to go up there and
"threaten violence" :-) (By the way, Brentwood is a suburb of Nashville
where all the country stars live...ask her if she's seen your favorite
lately.)

To subscribe by mail, the address is:

Trail Blazer Subscriptions
PO Box 2489
Brentwood, TN 37024

By e-mail,it needs to go to Susan for now:
tbmagazine@bendcable.com This requires a credit card.

I'll keep up with these addresses for you, so if anyone has a problem
later, feel free to e-mail me to get them.

Now, below is the letter Susan sent me last night.  Since I feel that one
of the biggest problems is communication, I asked her if I could post her
letter to me back to Ridecamp.  She thought it over and said, O.K. 



Hi Angie -

The entire TB Sub List is mailed their magazine on the same day and the
printer/mailing house informed me that they took the magazines (with the
subscriber address labels attached) to the post office the middle of
July. For some reason, there are an unusual number of people who are
saying that they didn't get their issue yet - and I have been in contact
with the printer just this morning to try to sort out the problem. 

Every person who has called or e mailed or written me in recent days to
tell me they haven't gotten their July issue has had their concern dealt
with immediately - usually the same day - by myself personally - by
putting a copy of the issue in the mail first class. I know that my short
coming is that I don't always return the phone calls but simply "solve
the problem" and I know that our new subscription office in Tennessee -
handled by Janna Deardorf - will help improve the personal contact with
the subscribers.  I'm
not good at phone contact, never have been, and so I am trying to solve
that problem by bringing on someone who is available and helpful to solve
their problems with personal attention. 

I have absolutely no clue as to why so many people haven't gotten their
July issues - checking my mailing list, their names are there, their
subscriptions (and renewal extensions) are posted and correct ... I'm
frustrated beyond words that this problem has occurred this month.  I
spoke at great length to the printer just this morning and sent him a
list of names of people missing this issue ... and he is checking it
against his list and bringing it to the attention of the post office ...
and right now I don't have an answer as to why this happened.

Regardless of where the fault will rest - I absolutely intended (always
do) for every person who sends their money to receive their magazine.  I
pay a big printing bill so that they can get their issue - and I pay a
huge bill at the post office so they can get their issue - my whole
purpose in printing this magazine is to ultimately reach their homes and
be their enjoyment.  So I don't ignore or take lightly when these type of
problems happen -

By all rights, TB should still be in the "little folded newspaper" format
with this small readership.  This Trail Blazer Magazine (with a
readership of only 18,000) rivals most of the largest equestrian
magazines in the industry (with readerships of 50,000-150,000 readers)
in quality of visual and editorial content.  But instead of a staff of
10-20 people ... there is, well there is me.  The hard reality is that
the endurance market - with a TOTAL membership of MAYBE 8,000 riders - is
unable to support a glossy magazine like the TB, that is just a very,
very small readership for any
magazine.  So that has been my challenge - and frustration - over the
years. To keep the quality of this magazine HIGH without the necessary
numbers of endurance riders available to support it. 

Now, this isn't an excuse for being late at times, and I don't present
myself as the greatest business person in this world, because if I was I
would have given up TB ten years ago (LOL) -  but I stubbornly stuck with
this magazine and have never pulled back one notch on the quality of the
magazine that I have tried to produce for the readers.

I am really excited that i have finally been able to hire a person to
take over these subscriptions issues and I know that will make a big
difference.  I put my energies and time in the areas where I was best ...
editorially and graphically ... and I lacked in the "subscription
fulfillment" and "public relations" department and I know that I have let
people down there - but I just wanted to help you to understand that it
isn't a lack of interest in being at the top of my game for all of the
departments of this magazine ... it just
distills down to time and money. 


SO - I do appreciate your willingness to tell people that if they come to
you, you will "get my ear" and solve their problem, but in reality, every
person deserves to have their problem solved and shouldn't have to "know
somebody" to achieve that.  I would rather want to say that anyone who
has a problem of any nature - to call Janna Deardorf at 615-799-9396
between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm M-F, and if Janna doesn't answer the
phone, she will
call them back within 24 hours to give them personal attention to solve
their problems.

I do care, I care very deeply - I wouldn't have  devoted the last 20
years of my life to a magazine that takes an unreasonable
amount of my time with minimal financial returns, if I didn't care. So I
do need you to help me show these people that I do care and they are
important and that my greatest accomplishment is when they have the Trail
Blazer in their hands and it enriches their lives.  That what the past 20
years of my life has been all about.


My dream and prayer is that the Trail Blazer will grow to the point where
I can actually hire a staff to produce and distribute this magazine - but
until that happens, I will recommitment myself personally to improve all
aspects of the Trail Blazer, and I accept and appreciate your help in
that area more than I can express.

Your friend in Christ, 


Susan

Any questions?
Angie McGhee

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