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BRM DECEMBER 2015 + FREE DVD


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Hi

 

One minor glitch I noticed earlier today, apologies if raised before. On the online version, the page numbers don't tally to the hard copy. Eg an article on p32 is p34 of the online version. Difference occurs due to treatment of cover. It's only irritating if you want to flick to a page to check a cross reference or turn to a specific article from the index

 

David

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Hi

 

One minor glitch I noticed earlier today, apologies if raised before. On the online version, the page numbers don't tally to the hard copy. Eg an article on p32 is p34 of the online version. Difference occurs due to treatment of cover. It's only irritating if you want to flick to a page to check a cross reference or turn to a specific article from the index

 

David

 

David, yes, it's been like this for over a year, since we've had our 'BRM TV' DVDs. It stems from the extra two pages for the video and free content that I insert after the contents page. I think it's the logical place to put them, but this is the downside. The contents page still links to the correct page numbers though.

Best,

  Howard

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I was thinking the same, surely sub copies are supposed to be hitting door mats before they appear on newsagents shelves yet my door mat is unadorned.

Subs copies should, and 99% of the time do, arrive before the magazine publication date (which is today). We haven't been informed of any distribution problems but if you still haven't had your magazine by the end of the week, please telephone our subscriptions line (01778 392002) and they'll arrange for a replacement to be sent asap. If late delivery is a regular problem, it tends to be something to do with the local Royal Mail arrangements, or a specific problem with factors such as the address label details, postcode etc. In such cases, it's worth a call to the subscription department to check that all the details have been correctly noted and possibly to have a word with your regular postman. Experience tells us that in most cases, this is where delays happen.

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My subs copy arrived today, though it didn't hit the doormat - jammed in the letterbox with an apology of a Christmas catalogue. Most unlike our regular postie, though if he's got to deliver one of those to every household, he could be forgiven for being 'fed up' by now.

Milton Street MPD promises to be an impressive feature.

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Mine has arrived today - trouble is I'm on here going through RMweb so I haven't had time to open it yet.  BTW it really did land on the doormat and it was delivered by a real Postman (unlike 'that other magazine') and I know he was real because he also put a letter containing a cheque from the health insurance company through the letterbox  (just as well as I had to pay the deposit on next year's voyage yesterday).

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13 issues a year is not a new idea as Model Rail has been doing this for a few years now; it’s another ploy of getting extra income. I wonder if the subscription rates will still be based on receiving 12 issues at a reduced rate and getting this 13th issue free.

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13 issues a year is not a new idea as Model Rail has been doing this for a few years now; it’s another ploy of getting extra income. I wonder if the subscription rates will still be based on receiving 12 issues at a reduced rate and getting this 13th issue free.

 

 

 

 

All subscribers will automatically receive all 13 issues.

 

Steve

 

 

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13 issues a year is not a new idea as Model Rail has been doing this for a few years now; it’s another ploy of getting extra income. I wonder if the subscription rates will still be based on receiving 12 issues at a reduced rate and getting this 13th issue free.

A four-weekly, 13 issue cycle is probably more common than 12 issues in magazine publishing these days, although it's taken longer to affect the world of model railway magazines than it did elsewhere. As Steve has said elsewhere, BRM subs rates will stay the same for existing accounts, but I expect there will be a small increase in the price charged to new subscribers at some point.

To counter the argument about this being a 'ploy to get extra income', the 13th issue will actually have more pages than the BRM Annual it replaces (which was also free to subscribers) and feature better, more varied articles, plus it'll have a free DVD that you didn't get with the annual and the 13th 'Spring' issue will have a free cover-mount gift too.

Being blunt, extra income from the 13th issue makes BRM more secure as a business, which keeps people in jobs, allows us to pay for high quality contributors to maintain the editorial standards of the magazine (in fact we plan to raise the standard significantly in 2016) and deliver a better product all round. And all that for £4.50 extra - unless you already subscribe, and then it's free.

 

Have a good evening.

 

Ben

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13 issues a year is not a new idea as Model Rail has been doing this for a few years now; it’s another ploy of getting extra income. I wonder if the subscription rates will still be based on receiving 12 issues at a reduced rate and getting this 13th issue free.

Having worked with 4 weekly accounting periods and 8 weekly timetable cycles for over 30 years on the big railway I would think that moving to 13 issues in a 52 week year has far greater benefits than that one.  The important thing which it does is put the whole production process onto a steady and totally consistent cycle (albeit with a little impact from Bank Holidays).  Thus, for example, Week 1 or Week 4 in the production stage for each issue is exactly the same - no need to worry about different dates and any of that nonsense because everything happens in a consistent cycle.

 

And it can be even better for a publishing house with several titles as the print runs can be spread over each 4 week cycle on a consistent basis.  All far, far, far better than working to our cock-eyed calendar where various months have different numbers of days - 52 weeks in a year breaks down into 13 cycles each exactly 4 weeks long and some businesses recognised and adopted the simplicity of the system many years ago.  And it has other advantages - I have been receiving my salary and later pension at 4 weekly intervals for the past 49 years, it means I know when each payday will be and I know that what I receive will be exactly the same (overtime etc apart - but that ended 40 years ago for me) every time - no odd amounts for shorter or longer months.

 

So while they do indeed get an extra issue to sell that is but a minor benefit compared to many others the change will bring.

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BRM were I think the first railway magazine to change to a regular Thursday publication date, and other magazines followed. I think French magazines are often 13 issues per year, but this is tied into the French annual holidays with special summer issues .

If it becomes the norm for magazines to be every 4 weeks, then it ill be interesting to see how it affects the newsagents. I don't think having all the magazines turning up on one day has been popular with some. Better to spread them around. I suspect it also has an effect on distribution , which might be one reason for delays for subscriptions this time. I am not sure if I am due a copy, as I can not check to see if my advert is still in.

Still don't like that plastic wrapping, what ever marketing departments say. If it was so popular, every magazine would be sold that way. Thing is marketing tends to only capture the info from those who actually buy the magazine, not necessarily all those who don't, but might be tempted if they could see what was actually in the magazine. One of best ways to promote the hobby is to make it easier to try out, and having a quick look in a magazine does help. It also tends to reduce negative comments from those who don't find it to their tastes. They will probably still grumble though.

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Ah now it starts to make some sense to have the 13 issues a year, as the 13th issue will replace the annual. I didn`t see any mention of this in this month’s BRM. So therefore in theory, we will not be paying for an extra issue, as I found that the annual was more or less similar to having an extra issue already.  Will the publication date be on the same day every 4 weeks?, of course the downside to this will be when the publication date coincides with the run up to Christmas and the heavy postal deliveries.

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copy received today. I heard the thud as it came through letter box, but had forgotten it might be BRM, and I was busy designing more stuff for 3D printing.

Anyway, I was actually impressed this month. The loco revue was only one page, and there was a separate article about the prototype. Would still be nice to have some scale drawings, maybe in a different scale. The minimum space layout designs looked interesting, but still, for what ever reason, quayside track which is not inset, just does not look right.

Now , had I not being having a copy coming through the post, I suspect I would not have bought a copy, for one reason only , not being able to have a quick look before buying. Given the comments about how some(or is what most) perceive the hobby from outside, then making it more accessible would go a long way to helping the hobby, or do most in the hobby want to hide away.

Let's compare railway and car enthusiasts. Should not be much difference, except the way others perceive those involved. Putting my thinking hat on, and I wonder if it is also tied into the way road transport is higher up the political agenda than trail transport, and has been for many years. Lots of reasons, and it is probably not all deliberate. Just set up a few ideas, get people hooked on cars with all the propaganda connected, and you have a possible theory. One project I am planning, is a future based model, as most of the models and layouts on show are fixed in the past, however nice that looks. Predicting the future can be risky, but at least it is a bit different, and possibly mirrors what other interest groups are doing.

On that subject of promotion, one way might be to take the path of seeking funding like artists do, and pushing the hobby in that direction. I am not sure if that would actually help the hobby, as I have noticed that model railway exhibitions are always better supported than the average art exhibition. I think there is a lot that the arts/craft world could learn from us, and we might gain a bit of help from the world of art and craft. Warners are also involved in craft magazines, and if I am right, actually organise craft shows and therefore are in a very good position to compare the two.

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A nice magazine however i still think the sound effects on the DVD need to be turned down drastically, some of them are just far too loud and simply ear piercing, also some still shots of the O gauge layout would have been better to get a sense of speed rather than trying to chase the trains.

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Subs copies should, and 99% of the time do, arrive before the magazine publication date (which is today). We haven't been informed of any distribution problems but if you still haven't had your magazine by the end of the week, please telephone our subscriptions line (01778 392002) and they'll arrange for a replacement to be sent asap. If late delivery is a regular problem, it tends to be something to do with the local Royal Mail arrangements, or a specific problem with factors such as the address label details, postcode etc. In such cases, it's worth a call to the subscription department to check that all the details have been correctly noted and possibly to have a word with your regular postman. Experience tells us that in most cases, this is where delays happen.

 

BRM arrives at the various mail centres either direct from your distributors, or via RM collecting them, I can assure you that any arriving on  say a Tuesday are despatched to delivery offices by the Wednesday for delivery on the Wednesday.  All Royal Mail mail centres and delivery offices operate a "clear floor" policy, which means that any mail coming in, has to be processed and delivered to households by 5pm the following day.

There are even cases where some magazines arrive early with a delivery date on the yorks, they are then delivered that day.

So the problems anyone encounters are more than likely your end than at Royal Mail.

 

You cannot blame RM for poorly addressed items, we as postmen do our best to find the right house on a daily basis, to ensure the mail gets to the right person on the day it's intended to, again the problem is more likely to be at your distributors, or the person who makes up the database, one letter wrong in the wrong part of the postcode can see it ending up in Stoke on Trent, instead of Salisbury !

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