Small changes, big benefits

Over the next few months, you may notice some changes taking place on the front page of the People’s Weekly World. They might not seem like much, but they’re helping us improve our circulation.

Last week, we changed the format of the date. Instead of this being the Sept. 27 edition, it’s the Sept. 27-Oct. 3 edition. Many of our distributors had requested this change, and we agreed. By putting the entire week’s dates on every issue of the paper, the “shelf life” of each copy is extended. You don’t need to explain on Tuesday why you’re selling or handing out a paper from three days ago.

We’ll also be adding a bar code to our front page. This will make it possible for the PWW/Mundo to be distributed at stores across the country. For better or worse, the world is run on UPC symbols and codes, and many bookstores and newsstands aren’t able to carry the PWW/Mundo without one.

The PWW/Mundo is also being indexed. Many libraries rely on indices for choosing which publications to carry. An index provides librarians and researchers with a quick reference to the articles printed in a publication. Instead of paging through all 51 of last year’s copies of the PWW to find one article about the longshore negotiations, for example, an index gives you the exact issue number that article appears in.

These changes, along with much other “behind-the-scenes” work, will increase our circulation.

But increasing circulation takes more than just a bar code, and a bar code takes more than ink on paper. It all takes money, especially contributions from our dedicated readers and supporters.

We have to pay for our UPC number and the symbol we’ll be printing. We have to pay for sample copies sent to distributors. Of course, all of these costs are small when compared to the benefit we’ll reap from them.

Your Fund Drive contribution will help us make these changes that are necessary for getting the PWW/Mundo into the hands of more people across the country. You love the PWW/Mundo, and your donation will help others see what they’ve been missing.

The author can be reached at jbarnett@pww.org