Distribution

GETTING THE MAGAZINES
TO THE SUBSCRIBERS

The Christ Church magazine ceased publication as the Link began, and many of the former Christ Church distributors joined the new delivery team, including their former boss, Jean Ashby, who became Circulation Manager of the Link.

Additional distributors had to he found, particularly for ‘Top’ Nutfield. Again, village organisations were asked to provide a distributor. Many of them did so, which demonstrated their goodwill towards the magazine, and bound them in more closely to it.

Initially there were about 30 distributors, averaging 15-20 copies each.

Betty Amos took over as Circulation Manager in October 1976.

The circulation of the Link was growing rapidly, and it was decided to appoint four intermediate distributors, or ‘wholesalers’, to assist in getting the parcels quickly to the street- level distributors. The four were Betty Amos herself, Peggy Chandler, Margaret Finch and Jack Parks.

The Circulation Manager’s principal task is to keep the team of distributors in good shape. This includes organising cover for holidays and sickness, and finding a new recruit whenever one of the existing team moves away or wishes to relinquish his or her round.

There are additional tasks; e.g. organising cash sales at the shops and pubs, servicing postal subscriptions (some of them abroad), and supplying back numbers. In 2007, Betty Amos has held the post of Circulation Manager for over 30 years.

Apart from delivering the magazine, the distributors have one other vital task, which is to collect the subscription money. Each subscriber receives an envelope with the January copy, in which to put their cash. The distributors seem to have their individual methods of gathering in the envelopes. In general the cash comes in quite quickly, and provides advance cash flow. When new residents arrive in the village, the distributors give them a copy of the Link, and encourage them to become subscribers.

As circulation has increased over the years, the team has increased to five ‘wholesalers’ and 39 distributors.

A few of the team who delivered the first issue in January 1974 are still doing so today, and several have notched up ten or twenty years service.

The Electoral Register for Nutfield lists just over 1,100 addresses. 900 copies of the Link are sold each month, giving a penetration of 80%. Very few copies are sold in the southern extremity of the parish - Qutwood, Green Lane, Woolborough Lane and Hathersham Lane, - because the residents there do not really consider themselves as Nutfield people. In the more central parts of the parish, the Link goes into 90% of homes.

Distribution

GETTING THE MAGAZINES
TO THE SUBSCRIBERS

The Christ Church magazine ceased publication as the Link began, and many of the former Christ Church distributors joined the new delivery team, including their former boss, Jean Ashby, who became Circulation Manager of the Link.

Additional distributors had to he found, particularly for ‘Top’ Nutfield. Again, village organisations were asked to provide a distributor. Many of them did so, which demonstrated their goodwill towards the magazine, and bound them in more closely to it.

Initially there were about 30 distributors, averaging 15-20 copies each.

Betty Amos took over as Circulation Manager in October 1976.

The circulation of the Link was growing rapidly, and it was decided to appoint four intermediate distributors, or ‘wholesalers’, to assist in getting the parcels quickly to the street- level distributors. The four were Betty Amos herself, Peggy Chandler, Margaret Finch and Jack Parks.

The Circulation Manager’s principal task is to keep the team of distributors in good shape. This includes organising cover for holidays and sickness, and finding a new recruit whenever one of the existing team moves away or wishes to relinquish his or her round.

There are additional tasks; e.g. organising cash sales at the shops and pubs, servicing postal subscriptions (some of them abroad), and supplying back numbers. In 2007, Betty Amos has held the post of Circulation Manager for over 30 years.

Apart from delivering the magazine, the distributors have one other vital task, which is to collect the subscription money. Each subscriber receives an envelope with the January copy, in which to put their cash. The distributors seem to have their individual methods of gathering in the envelopes. In general the cash comes in quite quickly, and provides advance cash flow. When new residents arrive in the village, the distributors give them a copy of the Link, and encourage them to become subscribers.

As circulation has increased over the years, the team has increased to five ‘wholesalers’ and 39 distributors.

A few of the team who delivered the first issue in January 1974 are still doing so today, and several have notched up ten or twenty years service.

The Electoral Register for Nutfield lists just over 1,100 addresses. 900 copies of the Link are sold each month, giving a penetration of 80%. Very few copies are sold in the southern extremity of the parish - Qutwood, Green Lane, Woolborough Lane and Hathersham Lane, - because the residents there do not really consider themselves as Nutfield people. In the more central parts of the parish, the Link goes into 90% of homes.