ZEPHYR READERS...I NEED YOUR HELP
Next spring, when the print version of this publication ends and it goes exclusively ONLINE,
The Zephyr will lose its subscription revenues and depend entirely on advertising
AND a very key part of its future...THE BACKBONE.
I HAVE NO IDEA HOW WELL THIS WILL WORK...IT DEPENDS ON YOU. FIRST...because I am cutting out most of the costs associated with printing & distribution,
AD RATES will be much lower. Here are the proposed rates:
Shrunken ad: $40 1/8 page ad: $59 1/4 page ad: $89 1/3 page ad: $130
These rates are from 40% to 50% cheaper than the print ads.
AND REMEMBER...THESE ARE BI-MONTHLY RATES...ANYWHERE FROM $.75 TO $2 A DAY.
(Even a CHEAP cup of coffee is less than this.)
And by 2009 you should be able to pay by credit card.
IF YOU CAN’T ADVERTISE, THEN CONSIDER JOINING THE BACKBONE...
In the future, the BACKBONE will be critical to The Zephyr’s survival.
A BACKBONE MEMBERSHIP IS $100 A YEAR....$275 FOR 3 YEARS....
$1000 FOR A LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP
All memberships include your cartoon which will appear in each issue.
THE GOAL IS 100 BACKBONE MEMBERS BY NEXT YEAR.
I’m going to add some options: THE FUNNYBONE: $50,
with your name on the page but without a cartoon.
...and last but not least, you can give The Zephyr...THE FINGER: $25...no glory but our undying thanks. HERE’S THE OTHER WAY YOU CAN HELP...
SEND ME YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS & ANYONE ELSE’S WHO YOU THINK MIGHT WANT TO READ THE ONLINE ZEPHYR.
This won’t work if nobody reads the Z...I need as many email addresses as I can find. When each issue goes online, readers will be notified by email that it is available.
THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

cczephyr@gmail.com

If I can keep most of my advertisers and bring 100 readers to the Backbone,
this rag could turn a profit of about $25,000 a year...
THAT’S ALL I’M ASKING FOR.
So while The Zephyr is a for-profit business, it comes a lot closer to ‘non-profit’ status
than many of the organizations mentioned in this issue, where Director salaries even
pass $100,000. So please, consider an ad or The Backbone for 2009. Thanks...

Jim Stiles