'Scouting' for Production Solutions

On the eve of his induction into the Publishing Executive Hall of Fame, Bob Wiemers reflects on his career with Boy Scouts of America's magazine titles and what lies ahead in the area of production-related issues. Better, faster, cheaper -- that's the three-word legacy Bob Wiemers hopes he has created for himself since joining Boy Scouts of America's magazine division to work on Boys' Life, the group's general-interest monthly and Scouting, its bimonthly scout-focused title.After spending nearly two decades taking the publications' production in new and innovative directions, Wiemers, operations director of the magazine division, will be honored for his work. He will be welcomed into the Publishing Executive Hall of Fame later this month at Graph Expo 2008 in Chicago. Wiemers spoke this week to Publishing Executive Inbox about this legacy, the current challenges he faces and the opportunities he sees for the future of magazine publishing. Publishing Executive Inbox: What are the biggest changes you've seen since you first got involved in the industry?Bob Wiemers: Everything is easier. The computer made things fast. It changed the whole way you did the job. It changed production. The thing I'm sorry about is we lost the art of production. The work used to allow the production artist to contribute to the page. We're flight-checking and creating PDFs, and it's more of a cog-in-the-machine-thing now. It certainly takes a talent level, but it's more [about] pushing buttons. It used to be more of a craft. I don't think the Post Office feels for the publisher. We're getting hurt from every side. All our costs are going so much higher. We have to find another solution. Hopefully that [solution] is not going to the Web or converting files to downloadable PDF files. I like the idea of holding a piece of paper. ... Everything has shifted to the numbers. It's all about cost control. Computers save money, and now, it's always about saving money. ... Inbox: What are some of the current budgetary challenges you and your peers around the industry are facing?Wiemers: For 16 years at Boy Scouts, I've shaved the budget. I started with a $7 million budget. Today, I have a $4 million budget. I found things to cut. It made me look good. Last year, it didn't. I hit the bottom. I went over budget. That was bad, especially for a non-profit. I've got nothing to cut now. We're looking at all the standard things, but I'm struggling. I can't cut page count or trim size. I'm on a SCA paper instead of a No. 5. I read [trade] publications like Publishing Executive to see what others are doing. I look to them. You look to see who's doing what. You have to ask yourself, "Do I want to cut? I'm at a 38-pound body. Do I want to go to 30?" I'm pushing back. I'm telling the accountants, "Enough." I keep pushing. I'm done. That's a problem. Everything is going up. They told me to cut 5 percent, but I'm going up 15 percent elsewhere. I'm frustrated. I don't know what else to do. Inbox: What is the next thing that we'll be looking at a decade from now that will have completely changed magazine publishing?Wiemers: I think certainly in 10 years e-paper will be a big player in the print publishing side. It's not new media. Since we're all creating PDF for the press, it's pretty much the same thing. That will save paper and ink costs without changing workflow. Paper will always be there, but it will be a niche market. That's the big technology to save. ... Black and white will be here in the next five years for a useable reader. We're a four-color magazine. When will it be cost-effective for four color? I wish it was here today. It would solve all my problems. We'll have to find other ways. It's not going to be my savior, but when it comes around I see it as the future. I don't know how it will help me. We have a lot to do before it can save us, but it's going to be a game-changer. The cool thing is it doesn't alter the way production is done. You just send your file out. It's a pretty simple process. It's the cool thing I look forward to. Inbox: What tips do you have for others involved in production?Wiemers: Like I said, over the last 16 years, I think I've squeezed all I can out of the production costs. We brought prepress in-house and use a PDF-X1a workflow. We keep the subscription list clean. We co-mail when possible. Co-mail is where I would have everyone look. If your current printer doesn't have a co-mail option ... look for one that does. Co-mailing will grow the number of copies that get that extra bit of postage savings. And now that everyone's on SCA, maybe it's time to look at a lower weight No. 5. You don't save in paper costs, but at a 1,000,000 print run, you'll shave approximately $200,000 from postage. And, OK, it's not going to save money, but I've started asking my printers about their "green" initiatives. We are the Boy Scouts after all.Talk to people. I call my peers from time to time to see what they're using. Call people you know. Anyone can call me. We're a small industry. That's why it's good to go to shows and meet people. Production isn't hard. There's a finite number of things to understand. Inbox: What's on the horizon for you and the magazines?Wiemers: The good thing about Boy Scouts is we've become really good marketers. We're going to buck the trend with publishers having problems. It's a good growth time for us. Now, we're going to start pushing for us. We have [a presence at the] newsstand again. I see five years of growth for us. We started [newsstand sales] about six months ago. We also go out to pediatricians and barber shops. We're currently in Barnes & Noble and Borders stores. We're testing to see if there's a flow there. [A newsstand presence] makes you think differently. Your cover looks different. You have to look at how to build the cover, and we've actually done different covers for the newsstand. You've got to pull [the readers] in. The 1.3 million copies for subscribers—they've already bought it. With the newsstand, you really want to grab [readers]. We've beefed up the cover stock to give us a little extra weight, too. Inbox: What would you say are the accomplishments you're most proud of?Wiemers: I'm really proud that Boys' Life magazine will be around for 100 years in 2011, and I'll have been here for almost a quarter of that. To work for a brand like that has been great. I've looked at the issues before I got here and after. I feel good about the look of the book. It used to be [printed on] No. 3. Now, it's a SCA. There a lot more color and a lot more ink. I feel like I've helped. I've contributed my piece. ... We were one of the first publications to go to SCA and short cut-offs to save trim and paper. I'm always looking for those things, not to compromise the look of the book, but to save money. I never just rest. ... If you do that, you might as well end your career. ... There's always someone else doing it another way.

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'Scouting' for Production Solutions

Peter Beisser

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Peter Beisser