Putting a Price on T.O.F.U.
Over the last seven plus years, T.O.F.U. has undergone a great number of changes. Those of you who have been around since the beginning have probably noticed the most, and hopefully you think they were for the best. However, even those who started reading the pages of the little vegan magazine that should a few issues ago have probably also noticed an evolution of sorts.
And now, I’m hoping to mark another step, both for the magazine and myself.
Time for a Change
Back in September, I quit my full-time job and made the decision to pursue projects that I was passionate about, ones that were in-line with my values and sparked something in me that led to work I was proud of. With this move, I decided to shift from T.O.F.U. basically being a hobby to having it be more of a full-time job, one that I was happy to do.
Since then, I’ve taken into account the feedback of close friends, contributors, advertisers, readers, and more. I’m lucky to have people in my life that understand their honesty is wanted, and I know both the magazine and myself are, and will be, better for it.
First off, I know that the release schedule of the magazine has been a major issue. In fact, to even call it a schedule is a stretch, and even though I don’t regret putting the needs of contributors and my personal life ahead of the magazine, I do believe that things can be better. So, with my shift in attention to the magazine, working towards a regular release schedule will be a key focus. T.O.F.U. was meant to be a magazine that published 3-4 issues a year, and I’d like to aim for that (at least).
Along with this, I’d like to see T.O.F.U. be capable of paying its contributors and myself. Plus, it would be great to increase the size of the T.O.F.U. Grant and also the magazine’s involvement in veg festivals and events, but I’m getting ahead of myself with that. Needless to say, I have big plans, and I always have. It’s just that I’m now ready to see how many of them can become a reality, and I’d love to have your support.
Just a Suggestion
In regard to this, as much as people dislike talking about it, the topic of money is hard to ignore. More importantly, the main concern for the magazine and myself is how to maintain the pay-what-you-want system that I implemented with issue #4 while ensuring that the magazine is able to grow.
So, I crunched some numbers related to sales over the past four issues to see what I’ve been working with.
As it stands right now, the average price people have been paying for an issue is $1 CDN, which doesn’t include the $0.30 + 3-5% fee that Paypal takes from each sale. Excluding those who chose to download an issue for free (the majority), the range in price goes from $0.05 to $50.00 for an issue.
Since I still believe in open access, regardless of income, I’m not going to drop the current model to force you to pay a set price per issue. However, through studying similar models in the music industry and such websites as the Humble Bundle, I suspect that providing a suggested price will be a helpful tool for everyone involved. So, I’ve done just that for each issue in the online store.
Basically, if you love T.O.F.U. and you think everyone involved is doing something that needs to be done, then please pay the suggested price for the issue(s) you want. If you wish, and it doesn’t hurt you financially, then feel free to pay more. Finally, if you’re not sure or you simply can’t afford it for any reason, then please take the issue for free or view it online.
From here on, I’ll be working on publishing a vegan magazine that continues to focus on things you can’t find elsewhere, and I hope through your feedback, both financially and verbally, T.O.F.U. will continue to take great steps forward.
Sincerely,
Ryan
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