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Christmas Bird Count publication




As a "wannabe" compiler for a new CBC and a multi-year subscriber to the
CBC issue of American Birds, I have been following the comments with
interest.  I think I have a slightly different perspective on this question.

I edited the college literary magazine about 112 years ago.  In my case
that meant I was responsible for the production of the magazine in its
entirety - everything from the selection of poems, prose, and artwork for
the magazine to the physical printing of the magazine, including layout and
even font selection.  I thought I remembered one of the gentlemen at the
print shop telling me one time that the number of pages contained in any
given publication was almost immaterial in calculating the cost of the job.
 Most of the charge for a print job is simply "set up".  It will cost you X
amount of dollars to print anything - from 10 copies of an eight page
booklet to 10,000 copies of a 500 page epic.  I have discussed the CBC book
situation with a friend who makes a living as a freelance graphics artist.
She tells me that is still true, and, since she had recently seen a copy of
the CBC issue, she estimated that printing costs ranged somewhere between
$2.50 and $4.00 a book to produce this year's book.  They are already using
the cheapest grade of paper and the lightest possible stock of paper for
the cover.  Other than the cover there is no color, which holds costs down.
 Printing fewer pages will not significantly lower printing costs to
Audubon unless they have a really non-standard contract with their printer.  

They can't save a whole lot on data entry as the data for compilers using
paper forms must still be entered in the database for use at the Birdsource
website.  Besides, the compilers are doing half of the data entry through
online internet submissions, anyway, aren't they?  I can think of no
database they might use that could not have the information extracted for
use in an automated print formatting program (the so-called "desktop
publishing") for a printed version of the CBC results. Having looked in
detail at certain states in the latest edition of the CBC book, I can tell
you they didn't waste a whole lot of time or money on proofreading for
really obvious stuff - names that weren't capitalized, a glitch somewhere
in the print program that caused "vireo" to be spelled "vire   o"
consistently.  So data entry is most of the "production costs" for Audubon.
 These costs cannot be shaved by publishing only summaries in print format.

It may save them postage to mail a lighter, thinner book.  This is the only
place I see where Audubon might save money by publishing a book with fewer
pages. 

In sum, I am mystified as to why we are being told that publishing a
"summary only" book will be cheaper for them.  It may be easier for them
but I just can't see where it would be significantly cheaper.  But I have a
distinct feeling that, despite our protests, a "summary only" CBC issue is
in our future.  



Donna S. Bailey		
Winnsboro, SC

e-mail: dsbailey@conterra.com

URL:  http://www.conterra.com/dsbailey
	Where are the Birds?  Migration across South Carolina