US Postal Increases - Impact will soon be felt

It is just days before a significant change in the rates and methods for determining periodical postage take effect.  The changes affect not only the rates of mailing, but also alter costs depending on the process of mail preparation - moving to more of a shape based pricing model.  Average rate increases for US domestic mailing are estimated at between 11.7% and 30%, but increases for foreign mailings are much more substantial.  An April article in Folio covered the pending increase.  There have been lobby efforts by smaller publishers who are hardest hit by the increase.  In a L.A. Times May 30 article posted by Bosacks, the impending impact of these changes are examined.

As one publisher put it “The postal increase will definitely drive publishers to more proactively explore digital editions. That Gen Y is already digital just provides us with the impetus to get there sooner.”