Stack of the Manchester Mirror ready to be split into delivery stacks and a subscription stack.

by Sara Swanson

the Manchester Mirror began offering a USPS subscription option in 2016. At that time, we decided to charge $50 for an annual subscription, $28 for a 6-month subscription, and $15 for a 3-month subscription, and we have not increased the cost in the last 8 years. Unfortunately, we are at the point where we need to increase the price. Starting October 1, 2024, a 1-year subscription will cost $60, a 6-month subscription will cost $34, and a 3-month subscription will cost $18.

Subscriptions have never been a way for us to make money. We want the mirror into as many hands as possible and try to do so in a way that is free for the reader, which is why the mirror is available free online with no paywall. Free copies can be picked up across Manchester and from our newsstand. However, we knew that not everyone would be able to access the newspaper this way, so we decided to offer the subscription option for residents who don’t have high-speed internet (or prefer to read a print edition), can’t get into the city and don’t have anyone who can pick them up a copy, and former residents who have moved out of the area and want to stay connected.

When we first started offering subscriptions by mail, the 2-ounce stamp we use cost $0.68. With an envelope and label, the material cost to mail a copy of the newspaper to a subscriber for a year was $40.80. Knowing that postage costs rise regularly, we set the annual subscription price at $50 to give ourselves a buffer. Years ago, when stamp costs rose, we stopped breaking even on materials, and now, at the current cost of $1.01 for a 2-ounce stamp, we lose $10 per year on an annual subscription.

Out of necessity, we are increasing the cost of the annual subscription to the current “break-even” rate of $60/year starting in October. If you have been thinking about subscribing for yourself or on behalf of someone else, you still have one month to do so at the old rate! Send a check to the Manchester MirrorPO Box 696, Manchester, MI 48158 stating that you wish to subscribe and the address to which the subscription should be sent. If you wish to pay by credit card, please email us at [email protected] and we will email you an invoice that you can pay online. All current subscribers whose subscription expires before December have received renewal notices and can resubscribe at the old price at any time before their subscription expires.

by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.