Friendly fare: LRC uses referrals to build circ

The LRC (Literary Review of Canada)is using an intriguing audience-building device; it's sending gift subscriptions to a list of 55 people across Canada with the obvious hope that they'll influence others and spread the word about the magazine. (I'm one of those who is receiving an unbidden sub.)

The people receiving the gift subs are nominated by existing subscribers; and the customized letter telling them about their good fortune identifies who nominated them. These new subs count as paid circulation because contributor, supporter (and, not insignificantly) Torstar chair John Honderich is paying for them.

Co-publisher Helen Walsh says:

[John Honderich] believes, like we do, that fostering an informed, national debate is a good thing for Canada and that an expanded readership is a good thing for the LRC. And he's willing to support that belief in very concrete terms.