With apologies for the unusually frequent emails lately, I need to add this one more, and then I’ll knock it off for awhile. Advertisers want to know how many people will likely see their ads. I can tell them how many subscribers Hoots & Howling Madness has, but I do not know how many readers it has. So, if you would, please answer the following question to let me know if you share your subscription with others in your household.

In the newspaper industry it is widely assumed that on average 2.5 people read every copy of a newspaper sold. This assumption is allegedly based on a study once performed. I have never found that study, found a citation to it, or found anyone who ever actually saw it. It is, however, the basis on which a newspaper with a paid circulation of 300 will claim to have a readership of 750.