Guidelines for BCCA Publications

Revised JANUARY, 2008 and October, 2013

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Committee: The Publications Committee shall consist of the Editors of each BCCA Publication and other interested persons, including a chairperson appointed by the BCCA Board. The committee should work toward the continuing improvement of all BCCA publications, including technical and financial recommendations. Any special projects undertaken, whether directed by the Board or by members of the Publications Committee, will fall under the supervision of the committee, with findings to be reported to the Board by the Publications Committee chairperson.

Editors: The editors of the Beardie Bulletin and Newsletter shall at all times be subject to the final authority of the BCCA Board. The editors should be included by the Board in any decision making process which directly involved their workload or schedule. The Board will give due consideration to the technical expertise and specialized knowledge of the editors when making decisions in matters affecting club publications. It is recognized that the editors will need to exercise a fair amount of their own discretion throughout the publication process; however, the editors will strictly adhere to the editorial policies adopted by the BCCA Board. Editors of both the Beardie Bulletin and the BCCA Newsletter shall be bound by signed contracts between themselves and the club prior to taking on the role of editor. Contracts will be renewed on a yearly basis.

Editorial Policy:

1. A member may send a letter to the Newsletter or Beardie Bulletin.
2. Letters must be written in a civil, respectful and business-like manner.
3. Letters, articles or other communiqués containing personal attacks against persons or dogs are unacceptable. For the purposes of Editorial Policy, a personal attack is defined as any discourse that disparages the integrity, motives, personality or credibility of a specific individual and/or dog(s).
4. Letters and articles which excessively praise or compliment individuals or dogs are inappropriate and will be rejected.
5. BCCA publications are not a forum for disputes among individuals. Members are free to use the publications as a place to discuss issues facing the Bearded Collie, the BCCA and related subjects. Publications are not to be used as a forum for venting personal disagreements. No letters to specific individuals will be published in any BCCA publication without permission of the author.
6. Upon receipt of material for publication that does not comply with the above referenced guidelines, the editor shall contact the author and request that the material be rewritten in a manner which complies. Should the author refuse, the letter will be forwarded to the Publications Committee for review and approval or rejection of the material.
7. Should material be presented which may call for a timely response, the editor will contact the appropriate responding party and offer the opportunity to make such a response, within a time frame that will ensure timely publication. Should such a response not be received within a timely basis, the publication will go to the publisher without such a response.
8. Letters should be as concise as possible, preferably no longer than 250 words. Committee and officers reports should also be concise, preferably no longer than 500 words. The editor should use his/her discretion in publishing material in excess of these guidelines.
9. Errata: Should a member feel that an ad or article contains erroneous information, they will first contact the author. Should the author refuse or fail to address the perceived errors, the matter may then be brought to the attention of the editor. The “complaint” should be accompanied by documentation establishing that an error has been made. The editor may then at his/her discretion contact the author, publish the correction or both. The complainant bears the burden of documenting that an error exists.

Advertising:

1. BCCA publications will not accept political advertising. This shall include endorsement letters for candidates.
2. All advertisements accepted for publication in the Beardie Bulletin quoting a dog’s standing must quote a current National Ranking System and date, where that standing has already been published. Should the advertisement fail to list the National Ranking system, the ranking or statistic will be deleted from the advertisement or the advertisement may be refused.
3. Free advertising will not be offered in any club publication. This will not apply to specific advertising permitted under the Administrative policies nor to advertising outlined in these Guidelines.

BEARDIE BULLETIN

Purpose:

1. The Beardie Bulletin is intended primarily for the dissemination of information and to provide an open forum of communication among BCCA members. It includes letters, articles, breed statistics, club notices, affiliate club items, interviews with members/breeders/judges, advertisements and any other information regarding the breed and its proponents deemed to be of interest to the general membership. It is published once per quarter on a schedule established by the Board of Directors and maintained by the Editor.
2. The General Publications Guidelines will be considered a part of the Guidelines for the Beardie Bulletin and will be adhered to by the editor and the membership.
3. The Beardie Bulletin will accept feature columns prepared by members of local clubs. These features must comply with the General Publications Guidelines.
4. The BCCA Board of Directors may submit a column pertaining to Board activities.
5. Herding, Health, Obedience, and Therapy are entitled to 1 page per issue. Agility receives up to 8 pages per year, plus 2 pages for the AKC Agility Trial, which is in lieu of a Specialty critique.
6. Front Cover advertiser receives 1/2 copy plus additional photo in the editorial section; Back Cover advertiser receives 1/3 copy plus additional photo in the editorial section.
7. Clubs are entitled to receive up to 3 free pages for a critique and 1 free page for performance on a specialty. Additional Pages need to be purchased.
8. Clubs receive 1 b/w page with a photo to announce their specialty.
9. The National Specialty host club receives 1 free b/w page to announce that event.

Advertising:

1. Advertising space is for BCCA members in good standing.
2. The Editor is responsible for assigning ads to art directors. If an advertisier wants a specific art director to design their ad, the Bulletin will not be financially responsible for the ad production. The advertiser will need to contact the art director directly.
3. Commercial ad rates apply to those businesses that are clearly commercial in nature, advertising nationally produced and distributed products. Non-commercial rates would apply to members who are making and selling specific Beardie items.
4. Black and white ad prices for the Beardie Bulletin are to be as follows:
• Full page (includes up to 3 photos): $115 (Full page camera ready, no photo limit, supplied via CD or e-mail): $80
• Half Page (1 photo maximum): $60
• Front Cover (up to 3 photos, contact editor for additional color charge): $250
• Back Cover (up to 3 photos, contact editor for additional color charge): $150
• Inside Front or Back Cover (up to 3 photos, contact editor for additional color charge): $125
• Centerfold (up to 7 photos, contact editor for additional color charge): $250
• Color Page (up to 3 photos, by reservation only): $200
• Commercial Advertising Full Page (up to 3 photos, contact editor for additional color charge): $250
• Commercial Advertising Half Page (maximum 1 photos): $150
• Reversals: $20
• Bleeds: No additional charge
• Additional Black and White photo: $15 each
• Additional Color photo: $25 each
• Non-member rates are double the cost of regular ad rates.
5. Ad rates are subject to change upon recommendation of the Publications Committee and subsequent approval by the Board.
6. The BCCA will reserve the Beardie Bulletin front and back covers, inside and out, as well as the centerfold for BCCA members only.
7. All advertisements accepted for publication in the Beardie Bulletin quoting a dog’s standing must quote a current National Ranking System and date, where that standing has already been published. Should the advertisement fail to list the National Ranking System, the ranking or statistic will be deleted from the advertisement or the advertisement may be refused.
8. The editor is not responsible for retrieving and making postage payment for advertisements which arrive “postage due” and are held at the post office. It is the responsibility of the advertiser to be certain that their ad copy/photos reach the address of the editor. Neither is the editor responsible for returning photos unless a self-addressed envelope bearding sufficient postage is included with the ad when submitted.
9. The BCCA shall provide each year (in the Bulletin) a one-page ad with single photo for affiliate clubs to advertise their AKC licensed specialties or AKC licensed herding trials.

Cover Reservations:

1. The Editor of the Beardie Bulletin is authorized to sell the front cover and up to a half-page cover story on a Beardie if at least one owner is a BCCA member. Beginning in the year 2004, the waiting list for cover reservations cannot exceed 2 years.
2. All members requesting a cover reservation are required to fill out a Cover Reservation Form. These forms are available upon request from the current Bulletin Editor. Forms will be accepted in the order in which they are received. If the Editor feels that any application is not suitable, it will be rejected. Any appeal of a rejection will be made to the Publications Committee.
3. Preference will be given to those members who have never had a cover before, followed by members who have not had a cover position within five (5) years, followed by all other members in good standing. Beginning with the 1999 “Beardie Bulletin” cover for the Specialty issue and continuing each year as long as feasible, the BCCA will gift all costs associated for a standard black and white cover ad to the Specialty winner. Any additional costs for special processes, design, color, etc. will be the responsibility of the Specialty winner should they exercise their cover reservation option for the issue.
4. Cover Reservations are nontransferable and are not to be bartered or sold to another member. Only members in good standing of the BCCA will be allowed a cover reservation. Extenuating circumstances can be brought before the Publications Committee for review and a decision will be rendered on a case-by-case situation. Failure to adhere to the guidelines and policies of the reservation will result in a cover reservation being cancelled for that member.
5. The Bulletin editor may advertise for or solicit bids for cover reservations when there are no reservations on hand.
6. Bulletin advertisements, including covers are not to be accepted unless accompanied by full payment.

Advertising Deadlines:

1. Issue #1 – Awards (July): May 1
2. Issue #2 – Summer/Performance Events (October): August 1
3. Issue #3 – BCCA Specialty (January): November 1
4. Issue #4 – Brood Bitch/Stud Dog/Puppies & Veterans (mid-April): February 15

Space for each issue must be reserved by the above dates. Camera-ready ads may be submitted up to 14 days subsequent to the above dates.

Mailing Deadlines:

1. Issue #1 – Mails July 15th
2. Issue #2 – Mails October 15th
3. Issue #3 – Mails January 15th
4. Issue #4 – Mails April 15th

Miscellaneous:

1. Copy and advertising are to be established by the editor.
2. The Beardie Bulletin will be mailed out to all members third class, with the option of first class mailing for annual fee to be determined by the Board.
3. Lost Bulletins will be replaced at no charge if verification of address on mailing list is provided and the Bulletin was mailed to the address which has been provided to the BCCA.
4. A bulk mailing company shall be approved by the Board to assist with mailing the Bulletin.
5. The Membership Roster, the BCCA Code of Ethics and the Guidelines for the Care, Breeding, Selling and Exhibiting of Bearded Collies will accompany the Fall or Winter issue of the Beardie Bulletin.
6. Bulletin Costs/Payments: The BCCA Treasurer will handle all money associated with the Beardie Bulletin. Ad money will be sent to the Editor with the ad, and the Editor will then forward that money to the Treasurer. The printer and the editor shall bill the BCCA directly. Subscriptions for members, in the amount of $20.00 per year, will be sent directly to the Subscription Chairperson, who will then forward the money to the Treasurer. Subscriptions are available to BCCA members only.
7. Single issues of the Bulletin may be purchased at the rate of $12.00 + $3.00 shipping and handling for members; $15.00 + $3.00 shipping and handling for non-members.
8. The subscription rate and advertising costs shall be reviewed annually by the Publications Committee upon presentation of a report detailing the annual costs from the Treasurer. The Publications Committee will make recommendations to the Board of Directors for any proposed change in advertising rates.
9. The subscription notice will be sent to members as part of their dues notice and will adhere to the same timelines as required for dues. Persons joining the BCCA after January 21st each year will be given a special subscription rate of $15 for the remaining three issues; after April 1, $10; and after June 21st, $5. Subscriptions that have not been renewed by the end of the grace period (August 31) will be terminated beginning with the Fall issue, and those members will not receive that issue.

Editor:

1. The Board will have a signed contract with the Editor of the Beardie Bulletin.
2. Bids for the editorship will be solicited each May, or as deemed necessary by the BCCA Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall review the agreement between the BCCA Board and the Editor of the Bulletin as necessary.

Judges’ Complimentary Copies:

Complimentary copies of the Beardie Bulletin shall be sent to judges at the third class postage rate upon written request by an AKC judge.

BAGPIPES (BCCA Newsletter)

Purpose:

The purpose of the BCCA Newsletter is to keep the membership informed of matters pertaining to club business and make announcements which are of a timely nature.

Contents:

1. Information generally included in the Newsletter is a message from the President, minutes of the monthly Board meetings and accompanying Treasurer’s reports, names of persons applying for BCCA membership and their sponsors, address changes of members, and other pertinent items.
2. Additionally, preliminary and final ballots for judges and the yearly membership roster may also be mailed with the Newsletter.
3. The March Newsletter shall contain the candidates and the May Newsletter shall contain the resumes of candidates for contested positions.
4. The Newsletter editor and the membership will adhere to the General Publications Guidelines.
5. The Nominating Committee will issue a survey to all candidates for office and the results will be published in the Newsletter.
6. All information, including evaluation letters, periodically provided to the BCCA by the OFA with regard to those Beardies that have received OFA breed registry numbers shall be published in the Newsletter.
7. Reports received from CERF listing those Bearded Collies receiving CERF certification shall be published without alteration in the Newsletter.
8. Each quarter, the Newsletter will publish a list of committees, the chairperson and their phone numbers.
9. Occasional committee reports will be included in the Newsletter. Such reports should not exceed one page in length and will be printed at the discretion of the editor.
10. Ads are to be included in the Newsletter at a fee to be determined by the Publications Committee. These will not include ads for puppies, adult dogs or stud dogs.
11. Nonprofit organizations (501(c)3/501(c)4) dedicated to the welfare of the Bearded Collie are permitted to publish material about their activities and fund-raising efforts in the BCCA electronic publication free of charge. The amount of material that may be submitted at any one time will be subject to any reasonable limitations decided on by the publications committee.
12. In each January edition of the Bagpipes, a listing of all important dates regarding formal notices including, but not limited to Specialty Judges’ Nominations, Bulletin Editor Solicitations, Member of the Year Nominations, National Specialty Dates, and Nominating Committee Nominations, etc. will be published in order for the membership to be aware of the current year’s business that their input is required. This information is to be supplied by the recording secretary.

Mailing/Deadlines:

1. The BCCA Newsletter, Bagpipes, shall be sent electronically to all BCCA members with email accounts. Members without email accounts may request an abbreviated paper copy which will contain only pertinent club business including the Treasurer’s report, Notices from the Recording Secretary, Board Meeting Minutes and all ballots required by the BCCA Standing Rules. The club business only Bagpipes will be mailed first class as soon as possible after the complete electronic version has been distributed, but in no case after the expiration of the current issue month.
2. The Newsletter following the Annual meeting may be delayed to include the Annual Meeting Minutes.
3. All copy submitted for publication in Bagpipes shall be received by the 1st day of the month for publication in that month’s issue. Any material received after that date may be published in the following issue at the discretion of the editor.

Litter Listings:

1. Litter and adult listings are to be published in the Newsletter for a fee of $20.00 for each three-month period. Listing is to include the breeder’s name, address and phone number.
2. Listing must also include the OFA numbers (or preliminary grades), or Canadian Veterinary College Certificate numbers of the sire and dam of the listed litter.
3. The listing of the number, sex, color, and names of the sire and dam is optional. Listings for litters are restricted to two new listings per calendar year for each primary owner.
4. The Litter Listing will also include a disclaimer stating that the BCCA does not endorse, recommend, or warranty any breeders or dogs who are included in the BCCA Litter Listing.

ILLUSTRATED STANDARD

The BCCA will supply approved and provisional Bearded Collie judges with complimentary copies of the Illustrated Standard. Judges and prospective judges who attend BCCA seminars will receive a copy as part of their registration fee. AKC will also be provided, at no cost, the required number of copies for their library. Other copies of the Illustrated Standard will be made available to BCCA members and Beardie Fanciers for a donation of $10.00 per copy plus shipping and handling of $3.00 for U. S. orders, $5.00 for Canadian orders and $10.00 for international shipping. If a foreign conformation judge shows proof that he/she has judged Bearded Collies in the United States at an AKC sanctioned conformation show or is approved to do so and requests a copy of the Illustrated Standard, the BCCA will send him/her a copy free of charge.