The publisher of The Bottom Line has cut its rates an average of 15% to 20% in an effort to draw more advertising and build a broader ad base.

Erik Puree says his cuts have drawn a favorable response so far from potential advertisers in his monthly tabloid, which is directed at accounting professionals.

As an example of price discounts, The Bottom Line, which is published from Markham, Ont., is offering a one-time rate for a black-and-white, magazine-size ad at $2,990 instead of $3,740.

Puree says the new rates became effective with the paper’s July issue, with distribution being 37,000.

Current contracted advertisers will be eligible for the cuts in their future scheduled insertions.

The Bottom Line is published 12 times a year and has an average of 36 pages an issue.

Puree says he is able to offer the cuts because of improved productivity and cost improvements.

The Bottom Line’s circulation is also being fine-tuned, with more emphasis being put on paid circulation and a tightening of sometimes redundant coverage in some locations.

Puree says there will be a stricter rationalization of segments of the unpaid portion of the paper’s distribution list, too.

He says, overall, the paper’s distribution should move towards a 40% paid component.

Puree says The Bottom Line has about a 60-40 editorial-advertising split.

Its principal advertisers are accounting and financial software vendors, and financial services groups and advisers. DC