Determine a newspaper's readership when it is a controlled bulk publication. Calculate the publication's circulation by determining the average gross distribution minus the returns. Multiply the circulation figure you came up with by the number of people reading each copy. You now have the newspaper's readership number.
Find a newspaper's readership when it is a home-delivered or mailed publication. Calculate the publication's circulation by again determining the average gross distribution, minus the returns. Determine the number of homes that receive the publication by multiplying the newspaper's circulation by the percentage of homes that receive it. Multiply the result of the homes that receive the publication by the percentage of them whose residents claim they read the newspaper regularly. If you want, multiply the final figure you came up with -- which represents the total readership of the publication -- by the number of readers you estimate you have per edition. This result is the newspaper's readership per edition.
Keep in mind that the number of readers per copy is just an average. The national average number of readers for each copy of a publication, which has been set by the Circulation Verification Council, is 1.75. This, however, is just an estimation. The actual number depends on variable factors, such as the readers' demand for the specific newspaper and the number of copies supplied.