Peter Webster, the Editor of Fisherman & Boatowner in the latest issue asks readers to switch from a retail purchase to a subscription. His pitch is rather clumsy, saying the retail price of the mag in the newsagents in about to start climbing, big time. Nothing like taking a stick to your customers.
Walker then makes a reasonable pitch about wastage, saying in part: When you subscribe, we only need to print just one magazine to make the sale…
In the next paragraph of his pitch for subscriptions, Walker takes a swipe at newsagents. When you buy it through the newsagents, the ratio can be as high at 4:1 in some places ie, print four, sell one, shred thre, lose our shirt. Every month. If the sell through rate is 25% as he claims, Webster ought to talk with NDD, his distribution partner for it is NDD which sets scale out to newsagents and NDD which has the most control over the long-term sell through rate.
Walker and his publisher can set rules for NDD and this should have been where he started. Take my newsagency – I receive 3 copies of Fisherman & Boatowner a month. I sell 1 copy most months, occasionally 2. On these numbers, I lose $1.50 carrying this title each month. I am effectively paying Walker and his partners in the magazine to showcase their title among better selling fishing and boating magazines. I am providing cheap advertising, billboard space, for his masthead.
I suspect that newsagents who read the statement by Walker will contact NDD and ask that they are no longer sent this magazine. Sales of the title, including subscriptions, will fall thanks to less billboard space in newsagencies like mine – all because Walker did not use the resources available to him to fix the magazine supply model for his title.
Niche magazines face a tough battle to survive and while the newsagent retail model has challenges for publishers, careful use of sales data and a smart management by the distributor ought to ensure a good return for the publishers and for newsagents. This is what newsagents want too – better sell through rates. Rather than over-servicing a niche area, newsagents would prefer to sell more of fewer titles. This saves on labour and saves on real-estate.
Newsagents who wish to email Walker can do so by clicking here.
Hi, I am on the verge of producing a niche magazine, GPS Australia Magazine. However, my concern is, would newsagents be receptive to this magazine? This is my first venture into producing a magazine, one that is aimed at every day type GPS people use, like Street Navigators, Handhelds etc. It would be full of reviews, interviews, How To, Free stuff, like maps etc. I really need your help on this as I am trying to provide a great Australian magazine on GPS.
Nick, here are my suggestions:
1. Make sure there is a need for the title.
2. Produce a title which is innovative, clear in pursuit of its target and offers a good narrative.
3. Build a business plan which relies on retail sales for you to be profitable. this connects your needs to ours.
4. Work with newsagents on the supply quantities.
5. Support newsagents with good collateral: posters, cover run ons.
6. Talk to us.
Mark
1. Well as there are no GPS magazines around, seemed a great idea. There is GPS World but that is so over the top for general consumers.
2. We are called GPS Australia, so I think the title will be suitable.
4. What would newsagents think they could sell in a month on average, considering it will be produced once every 2 months. My guesstimate would a circulation of 5,000
5. What are cover run ons? What size poster is recommended? A4?
Working out what newsagents could sell is the challenge given the unique nature of the title. Hopefully others will respond here.
Cover run ons are A4 covers – no mag, just the cover.
not sure if i could sell many, but would put in a much bigger effort as you want to treat newsagents as business partners, not cash cows to milk dry as some publishers/distributors do
Hi Mark,
Another new niche publisher here if you want some info I’d be happy to share…