I was disappointed to see the subscription promotion on the cover of the latest issue of Run For Your Life magazine (out yesterday).
Their $9.95 promotion looked odd next to our $7.95 barcode label.
While I understand the role subscriptions play in the sales mix for a publisher, it is wrong that they use our generosity of space to try and convert our customers and browsers into subscribers. By all means have a subscription offer – but promote it inside the pages of the magazine.
I call what we do for them generous because we provide space to promote their title at no cost to them, we carry the risk of theft, we finance the title for a couple of months and we pay to return to them the unsold copies. This is a considerable investment on our part for their title.
I’d prefer to see the publisher engage positively with newsagents by including a putaway coupon inside the magazine and promoting at clubs and sports events that the title in available from newsagencies.
Will not be put on the stand
mark,
have you ever called the editor or publisher of a title that has done this type of thing?
appart from the speedway news issue, do they care?
do they realise?
will they change?
Peter,
a couple of times on issues like this. The reaction was ok but nothing special.
I have had other contact with plenty of publishers who are terrific and want to more deeply engage with newsagents. I have good evidence of some of these changing.
Thankfully, not all publishers are the same.
Had a publisher in the other day and willing to change his masthead to not be covered by our sticker.
Wants Aust in title to show…some actually go out and see what is happening in the real world.
Others dictate to us what we are to do…
Damn.
Now Grazia is touting for magshop subs.
For $2.80 a week.
Hi all
I am the publisher of R4YL and have just been made aware of this blog.
To be honest, this is something that we hadn’t even really thought of, but you certainly raise a good and valid point.
Like other publishers we would like to work as closely with newsagents as possible to ensure the best result for them and us.
If someone has simply contacted us to raise this point, we could certainly have addressed it immediately and will now that we are aware of it. We are a very small independent publisher, so often aren’t aware of issues such as these.
Regards
Daniel
Publisher Run For Your Life
Daniel,
You didn’t need me to blog about the subscription offer that you were promoting in newsagencies. Of course what you were doing would concern newsagents.
Publishers need to think carefully before making any offer which puts the newsagency channel in a bad light. It’s common sense.
Daniel,
Thanks for dropping in for a chat, we would all like to ensure the future of the magazine. Feel free to swap thoughts with us about opportunities for the future.
Mark and Brett, thanks for your responses.
R4YL has been established by runners, none of whom have any experience in publishing and most of the focus goes into actually producing the content and magazine itself. The unfortunate part of this is that things which may appear to be common-sense for those working within the publishing industry, aren’t necessarily identified until they are pointed out.
We would love to attempt to work to make our magazine more appealing for newsagents and would incorporate any of your thoughts or suggestions we could.
Please feel free to contact me on dgreen@runforyourlife.com.au if you think we can change to work better together in any way.
Regards
Daniel
Daniel,
Start by helping us to understand your target customer. The more we know about who will buy the magazine the better. Sometimes, this can aid better placement.
For example, is a R4YL customer likely to purchase any other popular title?
Next, list us on your website. Proudly promote that your magazine is available in newsagencies.
Finally, be careful in how you promote subscriptions.
Having run a retail newsagency for more than 20 years we remove subscriptions where practical. We provide the venue and the labour, pay the rent & the wages, promote the products to our customers(for our self benefit). I have had one publisher of excellent magazines threaten to remove supply, and inform other publishers of our practice, to coherse them to do the same. Pulishers want the newsagency channel to promote & sell magazines. We need to work together for the benefit of all involved.
And we wonder why newsagencies are closing and suppliers are looking elsewhere.