Wholesaler disruption blamed as US newsstand sales drop 12%

The recent disruption of delivery to newsstands, including the closure of Anderson News, resulted in U.S. single copy sales falling roughly 12% in the first quarter, according to figures from Magazine Information Network (MagNet), as reported in Mediaweek.The results are based on point-of-purchase estimates and could end up higher once all returned magazines are counted.The delivery disruption

Big book publishers try to force Anderson News into bankruptcy

The mess that is the U.S. single copy magazine business just gets grimmer by the days. Four major U.S. book publishers went to U.S. bankruptcy court in Manhattan, trying to force Anderson News LLC into receivership. According to Reuters, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Random House Inc and Simon & Schuster Inc. are trying to recover all or part of the US$37.5 million they say the

News Group won't surcharge on single copies, at least for now

One of Canada's two largest magazine wholesalers, the News Group, is not following the lead of two of its largest U.S. counterparts in adding on a surcharge to single copy sales -- at least for now. This, according to an item in the usually reliable column by Keith Kelly in the New York Post.Last week, Anderson News and Source Interlink -- together representing half of the magazine distribution

Source Interlink adds 7 cent surcharge, following Anderson's lead

U.S. magazine wholesalers representing more than 50% of single copy sales have now added a 7-cent-per-copy surcharge. A story in Folio: says that Source Interlink has now added the charge, following the lead of Anderson News.It is unclear whether Source Interlink issued its price increase announcement with as much force as Anderson, which warned publishers they’d be dropped from distribution if

We're BAACCKK! This time mygazines.com promises to get it right

Those who have followed the tortuous, occasionally hilarious, path of mygazines.com, the pirate magazine file-sharing site that was effectively stomped on by the full force of the magazine industry on several continents, will be interested to read an interview with the new team that is promoting an above-board version.Ontario-based founder and CEO Darren Budd acknowledges his errors:Bottom line

Wholesalers cutting draws for low-priced newsstand titles

Wholesalers in Canada and the U.S. are cutting back draws for the proliferating number of low-priced magazines, according to a story in MediaWeek. The goal is to increase sell-through and therefore profitability on the titles, which tend to be found at grocery store checkouts and are priced at less than US$2.50. The News Group and Source Interlink Cos. have made significant cuts since May 1,

Comics publishers squeeze Canadian newsstand buyers

Are Canadian comics buyers suckers? Apparently at least some comic book publishers think so, according to a story in The Comic Wire, a website for fans and collectors. Marvel Comics has hiked prices on some titles, says the site.The price hike seems to be isolated to a few specific titles like “Ultimate Fantastic Four” and “New Avengers.” To find out if a Marvel title you are reading is in this

Investing in editorial and charging for it seems to be paying off for Monocle

Tyler Brûlé, the expat Canadian who launched Wallpaper* and now Monocle, has gone against conventional publishing wisdom more than once. With Monocle, which focusses on world lifestyle and finance, he charges more for a subscription to the magazine than for the same number of single copies. And it seems to be working, with five issues of the magazine already published and a sixth due out in

Can Source be a supplier and a competitor, too?

Much muttering in the U.S. magazine business about Source Interlink's purchase of the enthusiast division of Primedia (see previous post). According to a story in Folio:, among the questions being asked is how can a major distributor impartially deal with its clients when it is one of their competitors? Part of the muttering is caused by the recent exclusive deal that Source Interlink cut with

Newsstand Awards finalists announced

The 6th annual Canadian Newsstand Awards finalists have been announced. 34 titles will compete for top spot in five categories and the overall Best Newsstand Cover of the Year.Who wins will be announced June 5 during Magazines University at the Old Mill in Toronto. In addition, the Newsstand Marketer of the Year will be announced, recognizing an invididual who demonstrated passion and innovation

Source Interlink, a major U.S. distributor buys Primedia titles

Source Interlink, one of the biggest magazine distributors in the United States, has purchased the enthusiast group from Primedia in what industry observers describe as "a stunning development". The effect is to transform a supplier into a major player in media, virtually overnight. (The equivalent would have been if Disticor or Coast-to-Coast in Canada has suddenly acquired the consumer

Wanna buy a magazine? Please?

There are many sources of magazine subscriptions, including the term "agency", which can mean many kinds of independent sales methods. One of these is door-to-door sales. And while conditions in the U.S. can be quite different than in Canada, and only a very small proportion of subscriptions are sold this way, that doesn't make an investigative report of the practise in the New York Times any

Small titles finding it harder and harder at Indigo

One of the paradoxes of single copy sales of magazines is that you have to waste magazines to sell them. The average consumer magazine in this country sells less than 40 out of every 100 copies in its "draw", the magazines that are sent through wholesalers to the retail stores. The rest are eventually shredded.Magazines haven't been able to find a better way to get to miscellaneous individual