Linux Format forums

Re: Overseas Subscription - Poor Deal

Bruno — Fri Sep 14, 2012 8:56 pm

Author: Bruno

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2012 8:56 pm

Well its quite professional, but obviously not a 116 page, A4 colour mag with a glossy cover.

On a recent edition of In Business (or was it Global Business), Peter day was talking with the head of a company who can produce book print runs of 1 at (they say) cost effective rates. I had assumed that something similar may also exist for mags, so I did some digging. The results are, however, mixed.

Taking the USA as an example, PrintPelican.Com (I don't mean to endorse them, but they have a good website for specing print jobs and promise reasonable rates) can do a print run of 10,000 for $2.00 per copy, including mailing but excluding disc, for what I'm guessing are the specs of LXF. I'm not an expert, so can't tell if this is a good deal but it doesn't look bad to me as a ball-park figure, as our American cousins say. However, to determine if such an enterprise were profitable, the margin obviously needs to be added to that in order to pay for salaries, offices etc.

The trouble is, given the circulation report inside the mag (assuming that it includes overseas sales), I doubt that there are even 1,000 subscribers in the USA, and for a run of 1,000, it will be $8.83 a copy.

So in conclusion, sadly the economics of overseas printing don't stack up for the volumes likely to be required This isn't a slight on LXF, as a larger, more general UK computer title to which I also subscribe has only double the circulation of LXF. That's impressive, but it isn't a factor of ten.

So where to from here? Digital subs will certainly help, and appear to be in the pipeline. At a stroke that would remove printing and shipping costs, speed up delivery and ensure the product arrives in perfect condition. For now, better marketing overseas would also help, as one day overseas printing could be viable in the USA. However, it is unlikely to be so in Oz, given the smaller size of the market. However, poor service from postal service providers will negate a marketing push overseas. Yep, I think that the future is digital, as it is the least hassle solution. But the devil is in the detail of the implementation, there.

However, you are unlikely to be mugged on public transport/in the street for a paper copy of LXF, which is also better suited to reading in the bath, from a getting it ruined point of view.

Take care,
Bruno

Re: Overseas Subscription - Poor Deal

shelmed — Fri Aug 31, 2012 4:08 am

Author: shelmed

Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 4:08 am

Rhakios wrote:

If LXF is printed like a parish magazine, it should certainly bring down the cover price.

Depends how good the Parish Mag is!

Re: Overseas Subscription - Poor Deal

Rhakios — Wed Aug 29, 2012 9:59 pm

Author: Rhakios

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 9:59 pm

If LXF is printed like a parish magazine, it should certainly bring down the cover price.

Re: Overseas Subscription - Poor Deal

wyliecoyoteuk — Wed Aug 29, 2012 8:46 pm

Author: wyliecoyoteuk

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 8:46 pm

Although the circulation is largely overseas, it is in a lot of countries, and the numbers involved would probably be less economically viable than posting.
Even these days, print run costs are largely dictated by volume.
The shorter the run, the more expensive it is. This is simply because the cost of plating up and inking a press is still high.

Your vicar's stuff is probably produced on a photocopier.

Re: Overseas Subscription - Poor Deal

Bruno — Wed Aug 29, 2012 12:30 am

Author: Bruno

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 12:30 am

Or form partnerships with established firms in these territories instead. A well specified contract and service level agreement will not require local divisions. If my village vicar can engage the services of the local printers to produce the annual round-robin, it can be done.

Re: Overseas Subscription - Poor Deal

Rhakios — Tue Aug 28, 2012 7:25 pm

Author: Rhakios

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 7:25 pm

Yes, if only Future had US and Australian divisions that could be trusted with something like that...
<cough!>

Re: Overseas Subscription - Poor Deal

Bruno — Tue Aug 28, 2012 1:34 pm

Author: Bruno

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 1:34 pm

You'd think that in this day and age, since the content is 100% digital prior to printing the mag and producing the disc, it could be sent electronically to continents like Oz and N America and printed by a local firm.

Beer can be brewed locally under licence, far from its original home

Re: Overseas Subscription - Poor Deal

GregS — Fri Aug 24, 2012 7:10 am

Author: GregS

Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 7:10 am

nelz wrote:

AIUI the shop copies are sent by surface transport while subscription copies are air-mailed, so the real benefit to you is to get the magazine around or before the time it appears in the UK shops, rather than several weeks later.

Actually, deliveries down here are often so erratic that the shop copies arrive first...

Shelmed has a point - we colonial subscribers don't get a whole lot of advantage out of subscribing. Now, I know there are economic pressures that make it so...but the only reason I subscribe is that i can't be bothered chasing up shop copies - and my nearest shop (if they stocked it) is over 12km away; and the nearest town with stores that LXF is regularly stocked is over 80 km away.

Out in the nearly-bush we don't have corner stores!

<Edit coupla days later...This months issue appeared just two or three days after hitting the webpage...an exception that proves the rule, perhaps? Last issue was about three weeks later.>

Re: Overseas Subscription - Poor Deal

shelmed — Fri Aug 24, 2012 4:20 am

Author: shelmed

Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 4:20 am

net-knave wrote:

In hindsight, even at the overseas rate, LXF is a fantastic value for me.

Overall I agree - it's still approx. 30% less than the newsstand price here in Australia

Just want to reiterate (as I think some may have misunderstood the comparison I was making) that the 18p difference in price per individual mag IS comparing 'eggs with eggs' i.e. Purchasing an annual subscription of 13 mags and buying a single hardcopy off the LXF Website

Anyway after all that I really do like LXF and like you net-knave I may end up buying the annual hardcopy subscription

Re: Overseas Subscription - Poor Deal

net-knave — Thu Aug 23, 2012 11:37 pm

Author: net-knave

Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 11:37 pm

shelmed wrote:

... but I do like to relax with a hardcopy in my hand.

Agreed, much to my surprise!

I hadn't had a hardcopy subscription to anything for nearly a decade and thought that what I really wanted was a digital subscription to LXF (to save $ and avoid the pulp). I waited nearly a year (lurking in the archive freebies) and then broke down and shelled out for a overseas hardcopy subscription becasue that was the only option at the time.

Boy I'm glad now that I went the hardcopy route. I'm sure that I get four times the value out of the issues because I read them when I'm away from all the distractions at my workstation. I also find that I get interested enough to explore the DVD contents when I never used to take the time to track down and d/l interesting looking tools or distros from online articles. I've had some good finds already.

Like I said, I only wish I hadn't put off subscribing for nearly a year. In hindsight, even at the overseas rate, LXF is a fantastic value for me.

Re: Overseas Subscription - Poor Deal

shelmed — Thu Aug 23, 2012 10:56 pm

Author: shelmed

Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 10:56 pm

net-knave wrote:

I don't know if a digital subscription will suffice

Thanks for the helpful info and link net-knave. Yeah had thought about a digital subscription but I do like to relax with a hardcopy in my hand. However I will take a look at the Zinio idea.

net-knave wrote:

LXF is so great IMHO that I only regret not subscribing sooner.

As I said in my OP I too think LXF is great

Re: Overseas Subscription - Poor Deal

net-knave — Thu Aug 23, 2012 5:36 pm

Author: net-knave

Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 5:36 pm

I don't know if a digital subscription will suffice but I noticed an ad in my hardcopy LXF160 that said 'digitial only' subscriptions are now available. The price for an annual digital subscription in USD is about 60% of what I'm paying for my overseas hardcopy subscription (delivered in the USA).

The ad points readers to Zinio at https://www.zinio.com/linuxformat

FWIW, I can relate to your reluctance to subscribe to hardcopy at the over-seas rate, I held off subscribing for nearly a year because of the expense (and 3 months later digital subscriptions get introduced). However, LXF is so great IMHO that I only regret not subscribing sooner.

Access to the LXF digital archives is a huge plus so if you consider the digital subscription check to see if it includes digital archive access.

[update - I just found a thread 'Digital Offerings' in this same forum about the digital subscriptions through Zinio. Recommended read for anyone considering going the digital subscription route.]

Re: Overseas Subscription - Poor Deal

shelmed — Thu Aug 23, 2012 2:29 pm

Author: shelmed

Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 2:29 pm

nelz wrote:

Thanks for that Nelz. Yes I do appreciate what your saying. But I guess what I haven't made clear is that the individual copies I am referring to are the ones purchased off the LF website and not shop copies - so I am assuming these are Air Mailed too - or is this incorrect - are the individual website purchased copies surface mail?

Re: Overseas Subscription - Poor Deal

nelz — Thu Aug 23, 2012 2:19 pm

Author: nelz

Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 2:19 pm

AIUI the shop copies are sent by surface transport while subscription copies are air-mailed, so the real benefit to you is to get the magazine around or before the time it appears in the UK shops, rather than several weeks later.

Re: Overseas Subscription - Poor Deal

shelmed — Thu Aug 23, 2012 1:49 pm

Author: shelmed

Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 1:49 pm

Well thank you for that helpful rant putting both me and the continent of Australia down - an impressive reply to someone who was trying to make a genuine point and not an out and out complaint as you put it.

First let me address your points/jibes:

Dutch_Master wrote:

Do you realise what it costs to send a bunch of dead trees halfway round the world?

Yes I do, I'm frequently posting material to the UK.

Dutch_Master wrote:

I know the economy, even Down Under, is very much down,

You don't know very much about our economy do you - it's one of the strongest in the world which isn't in a recession due to our wealth of material resources

Dutch_Master wrote:

but the last 4 complaints about the price of an LXF sub all came from your continent...

Now you wouldn't want to generalise would you with that massive sample!

If you read my post carefully you would understand I was NOT complaining about the overall price of the LXF mag - my point is that when one commits to purchasing 13 magazines with a single lump sum payment (quarterly is not an option for ROW) then one would hope to receive a slightly larger discount than 18p per magazine when compared to buying an individual copy - i.e. virtually no difference in price and THEREFORE NO INCENTIVE to take out an ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION.

So if your getting this, my MAIN POINT is with a carefully calculated larger discount they may get MORE ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS and HOPEFULLY INCREASED NET INCOME (if the figures are right) - and so I was hoping to hear from somebody in the know

So please get off your high horse, stop being so defensive and read before you write next time