Glue...Again!

[linuxgirlie]

One quick question. As people keep saying subscribe, but I would like to know the consequences of this. If everyone who regularly buys the mag subscribes, will the shops stock it, and if not how would new readers be encouraged???

Just a thought.....

Jo

ps, cd/dvds have to stay, I lend them out to my year 11's as quite a few live out of the way and can't get broadband!

[Rhakios]

Perhaps an intersting corollary question would, what percentage of the circulation is made up of subscribers?

The latest issue boasts a circulation of 28,314 for Jan to Dec 2004, assuming 13 issues that's 2,178 a month. Oddly enough, that's very close to MacWorld's circulation for the same period (the only comparable figures I could find lying around), so I imagine it must be pretty typical for magazines of this sort. So I quite understand that significantly higher subscription levels might lead to noticeably reduced demand in newsagents. I wonder how many are already returned unsold.

But, it has to be a decision for the individual and subscribing (at least at the moment) looks much the better option. I am also inclined to think that the LXF management might not be too worried about a few extra subscribers at the moment as the Linux market (and hence probably demand for the magazine) is still expanding.

It would be nice to have some figures though.

[mugstar]

I think you may have misread those ABC figures, Rhakios. 28,314 is the Total Average Net Circulation Per Issue. I doubt the mag would be allowed to continue if it couldn't attract more than a couple of thousand readers a month.

[linuxgirlie]

OMG I bought the mag yesterday and thinking about what I read here I tried to take it off carefully and failed luckly it only took off the 'skin' and didn't rip the whole magazine!!

[M0PHP]

I wonder how the covert art designers feel about their lovely covers being spoilt with the removal of the glue

[nelz]

You can get much more covert than stuck to the back of a DVD case where no one can see it

[Andy]

Rhakios,

If you check the ABC figures at www.abc.org.uk you'll see a complete breakdown of where copies go, including the amount of subscriptions!

Just bear in mind that these figures are for January - December 2004, so basically they are the average amount of magazines sold per issue.

When you get to the ABC site use the search box in the top right hand corner and enter Linux - LXF is the only one that comes up. LU&D and LM are nowhere to be seen!

All the best,

AndyH

[Nigel]

What I fiind fascinating is that LXF has nearly twice the sales volume of Mac Format, according to the ABC site. Does that mean that OS-X is so easy to use that users don't buy magazines ? Or they can't afford them after shelling out on that nice expensive hardware ? Or has Linux really become more mainstream than the Mac ?
Not quite up with PC Format sales yet, but not as far behind as I would have expected.

[rossc0]

I've destroyed all but one of the magazine fronts so far this year - someones too keen with the glue gun!

The one I saved was on a hot day and the glue was more malluable - but I wouldn't suggest microwaving your favorite magazine to preserve the cover!

[nelz]

At least take the disc out of the case first

[bigbee]

lol, or you could try a hair dryer...
For myself I can't complain, in the package of the last issue, the dvd wasnt glued to the magazine

Maybe all you glue-haters should come up with a solution so people can go to the store, have a look @ LXF (that leaves out plastic coating) and buy an issue (without noticing their precious media full of data has "mystriously disappeared") and keep the (imho nicely designed) cover in one piece?
Any open-source suggestion?

[M-Saunders]

Hrm, there's an idea! A 'tester' issue, like in cosmetic shops, which can be thumbed-through before buying the bagged edition with loose coverdisc!

I guess the problem would be smaller shops. In a large WH Smith it's prolly OK to have 20 bagged issues and a 'tester', but here in Ye Olde Market Towne of Ulverston, our local newsagent gets only three or four copies in.

M

[nelz]

I guess the problem would be smaller shops. In a large WH Smith it's prolly OK to have 20 bagged issues and a 'tester', but here in Ye Olde Market Towne of Ulverston, our local newsagent gets only three or four copies in.

M

Move house

[Rhakios]

Rhakios,

If you check the ABC figures at www.abc.org.uk you'll see a complete breakdown of where copies go, including the amount of subscriptions!

Thanks for the link, most informative. I thought the figure of ~28k per year was low, but it is not phrased very clearly in the magazine, it just says:
28,314
January - December 2004
as it's an average it ought to say so, hmm.

It seems subscribers are in a minority. I was also interested to note that more magazines are sold outside UK and ROI than within it. I wonder how usual this is for UK magazines?

And who is the one person that gets their subscription at less than 50% of the basic annual rate? It isn't me

[jjmac]

>>
M-Saunders wrote:
I guess the problem would be smaller shops. In a large WH Smith it's prolly OK to have 20 bagged issues and a 'tester', but here in Ye Olde Market Towne of Ulverston, our local newsagent gets only three or four copies in
>>

Do they display the same glue problem. Over here in AU the glue is quite good. Clear, firm, easy to peal off with out pulling on the cover. And rolls up into a nice ball. Currently it's all tape though.

If different outlets all have the same glue, then it mustn't be occuring at the outlet point.


>>
Total Average Net Circulation Per Issue: 28,314 12,320 15,994
>>

Big world (grin), i think the UK is probably about 2.5X's the population of AU ... but then ... the USA is huge, and a few people do still live in NZ (apparently).


>>
Single Copy Subscription Sales: 5,675 3,618 2,057
>>

I wonder if over seas subsciptions would speed the delivery. I wouldn't imagine so ... curious... We pay around 17.95 dollars for a newsagent copy here in Sydney. More expensive than the equivalent UK figure. Possibly that would explain it. 1:4 for your sub/copy ratio does makes sense ....

Most people are on dialup not broard band, and most people don't do computers, and ... most people run low end machines ... the world is mostly populated by us commenors (grin). Even though the sub is cheaper, single copy purchase is more immediate, which is how us commoners tend to approach purchases. (am joking)


jm