Issues in remnant-issue management

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, March 15, 1996

Overstock that just stagnates in storage not only wastes space, it represents a sizable loss on investment. FOLIO: asked a group of publishing consultants and professionals to share their ideas on how to improve remnant sales,--Rolf Maurer

Ron Scott, publishing consultant: If you're not already doing it, accentuate remnant sales within the magazine with ads that include reproductions of the covers--nothing is better at communicating a magazine's uniqueness. Use four-color because it sells better than black-and-white. To get rid of more recent back-issue overstock, try starting new subscriptions an issue earlier. The things is to manage one's pressrun properly from the beginning so that you don't get bogged down with all those extra issues.

Dan Lance, vice president of marketing, Kalmbach Publishing: We let the readers know what back issues are available through house ads that describe each issue's contents. But we run them only in late spring and early summer, the off-period for other types of fulfillment and inquiries. That allows us to manage our warehouse workflow better. As a hobby-magazine publisher, we are very accessible and service-oriented. We make additional back-issue sales on calls to our 800-number customer-service line. If a subscriber is seeking advice on a particular project they are working on, we can reference which issues relate to the request. Also, because the content is usually not subject to change--an article on creating miniature trees that ran years ago is still good today--our subscribers tend to be interested in filling out their libraries. Another method of improving back-issue sales is to impose a minimum order on all purchases;our minimum is two issues. The key is to communicate the long-term value of the product to the reader.

John Brady, partner, Brady & Paul Communications: When using house ads, make them full-page so that they proudly proclaim the old issues' availability. And you can include remnants as a bonus for new subscribers. Young publications can reach those particularly passionate readers by offering the option of subscriptions that begin with the first issue. These techniques help dissuade people of the idea that the book is merely some disposable commodity, like diapers, by emphasizing its strength through continuity and longevity. Although a magazine is a work in progress, it must also stand on its past. If you have to get rid of overstock in bulk, at least donate it in some way that keeps the issues in circulation, such as to libraries or bookstores. (I'm still looking for the first issue of FOLIO:.)

Terry O'Neill, editor in chief, Fate: When Llewellyn Worldwide purchased Fate from Curt and Mary Fuller in 1988, it also acquired thousands of back issues of a title that was 40 years old. Because the response to our display advertising for these older issues wasn't exactly magnificent, Elliott Hawk, our associate publisher, came up with the idea of polybagging them with copies of the October 1995 Fate--an approach meant not only to convey added value to new readers, but to appease those older readers who still favor the title's long-standing digest format over the current full-size trim (since the June 1994 issue).

John Chilson, president, Circulation Solutions: Some alternatives to house ads include supplementary distribution to outlets, with back issues bundled together according to a common theme. If it's a model railroading magazine, perhaps collect two or three issues covering scenery, and try getting hobby shops to carry that as a single item. When making renewal-at-birth overtures to first-time subscribers, also mention the ready availability of back issues. Better yet, offer a back issue--or a choice of three or so that you have in particular abundance-- as a premium for subscribing for the first time. An alternative to the price of a regular subscription is the sale of a equal number of back issues, or slightly less, at a reduced rate in bundled form on the newsstand. This way, you get readers interested in the magazine as an ongoing vehicle, you get rid of your overstock, and they get a perceived bargain. It could be anywhere from three to 10 issues.