The Garage - Editorial - November 2011

Magazine subscriptions lose money for magazines. You take a magazine that sells for $5 or $6 every month (that’s $60 to $72 a year), and you sell a subscription for $20 or so. Plus, you now have to mail it to subscribers through the U.S. Post Office.

Why do magazines even do it then? They make up for the lost income by increasing the cost of advertising. As a magazine gains more readers, it can charge the advertisers more money. Some mumbo jumbo formula is worked out for the number of eyeballs seeing the ad each month and how much the company will be charged for each “impression”—to use an Internet word.

In the world of magazines, 8-Lug is a small, niche publication. We can’t up our ad rates in the quest for more readers. We have to do it the old-fashioned way: by earning readers with an excellent publication.

There is the possibility of some solutions on the horizon, though. Zinio is a service that digitizes magazines so you can read them on an iPad or other reading device. It’s more expensive than a regular subscription, but if you’re a loyal reader and don’t want to have to trek out to the store each month in search of the magazine, this could be a viable option. We’re working right now to set this up. There’s also the possibility of a “full price” subscription (I’m not sure what the company actually calls this, but this is the most accurate name)—which means we simply mail you each month’s new issue at the full price. Again, it’s not cheap, but it saves you fuel—eliminating the need to drive from store to store in search of your 8-Lug fix.

I hear from readers all the time who say they can’t find 8-Lug on the newsstand. This is common for any small, niche publication. But it’s even worse for us, since the company is trying to increase the efficiency of sales by limiting the number of magazines put on newsstands. The result is a tougher hunt for our loyal readers. If your local store doesn’t carry 8-Lug, don’t forget that you can request it. Ask the manager to start carrying 8-Lug. Many stores will give it a shot and see if it sells enough in your area to keep stocking it. It’s worth a try.

I get lots of emails from readers who want advice regarding where to look for 8-Lug. I asked our circulation director to compile a list of our Top 10 Retailers to help you out. If you go to all 10 of these outlets (assuming you have them in your area or have access to Military bases) and still don’t find 8-Lug…send me an email with your city and state. I’ll find out where the magazine is stocked near you. Pretty bold, huh? I’m serious, though.

Top 10 Retailers

• Walmart
  
• Kroger
  
• CVS
  
• Barnes & Noble
  
• Safeway
  
• Military Base Exchange
  
• 7-Eleven
  
• Books-A-Million
  
• Walgreens
  
• Hastings