Esox mag

[propster]

So Rob, is the magazine in the mail? We're going crazy here! Thanks

[sbro73]

Must be, Thorne's has a big stack at the front register!

[b1gf1sh1]

Quote:

Thorne's has a big stack at the front register!

not for long, lol.

[mtreno]

hope reeds has them soon......

[RK]

Hiya -

Yeah, folks are starting to get them already. Exactly how long they take to get from here to there is random as far as I can tell though. Really varies from place to place. But they're on the way.

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[propster]

That's good. I'm glad we don't have a store near us that carries them, 'cause we'd be buying two of every issue when the stores have them before the subscribers get theirs. Why does that happen anyway? Must be so they sell more!

[sbro73]

Because they already have our money. LOL!

[RK]

Hiya -

Propster, sbro73... You think it drives you crazy... I oftens ee it on the newsstands before I get mine in the mail and I write the dang thing...

Here's the Reader's Digest version of how this works.

When magazines come off the printer, they're sent out in a variety of ways. Some go into what's called a 'newsstand pool' which is the top end of the newsstand distribution network. Newsstand pools are shipped out on a set schedule, then magazines are fed down to lower levels of the newsstand distribution food chain. In some cases it's to HUGE companies, in others it's to a dude with a van... (In some parts of the country, huge segments of the NS system are basically run by the mob.) Theoretically they're all supposed to arrive at the same time. In practice, they never do. When they do get to their final destination, there's usually display info with them - display it from this date to this date. That info is almost universally ignored.

Other magazines get shipped direct from the printer to stores that aren't in the newsstand subscriber system. It's a whole different distribution and billing network basically. It might be large chains that handle their own distribution, or small stores like Thorne Bros that only carry a couple magazine titles. Since one's direct and the other through a longer supply chain, TB might get their copies days before a Barnes and Noble down the street does.

Aaaand then there's the mail. Magazines have their own postal class. Near as I can tell, the fine print on that class reads "we'll send them when we feel like it...no promises." Sometimes they get out right away, sometimes there's a considerable delay, and it's NEVER consistent across the board. I got emails from some people who had their copies in the mail more than a week ago. Geography seems to make no difference either. In fact, even in the same town it can vary by a huge margin. Jack Burns lives about 10 miles from me, and we usually get our copies in the mail days apart. Some never show up at all. I think we average 3-4% non-delivery each issue. They just go poof. (And we eat the replacement cost - price of doing business.)

So depending on where you live, who around you sells the magazine on the newsstand, and how they get it, you might get your magazine way before you see it on the shelf, or some time after. I subscribe to the In-Fisherman (among others.) I used to always get my copy before I saw it on the newsstand. Then I moved 3 miles. Now I never get it before I see it in stores.

The saddest part of all (for me at least) is after all the rigmarole with newsstand distribution, we make next to nothing selling them over the counter. Basically, the newsstand people tell you what you sold and pay you what they feel like (some anyhow - some distributors are fantastic to work with), when they feel like it. You have no way to tell if their info is even close to accurate. It's really a racket. You just sort of throw them up in the air, and hope you get paid a little bit someday. Really, the only copies we make any kind of money on at all are subscription copies. (So subscribe! It's cheaper anyhow )

Early on, we spent a pretty good sized pile of money trying to figure out a way to make things work better on distribution and timing. We finally figured out that it pretty much is what it is, and you just live with it. But it still drives me nuts.

And seriously - this IS the short version...

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[sbro73]

Thanks RK, by no means did I mean any offense, I realise the time and effort you and the staff put into the "premier muskie" magazine. I guess we are all just like kids waitng for Santa Claus! Tight Lines!

[propster]

There ya go, kids waiting on xmas morning. I also was foolin' with ya, though I have bought both mags and then had my subscription show up the next day, that's how bad I got it! Got my Esox today and I'm trying to pace myself. Appreciate your explanation - remind me not to get into the publishing business