January issue of Garden Railways
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If they labeled the magazine for January, unsold issues might get pulled off the shelf and dumped at the end of January. Labeling it for February keeps it out there until the end of its two-month life. Bi-monthly magazines want to be left on the shelf as long as possible (until sold, of course).
I suppose some will ask, "Why not just put "Jan-Feb" on it?" I don't know the answer to that but my guess is that's it's some kind of marketing thing.
As for eliminating print and switching to web-only, I don't see it as a viable option. It sucks for the reader because you can't take a website with you and read it wherever you want. Not to mention that it requires expensive high speed connection to be anything less than excruciating.
It sucks for the publisher because you can't attract new readers if they don't know you exist, and the only way to do that is if they see a magazine on the rack.
I suppose some will ask, "Why not just put "Jan-Feb" on it?" I don't know the answer to that but my guess is that's it's some kind of marketing thing.
As for eliminating print and switching to web-only, I don't see it as a viable option. It sucks for the reader because you can't take a website with you and read it wherever you want. Not to mention that it requires expensive high speed connection to be anything less than excruciating.
It sucks for the publisher because you can't attract new readers if they don't know you exist, and the only way to do that is if they see a magazine on the rack.
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How come every other month we have the same conversation about GR magazine? my thought is...we get it when it gets here....
Nick
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Nick
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"I'm sorry, if a newspaper can deliver today's paper with today's date then a magazine should be able to deliver this month's issue with this month's date on it... and just think, that all the confusion (you mentioned in your first post) with what issue you are working on would be reduced by, well, one or two months! 
"
How very wrong you are (along with some others here)! An apples-and-oranges comparison, and I can say that as a former editor with a major U.S. newspaper and as the current editor-in-chief of a popular bi-monthly model railroading magazine.
But I'm not sure why the cover date is such a big concern to some. The content of the publication is what should be important, not the date printed on the cover. If you subscribe to a publication and are not missing any issues, you haven't been deprived of anything at all.
" How very wrong you are (along with some others here)! An apples-and-oranges comparison, and I can say that as a former editor with a major U.S. newspaper and as the current editor-in-chief of a popular bi-monthly model railroading magazine.
But I'm not sure why the cover date is such a big concern to some. The content of the publication is what should be important, not the date printed on the cover. If you subscribe to a publication and are not missing any issues, you haven't been deprived of anything at all.
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Allen,
I didn't write that. It was a 'quote' response to which I replied in essentially the same vein as your post to mine. This board's sofware glitched, somehow. (It had to be, I'm not smart enough to use a computer. So it wasn't me.)
I'm not sure why the cover date is a big deal either.
I believe if you'll go back and look at the post again, you'll see the point I was trying to make. Below the quote.
Les
I didn't write that. It was a 'quote' response to which I replied in essentially the same vein as your post to mine. This board's sofware glitched, somehow. (It had to be, I'm not smart enough to use a computer. So it wasn't me.)
I'm not sure why the cover date is a big deal either.
I believe if you'll go back and look at the post again, you'll see the point I was trying to make. Below the quote.
Les
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302 Posts
My apologies, Les! I have edited my earlier post and removed the references to you.
I consistently see, on the many forums I visit and the one that is affiliated with my own magazine, complaints to the effect that "I didn't get mine yet" or boasts that "I got mine." Who the H*** cares, and what difference does it make? Thought the same thing back when I worked with Kalmbach. Printed magazines are normally distributed from the printer or an associated agency at the same time. Once they reach the hands of the U.S. Postal Service, we're all at the mercy of the USPS in terms of when the publication actually reaches the end user. This is particularly true because periodicals are sent at a lower mailing class (and rate) then First Class mail. If subscribers want faster delivery, they simply should request--and be willing to pay for--First Class delivery. All the bills you receive in the mail come First Class, and I'll bet very few of them arrive "late" by the standards of most here!
Before the Internet, there never were any complaints about supposedly "late" delivery, of course, because almost nobody knew when anyone else outside their immediate circle (fellow club members, for example) received the issue.
No matter when you receive your magazine, the content is going to be the same in your copy as it is in the copy received by some guy halfway across the country. You can enjoy it (or not) just as much as any other person who receives the publication.
And, yes, many of us in the publishing business are looking at ways to construct a business model that would permit electronic publishing of our periodicals--perhaps as a supplement to printed versions rather than as an alternative. But nobody should get the idea that it would be a free ride, or even less costly, to subscribe to an electronic version. If the numbers don't work out, there's little point in doing it. We also find that, despite the electronic medium that appeals to most all of us on this forum, there still exists a vast number of hobbyists--easily a majority--who prefer to receive and retain conventionally printed matter when it comes to magazines related to hobby and other special interest areas. Figuring a way to keep everyone happy, including the all-important advertisers who really foot the bill for these magazines, is not an easy matter.
I consistently see, on the many forums I visit and the one that is affiliated with my own magazine, complaints to the effect that "I didn't get mine yet" or boasts that "I got mine." Who the H*** cares, and what difference does it make? Thought the same thing back when I worked with Kalmbach. Printed magazines are normally distributed from the printer or an associated agency at the same time. Once they reach the hands of the U.S. Postal Service, we're all at the mercy of the USPS in terms of when the publication actually reaches the end user. This is particularly true because periodicals are sent at a lower mailing class (and rate) then First Class mail. If subscribers want faster delivery, they simply should request--and be willing to pay for--First Class delivery. All the bills you receive in the mail come First Class, and I'll bet very few of them arrive "late" by the standards of most here!
Before the Internet, there never were any complaints about supposedly "late" delivery, of course, because almost nobody knew when anyone else outside their immediate circle (fellow club members, for example) received the issue.
No matter when you receive your magazine, the content is going to be the same in your copy as it is in the copy received by some guy halfway across the country. You can enjoy it (or not) just as much as any other person who receives the publication.
And, yes, many of us in the publishing business are looking at ways to construct a business model that would permit electronic publishing of our periodicals--perhaps as a supplement to printed versions rather than as an alternative. But nobody should get the idea that it would be a free ride, or even less costly, to subscribe to an electronic version. If the numbers don't work out, there's little point in doing it. We also find that, despite the electronic medium that appeals to most all of us on this forum, there still exists a vast number of hobbyists--easily a majority--who prefer to receive and retain conventionally printed matter when it comes to magazines related to hobby and other special interest areas. Figuring a way to keep everyone happy, including the all-important advertisers who really foot the bill for these magazines, is not an easy matter.
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Allan,
No apologies necessary.
I do wish the lower-circulation mags, at least, would offer online service. I'd be willing to pay--but not at the 'paper rates'. Say, 33% of the present circulation rate, just off the top of my head. Then, for any article I wished to download, I would pay a fee, perhaps in the range of $2-4, less for advertisements. Much less. But there is the occasional adv I'd copy.
Lest those rates seem ruinous to a publisher, look at it from a subscriber's postition: I pay monthly to access a site. To download an article, I pay again. I have to have a color printer, and that printer needs cartridges and paper. Or, I have to have lots of memory available. (But that solves a filing & physical storage problem). I have to have at least DSL. And for all this investment, I want subscription/downloading rates that are appreciably lower than snailmail in the aggregate, even if I elect to download every article in the issue. As an aside, an editor could get his finger on the pulse of what's hot and what's not in realtime, and perhaps chart his path differently.
I'm not sympathetic with the non-computer owners. This is the 21st century. I recognize that a publisher must take into account the percentage of computer usage in his targeted audience. If it is low, then paper is likely the way to go.
But suppose someone wanted to publish online oh, say "Traction Topics". To get it, you have the equipment, or you don't. You pay a reasonable sum, or you don't. I think a mag like that could be done at a profit. I call it a 'slice of the niche' pub. That's where the Web has a great advantage that I don't see being realized.
If I wanted, I could copy pictures off this site (and occasionally I do, always giving the owner notice I've done so lest he object. Never had an objection yet). While I haven't tried, I suspect I could copy posts. Thus, right here, for free (subscription) is a 'subscriber-written' form of magazine. That's why I'm unconvinced publishers really want online pubs. First, I think they're stuck in an economic net, second, I don't think they're flexible enough. Third, I think they're reluctant to change.
Those are my thoughts. The single biggest hardware bottleneck at present is the lack of a good 'reader'. Holding the monitor above my chest while I lie in bed is tiresome at my age.
One thing about an online magazine, there'd be no b*tching about late delivery!
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Les
No apologies necessary.
I do wish the lower-circulation mags, at least, would offer online service. I'd be willing to pay--but not at the 'paper rates'. Say, 33% of the present circulation rate, just off the top of my head. Then, for any article I wished to download, I would pay a fee, perhaps in the range of $2-4, less for advertisements. Much less. But there is the occasional adv I'd copy.
Lest those rates seem ruinous to a publisher, look at it from a subscriber's postition: I pay monthly to access a site. To download an article, I pay again. I have to have a color printer, and that printer needs cartridges and paper. Or, I have to have lots of memory available. (But that solves a filing & physical storage problem). I have to have at least DSL. And for all this investment, I want subscription/downloading rates that are appreciably lower than snailmail in the aggregate, even if I elect to download every article in the issue. As an aside, an editor could get his finger on the pulse of what's hot and what's not in realtime, and perhaps chart his path differently.
I'm not sympathetic with the non-computer owners. This is the 21st century. I recognize that a publisher must take into account the percentage of computer usage in his targeted audience. If it is low, then paper is likely the way to go.
But suppose someone wanted to publish online oh, say "Traction Topics". To get it, you have the equipment, or you don't. You pay a reasonable sum, or you don't. I think a mag like that could be done at a profit. I call it a 'slice of the niche' pub. That's where the Web has a great advantage that I don't see being realized.
If I wanted, I could copy pictures off this site (and occasionally I do, always giving the owner notice I've done so lest he object. Never had an objection yet). While I haven't tried, I suspect I could copy posts. Thus, right here, for free (subscription) is a 'subscriber-written' form of magazine. That's why I'm unconvinced publishers really want online pubs. First, I think they're stuck in an economic net, second, I don't think they're flexible enough. Third, I think they're reluctant to change.
Those are my thoughts. The single biggest hardware bottleneck at present is the lack of a good 'reader'. Holding the monitor above my chest while I lie in bed is tiresome at my age.
One thing about an online magazine, there'd be no b*tching about late delivery!
Les
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5,578 Posts
Posted By Allan W. Miller on 12/31/2008 12:57 PM
Les wrote:
"I'm sorry, if a newspaper can deliver today's paper with today's date then a magazine should be able to deliver this month's issue with this month's date on it... and just think, that all the confusion (you mentioned in your first post) with what issue you are working on would be reduced by, well, one or two months!"
How very wrong you are, Les (and some other here)! An apples-and-oranges comparison, and I can say that as a former editor with a major U.S. newspaper and as the current editor-in-chief of a popular bi-monthly model railroading magazine.
But I'm not sure why the cover date is such a big concern to some. The content of the publication is what should be important, not the date printed on the cover. If you subscribe to a publication and are not missing any issues, you haven't been deprived of anything at all.
Yeah, that is a quote from me... Semper Vaporo is my on-line persona, Charles T. McCullough is on me Driver's License; close friends, family and some presumptive individuals call me Charlie, some call me C.T., some call me Semper, some call me Semp, and at least one beloved individual calls me Mud to my face and less flattering things behind my back
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! A few individuals with a sense of propriety have called me Mr. McCullough. Others have called me other things, including Stupid, Dummy and Crabby, as well as Pedantic and Idiotic, and , but none of that has any bearing on this discussion, it was the forum software that makes the quoting function difficult for some folk and creates confusion and delay (and that upsets Sir Topumhat).
Besides, nobody ever calls me for dinner using any name.
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Yes, you might call my analogy an "apples-and-oranges" comparison, but as far as the ability to put a date on a publication it is just a "fruit" comparison, apples and oranges are just fruit in this instance and likewise writing a date on the cover of a publication should not be so difficult for the guy whut decides the date to put there.
I already expressed what my concern is as to why it is of concern to me... in re: it is hard enough to remember where I read something and when I read it, but to decrypt which issue it was in would be lots easier if I could be assured it was the same as the month I received and read the magazine... and... when I go to the newsstand to get the "latest" issue and there are multiple months on the newsstand I can know that the one labeled for the month that is showing on my MLS calender is the "latest" issue. But with the situation as it is, I cannot tell what issue is in question because the date of publication has no relation to when the "issue" was "issued", other than some arbitrary advance in the printed date.
Now to give an example of the date issue... even though I sometimes fit the latter set of names I listed above (the ones that begin with the letters "S", "D", "P" and "I" as well as "Crabby") I am going to make the gross assumption that some of you that are following along this silly discussion (either gleefully or glumly) are presently engrossed in preparations for your New Year's celebration so I am going to apply a date here for when it is intended to be read... namely,
December 31, 2008
There are those that may have "subscribed to" this thread and will receive an e-mail notification of my adding this to the thread and as subscribers they will get to read it in advance to those that only log-on once per day and don't get to see it until the day after I have listed (or maybe later). I did not put a date a few months into the future because that would be a gross exaggeration as to when I actually wrote it and thus present serious confusion to my intended readership. There may also be some folk that will stumble across this thread some time in the future, say next month, and they will see that I wrote it in the past (to them) and will not be confused that it is still an ongoing argument if I were to have put next month's date there... uh, well, I hope it ain't ongoing at that time!
I am still of a mind that publishers that put ridiculously advanced dates on their publications are "silly" and deluded that what they are doing adds more value to their publication than putting a more realistic date would do.
There has been one argument presented in this thread for why the date is set into the future and that is when it is used like a "Sell by" date by the vendor. This makes SOME sense, but just like food that has a "Sell by" date, I'd rather know when the food was packaged so I can decide when I am willing to chance eating it, rather than rely on the packager's idea of when the food is beyond the safe consumption date, because the packager has a motive to sell the item regardless of whether it is spoiled or not and due to that motive I am not sure I trust the packager!
As to the "I got mine" bragging rights; for sure, some of that is just bragging rights, but as far as "who the H*** cares?"... well...? The braggart does, that's who!
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But then, the early bird gets the worm, ya know... and getting the magazine "late" can mean missing out on things of a time sensitive nature. I hate getting adverts on the 10th that specify the sale ends on the 9th!
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Les wrote:
"I'm sorry, if a newspaper can deliver today's paper with today's date then a magazine should be able to deliver this month's issue with this month's date on it... and just think, that all the confusion (you mentioned in your first post) with what issue you are working on would be reduced by, well, one or two months!
" How very wrong you are, Les (and some other here)! An apples-and-oranges comparison, and I can say that as a former editor with a major U.S. newspaper and as the current editor-in-chief of a popular bi-monthly model railroading magazine.
But I'm not sure why the cover date is such a big concern to some. The content of the publication is what should be important, not the date printed on the cover. If you subscribe to a publication and are not missing any issues, you haven't been deprived of anything at all.
Yeah, that is a quote from me... Semper Vaporo is my on-line persona, Charles T. McCullough is on me Driver's License; close friends, family and some presumptive individuals call me Charlie, some call me C.T., some call me Semper, some call me Semp, and at least one beloved individual calls me Mud to my face and less flattering things behind my back
Besides, nobody ever calls me for dinner using any name.
Yes, you might call my analogy an "apples-and-oranges" comparison, but as far as the ability to put a date on a publication it is just a "fruit" comparison, apples and oranges are just fruit in this instance and likewise writing a date on the cover of a publication should not be so difficult for the guy whut decides the date to put there.
I already expressed what my concern is as to why it is of concern to me... in re: it is hard enough to remember where I read something and when I read it, but to decrypt which issue it was in would be lots easier if I could be assured it was the same as the month I received and read the magazine... and... when I go to the newsstand to get the "latest" issue and there are multiple months on the newsstand I can know that the one labeled for the month that is showing on my MLS calender is the "latest" issue. But with the situation as it is, I cannot tell what issue is in question because the date of publication has no relation to when the "issue" was "issued", other than some arbitrary advance in the printed date.
Now to give an example of the date issue... even though I sometimes fit the latter set of names I listed above (the ones that begin with the letters "S", "D", "P" and "I" as well as "Crabby") I am going to make the gross assumption that some of you that are following along this silly discussion (either gleefully or glumly) are presently engrossed in preparations for your New Year's celebration so I am going to apply a date here for when it is intended to be read... namely,
December 31, 2008
There are those that may have "subscribed to" this thread and will receive an e-mail notification of my adding this to the thread and as subscribers they will get to read it in advance to those that only log-on once per day and don't get to see it until the day after I have listed (or maybe later). I did not put a date a few months into the future because that would be a gross exaggeration as to when I actually wrote it and thus present serious confusion to my intended readership. There may also be some folk that will stumble across this thread some time in the future, say next month, and they will see that I wrote it in the past (to them) and will not be confused that it is still an ongoing argument if I were to have put next month's date there... uh, well, I hope it ain't ongoing at that time!
I am still of a mind that publishers that put ridiculously advanced dates on their publications are "silly" and deluded that what they are doing adds more value to their publication than putting a more realistic date would do.
There has been one argument presented in this thread for why the date is set into the future and that is when it is used like a "Sell by" date by the vendor. This makes SOME sense, but just like food that has a "Sell by" date, I'd rather know when the food was packaged so I can decide when I am willing to chance eating it, rather than rely on the packager's idea of when the food is beyond the safe consumption date, because the packager has a motive to sell the item regardless of whether it is spoiled or not and due to that motive I am not sure I trust the packager!
As to the "I got mine" bragging rights; for sure, some of that is just bragging rights, but as far as "who the H*** cares?"... well...? The braggart does, that's who!
But then, the early bird gets the worm, ya know... and getting the magazine "late" can mean missing out on things of a time sensitive nature. I hate getting adverts on the 10th that specify the sale ends on the 9th!
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Actually these "Garden Railways Mags" threads have almost become a tradition. Hey?
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I think most of the "anyone get the new issue?" postings is just people being excited about the prospect of a new issue to read, and looking forward to getting it. If the mag wasn't worth getting excited about, then there would be reason to worry.
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