Digital Magazines vs Print Magazines

Since 2006, College Subscription Services has been offering digital #magazine subscriptions through Zinio, the leader in digitizing magazines. What started off as a small sample of some popular titles has been ever-growing to include over 2 dozen.

Each version has its own advantages–print, the age-old format, allows a reader to leisurely view a magazine at his or her own time, and allowed the reader to get lost in an article or story. The downside is the length of time that it takes to get a new issue through the mail, the economics for the publisher, and that print does not juxtapose well against the 24/7 news cycle of the internet.

Digital was supposed to solve all of that, and especially after the tablet was introduced a crew years ago. The speed of downloading, the mobility, the links to pertinent links have all made digital magazines the new frontier.

So what is the future of magazines? Personally, I believe it will be both. While digital magazines are fast and save space, they are not easy to read right now, even on mobile devices. Print is slow, but the format can be easier to read. It all depends on how someone wants to consume their news and information.

CSS can offer several magazines in both formats:  Flip magazine is  a men’s and women’s combined title in the style of Maxim and Cosmopolitan that comes in print and digital formats, and we now have a title called Volo, a  fine art nude and lifestyle magazine that is available  only in digital format.

What do YOU prefer?  Let us know at info@cssmag.com what you prefer to read.

Free Magazine? Really?

Yes, really…..

FliP is two magazines in one; a Maxim-like magazine for guys and Cosmo-like magazine for women…all wrapped up in one print and online magazine that literally ‘flips’ from the FLiPm side to the FLiPw side. Guys can enjoy their half of the magazine and be able to peek at the women’s side, and vice-versa, all your guilty pleasures in one magazine!

The publishers of Flip magazine are giving away free 6 issue subscriptions (print & digital) of the title, which is worth $47.70 at the newsstand.  They are looking to increase their database of people who are interested in this type of all-in-one male & female magazine.

So, what’s the catch, you ask?  None.  All we do is collect your name, address and email address and send it to the publisher.  there’s no obligation, nothing to buy.  We only ask that you follow the link to www.CSSMag.com and order Flip Magazine.  You’ll receive the first issue in about 6-8 weeks (the May 2014 issue), and you can then decide what you think of the title.  Let us know what you think when you get it, email us at info@cssmag.com.

 

 

Magazine Prices–Up or Down?

An interesting industry article came through today about magazine cover prices, which states that, even though People is raising it’s per issue price to $4.99 this Friday, you are probably paying the same newsstand price as you did 9 years ago.  Fascinating news, ss it seems the past 3 years ever publisher has been increasing newsstand rates.

Magazine cover rates are the “Price Is Right” pricing, so to speak—you pay the printed price when you buy them at the bookstore or the grocery store, but subscription rates are almost always much, much less.  Because a publisher can count on X number of subscribers, they know who many will mail out; however, the sell through at best of newsstand issues is 50%.  

We saw cover prices start going up after the crash of 2008, whenever the advertisers started pulling out.  Now, with the proliferation of tables and smartphones, publishers are really trying to push the platform over to electronic devices rather than print.  What you pay, though, is always a market value,   And if you aren’t paying anymore than you did in 2003. good for you!

 

A Magazine Returns to Print

The owners of the Daily Beast sold Newsweek recently, and the new owners immediately announced that they would resurrect the print edition (it had been a digital only title for over a year).  What does that say about the future of digital magazines?

For a publisher to offer a magazine in print format once again says a lot about the changing direction of the magazine industry.  CSS has carried digital magazines offered by Zinio since 2006, and while I would like to say that the sales have been scintillating, frankly, they haven’t.  But that seems to be the norm for digital titles overall–a great and versatile medium for reading publications, but still in its infancy in reaching readers.

While at this writing we haven’t received authorization to carry Newsweek print (we do offer the digital version),  from what we’ve heard it will be a $7.99 cover price.  That may be  where we are headed with print versions–higher prices to cover  lower advertiser participation.

We still feel that there will always be a place for print versions of magazines, along with the newer digital platforms.  At College Subscription Services, we’re happy to offer both.