Newsstand sales for magazines fell 9.1 percent in the second half of last year, reports The New York Times. This is noteworthy because:
Newsstand sales tend to be driven by the economy and are a more timely indicator of a magazine’s vitality than subscriptions, which tend to lag and which can be driven by heavy discounting. While newsstand sales are a small percentage of most magazines’ circulation, they are a profitable part of it–publishers typically charge only a fraction of the newsstand price for a subscription copy.
Titles that were particularly hard-hit include W, Newsweek, and Time. Bon Appetit‘s sales also fell, despite the demise of competitor/sister magazine Gourmet.
But: there is cheery news, too. Off-Road Adventures, Women’s Health, and People StyleWatch all saw overall circulation gains.
