Magazines - why always a month in advance?

[A4_Family_Man]

Always puzzled me as to why when you purchase a magazine, it always seems to be for the month one or even two months ahead.

So for example at the moment you can pick up December issues of various magazines. Is it something to do with the editorial/production deadlines of publishing houses? After all you can't pick up the newspaper for tomorrow or next week - so why can you with the glossies?

[Hoppy2008]

You are a Timelord!!! AICMFP

[Einion Yrth]

A4_Family_Man said:

you can't pick up the newspaper for tomorrow or next week - so why can you with the glossies?

They don't print the lottery numbers?

[andy400]

Isn't it all about the fact that the December issue, for example, will have the dates and times and details etc for things happening in and relevent to December, so whilst it's called the December issue, they need to get it out earlier so that people know what's on/up/happening etc?

I fink........

[phil1979]

Just a marketing ploy gone out of control; one-upmanship on the competitor.

"Oooh, Evo's Feb 2009 issue is out, I think I'll have that instead of Top Gear's Jan 09 issue" (probably muttered by someone in WHSmith in Sept 08)

Edited by phil1979 on Tuesday 11th November 14:37

[Healey73]

I'm not sure too be honest. Has it got something to do with longer shelf life? As in people will still keep buying it till right up to the end of Nov as it still appears to be current/new? In the same way that £4.99 is supposed to look far cheaper than £5.00

[zeb]

A4_Family_Man said:

Always puzzled me as to why when you purchase a magazine, it always seems to be for the month one or even two months ahead.

So for example at the moment you can pick up December issues of various magazines. Is it something to do with the editorial/production deadlines of publishing houses? After all you can't pick up the newspaper for tomorrow or next week - so why can you with the glossies?

you are not alone sir...bugged me to death for years that has

[A4_Family_Man]

phil1979 said:

Just a marketing ploy gone out of control; one-upmanship on the competitor.

"Oooh, Evo's Feb 2009 issue is out, I think I'll have that instead of Top Gear's Jan 09 issue" (probably muttered by someone is WHSmith in Sept 08)

Could be a factor..

[phil1979]

Healey73 said:

I'm not sure too be honest. Has it got something to do with longer shelf life? As in people will still keep buying it till right up to the end of Nov as it still appears to be current/new? In the same way that £4.99 is supposed to look far cheaper than £5.00

Doubt it. As the next issue comes out 4 weeks after the prvious one anyway - and I rarely see anyone selling 2 different issues on the same shelf. The shelf life is only ever a month.

[Wacky Racer]

Healey73 said:

I'm not sure too be honest. Has it got something to do with longer shelf life? As in people will still keep buying it till right up to the end of Nov as it still appears to be current/new? In the same way that £4.99 is supposed to look far cheaper than £5.00

Buy this Plasma TV for under £800!!.............(£799.99)

[phil1979]

I forgot to add - it also allows the introduction of the 13th issue for the sales hacks (like me) to sell on if they are feeling confident - like a special issue, or supplement, for example - with it throwing out future issue's shelf month.

[Healey73]

Wacky Racer said:

Healey73 said:

I'm not sure too be honest. Has it got something to do with longer shelf life? As in people will still keep buying it till right up to the end of Nov as it still appears to be current/new? In the same way that £4.99 is supposed to look far cheaper than £5.00

Buy this Plasma TV for under £800!!.............(£799.99)

Cool... I ist gona get me of those. £800 would of been out of my league, but less than £800 you say???

[Healey73]

phil1979 said:

Healey73 said:

I'm not sure too be honest. Has it got something to do with longer shelf life? As in people will still keep buying it till right up to the end of Nov as it still appears to be current/new? In the same way that £4.99 is supposed to look far cheaper than £5.00

Doubt it. As the next issue comes out 4 weeks after the prvious one anyway - and I rarely see anyone selling 2 different issues on the same shelf. The shelf life is only ever a month.

What I was trying to say but proably not very well Was if November's issue came out on the 1st of November, people may be put off buying it come the last week of November but if the same magazine had December written on the cover then maybe a few more sales will be made. Just a thought but as I said I don't really know.

[phil1979]

Healey73 said:

phil1979 said:

Healey73 said:

I'm not sure too be honest. Has it got something to do with longer shelf life? As in people will still keep buying it till right up to the end of Nov as it still appears to be current/new? In the same way that £4.99 is supposed to look far cheaper than £5.00

Doubt it. As the next issue comes out 4 weeks after the prvious one anyway - and I rarely see anyone selling 2 different issues on the same shelf. The shelf life is only ever a month.

What I was trying to say but proably not very well Was if November's issue came out on the 1st of November, people may be put off buying it come the last week of November but if the same magazine had December written on the cover then maybe a few more sales will be made. Just a thought but as I said I don't really know.

That's true, to some extent. Publisher A would have thought of this first, then Publisher B copies the idea, then a 'date war' starts. Now we see idiocy in mags like Evo which are probably on Feb already!

[Lurking Lawyer]

There was a similar kind of question asked by a reader in the current edition of evo and the reply was to the effect that it's because they publish every 4 weeks rather than every month.

Over the space of a year, those 2-3 days a month different add up to a month and so they get an issue ahead of themselves.

Or something like that.

[TTwiggy]

I work on (3) listings mags. We have to come out before the programs are on telly or we'd be a review rather than a preview mag...

[phil1979]

Lurking Lawyer said:

There was a similar kind of question asked by a reader in the current edition of evo and the reply was to the effect that it's because they publish every 4 weeks rather than every month.

Over the space of a year, those 2-3 days a month different add up to a month and so they get an issue ahead of themselves.

Or something like that.

Hmmmmm..... so come January 2015 you'll be able to buy the June 2015 issue!

I don't believe them. If this was true, they would start from scratch every January, and re-align the dates for the coming year's issues. But they don't. I dare say some January issues are already out.

[A4_Family_Man]

phil1979 said:

Lurking Lawyer said:

There was a similar kind of question asked by a reader in the current edition of evo and the reply was to the effect that it's because they publish every 4 weeks rather than every month.

Over the space of a year, those 2-3 days a month different add up to a month and so they get an issue ahead of themselves.

Or something like that.

Hmmmmm..... so come January 2015 you'll be able to buy the June 2015 issue!

I don't believe them. If this was true, they would start from scratch every January, and re-align the dates for the coming year's issues. But they don't. I dare say some January issues are already out.

+1

[Mandat]

I saw this question in a computer magazine once and the answer qiven by the editorial staff was to treat the issue date as a sell by date, particularly in the world of computing, where new products are constantly being released and being outdated within 2-3 months or release.

e.g. You buy a December issue in October and that by the end of December the products featured will have been superseded.

[Balmoral Green]

zeb said:

you are not alone sir...bugged me to death for years that has

Me too, December issue drops on the door mat end of October, so what happened to November? Oh, I got that in September.

It irritates me, why can't the November issue be out for the month of November?