Cambridge_lad wrote:I'm a first time poster here and have logged on to ask this very same question.
I havent seen a copy of What Diesel/Diesel Car for the best part of 6 months! And its not just WH Smiths its vanished from, but Sainsburys and a few newsagents too!
I understand the reasons the editor has given, but it seems rather short sighted when magazines and newspapers are struggling to keep their paying readers as it is.
While the circulation problems have now been resolved, I think you have raised some important points Cambridge lad, and ones that need answering.
To give you a bit of background as to how magazines work, all newsagents/outlets charge publishers for them to stock the magazine, whether they sell any or not. So you could send 5 copies to WH Smiths and for that you pay an amount of money for it to be sitting on the shelves. If you don't sell any, you still have to pay. And if some copies are sold, WH Smiths then take a cut of the cover price too - so it is a win-win situaton for them.
The price paid varies depending on outlet, but in WH Smiths case, putting the price up by 50 per cent meant that the profit from stocking the magazine in WH Smith was tiny - enough to put Diesel Car into deficit rather than profit. So you can see why the previous publisher weren't prepared to accept the increase and chose to remove themselves from the store until a better price could be negotiated.
Thankfully, the new publishers have negotiated a great deal, and that is why Diesel Car will be back in WH Smiths from the next issue. Not only will Diesel Car be present in the High Street shops, but also Travel too, comprising of airports and railway stations.
So it is very much a case of onwards and upwards for Diesel Car in the future.
Ian Robertson
Editor
Diesel Car Magazine