Magazine Subscription Renewal Services

Americans spend in the billions of dollars each and every year on magazines; whether they are bought off the shelf or have a running annual subscription, the periodical industry is definitely one that is not seeing any slow down due to current economic conditions. Perhaps it is easier and cheaper to dream than it is to buy or actually do. In any case, our homes and offices are stocked full of magazines and newspapers and a lot of them don't even get read. One of the main reasons why people have so many magazines laying around is because the publishers make it so very easy and inexpensive to maintain an annual subscription. If you've ever thumbed through one, there's no denying that they're littered with inserts for the sole purpose of the reader to obtain a subscription. This isn't bad at all; in fact most magazine subscribers can save as much as 85% off the cover price.

The process is simple and almost perfected over years of tested and monitored progress. Person X sends in an insert, the publisher's agent sends back a bill and sometimes the first issue with a bill, person X either sends back a check (which is becoming less common these days due to identity theft) or credit Card information for processing and presto, an annual subscription is born. That's the easy part. Today, first time subscribers are ending their subscriptions to even their favorite magazines after the first year's subscription has ended; however, the same customers continue to purchase those same magazines locally, at the store at full cover price. Why and how does this happen? There are a lot of opinions and publishers have definitely done their homework, but the bottom line is they know, but will probably not let us all know their secret to get subscriptions back up.

A popular way that has been tried in the past with some success is by means of telemarketing; meaning publishers or publisher's agents will contract telemarketing companies to call current subscribers to renew their subscriptions over the telephone. This has been proven to be effective and will probably be done for some time. Though the telemarketing world has a dark cloud over it, magazine subscription renewal is accepted and in many cases a win win for both parties. Due to the nature of the telemarketing industry, the ability to process customer credit cards has been limited and definitely an uphill battle. It's no secret that telemarketing is considered to be at or near the top of the list of industries that banks will take a risk on. Unfortunately for the publications industry, them and their telemarketing counterparts are taking a hit in the profit margin, and it all hinges on credit card processing.

As banks don't like to be hassled with magazine renewals through telemarketing companies, they do anyways, but attach extremely high rates and usually require a security deposit or end up holding a bit back for impending chargebacks. This isn't going to change and will not get better, but may get worse as time passes. An alternative to processing domestically is going off shore through an international bank. Through most transactions are domestic, this is perfectly legal and offers benefits to the companies. Most international banks offer lower rates and some will even waive a security deposit.

Magazine subscriptions services

Have you ever thought about why people use a magazine subscription service? The idea of getting magazines at a substantial discount is very appealing. Really though when you think about it magazines are a great way to relax. Even moreso, magazines are a fantastic way to get the latest information. Books are fine when the topic is older; however, they are not necessarily the most up to date when it comes to the latest trends. If you are a constant traveler like me then you like a variety of reading choices.

Publisher reserves the right of final approval of both the form and content of each contribution from the Author. Publisher may, as it deems desirable, adapt and edit or authorize the adaptation and editing of each contribution. Publisher may or may not publish a contribution at its sole discretion.

One of my favorite magazines, Robb Report, provides the finest luxury items on the market today. Sometimes, the products are so new that they are not even for sale, yet. It's easy to get lost in your dreams when you read a magazine like the Robb Report. The beautiful cars, like the newest Ferrari, or the hottest getaway spot for the rich and famous. Just because you have money doesn't mean that you want to waste it. That's one of the beautiful things about magazine subscriptions when you use an online discount savings service, you don't pay retail prices and you can save money for the luxury items you pine for.

In consideration of the services performed by Contributor hereunder and the rights granted and assigned hereunder, Publisher agrees to pay to Contributor, subject to the terms herein, an amount as set forth in Exhibit B.

Again, that's pretty straightforward. The question is, what's actually written in Exhibit B and what kind of "kill fee" is detailed, if any. And here's the final clause, in Exhibit B, that punctures a hole in any sort of argument that the publisher may have with the author:

Payment for each contribution shall not be made until such contribution has been approved for print in the magazine. In the event that a contribution is not accepted for print, the contributor shall not be entitled to payment.

My reading of this is that it's an all-or-nothing contract. There's no legal provision that gives them the right to withhold partial payment for any reason: either the terms of the contribution are met as detailed in the Exhibit, or they're not, in which case "the contributor shall not be entitled to payment."

If the difference is more than a miniscule amount I would suggest that you call up the publisher and say that upon further reading of your contract, you do not see that they have any basis for withholding 2/3 of your payment and that you'd like to see a check issued for the balance of the article payment immediately.

Traditional Publishing Services

When we speak of "traditional" publishing, we refer to companies that buy the rights to make selected works public. A traditional publisher, whether small or large, will select the best work out of many submissions, draw up a contract with the author, take out a copyright in the author's name, and pay the author for various rights, including first publication rights. The publisher makes the entire monetary investment, as well as taking all the monetary risk, and recoups that investment from book sales. The author may be paid an "advance," which is an "advance against royalties." Once the advance is earned back, the author receives any additional royalties from further book sales.

In order to succeed in the competitive world of book sales, the publisher must be highly selective about the books it choses to publish. No one can predict actual book sales, and the industry is sometimes taken by surprise by a book that suddenly soars to the top of the best-seller list (or that plunges far below expectations). Nevertheless, a publishing company cannot afford to take risks on books that it believes are unlikely to sell.

With the campaign's targets, goals, and tone set, a brand can begin to weed through its publisher options. Cost is an obvious and immediate consideration for a brand when it is evaluating publishers. How much will the brand receive from a publisher in return for what it will pay out? Traditionally, advertisers are charged on a cost-per-thousand-of-impression (CPM) or cost-per-click basis. With the economic crunch causing advertisers to pull back on marketing, advertisers are leaning more toward paying for results. To answer the retreat in marketing dollars, some publishers have established opportunities that are billed on a cost-per-lead (CPL) or cost-per-acquisition (CPA) basis. A publisher that offers a lower CPL and can generate a robust amount of leads can help a brand maximize its advertising budget.

The features available on a publisher's website should also factor into a brand's decision-making process. If a publisher cannot supply the functionality that a brand needs to execute its campaign, even the lowest CPM or CPL isn't worth much. For example, if a brand wishes to utilize rich media or e-mail creative, a publisher that doesn't accept rich media or has a small (or no) e-mail database may not be a good fit. Additionally, a brand needs to look for publishers who are willing to support sponsorships or special opportunities (e.g., co-registration, roadblock advertisements, sweepstakes, or brand