Non-Sport Update Ending Publication

[cmixer]

I guess this is a good time to remind everyone that the Staff & Writers of Non-Sport Update magazine had nothing to do with this decision. - They were just as surprised and grieved. In fact, the issue before the "final issue" was their 35th Anniversary issue an they were looking towards the future. This was entirely a Beckett decision. - Beckett bought the publication 10 years ago from the Toser family.

[TimBuckTwo]

Wow it is unbelievable that they have up and screwed all of their subscribers like this.

What a dirty scummy vendor.

[finfangfan]

Looks like Beckett is being bought by PSA which might be another reason the print publication was cancelled…

https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1622006

[CicadaMound]

Ironically this might be a good thing for "Non-Sports Update" since PSA can just use that name for their Pop Culture/TCG magazine now. Someone get Nat Turner on the horn!

On a separate note, our very own cmixer was on our very own jedipencil's podcast to talk about the end of NSU and the state of the non-sports hobby generally:

[dd316]

Originally Posted by CicadaMound

On a separate note, our very own cmixer was on our very own jedipencil's podcast to talk about the end of NSU and the state of the non-sports hobby generally:

Not to continue the digression too much, but this is a great episode of a great podcast. Ingrid and Lindsay need to carry the torch!

[80s Showtime]

Originally Posted by dd316

Not to continue the digression too much, but this is a great episode of a great podcast. Ingrid and Lindsay need to carry the torch!

That was a good listen

Hopefully “Non-Sport Update” magazine will get a “Volume 2” and start publishing again with a new Number 1 issue. Comic book collectors seem to like Number 1 issues so maybe it can translate over to the collectible magazine genre with a little marketing push from PSA.

[BlowoutBuzz]

Originally Posted by finfangfan

Looks like Beckett is being bought by PSA which might be another reason the print publication was cancelled…

https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1622006

The circulation statement toward the end of the last issue shows a reason why it ended. The stats were not impressive.

[Rictor]

Originally Posted by BlowoutBuzz

The circulation statement toward the end of the last issue shows a reason why it ended. The stats were not impressive.

What was the circulation?

[BlowoutBuzz]

I didn't re-check issue's stats for firm numbers but something like 4,700 total copies printed each issue and only about 2,600 copies per sold (on average) in total via subs and elsewhere over the span of a two-month issue. It's broken down all the various directions via the statement they have to run once a year.

[cmixer]

Originally Posted by BlowoutBuzz

I didn't re-check issue's stats for firm numbers but something like 4,700 total copies printed each issue and only about 2,600 copies per sold (on average) in total via subs and elsewhere over the span of a two-month issue. It's broken down all the various directions via the statement they have to run once a year.

I've heard this but I am still in disbelief.
According to Google, there are 600 Barnes & Noble stores in America. My store gets 3 or 4 copies. If every store got 3 copies, that's 1800 of the 4700.

There are countless Hobby shops in America. If even 1000 stores carried 2 copies each, that's another 2000.

[BlowoutBuzz]

Originally Posted by cmixer

I've heard this but I am still in disbelief.
According to Google, there are 600 Barnes & Noble stores in America. My store gets 3 or 4 copies. If every store got 3 copies, that's 1800 of the 4700.

There are countless Hobby shops in America. If even 1000 stores carried 2 copies each, that's another 2000.

Well, unsold copies from stores get returned ... so that part goes into the stats, too. I'd bet hobby shops have to order a minimum of X copies to get any ... so I'd bet a lot of shops would pass for non-sports vs. sports.

[80s Showtime]

Part of the problem is probably that hobby shops didn’t order a bunch of Non-Sport Update for fear of being “stuck” with them if they didn’t sell through. The sports card stores that I’ve been to in the last couple of years rarely even carried the Beckett sports card magazines anymore and if they did it’s only a handful of issues and maybe double that amount for the Baseball version. Very different from the 1990’s when the Beckett magazines were at every card store.

Originally Posted by cmixer

I've heard this but I am still in disbelief.
According to Google, there are 600 Barnes & Noble stores in America. My store gets 3 or 4 copies. If every store got 3 copies, that's 1800 of the 4700.

There are countless Hobby shops in America. If even 1000 stores carried 2 copies each, that's another 2000.

[glorbgorb]

Obviously not a large sample size, but I have not seen an NSU at any of the 3 or 4 B&Ns near me in years. Those numbers above may not be that far off.

[finfangfan]

Someone mentioned upthread Wizard being cancelled years ago due to low sales and rise of the internet. I was curious on circulation and found this online….

[80s Showtime]

Okay, looked at the stats of the final issue. There’s too many lines for me to type out right now, but here’s a few “highlights” of the circulation numbers.

• Total No. of Copies (Net Press Run): 4,731 / 4,770
• Paid/Requested Outside-County Mail Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541: 837 / 820
• Sales through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Non-USPS Paid Distribution: 1,139 / 1,096
• Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 1,976 / 1,916
• Total Distribution: 2,734 / 2,675
• Copies Not Distributed: 1,997 / 2,095
• Total Paid Print and Electronic Copies: 2,084 / 1998
• Percent Paid (Both Print & Electronic Copies: 73.33% / 72.47%

I wonder if the “copies not distributed” are the Barnes & Noble allocation or if that’s part of the “counter sales” section?

Also, how much would it cost to publish an issue at a circulation of 4,700?

[finfangfan]

Here is what Google says….

Printing 5,000 magazines typically costs between $1,000 to $4,000+, averaging around $0.20 to $0.80 per magazine, heavily depending on page count, paper stock (glossy vs. matte), binding (stapled vs. perfect bound), size, and if it's a saddle-stitched or perfect-bound finish, with more pages and higher quality paper increasing the price significantly, say a 20-page stapled magazine might be around $1,000-$1,500, while a 60-page perfect-bound one could hit $3,000+.
Typical Price Ranges for 5,000 Magazines:
Lower End (Fewer Pages, Stapled): Around $1,000 - $1,500 for 12-24 pages, stapled.
Mid-Range (More Pages, Higher Quality): $2,000 - $3,000 for 40-60 pages with better paper and binding.
Higher End (Thicker, Premium Finish): $3,000 - $4,000+ for 80+ pages or specialized finishes.
Key Factors Influencing Cost:
Page Count: More pages = more paper and printing time.
Binding: Saddle stitching (staples) is cheaper than perfect binding (glued spine).
Paper: Heavier, glossier paper costs more than lighter text stock.
Size: Standard sizes are more economical.
Finishes: UV coating, special covers add to cost.
Turnaround Time: Faster service often costs more.
Example Price Points from Printers:
A 20-page, 5.5x8.5 magazine might be around $1,370 for 5,000 copies.
A 40-page, standard size magazine could be about $2,257 for 5,000 copies.

[Rictor]

Magazine circulation has always mattered less than advertising sales. If you can't sell a bunch of full-page ads, you can't afford to publish the magazine. For years, you could get a lot of print magazines for free because they wanted to keep circulation numbers high to sell ads.

When I worked at a newspaper, everyone wanted to advertise in our weekly free paper because it went to 100K homes, even though 99% of those people threw it away because it was a free paper. Our daily paper had a much smaller circulation but it was paid and those people actually read it, so it would have been smarter to advertise to them for a cheaper price.

Newsstands (including book stores) are allowed to return magazines if they don't sell for a refund. Comic stores, card shops, and other hobby shops are part of the direct market and can't return any comics/magazines they buy (since the 1970s). In exchange, they get to purchase at a larger discount (50% of cover price).

[80s Showtime]

Interesting info.

The NSU was 72 pages so maybe it cost around $1.00 each to print.
Subscription price could be had for around $5.00, but shipping had to take a proportion of the profits.
Then Barnes & Noble has to have those return privileges so is it possible Beckett made about $2 per physical issue on that $8.99 cover price?

Yeah, they’d need more advertising revenue to survive and most hobby advertising seems to have gone to digital recently.

Originally Posted by Rictor

Magazine circulation has always mattered less than advertising sales. If you can't sell a bunch of full-page ads, you can't afford to publish the magazine. For years, you could get a lot of print magazines for free because they wanted to keep circulation numbers high to sell ads.

When I worked at a newspaper, everyone wanted to advertise in our weekly free paper because it went to 100K homes, even though 99% of those people threw it away because it was a free paper. Our daily paper had a much smaller circulation but it was paid and those people actually read it, so it would have been smarter to advertise to them for a cheaper price.

Newsstands (including book stores) are allowed to return magazines if they don't sell for a refund. Comic stores, card shops, and other hobby shops are part of the direct market and can't return any comics/magazines they buy (since the 1970s). In exchange, they get to purchase at a larger discount (50% of cover price).

[BlowoutBuzz]

Originally Posted by glorbgorb

Those numbers above may not be that far off.

The published numbers are legally required to appear once a year in a publication and, in theory, be accurate.

[BlowoutBuzz]

Originally Posted by 80s Showtime

Interesting info.

The NSU was 72 pages so maybe it cost around $1.00 each to print.
Subscription price could be had for around $5.00, but shipping had to take a proportion of the profits.
Then Barnes & Noble has to have those return privileges so is it possible Beckett made about $2 per physical issue on that $8.99 cover price?

Yeah, they’d need more advertising revenue to survive and most hobby advertising seems to have gone to digital recently.

There's a lot more cost that goes into creating a publication beyond the physical printing ...