Paperback Magazine Sales Plummet Giving Rise to Digital Editions Sales Figure: A Report

Digital Editions

Publishing digital editions of magazines are more profitable these days. Whether or not you believe it, one of the most popular news daily reports that magazines newsstand sales plummets, albeit digital editions are taking over the lion share of market. All Smartphone devices are yielding to the expected results. And digital editions are gaining popularity which is simply good news for digital publishers. Let’s dive deep into the stats and insights.

What Data Reveals
The first half of 2013 saw various popular magazines struggling hard to enhance their sales of subscription. However, in order to survive they found out inroads in selling digital editions. This is what data that was revealed on 8th August 2013 suggested.

More specifically, the total number of paid and verified subscriptions decreased by 1 percent and the newsstand sales figure plummets by 10 percent in the first half of 2013. In same period a year ago, this was the trend without the slightest statistical variation. Newsstand sales figure is considered as an indicator of a magazines appeal in the public. Its declines for two consecutive years and the rise in digital editions popularity are evident clues- digital editions are capturing the market fast.

Women titles and weekly celebrity magazines got the biggest blow. These types of magazines in printed format couldn’t even compete with the digital content published by their rivals.

Who Stands Where: Stats

Big names are also at stake. Vogue and Vanity Fair magazines in printed format experienced the same hardships. Both saw sales decline by 10.4 percent (Vogue) and 11 percent (Vanity Fair). The only exception was Time; it received a rise of 1.2 percent in newsstand sales among all struggling weekly news magazines.

Digital Editions Brings Smile Back

Despite newsstand sharp sales decline, digital editions of Vogue and Vanity Fair had a hike in subscriptions for online content by 2 percent. And Time total subscription (both print and digital) rose by 0.7 percent.

Digital Fly High

A survey report by the Alliance for Audited Media suggested that a solid base of loyal end readers is turning to digital editions of magazines. Those who replicate the print versions of magazines met a sales rise by 3.3 percent of total number of magazines circulated. This survey reports added that 10.2 millions of digital editions of magazines were sold in the half of 2013. In 2012, the number was 5.4 million which is doubled in 2013.

Reality Bites

Celebrity Weekly magazines in print had big losses.  Start from People to Us Weekly to Life & Style Weekly, all had huge losses. The figures were 11.8 percent (People), 16.7 percent (Us Weekly) and Life & Style Weekly (20.8 percent). The reason behind this disaster was mentioned as the exclusion of big event coverage like- the birth of the loyal baby that fuels sales hike.

First Thing First!

Digital editions are reaching end readers in no time. Saving readers time, it goes handy on the go. Taking these reasons and the economical rates at which digital editions are available, Digital Publishing is set to gear up in 2014 as well, according to industry experts and analysts.

If you don’t publish digital version, you may experience the same experience detailed above. Start planning today; get digital editions to earn sustainable revenue and a loyal reader base.

No matter what, these sales figures of digital editions of books and magazines will rise further in 2014 for sure, say experts. They added, the reasons are pretty simple. Flexibility of reading at anytime anywhere and cheaper cost of digital magazines are fueling reader’s desire to read on their rectangular device. Digital Publishers, however, must stay tuned to the latest trends and market stats available to all from experts.