Linda Ruth's Page

Stand back, people: nothing here to see. Only the train wreck that has been our industry for the last twelve months or so.

In the sing-along blog that bears his name (and, to start the New Year off properly, I resolve not, at least in the context of this blog, to use the word ‘eponymous’), Dr. Horrible (played by Doogie Howser, if anyone remembers him) tells us this: the status is not quo.

He couldn’t be more right. And, if we’re talking about print publications, it has been getting less and l… Continue

This is what I hear from a national distributor today:

Sometime soon—within the next two weeks, to be exact—SuperValu is going to “roll out a new program” in all of their banners.

The SuperValu banners include such important chains as Albertsons, Lucky, Acme, Biggs, Jewel-Osco, with a total of about 2,500 retail outlets nationwide.

What is the new program to be? Is it a special reading zone in top stores, such as the one that Safeway successfully implemented? Highlights on the mainline, cover… Continue

A publisher recently asked me: How hands on should a publisher be with their bookstore distribution? Should they take copies out of lower-selling outlets? Can they put those copies into higher-selling ones?

The process of moving copies from lower selling outlets into better selling ones is what we call order regulation. Order regulation is being done continually, by publishers interested in their sales by store and by the distributors that distribute to the bookstore chains. In addition, decisi… Continue

The annual conference of magazine publishers, distributors, and wholesalers convened last week in Phoenix, Arizona. Attendance appeared to be at an all-time low, but meetings continued as usual, new titles were presented, business was transacted.

Spotted: Samir Husni, AKA “Mr Magazine” giving his message of hope to publishers eager to receive it.

With the sobering news from Conde Nast kicking off the week of meetings, a pall settled over the proceedings. Have we gathered together to preside ov… Continue

Some publishers have been finding that their national distributor reps have been more silent, less available of late than they were in the past.

Believe me, they’ve had good reason.

Think about all those outlets that had to be transitioned when Anderson News Company went out of business.
Thousands of outlets, carrying hundreds or even thousands of magazines suddenly were without a wholesale distributor.

The News Group and a few other wholesalers stepped in, and with really heroic efforts they… Continue