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Fantascience Digest, v. 3, issue 1, whole no. 12, January-February 1940

Page 36

Page 36                        FANTASCIENCE DIGEST

larly good or bad. And suppose that no one buys another magazine of it: they either drop another to buy it, or leave it alone. But suppose it also averages 50,000 per issue. Those 50,000 copies are going to go off the ten other magazines -- meaning each one is going to drop to 45,000 copies per issue! And the total sales, of course, will remain at 500,000 figuring it that way.

   Naturally, things don't work out quite in that manner. Probably a companion magazine -- still figuring on a basis of 500,000 copies sold -- will sell 25,000 of those without hurting the sales of the other magazines. That is, if it's liked, half of its buyers will merely start to get another magazine.

   But they all won't. There are still 25,000 to account for -- and those 25,000 are very likely to stop buying some other fantasy magazine. So that each fantasy magazine's circulation is going to be hurt 2,500 copies. It's a leadpipe cinch that one fair-to-middlin' magazine isn't going to convert 2500 people to science fiction. 

  All those figures are problematical. They're all high, and it may not work out in just that way. And 2500 copies drop is circulation doesn't hurt too much -- but it will if it's continued a few issues, and multiplied each time a new companion comes out. 

   Thus, I can't see the least reason for starting up companion magazines at the drop of a hat. If a magazine's circulation is getting good, why start a new one? It won't help the sales of the parent any, and the new one will probably lose money for a while until it builds up a following. An editor can't handle two magazines with the ease of one; therefore, neither is likely to be as good as the original one was. Advertising may have something to do with it, but I don't see how. A slick magazine depends infinitely more on its advertisers than does a pulp magazine, and new slick magazines can't be said to be ordinary creatures. 

   But when a new magazine is announced --  whenever you see the announcement in a fan magazine -- there's nearly always a tag to it saying that "if the first issue's a success, there will be at least one companion magazine." Looking forward to companions before the original magazines appears!

   Maybe I've overlooked some vital factor in writing this article that would explain everything. If so, I wish that Weisinger, Hornig, or someone would set me straight. Because if they can't, I'll be sure magazine publishers are nuts! Else, why not build up the circulation of one magazine to a good height, and improve it -- rather than start a companion and degrade both? Maybe if more publishers would look toward quality rather than quantity, we'd have what we should have -- about five fantasy magazines that are GOOD!

   EDITOR'S NOTE: We suspect that Harry Warner is a little off in regards to companions. However, we don't know where he made his mistake, if he did make one, so would some obliging editor compose a reply to this pertinent article and clear everything up?
 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
The H.P. Lovecraft Memorial Volume has now been printed. It is a magnificent volume, containing hundreds of pages of Lovecraft's masterpieces of weird fiction. Price is $5 per copy from August W. Derleth, Sauk City, Wisconsin.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Tell your freinds about FANTASCIENCE DIGEST.

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Page 36 FANTASCIENCE DIGEST larly good or bad. And suppose that no one buys another magazine of it: they either drop another to buy it, or leave it alone. But suppose it also averages 50,000 per issue. Those 50,000 copies are going to go off the ten other magazines -- meaning each one is going to drop to 45,000 copies per issue! And the total sales, of course, will remain at 500,000 figuring it that way. Naturally, things don't work out quite in that manner. Probably a companion magazine -- still figuring on a basis of 500,000 copies sold -- will sell 25,000 of those without hurting the sales of the other magazines. That is, if it's liked, half of its buyers will merely start to get another magazine. But they all won't. There are still 25,000 to account for -- and those 25,000 are very likely to stop buying some other fantasy magazine. So that each fantasy magazine's circulation is going to be hurt 2,500 copies. It's a leadpipe cinch that one fair-to-middlin' magazine isn't going to convert 2500 people to science fiction. All those figures are problematical. They're all high, and it may not work out in just that way. And 2500 copies drop is circulation doesn't hurt too much -- but it will if it's continued a few issues, and multiplied each time a new companion comes out. Thus, I can't see the least reason for starting up companion magazines at the drop of a hat. If a magazine's circulation is getting good, why start a new one? It won't help the sales of the parent any, and the new one will probably lose money for a while until it builds up a following. An editor can't handle two magazines with the ease of one; therefore, neither is likely to be as good as the original one was. Advertising may have something to do with it, but I don't see how. A slick magazine depends infinitely more on its advertisers than does a pulp magazine, and new slick magazines can't be said to be ordinary creatures. But when a new magazine is announced -- whenever you see the announcement in a fan magazine -- there's nearly always a tag to it saying that "if the first issue's a success, there will be at least one companion magazine." Looking forward to companions before the original magazines appears! Maybe I've overlooked some vital factor in writing this article that would explain everything. If so, I wish that Weisinger, Hornig, or someone would set me straight. Because if they can't, I'll be sure magazine publishers are nuts! Else, why not build up the circulation of one magazine to a good height, and improve it -- rather than start a companion and degrade both? Maybe if more publishers would look toward quality rather than quantity, we'd have what we should have -- about five fantasy magazines that are GOOD! EDITOR'S NOTE: We suspect that Harry Warner is a little off in regards to companions. However, we don't know where he made his mistake, if he did make one, so would some obliging editor compose a reply to this pertinent article and clear everything up? """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" The H.P. Lovecraft Memorial Volume has now been printed. It is a magnificent volume, containing hundreds of pages of Lovecraft's masterpieces of weird fiction. Price is $5 per copy from August W. Derleth, Sauk City, Wisconsin. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Tell your freinds about FANTASCIENCE DIGEST.