Physical distribution

Most publishers negotiate with their printers to ship copies to one or two distribution depots. Thereafter the distributor arranges for copies to be distributed to the wholesale network. Carriage costs from the warehouse to the wholesaler are calculated on a tonnage basis and are normally equivalent to one per cent - three per cent of the cover price remit. Some publishers pay separately for the carriage and this will be reflected within the remit.

Magazines can go on sale on any day or date chosen by the publisher. The distributor will liaise with the publisher and their printer, agreeing a distribution plan to make the magazine available for sale in accordance with the publisher's needs. Publishing schedules must be provided in advance and strictly adhered to. Late publishing can have a detrimental effect on both sales and cash flow.

The distributor maintains on order from every wholesaler for every publication on the computer system. The orders for any given issue are 'closed' at a pre-determined date so that the distributor can inform the publisher of the number of copies required to fulfill the trade orders. The publisher can then pass this figure to the printer, adding any copies needed for subscriptions or any other purpose. Any order changes received after the closing date will either be supplied from the balance by the distributor's trade counter or take effect from the next issue.

The printer is required to pack in stock bundles (a fixed number of copies which should be agreed between the publisher, distributor and printer) and 'odds' parcels (parcels containing fewer copies than stock bundles). The inclusion of advertisement or editorial inserts or covermounted gifts may require extra time to be built into the printing schedule.