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PUBLISHER SERVICES A COMMITMENT TO YOUR BOTTOM LINE STARTS WITH OUR PROMISE OF UNSURPASSED SERVICE Disticor is a company of specialists who effectively eliminate the obstacles, uncertainties and frustrations often associated with newsstand distribution. We develop precisely targeted distribution programs. We perform initial testing campaigns and we can help publishers develop promotional strategies. We inform clients of market changes and trends. We are committed to maximizing the use of the latest technology for our clients’ benefit. In short, we're always ready to give the assistance and support publishers need when it’s needed most. With a high staff-to-client ratio, Disticor’s publisher clients enjoy the confidence which comes from dealing on a regular basis with a personal account manager. Similarly, a lower titles-per-account manager ratio ensures that each publication receives the consistent service and attention it deserves without getting lost in the shuffle. Over the years Disticor has earned a reputation as a successful distributor of special interest titles. Ever sensitive to the needs of smaller publishers, Disticor has the flexibility to build sales at a pace with which all publishers are comfortable. SALES & MARKETING Disticor's marketing team is strategically located at field level across the US and Canada and is well supported via a head office marketing staff. Both assist publishers in launching or re-launching their publication(s) into the North American market for all classes of trades, including the supermarket, drug, convenience, terminal, newsstand, bookstore, gift shop, department, military and specialty accounts. Working with the publisher, Disticor’s sales and marketing staff analyzes the market research and demographics gathered by the publishing company including readership surveys, focus groups, as well as reader and competitive publications profiles. Once the competitive publications are identified, Disticor gathers national competitive sales data. This will include information on category leaders in the subject matter, the allocation of copies by market, unit sales by market, cover prices, on sale dates, frequencies and total retail accounts by market carrying said titles. Such information will determine the best markets for distribution, the quantities to be distributed and most importantly, it will identify the classes of trade best suited to the needs of a publication. Having completed this vital market research, the findings will be reviewed with the publisher. The sales and marketing staff will identify key retail groups across North America that would be appropriate venues for a publication. Disticor will secure any supply authorizations required by the appropriate retail groups. Disticor Magazine Distribution Services' marketing team has contact with over 200,000 US and Canadian retailers and can arrange promotional opportunities at store level, regardless of budget size. For additional information regarding our marketing department and how it can best meet a publisher’s specific needs, please contact Susan Keaveney, Vice President, Sales & Marketing. DISTRIBUTION Effective sales and marketing programs can only be implemented with the support of a well organized and efficient circulation department. The Distribution department works with publishers to determine print orders (wholesaler allotments based on market penetration), seasonal trends and retail authorizations. Disticor field personnel replicate daily Disticor Distribution Analysis (DDA) information creating a field on-line allotment program. This expedites alterations in wholesaler allotments leading to higher copy efficiencies and net sales. All publications are scheduled for full agency by agency allotment reviews on a regular basis. Circulation specialists within the department conduct these reviews. For further details, please contact Valerie Madill, Vice-President, Circulation TECHNOLOGY In order to remain competitive and to meet the challenges of doing business in a marketplace where newsstand wholesalers in both the U.S. and in Canada service in excess of 200,000 retailer customers, our management team deemed it imperative to invest heavily in systems. The results of this investment have proven fruitful. Disticor and its client publishers continue to enjoy the benefits of information quickly gathered, interpreted and put to use. INTERNAL COMPUTER NETWORKS Disticor manages four (3) internal computer networks. A brief description of each network follows. LINUX (BBX) Linux based with over 180 tailor made programs & routines, this program meets both Disticor’s and its publisher clients’ needs. It is an in house custom designed accounting and sales reporting system second to none in the industry. It is directly linked to Disticor’s Internet site where it provides sales and retail display allowance information to publisher clients in a timely manner. LOTUS NOTES GROUPWARE Lotus Notes GroupWare was introduced to Disticor in 1995. Since then Disticor has developed over 80 different in-house databases which assist the management of the field force and the internal administration network. Every document or form that is created is electronically produced and stored in these databases making Disticor better able to support the distribution of each magazine. INTERNET SERVICES The disticor.com site provides sales and retail display allowance data from the main billing system, BBX. This data is “pumped” to the Internet site via ODBC technology eliminating human intervention and ensuring that publishers receive the most current data available. The following options are available 24-7 on Disticor.com HTTP://WWW.DISTICOR.COM Disticor.com is a website on the Internet that we have developed to better serve the needs of our clients. It provides publishers access to current sales data and uses a publication profile to assist in the marketing of titles. Within this website clients can view Disticor Magazines, access Publisher Services, and connect to the popular Information Center. INFORMATION CENTER The Information Center on disticor.com is a unique service offered to Disticor clients and provides publishers direct access (using a secure code) to up-to-date information, twenty-four hours a day. The following views are available to publishers, if applicable: • Sales Information • 10 Week Return Flow • RDA By Class of Trade • Retailer Authorization • Frequently Asked Questions • Newsstand Reference Guide • Publisher Ledger • Sales Forecast Model This data is accessed by going to www.disticor.com, clicking on “Information Center”, and then entering a secure code obtained through Website Administrator Denise Boswell (dboswell@disticor.com). If you would be interested in viewing a sample of the databases, contact Denise for the access codes. RETAILER AUTHORIZATION The Retailer Authorization view indicates retailers who have given authorization to Disticor to supply magazines to that chain of stores. There are two view options within this database: 1. Macro view listing chains authorizing the title. 2. Micro view (click on the magnifying glass) listing the retail locations of that chain. Macro view showing authorized chains
SALES INFORMATION The Sales Information view contains the current net sale position of the publication with views to reflect draw and net sale by wholesaler across North America. The net sales and return information is updated every day and there are several different view formats available (UPC, Issue, Wholesaler) to peruse this information for all issues that are currently open for return credit. We have also provided publishers with the option of downloading this information into their own system. To this end, there is a “Download to Excel” feature that will create a file, as well as “Instructions for Downloading”. RDA BY CLASS OF TRADE The Retail Display Allowance information can be viewed by title, issue and chain reflecting retailer net sales based on RDA submissions. The sales information within these retailers can be viewed by Class of Trade and by Retailer. The last three years of Retail Display Allowance information is captured in this database. 10 WEEK RETURN FLOW The Ten Week Return Flow view shows a return flow history for the first ten weeks an issue is on sale reflecting draw and return by wholesaler for all open issues. The return flow is based on the Affidavit date of the return from the wholesaler. This is a good analytical tool that can be used to highlight any problems, or other anomalies, early. SALES FORECAST MODEL The Sales Forecast Model is another unique tool that Disticor has designed to assist the publisher in detecting, as early as possible in the distribution cycle, the sales outcome of each issue outstanding. The report utilizes previous return flow history from either the last three closed issues or three issues of choice. The returns are then plotted against the week in which the wholesaler returned the product for credit. There are 12 weeks of return flow with any return beyond the 13th week being captured in a 13-26 weeks column. The average draw and returns from the closed issues are then determined by week and a return flow percentage calculated. The return flow percentages are then applied to the issues we are looking to forecast. Sample Sales Forecast DISTICOR MAGAZINES Disticor.com contains a publication profile for each title it represents. Its primary function is a marketing tool our sales reps frequently utilize, but it is also accessed by wholesaler’s marketing and distribution departments and by retail customers. By featuring a sample cover image, an editorial description, retail price, frequency, and category, the Publication Profile window on Disticor’s website increases the visibility of each magazine. Since its founding in 1996, the IPA's mission has been to help independent publishers continue publishing and remain independent. IPA founders are themselves independent publishers, committed to the ideals of social justice and a free press -- and visionary enough to see the logic in combining forces. Now, with over 300 members, it has grown to become a rich chorus of diverse and independent voices. The IPA offers help with the nuts and bolts of putting out a magazine, so that you can continue to distribute your vital perspective. For more information on IPA click hereor email indypress@indypress.org PBAA - Periodical & Book Association of America Founded in 1965, PBAA is a not-for-profit organization for publishers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, consultants, and industry service providers. The PBAA mission is to:
PBAA provides an open-style forum of communication and encourages its members to voice opinions and concerns regarding the single-copy industry. Our membership currently consists of organizations which publish and distribute magazines and books in the United States and abroad. PBAA's Goals Improvement of Marketing ... To aid in the improvement of marketing methods and distribution procedures through sponsorship of participation in research and other industry-oriented programs which lead toward the common good. Fact-Finding and Research ... To collect, prepare and disseminate information relating to the publishing industry and allied fields, which is of interest and value to the membership, the publishing community and the public. Newsstand Expansion ... To expand the facilities for the sale of products of the publishing industry throughout the nation and without artificial restrictions. Industry Relations ... To secure cooperation and better business relations among Publishers, National Distributors, Wholesalers, Retailers and Suppliers. Public Relations ... To engage in any activities which, in the view of membership, will reflect confidence and respect and foster good-will for the industry in its relations with the public. Freedom to Read ... To defend the lawful right of Americans to read, buy and sell reading matter of their own choice. For further information on PBAA please visit www.pbaa.net or contact Lisa W. Scott - Executive Director (212) 563-6502 Fax: (212) 563-4098 LScott@pbaa.net or lisawscott@hotmail.com CMC - Circulation Management Association of Canada The CMC is a non-profit organization formed to help circulation staff by providing training and professional development. Started in 1981, membership grew steadily and so did the scope of the organization. In 1985, the CMC began publishing The Circulator, the only Canadian publication written especially for circulation professionals. In 1989, the CMC Scholarship was established to allow Canadian circulators to attend major publishing-related programs. In 1992, the CMC was one of the "founding associations" that was instrumental in launching MAGS conferences. In 1997, the CMC established the ACE Awards to recognize outstanding achievement in circulation marketing. And in 2000, the CMC announced the Magazine Marketer of the Year Award. From the beginning, the organization has relied heavily on volunteers and the goodwill of larger Canadian publishers to deliver high-quality programs at inexpensive prices. The organization is still largely run by a board of elected volunteers and its goals and objectives are the same: "To provide professional development, promote fellowship within the circulation profession and to raise the profile of circulation professionals by rewarding outstanding achievement". As a non-profit organization run by a volunteer board of your peers in the industry, the CMC knows the issues and challenges facing Canadian circulators today, and is dedicated to providing the best education and networking opportunities available at prices that fit into your tight budget. For more information on CMC - membership info, upcoming workshops, newsletter, ACE Awards, and much more - visit the CMC website at www.circ.org or contact them directly at: Attn: Colleen Burton, 2 Bloor St. W., Suite 100, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3E2 Tel: (905) 946-0353 Fax: (905) 946-9529 PRINTERS Publishers often ask for contact information regarding printers. To this end, we have created the attached list. We would like to keep expanding this list so would appreciate you taking the time to send an e-mail containing the contact information for the printing company you use. Click here to access the List of Printers MR. MAGAZINE Samir Husni, aka "Mr. Magazine™", is Hederman Lecturer and Professor of Journalism at the University of Mississippi where he heads the magazine service journalism program. Dr. Husni is the author of the annual Samir Husni's Guide to New Consumer Magazines, which is now in its 15th year. He is also the author of Launch Your Own Magazine: A Guide for Succeeding in Today's Marketplace, published by Hamblett House, Inc He has presented seminars on trends in American magazines to the editorial, advertising and sales staff of the magazine groups of the Hearst Corp., Hachette Filipacchi Magazines, H&S Media, Meredith Corp., Reader's Digest Magazine, ESPN the magazine, Sail Magazine, American Airlines Publishing, the National Geographic Society, the Swedish magazine group Bonnier, the Finnish magazine group A-LEHDET, Southern Progress magazines, New South Publishing, Inc., the Society of Professional Journalists, the American Society of Magazine Editors, Vance Publishing Corporation, the Florida Magazine Association, The Magazine Association of Georgia, the National Society of Black Journalists, and the American Press Institute. He is "the country's leading magazine expert," according to Forbes ASAP magazine, "the nation's leading authority on new magazines," according to min:media industry newsletter; and The Chicago Tribune dubbed him "the planet's leading expert on new magazines". Sonitek’s mission is to serve as the link between our North American clients and it’s offshore Fulfilment Centre and ensure an optimal balance between quality service to our customers with low cost delivery. Overview
" We offer numerous publishing services to writers, editors, publishers, educational institutes, corporate businesses and resource-based organizations. Our efficient and experienced team can work on large domain of subjects including fiction, non-fiction,reference material, educational and instructional pieces, white papers, periodicals etc. Please visit us at www.sonitek.ca for a complete listing of our wide range of services. For all quotations please contact Terry Dinger at 416-385-9949 Ext. 22 or email at terry@sonitek.ca." |
