Month mix up?
Tue, Aug 24 2010, 10:36AM
I assume this has been happening for years but I'd be interested to find out how it came to be that an October issue does on sale at the end of August. Doesn't September come next? [;)]
Tue, Aug 24 2010, 10:51AM
#2
Something to do with 13 issues a year and something to do with not wanting your publication to look 'dated' on the shelf throughout the month compared to all the other monthly publications.
(Although August 24th for an October edition is a bit extreme.)
[Sorry. Was typing whilst Andrew was posting.]
Tue, Aug 24 2010, 10:57AM
#3
OK - cheers guys
( Andrew - I had bought the September issue 
)
You missed September - that's just gone off sale.
It's common for magazines to publish in the month ahead of the cover date, not least because of the psychology of someone picking up a magazine at, say, the end of August, with an August cover date, and deciding it's old and there must be a new one due out soon.
However, things do get a bit skewed this time of year by the fact we publish 13 issues each year, not 12: the usual dozen with monthly date lines, and the Awards special, due on sale in October.
So with a magazine out every four weeks, not every calendar month, things get a bit 'pulled forward' around now, then get back to normal post-Awards issue.
Consulting Editor, What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision/whathifi.com Audio Editor, Gramophone