I read issue 2 of Explode magazine this morning. It’s part trash, part froth and a bit of substance. Okay I’m not in their demographic and am therefore unable to reasonably assess the product. As on selling the magazine, however, my assessment is that it’s not a good product. I guess time will tell. At $5.95 it’s a fair price and that seems to be appealing to some I have spoken to. In its present form though it’s a bit all over the place. Boys who want to see girl pics will get a mate to buy them Picture, People, FHM or Ralph. They’d see Explode as tame. Younger kids, early teens, may buy but parents will freak when they look under the covers.
Explode bothers me on another front. The cover price is $5.95. This means I, as a newsagent, make $1.48 from each copy sold. To promote the title I’m providing four display pockets which cost me $9.95 a month in rent. I also have a live six cardboard cit out in store promoting the magazines – taking up $100 worth of real-estate. I’d doing this to promote the new title.
The publishers of Explode are respecting my effort and the effort of 4,600 other newsagents by actively seeking direct subscriptions on page 83. They spruik a 30% discount off cover price if you subscribe. I make 25% and do the work to launch the title in store to existing traffic. They then say to those customers, hey forget the newsagent where you found us and go direct and save 30%.
I appreciate that magazines need subscriptions as part of their reader mix. To offer subscriptions at a 30% off cover price and to absorb considerable shipping costs while giving newsagents just 25% to launch a title is poor form.
Based on just the three display pockets in my store I would need to sell 18 copies of the magazine to cover the real-estate costs. I’ve been given 20. I expect to sell under 10. Explode will be a loss situation for me.
The model of newsagents and other retailers receiving 25% for new titles with a heavily discounted subscription offer is discouraging. Publishers need to be more respectful in their financial arrangements with newsagents. Either that or newsagents should be more demanding of better financial terms from publishers.
The success of any magazine is due, in part, to in store display by newsagents. This space allocation and time commitment needs to be on economically viable terms, title by title.
who ever wrote this is a moron explode is an excelent mag but u dont see it this is a short letter just saying ur a loser without brains this is however from a 13 year old i love the mag but for now good bye moronic ass
what makes the magazine so excellent? it it even educational? coming from a 13 year old i see you obviously haven’t developed brains just yet, who’s the moron now? how do you think 17-18 year old girls feel by being exploited for little boys like you to just stare at. it’s quite obvious that girls develop maturity alot quicker & could possibly be the reason that in most relationships the boy is older. find something else to read
Explode was not only about girls there were other things in the magazine like cars comics and facts. i think that u people need to grow up the magazine is for a bit of fun so grow up and act your own age!
I think it is an awsum mag i meen im only 12 but hey its not only got chicks in there, it has a wole heap of cars and i think they should still make the magazine. IT SUCKSHOW THEY DONT MAKE THEM ANY MORE.
Hi there,
Is there a website and contact email address for Explode magazine?
Thank you! :o)
No, there is no website. Sorry.
i know thats this was the magazine alot of boys/teenagers read around australia its they boys version of like dolly and girlfirend it doesnt just show girls it has cars(all boys like there cars) and it would teach the younger guys learn how to have fun with girls and make them machure, thats what dolly has done with girls these days. im 15 nearly 16 and all ym m8s did read it and they liked it. i think ur coments are not true and false.
thanks explode liker
r u crazy? as ben pointed out, explode is like a male version of dolly/girlfriend, except with info more relevant to guys. mags like dolly are worse in my opinion, they try to send a message out to teenage girls that they can use guys in a number of ways. i dont want to get into that too much though. my point is, a lot of teenagers need something that can intrest them (cars, girls, sport etc.) and still keep them aware of important issues (drugs, unprotected sex). they also need to find out more about the changes they are going through in puberty. it is very hard for someone to stand up in a sex ed class and ask a question about their own sexual health or what to do once they have made mistakes. it is a lot easier to be able to ask and recieve info from a community that wont judge them and understands what they are going through. EXPLODE was that community – i say was because unfortunately it is no longer avaliable. but i for one was very glad that that magazine was avaliable to me when it was, because i needed to know some stuff that i couldnt just go and ask friends/teachers/parents about. it’s not quite that easy. the pics of girls are exactly the same as in dolly etc.. those mags also have pics of guys for chicks to look at. anyway, its better to have kids looking at that than actual pornography, which many people seem to unfairly label the mag as, but will still let girls oogle over chad michael murry in girlfriend or some crap. thankyou for your time, and please reply to my e-mail with your answer.
I agree that Explode was a very good magazine for the targeted age-group (being in the targeted age-group myself).
However the publisher of this article wasn’t criticising the magazine itself (yes, he did say that it was part trash, but he also said that it had substance), he was criticising the skills and morality of explode’s marketing and financing team.
And I do disagree with “Annoyed older sister”. By being put in the magazine, those girls are not being “exploited”; they are paid for it, that’s the whole reason they become models… To have their pictures publicly printed.
And even if they are, the pictures are no worse than the pictures of guys that magazines like girlfriend and dolly display; I’ve seen pictures in those magazines of guys wearing nothing but underwear… Are they being “exploited”?
Explode had a website in 2006!
Hi,
My name’s Dean and I’m a journalism student from Sheffield University in the UK.
We’re in the process of making a pilot magazine aimed at teenage boys much like Explode.
I would really appreciate any advice you have on what features you would like to see in such a magaizne. What type of interviews would you like to see? What percentage of the mag should be dedicated to hot women? We’re looking at putting the top pranks you can play on your mates and MILF of the month – what do you think to features like these? We also plan to do a sports section and entertainment review section, would you read these in a magaizne? Also what would you like to see on the front cover?
Any advice you have would be awesome. Please email on joa04dle@sheffield.ac.uk.
Cheers,
Dean Evans
Dean, I was not involved in producing the magazine. I suggest you make contact with the editorial folk at pacific magazines in Australia. Mark
Hi,
How sad i was to hear the magazine “Explode” was removed from publication.
I work as a children and youth services librarian and i feel boys aged 12-17 are forgotten when it comes to magazine publication.
This was a great magazine and now i have to search for something similiar to buy for the public libraries.
If anyone has a suggestion of a magazine which covers diverse, small articles, short stories in it please let your public library know.