I’m thinking of getting out of adult magazines. Not because of an issue with selling what some might call pornography – each to his/her own I say. No, my concern is that adult magazines like Penthouse, Playboy and Hustler are no longer paying their way.
Take Penthouse for example, sales of Penthouse in my newsagency are poor – the sell through rate is 30% at best for the last year. Given the cover price, at this rate I’m not making money. If I get out of Penthouse then the others probably go as well. I’d keep Picture and People but not the others.
My view is that I need to get out of titles when they are no longer viable rather than waiting for a publisher to decide this.