Publisher Hearst has ironed out a new agreement with Apple’s Newsstand to deliver the Digital Editions of its entire catalog days before print and and other sources. This means if you are a fan of Car and Driver, Popular Mechanics, Esquire, Seventeen, and Harper’s Bazaar among many others, you will get them on Newsstand days before anywhere else.
The new agreement varies for each title, with some being available a week in advance, and others a few days. The main aspect of this deal is that it is exclusive to Apple. Patrons will still be able to get titles on the normal times via other platforms like Zinio or Kindle.
Hearst is seeing booming revenue on the iPad with over 800,000 current subscribers. It is hard to track the exact number of iOS users because customers have to opt in to provide Hearst with a name and address. Most people tend not to submit anymore information than is necessary, and Apple doesn’t kiss and tell.
This is a savvy move; it gives Apple exclusivity against other distributors and gains bargaining power to reach similar agreements with different publishers.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
