All media markets face a challenging 2025. Magazines are no exception. The challenges come from rapid shifts in technology, from social and political uncertainty, and from a collective awareness that big changes also create new opportunities. At Exact Editions we attend to the digital opportunities:
- Audiences and subscribers are already largely digital. Digital subscriptions and digital access are therefore the top priority.
- Magazine databases are potentially more valuable than print editions. For many libraries, a digital magazine is more valuable and more accessible than a pile of printed issues. Being more valuable to the reader, the researcher, and the library, a much higher priced subscription is chargeable.
- Our experience suggests that the site-licensed and complete digital archive, for a magazine with research or educational relevance, will be worth at least 10X the annual print subscription price.
- This is profitable, new, growing and renewable revenue.
- This year we are pleased to be paying out record royalties from institutional sales. These royalties are the direct result of our efforts and expertise in library markets.
- Library subscriptions are highly renewable and, for almost all titles in the list, there is great scope to grow the installed library base.
- When a magazine goes digital a complete and searchable archive makes a big splash for individual subscribers (and builds loyalty). The completeness of an archive also underpins library sales for all magazines with a library market.
- Magazines are periodicals par excellence and their continuity and regularity is a key strength. All magazines on the Exact Editions platform are automatically updated with each new issue. A complete archive with new issues is leaning towards its digital future, as each new issue deepens the resource.
- Preservation and permanence are goals which have encouraged Exact Editions to work with librarians and publishers to achieve something that both parties need: perpetual access.
- Subscriptions for perpetual access are now being offered for 40+ titles at a premium price with immediate benefits for the publisher. And long term benefits for libraries and readers.
This past year we have been struck by the importance of permanence and preservation for magazine content. Digital magazines with their archives are often seen as ‘retrospective’ resources. But for libraries, and even more for publishers and individual subscribers, there is strong interest and value in the concept of ‘prospective’ access to a resource which is gradually being updated with new issues. Long term subscriptions create long term obligations and expectations.
Permanence and preservation are solid values with a bankable premium in our fast moving digital culture. Exact Editions is encouraging librarians to meet the goal of guaranteed, reliable and permanent access to content, and is at the same time establishing a mechanism whereby publishers can be assured of the long term preservation of the magazine. Their brand, its value, its subscribers, its accessibility, and its content.
Exact Editions will be helping more magazines to become more digital in 2025: our publishing partners should expect the reliable, friendly and careful support and service that we reliably deliver. We also have key platform and commercial developments to announce and look forward to learning more about your needs and expectations for software or digital developments.
Daryl Rayner and Adam Hodgkin