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Unfortunately, this is a bit of the problem that I usually face with Dark Discoveries. It's significantly cheaper to ship boxes directly from the printer to the distributors. By the time I get my own boxes, pack up each subscription or store copies individually, and ship them out the distributors have lightning shipped them to retailers and they have been on the shelves for a couple of weeks. As much as I have tried to figure out a way around it, there isn't anything I can do about it and stay in business. And I bet CD, Weird Tales, etc. face it on a much larger scale then I do.

I guess that's your choice as far as whether or not you subscribe or buy it in the store. You get the discount from buying the subscription, but sometimes have to wait longer than just buying it at your local Barnes & Nobles, etc. I'll tell you one thing though. If I had to depend on the distributor rather than subscriptions and direct sales, I would have shut it down long ago. The returns are just too small from Ingram and the like. I get some money, but mainly do it for the exposure now to get new subscribers, contributors and advertisers. I know how it sucks to see it on the rack and wonder why your copy hasn't arrived yet (I'm still waiting for my CD #58 copy too while I just saw it on the shelf last week!). I wish I could find a way to turn that around for everybody.

One of the things I am trying to do is have incentives for Dark Discoveries subscribers. That way it means something to have one besides just a guarantee you will get each issue at a discount off the cover price. For one, I have always given additional discounts to subscribers who renew and now I started doing special book tie-in projects where subscribers get a perk as well. With Catalysts, besides the discount for pre-orders, I gave an extra discount to DD subscribers. On this Limited Edition Chapbook promotional package deal I did recently, I offered it to current DD subscribers a week ahead of time before I announced it. Not too far down the road (hopefully a little later this year), I will be doing a special chapbook that will be free to subscribers and will only be available that way. Next year, I am planning to do either a Best Of or original Anthology and plan to do something around that. I always want to do something as a special thank you to everybody who has stuck with us through the good and bad.

One cool thing about Cemetery Dance #58, is Rich said it would not be charged against subscribers tallies. So a free issue is certainly a good thing in my book!

- James
www.darkdiscoveries.com