300 Years of the Steam Engine

Just thought I'd mention it.

The Magazine "300 Years of the Steam Engine" was available in W H Smith's today (got my copy), why wait till the 25th to get it.

First impressions, brilliant, it's got to be as it has been edited by our own lovely Diane.

Great job Diane.

Len. P.

Hi There

If it is not in your local Smiths, ask them to check the stock room.

Often they do not put specials on display.

It is also avaible direct form MyHobbyStore.

regards David

Thank you Len. Kind of you to say so.

I would be grateful for any feedback, good or bad, on all aspects of it.

Thanks. Diane

I had an email 2 days ago saying my 'pre-order' copy had been despatched!! Guess its coming by snail mail - literally!!! as it has yet to arrive. I agree what is the point of pre-ordering and paying for the priviledge when it can be had in the local WH Smiths days ahead of receiving it by post - damned poor show in my opinion, but then what can we expect from a company who cannot put together a decent website or forum!!

Grrrr

I had a despatch confirmation on May 4 ("despatched today".

I had another one on May 14 ("despatched today".

Since I'm in Canada I don't expect it for some days .... hope they haven't sent two copies.

(UK postal service must be very efficient - notwithstanding the cost - if you can expect it to arrive within 2 days. Around here, I'd only start to get antsy after 4 - 5 days for local mail. Probably more than that from the extremes of the country)

Edit:

Oh that stoopid, stoopid smiley-bracket. Can't someone fix that? I know I'm not the first to complain by a long chalk.

Edited By Sid Herbage on 17/05/2012 02:07:17

Hi Sid,

Just put a space after the final inverted commas (like this" ).

Regards

Terry

Stop wingeing.

We can't be held responsible if Smiths put it on sale a fortnight early.

Well mine arrived today, I think tahts a reasonable time given despatch note was dated the 14th, if it had been sent first class we would only be having to pay more.

As for whats the point in pre ordering or ordering it now even, well as I'm a long way off getting a free bus pass it saves me petrol driving to local Smiths in the hope they actually have it and also the parking costs.

Only had a quick flick through but it looks like Diane has done a good job, nice big picture of an Easton & Anderson beam which is my next project and The Dredger has been on teh cards for a long time but at a larger size.

Not had a chance to check the Dredger drawings yet but it does look like they include the bits that were missed from the mag originally and printed some issues later.

J

Can I preface my comments by saying that I am a subscriber, have been for many years and am satisfied with both the magazine and the delivery I get.

However David, having spent 20 years in the contract printing and magazine distribution industry, it is you as the publishers who are the customer of the printer and distributor, they should play to your tune. Also I suggest that you in turn do have a responsibility to your customers especially subscriibers . Especially with the contract print industry as it is today you have a powerful hand.

I suspect that the printers are getting the bulk supplies out of their factory warehouse system to the Wholesalers & Newsagents to create working space for themselves; and the subscription copies are sent off to a mailing house where they wait their turn with all the other magazines to get enveloped and posted. Meanwhile the ordinary copies are already with the wholesalers & newsagents, who naturally put them on sale as soon as they recieve them irrespective of publication release date.

Given that subscriptions are mainly there not to benefit the reader, but to give the publisher a secured source of revenue they can base their budgets & forecasts on; then with all due respect you do have a responsibility to get the subscriber copies out early. It is a simple matter to write into the Printers contract that they do not distibute wholesale copies untill after the mailing house has confirmed that all subscription copies have been sent out, with suitable substantive penalties for them if they do not.

They won't like it of course but in the present economic climate use the significant business clout that you have to benefit your readers and maintain subscription copy numbers and revenue that you will undoubtdly loose in a steady flow if people can get it in the newasgents earlier. You will only retain subscribers who do not have easy access to well stocked local Newsagents, most notably rural areas This will take a long time to show in the finances due to the annual nature of subscriptions but you will see a steady long term decline until the newstand sales mean the forward budgeting brcomes unreliable and we end up loosing our valuable magazies due to lack of sales.

With the big stable of specialist titles you are a significant customer and you and especially your subscribers have every right to be treated as such.

Kind regards and thanks for a very enjoyable magazine.

Can I put an alternative view to Brian's.

Over the years, 20 or so, I have used: buy from WHS; regular order with local newsagent; susbscription. I used to live near to Bradford whilst working in Leeds. I now live in a rural area.

Of all these, overall subscription has been the most reliable - except a few years ago when Nexus sold out to My Hobby Store, or whoever. I have seen the magazine on sale in Leeds WHS before my newsagent has received my copy: apparently this was the wholesaler, Menzies I believe, correctly holding on to the newsagent copies until the required date (WHS were on display early). Unfortunately, this did cause ill feeling between myself and the newsagent until I realized what was happening. Hence, even though I lived in a city, I went for the subscription as I then didn't have to bother too much about newsgagent/Menzies/WHS/dates.

One thing I have noticed out here in the sticks, is that depite having a permanent order with my newsagent for the weekend papers, there have been times when the wholesaler, Menzies, does not supply sufficient copies even for the newsagents permanent orders: which then necessitates walking back home, getting in the car and driving to the nearest filling station where I have always found many copies of the missing paper. Ok, it is only 1½ miles, but it should not be necessary. Now consider what would happen if I placed a permanent order for the magazine and it doesn't turn up. How long do I wait? Especially as the nearest large WHS is 27 miles away. There are two smaller ones about 14 miles away but there is no guarantee that they will have them. Furthermore, there are no other large WHS type shops within easy reach which may stock the magazine.

It does not actually bother me if my subscription is delivered after they are on show in WHS etc. As long as I get it, that is, but in reality, subscription does seem to be the most reliable option for me. Certainly if I was dependant on the local newsagent with a permanent order, my experiences over the years would leave me rather worried each month until it turned up as I simply do not trust the wholesaler.

Regards,

Peter G. Shaw

Hi Terry,

It wasn't actually inverted commas that was the problem - it was the closing bracket (parenthesis strictly). Does it work for that too?

Like this:

(Test 1)

(Test 2 )

.........

(Edit)

Oh ... well now I am confused. Apparently it was the quote (inverted commas) that was the problem as you said but the smiley replaced the parenthesis so I figured it was the problem.

Anyway, now I know.... I suggest this isn't continued. I don't want to hijack the original topic.

Edited By Sid Herbage on 17/05/2012 14:24:48

Hi Brian

WH Smith insists we supply about 4 weeks before specials go on sale. They did not get them early, they got them when requested.

If they decide to put them on sale before the on sale date they can and we have no control over it.

Also, usually Smiths stick them in the stockroom and don't bother to put them on sale until a couple of weeks after the on sale date.

regards David

Would actually be interesting to know if its all branches of Smiths who put them out early or just the one The Merry Miller uses?

Anyone else seen it in their local??

I'm also sure that Smiths has more cloat over MHS so David does not have much choice, I think it was a job a while back to be certain that all branches would even carry ME.

J

Edited By JasonB on 17/05/2012 17:20:54

As you asked... Tried my local WHS (mid Hampshire ) - not on display today. Mike

WHS in Basildon had them on display today - got my copy, looks to be a wonderful read!

Well done, excellent stuff!

Alan

Once again Essex leads the way!!

Len. P.

I did not realise until just having a look through the dredger plans that in fact its BOGOF which makes the special even better value. Rather than leave the back of the sheet blank MHS has also given us plans for Westbury's Theseus horizontal engine.

This is a nice little engine that can be built from barstock and still look like castings were used and not too tricky for a beginner.

Well done MHS

Hi, postie dropped my copy through the door yesterday, am I miffed that it was on sale at Smiths beforehand? Well not in the slightest, for much the same reasons as Jason, not only that but I'd have to have made a special trip into town on Saturday or Sunday and using up some of my valueable me time in the process.

Regards Nick.

Hi There

We like to overdeliver hence the extra free plan.

regards David

Just got my copy from Smiths. It says on the front cover 'Exclusive to WHSmith'.

Do all the copies have this on the cover or were two print runs done, one for Smiths and one for every one else?

John