Free magazines: How it works

[FLvamp]

New link: http://www.all-freemagazines.com/
Purports to have tons of free mags all the time, changes on a daily basis. YMMV.

For a super long and detailed info post on Mags Central, Freebiz Mags and their relationship to publishers, please see here (http://forums2.slickdeals.net/t111530.html?)1. A fun read and interesting. I posted the whole thing in a new response below, as some folks have told me they can't read it unless they are members. Anyway, relavent from that post: The nuts and bolts of MagCentral Offers:
Unless they say no renewals, you can use a NEW offer to renew. You may not renew through successive new links that all stem from the same offer. You might get away with that once or twice, but in general - it's one sub PER OFFERING. For example, if Blender comes around and there are five different links in 3 days - those are NOT different offers unless the coding on the link clearly indicates a different originating site. You should wait until Blender comes up again in a month or so to try and renew. And, when you renew, you still run the risk of getting dupes.

MagCentral DOES not send out emails to people who have signed up in the past even though they claim they do. They do sometimes send emails as part of certain Listerves, but the general public cannot sign up for those, so quit buggin' me to give you the secret sign-up page to get invites from MagCentral. It don't exist.

{snip}

No, you won't get a bill from MagCentral offers but they will send renewal notice sometimes sneakily designed to look like invoices and bills. LOOK CAREFULLY. Even I have been fooled by the NatCom renewals via FBM. If you get something you think is a bill - DO NOT FREAK OUT. Look closely and carefully. 99 times out of 100 it is NOT a bill. I have over 40 subs from MagCentral and I have never gotten a real bill from any of their offers.

FreeBizMags has been really hot lately, and they've cleaned up their act. YMMV. Here's another great info post (http://forums2.slickdeals.net/t108485.html?)2 from same author above, strictly for FBM. Entire article is below in my post #3.

[FLvamp]

*1**
Mythbusting MagCentral

MagCentral - All you ever need to know and a lot you don't

Before I begin, I acknowledge the work of Freebie Hounds who have gone before me and who have willingly shared the fruits of their labor. They know who they are and they don't require being named by name or User handle.

Warning - this is very long and involved - if you only want the Nuts and Bolts - skip ahead to the BIG RED HEADING that says Nuts and Bolts. Thanks.

**How I know what I know
There are some misconceptions about why Magazine publishers give away what appear to be 'Free' Subscriptions and what role MagCentral plays in those giveaways. I seek to correct that. I worked for years for a Magazine Publisher that had a group of 20 different titles over the years but which has since been merged with another company. The company I worked for was itself the child of a divorce between two partners of a much, much bigger and famous group of Mags. While I didn't work in Circulation, the Circulation director was my best buddy and she shared a lot of the scuttle with me. I was shocked to learn how much a rip-off a full-price subscription really is. I have never paid full price since. I still belong to a couple of publishing Listserves and I sometimes get my freebie offers from them. Back to MagCentral:

**Background: The relationship between MagCentral and the Publishers

MagCentral is a two-way conduit, out of which flows no cost and low cost subscriptions. What flows in the other direction is your name and address which can then be counted as a 'Paid subscriber.' That's right, I said PAID.

Most freebie Hounds have figured out that at the very least, Publishers don't make money on Subscriptions - they make it off the rates they charge Advertisers which is figured on the basis of the number of PAID subscribers. That's right - PAID.

Many freebie hounds think a publisher can give away free subs all they want and count them as 'subscribers' and then charge advertisers accordingly. They cannot. That's cheating. Magazine Publishers are all voluntary subscribers to an Audit system that audits the subscribership every quarter and reports back to an association they all belong to. Magazine Publishers set their Ad rates (their 'rate cards') based on the numbers these audits contain.

If they anticipate an increase in readership, or their business plan calls for it and their projections look right, they can go ahead and publish a new Rate card based on those projections, but - by golly, they better live up to it or their goose is cooked. They can be fined if they misreport their readership and the audit proves it.

This is where MagCentral comes in.

Minor Digression - who pays for these Free subs and Why
Bear with me for a moment while I explain how the 'Free subs' you get from MagCentral are in reality discount subs:

A 3rd party sponsor will pay the bare minimum sub rate, usually around $3.60 per sub being given away. They'll buy a thousand or ten thousand Subs & they'll pay the publishers a lump some. The publisher will then make these subs available via MagCentral - the offer will be posted on the originating site (The drop Point) and it will then be poached by freebie hunters.

All those subs count as PAID Subscriptions when that big old audit company comes along and audits their circulation. The Publisher then gets to set their ad rates as if you paid for that sub. Nice, huh?

**How MagCentral Differs from Freebizmags
Where MagCentral differs from freebizmags is that freebizmags uses these sponsored subs to then double-dip and lure you into subscribing to free trade Mags. They get paid by the Trade Mags per new subscriber and then the trade Mags then go and add you to their subscriber rolls. Trade Mags don't have to deliver Paid subscribers to justify their ad rates. What they deliver is a guarantee that advertisers are reaching QUALIFIED Subscribers.

FBM's reason for existing is to gain qualified subscribers for Trade mags. They use consumer mags as a lure. MagCentral exists to pump up Subscriber rolls via the giveaways of deeply discounted subs.

All subs given away via FBM and MagCentral are paid for by somebody, just not us. Advertisers don't really mind because as far as they are concerned - somebody paid for it, even if that somebody paid the bare minimum.

**How all these Discount mag sub places can get away with charging $4 and change for a sub
This bare minimum is what all these discount Mag places pay to the publishers. They take on a dollar or two for their profit and call the whole thing "a Processing fee.' Sell enough of those steeply dscounted subs plus a bunch more at higher rates and you're making a good income

I used to be able to Subs at these rates via a big list all the publishers had at their accounting departments.

Now - you can find these insider rates at dozens of Discounted Mag Sub Sales Sites. or - you can wait for somebody to sponsor a giveaway.

**How Publisher's Clearinghouse fits into this
Incidentally, this is how Publishers Clearinghouse works too. They pay a different rate, a slightly higher rate than the barebones rate - one the publishers can claim as a higher category of 'paid' and then they tack on their fees. Publishers rely on PCH to pump up sagging Sub Roles. You'll notice, the mnore a mag needs subscribers, the lower their PCH rate will be.

Incidentally, PCH takes up to 3 months to start subscriptions and so does MagCentral - it's because they operate in similar ways. First they gather the new subscription data themselves and then they have to forward it to the publisher. That's why magCentral offers take a while to begin.

**Why Publishers use sponsored discount sub giveaways:
Sometimes publishers over-reach and promise subscriber numbers they can't deliver - MagCentral and other such places to the rescue! They can plump up their 'paid' subscribership real fast via MagCentral. Sometimes it's part of their plan all along. Blender has been selling ad space for months now on the strength of being 'The fastet grownog Music Magazine in America.'

How does this affect you - well - it doesn't. I'm just telling you how it works.

**Here's how these offers make it to us:

Now MagCentral Sponsors contract with certain websites to make these offers available to THEIR MEMBERS as a premium or a gimme. Freebie hounds sniff them out and bring the offers here. Nobody really cares - the result is all the same. Sometimes however, it does matter and then the originating site will add a couple extra verifying steps to prevent the offer from drifting.

You may wonder why would a sponsor buy discounted subs to give away? Well, it all works out in the end. They may get consideration on future ad rates or they may get one free page of advertising or whatever. trust me, these sponsors get something for doing this and they may not get it from the magazine they sponsor, but they get it from somebody - maybe another title under the same publisher.

All you need to know is that Publishers use this system to their advantage and you might as well too. Nobody expects that we will finesse the system for endless renewals or horse-trade our unwanted subs and so long as we don't start doing anything stupid like trying to sell our 8 year free sub to Blender - they won't care.

The nuts and bolts of MagCentral Offers:

Unless they say no renewals, you can use a NEW offer to renew. You may not renew through successive new links that all stem from the same offer. You might get away with that once or twice, but in general - it's one sub PER OFFERING. For example, if Blender comes around and there are five different links in 3 days - those are NOT different offers unless the coding on the link clearly indicates a different originating site. You should wait until Blender comes up again in a month or so to try and renew. And, when you renew, you still run the risk of getting dupes.

MagCentral DOES not send out emails to people who have signed up in the past even though they claim they do. They do sometimes send emails as part of certain Listerves, but the general public cannot sign up for those, so quit buggin' me to give you the secret sign-up page to get invites from MagCentral. It don't exist.

That Google trick doesn't work anymore. MagCentral fixed the loophole. You cannot Hack their directory and nor should you even want to - that's illegal and not playing fair.

Yes, there is a predictive pattern to the link codes. If you are smart enough to figure it out - good for you. It still won't force those new links to be activated - it will only maybe give access a few hours earlier than anyone else.

No, you won't get a bill from MagCentral offers but they will send renewal notice sometimes sneakily designed to look like invoices and bills. LOOK CAREFULLY. Even I have been fooled by the NatCom renewals via FBM. If you get something you think is a bill - DO NOT FREAK OUT. Look closely and carefully. 99 times out of 100 it is NOT a bill. I have over 40 subs from MagCentral and I have never gotten a real bill from any of their offers.

I think that covers it all. Post questions so long as they aren't "Tell me the places you find MagCentral links." If you all check Slick Deals a couple times a day - you will have access to all the MagCentral links you will ever need.

[FLvamp]

**2**
Mythbusting Thread : The Truth about Freebizmags!

The Super Simple Guide to getting Freebizmags Subscriptions - the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Myths Busted! Ballons Burst! Check it out!

Introduction: Freebizmags is a great site that offers free subscriptions to both Trade Magazines and Consumer Magazines. They earn their money by increasing the circulation of Trade magazines. To do that, they offer you good magazines, hereafter referred to as 'Consumer magazines' such as PlayStation Magazines, Outdoor Life, Budget Living, Giant, American Angler, American Cowboy, Log Cabin Living, Upscale, Horticulture, Radar, tennis, Computer Games, etc., etc.

Their goal is to lure you in with the free Consumer Magazine offer and then, while you are signing up, get you to agree to receive one or more Trade Magazines during the application process. All of us have fallen for this at the beginning because there are many myths on freebie sites about Freebizmags. I have believed some of them myself and even perpetuated a few back when I was still gullible. (please forgiuve me for I am heartily sorry and do repent).

However, it is my goal today to save you, the Noob, from all such myths and to keep your mailbox free of Silly Trade Mags (unless of course you actually WANT to receive Spot-Welding Illustrated or Miniature Vegetables Monthly)

Here we go:

If you are new to Freebizmags, find an offer that seems valid - One where experienced Slick Dealers say "Thanks, got it." Then, click on link:

Type in the name you use for mag subs and an email addy you actually check every day, preferably one you have set aside just for Freebizmags. You want a real email addy cuz Freebizmags sends account holders fresh links to free Consumer magazine offers at least once or twice a week.

Then, you are faced with the first hurdle: what to write as your Business info. You can be honest and try and figure out what to select for your oown profession (something I did) or you can use the easiest option which is this:

Other
.....Student
..........Other
...............Student
....................Student

That should spare you being offered lots of dumb Trade Mags.

MYTH NUMBER ONE: "There are special combinations that qualify your for certain FBM offers" (However, for some specialized titles, it seems that profile might matter.. read posts to this thread for examples.)

>>>>BUZZER NOISE<<<<

Wrong! In general, there are no magic combos. Any combo should get you any mag if indeed there are subscriptions to be had. (This may not be true for some mags, but it is true for most of them) It's best to stick with one profile that you find works well for you. Don't like the "Other, Student, Other, Student, Student" option?? Well, try this one … it's easy to remember and looks fascinating and is an actual profile from my next-door neighbor:

Communications/Utlility
.....Radio/Broadcasting
..........General Management
...............Administration
....................Account Manager

Don't like that one? Try this one if you are a teacher (or if you want ART IN AMERICA.. hehe):

Education
.....Education
..........School/Library
...............Education
....................Educator

Okay ... now if this is your first try opening a FBM account, you will get a page which at the top SHOULD ideally show the mag you were hoping to get at the top of the page highlighted in yellow with a check next to the box. If you see that, that's a good thing. That means you will get the magazine if you can make it through the next few hurdles.

If you are a returning client, you will have been prompted to put in your password before you get this screen. Again, if the mag you were hoping for is pictured at the top of the page - YOU WIN.. you get the sub. now proceed.

Next you will see all these other options and offers. SAY NO TO ALL OF THEM. Make sure you check "No Thanks, or NO or "None of The above' to any and all questions. DO NOT BE TEMPTED TO ACCEPT ANYTHING.. Not even the free sub to BabyTalk.. it will just side-track you. SAY NO NO NO To Everything!! Do not say "Okay send a letter to Washington on my behalf. KEEP SAYING NO! NO NO NO! Got it?? GOOD.

You will also be asked to give the first letter of your birth city which serves as an online signature that you are really you. Do it. You should not have to put the year of your birth if you followed my above instructions which were to SAY NO NO NO TO EVERYTHING! They only need that if you fell prey to the dumb offer for the Free career Kit. SAY NO and move on!

Say no no no, go to bottom of page click Submit.

If you are new, it will bring you to a page where you have to fill out your business addy and home addy. Fill them both out with the same address if you don't want to use your real business addy. You must put some business name and some phone number. I usually put my Area code plus all zeros. Then, under Alternate/Home address, I put my real address. It will ask you to enter a password too if this is your first time.

Remember, in the future, you will always be checking off 'SEND TO HOME ADDRESS" so it doesn't matter what business name you put.

When you finish, check off 'Send to home address' and click submit.

You will get a confirming page showing where your mag sub is going and a button to click that says CONTINUE. Click it. That will bring you to a confirmation page that says THANK YOU... blah blah blah. Print that for your records. You are done.

Now, next time you see a FREEBIZMAGS offer, click on the link … fill out your name, email and profile (which you have made note of somewhere I hope), hit enter, then enter password. IF YOU DON'T SEE THE MAG YOU WANTED AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE.... There are no more freaking subs - STOP THERE - DO not go on. If you go on, you risk accepting some dumb Trade Mags. Just because the link works and permits you to enter your info does not mean there are subs to be had. If you don't see the desired mag after you enter your password - No Mag Sub for you. Quit while you are ahead.

[FLvamp]

Magazine Price Search (http://www.magazinepricesearch.com/)

This site is a comparison search for magazines. I've seen Self and Shape as low as .08 an issue. They search the best price and best value, and also give you access to coupon specials.

[Blazer]

Between eBay and free mags my mailman hates me. He does like to keep track of all the countries I get packages from though. ;)