[hnuser123456]

I recently re-started a subscription to paper copies of wired mag. Apparently they just had a chief editor change. It was absurdly cheap, like $5 for a year. I think Conde Nast are just trying to keep some paper subscribers.

[jfengel]

Wired has always been cheap. They'll give it away for free with the tiniest bit of effort.

Wired delivers ads to a market segment with a lot of disposable income. They've got the ability and inclination to buy a lot of luxury goods and services. Wired charges at all only so that you believe that getting it into your house was your idea rather than theirs.

Five bucks is less than they spend on printing and delivering, never mind actual writing. A lot of the writing is pretty poor, though they also have a long history of discovering and promoting some real writing talent.

So it's a pretty good bargain. It just helps to be aware that you're the product more than you are the client.

[dragonwriter]

> Wired charges at all only so that you believe that getting it into your house was your idea rather than theirs.

No, they charge at all because people who pay for print ads pay more based on paid circulation (you get people who pay for ads in free publications, but they pay less), probably on the basis that paid subscribers are likely to actually read the publication it and not just pick it up to use as dropcloths for painting or kindling for fires.

[criddell]

Every once in a while the magazines just start appearing at my house without me subscribing. My best guess for that is they want more readers in my zip code to sell ads against.

[Moto7451]

Same deal. We stopped subscribing to Bon Appetit, moved to a new house, and a year and a half later they started showing up again. Now I just have something new to throw into recycling as soon as it arrives and I can’t get them to stop because I’m not actually a subscriber.