John Menzies may have shut its digital-edition magazine distributor in June, but that isn’t stopping rival Yudu Media from launching its own.
Chris Sheard, a marketing executive from Menzies’ Magazinesondemand.co.uk site, jumped to Yudu upon its closure; former Times Online marketer Robert Elding has also joined. Now they’re planning something called Yudu Store, launching in September, a release says – though it’s unclear exactly how this will differ from the vendor’s existing web store.
The first magazine to use the store is an odd fit – The Big Issue, the printed magazine sold by homeless people, who earn £0.75 per copy. The title doesn’t even publish any web news, reserving its site for information and ordering printed back issues.
It’s unclear whether homeless people will get to operate their own digital-edition stores with Yudu – but we’re thinking probably not.
The magazine distributor Newsstand is also taking on Yudu Store.
Update: Yudu’s Chris Sheard tells paidContent:UK: “Yes, we are working with The Big Issue, but anything we do will not affect street sales. We are looking at several revenue-share and ways to distribute content. All the potential avenues will not be detracting from street sellers. Personally, I