MAGAZINE BACKGROUND, OWNERSHIP, READERSHIP & DISTRIBUTION

Distribution Channels was founded in December 1948 by the National Candy Wholesalers Association. The magazine was then called National Candy Wholesaler and later, Candy Wholesaler. The magazine changed its name to Distribution Channels a few years after NCWA merged with the National Association of Tobacco Distributors in the early 1990s and became the American Wholesale Marketers Association. Today, Distribution Channels, published by AWMA, is a four-color magazine that comes out 10 times a year and is approximately 60 percent editorial and 40 percent advertising. The circulation is about 11,000. The magazine is primarily supported by advertising.

The full-time staff of the magazine consists of an editor in chief and an associate publisher/business manager. AWMA’s president and CEO serves as the publisher, and AWMA’s vice president of marketing, membership and industry affairs oversees two outside ad sales representatives. IconoGraph Designs Inc. does the magazine’s design, and Cadmus does the printing.

The magazine is primarily targeted toward distributors of candy, tobacco, snacks, general merchandise, health and beauty care products, beverages, foodservice items, and more. We often refer to these readers as "convenience distributors." Convenience stores are the largest customer base of our readers. However, our distributor audience also serves grocery stores, drugstores, newsstands, institutions, tobacco shops, gift shops, delis, restaurants, mass merchants, fundraising organizations and many other outlets.

EDITORIAL FOCUS

Distribution Channels covers trends in the product categories carried by our members. The magazine also covers news, general business-management issues and a variety of topics specific to our distributors. Our editorial is largely dictated by an editorial calendar, which we complete in the summer of the previous year. We also rely on the suggestions and advice of our editorial advisory board–consisting of distributor, manufacturer and broker representatives–to generate story ideas.

Departments and Columns

Most of the copy for the departments and columns in our magazine is written in-house. Some run monthly and others on an as-needed basis. The following is a quick look at these sections:

Columns

Editorial. Written monthly by the editor in chief, who often shares her personal experiences in the industry. Approx. 525 words.

Chairman’s Perspective. Written monthly by the AWMA chairman, who changes each year. Chairmen share their personal experiences or views of the industry and often write on association matters. Approx. 550 words.

Further guidelines: All columnists must provide a head-shot picture of themselves. Consult the editor in chief if more details are needed. We also need to know the columnist’s title, employer, and employer’s location (city/state).

Departments

Business Line. Covers news in the industry. Some news is brief, involving rewritten press releases or summaries of news that has appeared in mainstream media. Other news stories are longer and involve original reporting. Also includes People (personnel changes, brief one- or two-sentence summaries from press releases). News stories range from about 150 to 400 words. Section is usually about six magazine pages.

Calendar. A one-page listing of upcoming industry events. Runs each issue.

AWMA in Action. A staff-written section featuring news about the American Wholesale Marketers Association. Features a lot of photos, plus items on AWMA programs and events.

Marketplace. Includes statistics, product and supplier listings, and short articles on a specific product category. Approx. 600 words per page; ranges from two to five magazine pages.

New Products. Rewritten press releases of new products hitting the market. (These are products that distributors carry in their inventory.) Runs in most issues. Approx. 650 to 1,300 words.

Tools of the Trade. Covers a range of human resources and business-management topics. Some stories offer advice, while others are more informational. Approx. 600 to 1,200 words.

Supply Chain Insider. A one-page profile of a person in the industry. Profile subject can work for a distributor, manufacturer, broker or retailer and must demonstrate a commitment to the industry. Approx. 575 words.

What’s Hot. Interviews with distributors about what products are selling the best for them. This runs on the back page, and it’s the most popular section of the magazine. Runs in each issue. Approx. 550 words.

Idea File. One magazine page of retail merchandising tips. Target reader is the mom-and-pop c-store. Approx. 550 words.

Further guidelines: Each of these departments has very specific requirements in regards to style, artwork, format, etc. See the editor in chief or the association’s style guide for more details.

Features

Features in Distribution Channels cover a range of topics of interest to convenience distributors, including products, business and warehouse issues, events, trends, profiles and much more. Staff and freelancers write features for the magazine. Features generally are about 500 to 600 words per page, and these stories range from one to six magazine pages.

Guidelines for Freelancers

Who We Work With

Freelancers must have Internet access and e-mail, a fax number, and the ability to send and receive Fed Ex deliveries. We prefer to work with freelancers who already have experience writing about the food, distribution or retail industries. The editor in chief will only assign a story to a new freelancer who has provided the following: a resume, at least two writing samples and a list of references.

What We Don’t Accept

We generally don’t accept queries from freelancers that have never worked with us before. Most freelancers who have not written for us do not understand our readers’ business niche and the focus of our magazine.

Although freelance writers are welcome to send us pre-written articles, we rarely accept them; the topics tend to be too general. Occasionally, we will run a pre-written article from an industry expert, but again, we reject most of these because they are too general, too basic or too promotional.

What Writers Must Do

--Please make sure the articles you send can be read on a PC.

--The Distribution Channels editor in chief will usually provide the writer with leads and background material to write the story. In most cases, writers will also be expected to do some research on their own. Often if the story is product-oriented, we will ask the writer to call some of our consistent advertisers that fall within that product category. If a message is left for these companies and they do not return the call, there is no need for the writer to call them again.

--Writers must meet their deadlines. If they are having trouble getting the article done on time, they must notify the editor in chief as soon as possible and work with the editor in chief to reschedule the deadline. Writers should not be late by more than a few days.

--Writers are responsible for their own fact checking. They should double check names, phone numbers, etc.

--When writing a feature, writers should include the following:

• headline
• deck
• byline
• at least one or two out quotes
• captions for artwork provided by the freelancer. Try to introduce new information in the captions instead of repeating information that is already in the article.
• subheads

--When a company is profiled in the magazine, the article should include a "Company at a Glance" sidebar. This sidebar should include the name of the company, its headquarters’ location, and other short facts about the company–for example, annual sales, number of employees, branch locations, date that company was founded, number and types of clients, types of products sold, square footage of warehouse or store, etc.

--The freelancer should keep a log of whom he or she calls for the article, noting those who did and didn’t call back and those that were interviewed. The editor in chief may later ask the freelancer to refer to the log to check if a particular company was called.

--Freelancers should send their articles to the editor in chief either by e-mail or on a floppy disk by overnight mail.

--See the next section for artwork requirements.

Artwork Requirements

Writers must make the best possible effort to provide artwork for their articles. They should ask every source they talk to if they have any artwork that might be usable. At the very least, the source can send a picture of himself or herself. The source can send the artwork to the freelancer or directly to the Distribution Channels editor in chief. (Most freelancers ask sources to send the artwork to the editor in chief.) If the editor in chief has received little or no artwork for the article at the time of its due date, she will likely ask the freelancer to follow up with sources on artwork requests.

The freelancer is welcome to give sources AWMA’s Fed Ex number. All artwork should be sent by an overnight mail service, such as Fed Ex.

Most features require color artwork, although we will take black-and-white artwork if nothing else is available. We can accept photos, slides and transparencies; we can also accept pre-printed artwork, such as brochures and flyers, although the reproduction quality in the magazine will be mediocre at best. Occasionally, we can even use the product itself–if it is flat enough, our designers can scan it.

We can also accept artwork by e-mail or on a floppy disk, zip disk or CD. The photo must be minimum 266 dpi (dots per inch) and should be saved as a TIF or JPG file. Images should be at least the size they’ll appear or larger. The source should also provide a printed copy of the image, along with its file name on the disk or CD.

Handling Requests From Sources

When Distribution Channels does a profile of a distributor, retailer or other company, we typically allow the company to review the article for factual accuracy. Otherwise, do not offer sources the chance to review either the article or their quotes. Sometimes, sources for the article you are working on will ask to review their quotes. Unless the editor in chief has specifically asked you not to share quotes with sources for your particular assignment, you can show the source his or her direct and indirect quotes. However, please follow these guidelines:

• Do not send the whole article to sources–send only the parts that pertain to them.
• Tell the source you can only make changes for factual accuracy. The writer and ultimately the editor in chief have final say on all issues of grammar and style.
• Give the source a deadline for reviewing the quotes. Explain in writing that if you do not hear back from him and her by the deadline, then you will assume it is okay to print. Usually, giving the source a day or two to review the quotes is fine.

If they ask, you may tell the sources the issue in which the article is scheduled to appear. Emphasize the word "scheduled," however--there usually isn’t a 100 percent guarantee that the article will appear in the issue for which it is scheduled.

If the source asks you questions that you don’t have the knowledge or perceived authority to handle, then call the editor in chief or refer the source to the editor in chief.

Payment for the Article and Related Expenses

Distribution Channels generally pays 50 cents a word for experienced writers. New writers may receive a lower rate to be determined by the editor in chief.

Distribution Channels will pay the freelancer for the following expenses unless otherwise specified:

• Mail and overnight mail charges; courier fees.
• Phone calls. (Calls only--Distribution Channels will not pay any part of a monthly fee for the writers’ phone service.)
• Film and film development.

Distribution Channels will not pay for office supplies such as notebooks, floppy disks, pens, batteries, mailing labels, tape recorders and cameras. The magazine will also not pay for mileage for performing duties such as mailing packages and buying or developing film. We also do not pay a "photographer’s fee" to the writer if he or she takes pictures for the article, although, as we note above, we will pay for film and its development.

If you decide to tape your interviews, we do not pay for tape transcriptions, unless a special arrangement is made with the editor in chief.

If you send us anything on a disk and would like the disk back, please label it as such and we will return it to you. Otherwise, we will not return it.

To receive payment for expenses, the writer must send in a bill complete with receipts.

No Payment or "Kill Fee"

If you call the people you are asked to call for the article, if you request artwork, if you perform proper research, if you get the article in by deadline, and if you otherwise follow the directions outlined in these writer’s guidelines, you should get paid promptly for your article. However, the editor in chief reserves the right to pay you a kill fee of half the agreed upon amount if the article requires a total rewrite.

If the article is more than four days late without any explanation to the editor in chief, you will receive half the amount agreed upon for the article. If no article is ultimately turned in to the magazine, there will be no payment, no matter how much work you put into it.

If Distribution Channels pays you a kill fee, we will still pay your expenses related to the article, as long as proper receipts are provided.

Sending Copies of the Magazine

If your sources ask for copies of the magazine when the article appears, take down their names and addresses and forward to the editor in chief at Distribution Channels. (You can do this easily by e-mail.) The editor in chief will take care of making sure the sources get copies. If anyone wants more than a couple of copies of the magazine, you can explain to the source that he or she should contact the editor in chief, because there may be a fee involved for more than two copies. If you think the source would be interested, you can mention that Distribution Channels sells reprints of articles–they can contact the magazine’s associate publisher for more information.

Getting Copies of the Magazine Sent to You

If you would like a copy of the magazine that your article appears in or a tear sheet of your article, send your request by e-mail to the editor in chief. If you begin writing for the magazine on a regular basis, it is more convenient for both you and the magazine staff to add your name to our subscription list. To get a free subscription of the magazine, contact the associate publisher.

Stylebook

We use the AP Stylebook. Talk to the editor in chief to get additional style guidelines.

DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS’ EDITORIAL MISSION

Distribution Channels is the only publication serving and reaching the entire c-store distribution channel. The magazine provides the channel with knowledgeable, timely and detailed coverage of the industry. The publication is committed to furthering the goals of the channel, particularly those of distributors in their quest to diversify and strengthen their businesses.

Distribution Channels provides readers with an overall look at current business issues, and more importantly, analyses of how these issues will impact the channel. The magazine is a real resource for readers to learn techniques and ideas that have worked for others. We believe in researching and reporting on issues, not just compiling press releases.

Distribution Channels maintains its relevance, as is reflected in advertising market share, through focused features, departments and columns targeting specific constituents and product categories, while also featuring distribution-, technology- and profitability-specific editorial in each issue.

Distribution Channels provides new and diverse product and category management information. Readers consistently rank information about new products and category management as important to them. Candy and tobacco are two primary categories for editorial coverage.

Distribution Channels readers encompass the entire business of distribution and retailing–from buyers and distribution CEOs to retail store managers and corporate management.

Through its affiliation with the American Wholesale Marketers Association, Distribution Channels is uniquely positioned to draw upon and interpret the breadth and depth of experience of its members, while still maintaining the highest level of editorial integrity. The magazine furthers the interests of the association and its membership, and serves as a marketing and communications tool for the association.

STATEMENT OF EDITORIAL INTEGRITY

One way that Distribution Channels distinguishes itself from the competition is by maintaining high standards of journalism. In its news and feature stories, Distribution Channels makes every effort to present balanced, unbiased coverage of issues affecting wholesale distributors and their industry partners. It is Distribution Channels’ policy not to guarantee any company editorial coverage in the magazine. The content of Distribution Channels’ articles is determined by the editors and writers of the magazine and shall not be dictated by the financial support of Distribution Channels’ advertisers or AWMA’s members. In this way, Distribution Channels is able to maintain its well-known, highly regarded reputation for fair and ethical coverage of topics that are of prime importance to its readership.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Distribution Channels magazine
The American Wholesale Marketers Association
2750 Prosperity Ave., Ste. 530
Fairfax, VA 22031
Ph: 703-208-3358
Ph: 800-482-2962
Fax: 703-573-5738
Web site: www.awmanet.org

Editor in chief: Traci Carneal. Traci can be reached through the AWMA offices (ext. 645) or at her off-site office: 301-261-4952; (fax) 301-261-4877.