• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, August 9, 2011

The total paid and verified circulation of 418 American consumer magazines tracked by the Audit Bureau of Circulations declined 1.36% from about 305 million in the first half of 2010 to 301 million in the first half of 2011, according to the latest ABC report.

This included a 9.15% drop in single-copy sales, from 32.8 million to 29.8 million -- a sharp decline in an area often considered the best indicator for the industry's overall health. Total paid subscriptions slipped 0.34% from about 261 million to 260 million.

Declines were fairly widespread in the most recent ABC report, with 247 of 418 U.S. magazines (59%) reporting drops in overall paid and verified circulation, and 44 (10.5%) reporting drops in overall circ of 10% or more. The situation was markedly worse in newsstand sales, with 305 titles (73%) reporting drops, and 202 titles (48.3%) experiencing declines in single-copy sales of 10% or more.

This is merely the latest in a series of declines in both newsstand sales and paid subscriptions, which have fallen in every ABC report (covering six-month periods) since June 2009.

Single-copy sales declined 12.6% from June 2008-June 2009, and 5.63% from June 2009-June 2010. Over the same periods, total circulation fell 1.19% and 2.27%, respectively. In the separate July-December reporting period, single-copy sales fell 9.1% from 2008-2009, then 7.27% in 2009-2010, while total circ declined 2.23% and 1.15%, respectively.

Some of the biggest newsstand losses were seen among celebrity titles. Here, newsstand sales at Life & Style Weekly plunged 22.3% from 430,625 to 334,700; OK! Weekly tumbled 21.3% from 360,180 to 283,373; Us Weekly declined 16.9% from 778,043 to 646,685; Star dropped 16.7% from 530,615 to 442,131; In Touch Weekly fell 16% from 770,088 to 646,646; and People dipped 10.5% from 1,289,467 to 1,153,774.

The fashion category also took its hits. Marie Claire saw newsstand sales drop 21.5% from 253,042 to 198,752; Glamour tumbled 17.5% from 550,026 to 453,707; Harper's Bazaar fell 14.3% from 160,062 to 137,117; People StyleWatch dipped 11.8% from 572,104 to 504,504; Elle slipped 9% from 274,801 to 250,056; Lucky dipped 9% from 165,179 to 150,271, and In Style slid 8.2% from 621,526 to 570,272.

Among women's lifestyle magazines, More fell 19.4% from 182,200 to 146,861, Essence slipped 13.7% from 195,057 to 168,266, and Woman's Day slid 9.8% from 376,235 to 339,350.

On the health and fitness front, newsstand sales for Fitness tumbled 18.4% from 182,500 to 148,920, while Prevention dropped 16.7% from 247,779 to 206,330, and Women's Health slid 14.3% from 367,725 to 315,075. Among domestic titles, newsstand sales for Ladies' Home Journal fell 12.7% from 172,962 to 151,051, while Good Housekeeping slipped 12% from 385,669 to 339,528.

Turning to men's lifestyle magazines, single-copy sales at Maxim fell 16.5% from 291,983 to 243,737, while GQ dropped 15.2% from 199,190 to 168,968, and Esquire slipped 9.4% from 105,407 to 95,470. Men's Health newsstand sales dipped 13% from 496,136 to 431,792.

Among general interest titles, Reader's Digest saw single-copy sales fall 10.3% from 239,804 to 215,053. Among regional lifestyle titles, Southern Living fell 12.1% from 147,286 to 129,465.