One rule of newsstand success is: If it works, keep doing it. If it stops working, tweek it again to make it work.
RollingStone gets it.
The April 16th, 2009 issue, Lil Wayne Goes Rock, sold 119,827 copies, according to ABC statistics. Only four other covers, of the twenty-four published that year sold better.
So, on February 18th, 2010, RollingStone came out with, Lil Wayne Goes to Jail. It sold 115,191 copies. It was the best selling issue in the June 2010 ABC statement, and 12% better than the overall average for 2010.
So, on February 3rd, 2011, RollingStone published, wait for it, Lil Wayne Gets Out of jail. It sold 94,078 copies. Of the twelve issues in the first half ABC statement, it was the 4th best. It beat the overall average by 5%.
I blogged about this cover as the Cover of the Week: https://www.coverssell.com/?p=3071
Click on images to enlarge them.