n BBC Magazines is to publish three official Gareth Gates specials, starting with the Gareth Gates Official Poster Magazine on sale October 1. Priced at £2.50 posters of the Pop Idol winner plus free stickers and a game. This will be followed in the Autumn by a photo-story and comic strip special while the third title will be a Gareth Pop Pack. Distribution for the titles will be Frontline.
n A new gaming magazine, Mega Cheats Game Guide: Super Mario Sunshine, is being published as a one-shot title by Easy Magazines on October 10. Cover price is £3.49, distribution by Comag.

n Ultimate BodyBuilding is a new annual publication from Weider Publishing. On sale from Thursday, it contains a 12-month programme. Cover price is £3.50, distribution is by Comag.

n Television advertising will support Emap's celebrity weekly Heat magazine during October. Distribution of Heat, which has a cover price of £1.45, is by Frontline.

n Future's Total Film magazine this month kicks off a series of pre-Christmas promotions with a free, covermounted film music CD ­ its biggest cover promotion ever. The marketing activity follows Total Film's 10th consecutive ABC rise in five years.
The November issue of Total Film goes on sale on September 26, has a cover price of £3, and is distributed by Seymour.

n Covermounts are here to stay, in spite of difficulties their bulk presents for retailers, says distributor Seymour in a new report. However, Seymour points to the example of US retailer Barnes & Noble, which has issued strict guidelines for publishers and charges for extra shelf space for magazines with bulky covermounts.

n Lovatts Puzzle Collection, a 128 page bumper issue, goes on sale on Thursday. It features prizes including TVs, stereos and breaks away. Cover price is £3.25, distribution is by Seymour.

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