FAQs

Questions for subscribers and about subscriptions

Questions answered in this section.

• I'm an existing customer looking for my free download version/wanting to check on the status of my subscription. How do I do this?

• How do I know which order will be the first in my subscription?

• How long will my subscription to The Blizzard take to ship?

• Will I be able to get The Blizzard delivered outside of the UK?

• Why did you choose PayPal? I have technological/moral issues with them, they have blocked my account or I can't access PayPal in my country - can I get The Blizzard any other way?

• I've moved house or entered the wrong address - how do I change my details with you?

• My order status is showing as 'incomplete' - what does this mean?

• I've bought a digital subscription, but I can't seem to access my downloads?

• How do I know when it's time to renew my subscription? How do I renew?

• How do I cancel my subscription?

 

I'm an existing customer looking for my free download version/wanting to check on the status of my subscription. How do I do this?

Subscribers can access free download versions from the susbcriber downloads button on the 'My Orders' page when logged in to our site. Single issue purchasers should be able to click on their respective order to get access to their download. If this does not work, email us, and we'll sort you out with a copy.

How do I know which order will be the first in my subscription?

The date of your order determines which will be the first in your subscription, and the deadlines and information are detailed in the product description at the time of ordering.. All hard copy subscription orders begin with the next Issue, so for example an order placed on any date between 1st December 2011 and 28th February 2012 began with Issue Four, which was released in March 2012.

If you wish to purchase back issues along with your subscription to make sure you have the full collection you can add individual issues to your basket alongside your subscription order.

How long will my subscription to The Blizzard take to ship?

Deliveries to the UK typically take between two and four days from the date of despatch to reach the customer. Overseas delivery times are naturally longer - deliveries to Europe typically take between five and eight days to arrive, non-European deliveries can take up to fifteen days.

Will I be able to get The Blizzard delivered outside of the UK?

The Blizzard is available worldwide – simply select the appropriate postage option from our site of UK, Europe or Non-Europe. For clarification, our postage rates and rules are determined by Royal Mail. UK includes Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and Isle of Man, but not the Republic of Ireland. To find out if your country falls under Europe or Non-Europe for postage purposes, please visit Royal Mail.

We’re sorry that it’s so expensive to ship The Blizzard to Non-European destinations, and want to assure readers that this is entirely a reflection of the high postage costs. We do not make any profit on postage and packing. .

We are therefore looking into options for printing and distributing a North American version as a means of reducing freight costs. If you think you can help us to source a friendly, cost-effective, high-quality North American supplier for The Blizzard, please get in touch.

Why did you choose PayPal? I have technological/moral issues with them, they have blocked my account or I can't access PayPal in my country - can I get The Blizzard any other way?

We opted for PayPal as the simplest way to test the water with our download-only Issue Zero, to see how viable the magazine would be in the long term. We have since updated our payment systems to accept credit and debit card payments. Individual copies can also be bought from Amazon.co.uk for the RRP of £12 + P&P, and copies are also available (while stocks last) from a small number of retailers including Waterstones, Rough Trade Records and Foyles bookshop in London, Casa Rebelde in Dublin and Nepenthes in New York city.

I've moved house, entered the wrong address or need to change my email address - how do I change my details with you?

Email us with your updated address and we’ll make sure we’ve got the right details on our database. We must receive changes of postal address by the 23rd of the month before an Issue is released (ie by the 23rd of November for Issue Three which was released in December) in order for your copy to be redirected. We can not be held responsible for copies being sent to the wrong address if we are not informed in good time of your change of address.

My order status is showing as 'incomplete' - what does this mean?

Typically this means that your order has been received, but that we have not received confirmation from Paypal that your payment has gone through. The notification from Paypal to our systems isn't always instantaneous, and sometimes takes a little while. You do not need to re-do your order; there is no way that you can speed up the process, but it is nothing to worry about. Should there be any problem with your order, we will get in touch.

I've bought a digital subscription, but can't seem to access my downloads?

As with the above, we await confirmation from Paypal's systems that payments have gone through. While this is usually instant, at busy times it can take a couple of hours. We thank you for your patience, and ask you to check back again later. If more than 24 hours has passed since you placed your order and there is still no 'subscriber downloads' button on your my order page, please email us.

How do I know when it's time to renew my subscription? How do I renew?

We will be in touch with all expiring subscribers when it is time to renew their subscription. If you have a recurring quarterly pay-what-you-like subscription then this does not need renewing.

How do I cancel my subscription?

To cancel your subscription, you must log in to your Paypal account and cancel the recurring payment. We are then informed accordingly, and update our systems. If you have a set-price four Issue subscription, or were the recipient of a gift subscription, your subscription will automatically finish after you receive your fourth Issue.

Questions for downloaders/about downloads

Questions answered in this section.

• I ordered a single-issue download and it didn't work - what should I do?

• I've lost my download copy through technological incompetence/computer catching fire, etc. - what should I do?

• My order status is showing as 'incomplete' and not 'paid' - what does this mean?

• What formats can I download The Blizzard in?

• Is there going to be a Blizzard app?

• Can I download The Blizzard through the iTunes store or on Amazon?

• Why did you choose PayPal? I have technological/moral issues with them, they have blocked my account or I can't access PayPal in my country - can I get The Blizzard any other way?

• I can not get my download to work on my iPad/Kindle/tablet device/iPhone/abacus - help!

 

I ordered a single-issue download and it didn't work - what should I do?

Once you have made your payment in PayPal there is an automatic link back to a download page on The Blizzard site. If you missed this, if the page didn’t load properly or your computer crashed after your payment, then simply visit the 'My Orders' tab while logged in to our site to see your completed orders.

Click on 'My Orders' to be taken to a download link for your issue of The Blizzard. If your order is showing as 'new' rather than 'paid' it is because it is a recent order, and we have not yet received confirmation from Paypal that the payment has gone through. Please check back later to download your copy.

I've lost my download copy through technological incompetence/computer catching fire, etc. - what should I do?

The same as above - you can access your copy at any time via the 'My Orders' tab.

My order status is showing as 'incomplete' and not 'paid' - what does this mean?

Typically this means that your order has been received, but that we have not received confirmation from Paypal that your payment has gone through. The notification from Paypal to our systems isn't always instantaneous, and sometimes takes a little while. You do not need to re-do your order; there is no way that you can speed up the process, but it is nothing to worry about. Should there be any problem with your order, we will get in touch.

What formats can I download The Blizzard in?

At the moment The Blizzard is available in pdf, mobi and epub formats. Download our epub format for use on your iPad, Sony Reader, iPhone, Kobo, Nook, BeBook, Desktop Computer and other eBook Readers. The mobi format gives the best results on Amazon Kindle, while the pdf is suitable for computer/laptop reading and requires Acrobat Reader, a free-to-download plug-in.

Is there going to be a Blizzard app?

There are currently no plans to release an app for The Blizzard. That said, a year or two ago there were no plans for The Blizzard. We’re better at writing than planning.

Can I download The Blizzard through the iTunes store or on Amazon?

While we have optimised download versions for iPad/iPhone and Kindle, downloads of The Blizzard are not avalible through iTunes or the Kindle store at the moment and can only be purchased from our site.

Why did you choose PayPal? I have technological/moral issues with them, they have blocked my account or I can't access PayPal in my country - can I get The Blizzard any other way?

We opted for PayPal as the simplest way to test the water with our download-only Issue Zero, to see how viable the magazine would be in the long term. We have now updated our payment systems to accept credit and debit card payments.

I can not get my download to work on my iPad/Kindle/tablet device/iPhone/abacus - help!

In order to download the ePub version of The Blizzard on your IOS device (iPad, iPhone, iPod), you will need to have iBooks already installed before attempting the download in Safari. You can get this from iTunes here.

On Android devices, due to the wide variety of web-browsers and app compatibility, you can download any number of applications to open the ePub version. Some of our favourites are Aldiko and the ever popular Kindle app. If you're still having problems downloading The Blizzard directly on your Android device, you can still download it to your PC and sync it to your device. For more information on how to do this, please refer to the manual that comes with your device.

Each Kindle also comes with its own email address, and you can email the mobi file directly to your device.

Questions about shipping and release dates

Questions answered in this section.

• How do I know which Issue will be the first in my subscription?

• How long will my order of The Blizzard or Blizzard merchandise take to ship?

• What are the release dates of future issues?

• What should I do if I think my issue of The Blizzard has been lost in the post?

 

How do I know which Issue will be the first in my subscription?

The date of your order determines which will be the first in your subscription, and the deadlines and information are detailed in the product description at the time of ordering. All hard copy subscription orders begin with the next Issue, so for example an order placed on any date between 1st December 2011 and 28th February 2012 began with Issue Four, released in March 2012.

If you wish to purchase back issues along with your subscription to make sure you have the full collection you can add individual issues to your basket alongside your subscription order.

How long will my order of The Blizzard or Blizzard merchandise take to ship?

All single issue purchases of The Blizzard and merchandise will be despatched within five working days. We typically despatch our weekly batches on Wednesdays (although at certain times, such as Christmas, despatch days can vary). Deliveries to the UK typically take two to four days from the date of despatch to reach the customer. Overseas delivery times are naturally longer - deliveries to Europe take five to eight days to arrive, non-European deliveries can take up to fifteen days.


What are the release dates of future issues?

As a quarterly publication, we will release Issues of The Blizzard in the first week of March, June, September and December. Precise dates will be announced nearer the time for each Issue.

What should I do if I think my order has been lost in the post?

Please take into account the length of time it may take to ship your order to you. We send out orders in batches roughly every 5 working days, and so even for UK-based customers this means it could take up to 10 days from the date you placed your order to when you receive your issue (and naturally even longer for overseas orders). In the first instance please email us, and we will be able to ascertain which batch your order was dispatched in, and when we would estimate you should receive delivery of it. For UK orders, we will consider the item lost in transit if it has not arrived within 10 working days of the date of dispatch. For European orders this period is 15 days, and for non-European orders it is 20 days.

We appreciate that it may be annoying waiting for the postman to arrive every day and ending up disappointed, but unfortunately we are in the lap of the postal gods somewhat when it comes to delivery times. Customers are able to access digital downloads in the meantime, however, to help sate their desire for top-class football writing.

How to get articles, images or adverts in The Blizzard

Questions answered in this section.

• I want to write for The Blizzard - what should I do?

• I want to draw for/submit photos or other media to The Blizzard - what should I do?

• Can I get work experience at The Blizzard?

• Can I reproduce/syndicate The Blizzard articles on my site?

• How do I advertise in The Blizzard?

 

I want to write for The Blizzard - what should I do?

Interest in writing for The Blizzard has already been high and we very much appreciate your enthusiasm. We suggest that anyone wishing to write for the magazine should read The Blizzard to get an understanding of its style and subject matter. Pitches should be directed to the editor.

Please bear in mind that as a quarterly publication it is unlikely that we will be able to feature many more than about fifty to sixty writers in any one year, so competition is fierce. By sheer weight of numbers the vast majority of pitches will inevitably have to be turned down. Sorry.

I want to draw for/submit photos or other media to The Blizzard - what should I do?

As above – send your ideas and examples of work to the editor.

Can I get work experience at The Blizzard?

The Blizzard is a disparate co-operative of writers spread around the globe. We do have a lavish office in Sunderland with a small but perfectly formed team that performs the behind-the-scenes work, but unfortunately there are no work experience opportunities at the moment.

Can I reproduce/syndicate The Blizzard articles on my site?

Anyone wishing to host/reproduce content from The Blizzard should email us in the first instance. Wholesale copying or reproduction of our content, or hosting of electronic copies, without our express permission is not allowed.

How do I advertise in The Blizzard?

We are flexible, creative and happy to look at packages encompassing our main offering and possible spin-offs. Like our downloads, adverts in the Blizzard are sold on a pay-what-you-like basis. The income from the few adverts in each issue helps us to subsidise our 1p downloads and our pay-what-you-like policy for hard copies. If you or your company are interested in some cost-effective advertising, get in touch with us and discuss your advertising requirements by emailing David Rose or calling us on 0191 543 8785.

Other general questions about the website and The Blizzard

What is that animal on the front cover of Issues One to Four? A dog? A bear? A beaver?

Our cover image is Soccer Dog; adapted from a series of sketches by Woz at the Kingsley Motel, Manjimup, Western Australia.

Are you sure it's not a beaver, bear or common shrew?

Yes, we're sure - the images were based on this little chap.