Harry Styles a hitmaker for Rolling Stone

New edition of Rolling Stone is a must-have for Harry's huge fanbase
New edition of Rolling Stone is a must-have for Harry's huge fanbase

Rolling Stone magazine has ordered a rapid reprint after its new issue sold out immediately when pop megastar Harry Styles was revealed as the cover star.

Styles is the title’s first-ever global cover star, with simultaneous announcements made about the news across its worldwide territories.  

The cover of the UK edition features the singer-songwriter and actor wearing pink metallic boxer shorts, a white fluffy coat, and holding a pink birthday cake. 

Rolling Stone UK’s Instagram post announcing that Styles was the cover star for its October/November edition has received more than 140,000 likes, with fans rushing to order a copy. 

The title is published by Stream Publishing, which agreed an exclusive licensing deal with Rolling Stone brand owner Penske Media Corporation in the autumn of last year. 

Stream Publishing owner and managing director Darren Styles OBE (no relation) told Printweek: “It has been amazing. And it’s still going!

“We printed close to 50,000 copies, and all mail order stock has now gone.”

The issue hit newsstands today (25 August).

“We will indeed be reprinting, another 10,000 at least,” Styles added. 

The 164pp magazine is printed by Telford-based Precision Colour Printing, on Norkse Skog Norcote Trend paper supplied by Denmaur Media. It costs £6.95. 

Denmaur Media sales director Julian Townsend said: “This is great news. It just proves that content sells, and there’s a value and a demand for quality. I love Harry!”

Emma Morton, PCP marketing and sales office manager, commented: “This is a soaraway success for our customer Stream Publishing, and we absolutely love printing the Rolling Stone title here at PCP, which is such an iconic magazine. So, when we heard that a reprint for the Harry Styles issue was required, we were delighted to support them with this.”

Such has been the demand for the title, specialist online magazine retailer Newsstand had to set up an overflow site to cope with the volume of orders.

Orders from the reprint will be shipped early next month.

Stream also publishes gay lifestyle magazine Attitude, and Darren Styles became that magazine’s first openly-gay owner when he acquired the title in 2016.

He was awarded an OBE for services to the economy, diversity and charity two years later in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2018.