Here's How Magazine Publishers Rank Celebrities Based On Ad Sales

When it comes to the seasonal ups and downs of magazine ad sales, publishers can usually anticipate which issues will sell the most ad pages.

Publishers find the summer months (July and August) and winter (January) traditionally yield their lowest advertising pages of the year. The September fall fashion issues, on the other hand, are infamous for their glossy, ad-laden pages.

That presents them with some tough decisions: Which celebrities should appear on their most valuable fall editions, and which should be relegated to the January issues that advertisers aren't as interested in?

You can probably guess that Katy Perry is reserved for Rolling Stone's September issue. But did you figure that Ryan Gosling was GQ's January man -- its worst ad sales month of the year? Similarly, Kate Moss is a perennial for Vogue's fattest ad issue, but Natalie Portman -- who got pregnant last year and starred in Thor and won an Oscar for Black Swan -- was only fit for the January chill.

Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition, of course, is an exception to the rule. The beautiful (and scantily clad) Irina Shayk was on the cover of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition but who was on the cover of the issue that sold the least ad pages?

(The selection might not speak to the celebrities' actual selling powers. Women's Wear Daily notes that magazines featuring Sarah Jessica Parker in 2011 flew off the stands. Parker was featured on the covers of Elle, Vogue, and Marie Claire last year and delivered each monthly magazine their second or third best figures of the year.)

Magazine Radar, which describes itself as "the Bloomberg terminal for the publishing industry," crunched the numbers for us.

Vogue's Best Ad Sales -- Kate Moss

Magazine: Vogue

Issue: September

Ad Pages Sold: 610

Cover Celebrity: Kate Moss

Vogue's Worst Ad Sales - Natalie Portman

Magazine: Vogue

Issue: January

Ad Pages Sold: 56.98

Cover Celebrity: Natalie Portman

Elle's Best Ad Sales -- Gwyneth Paltrow

Magazine: Elle

Issue: September

Ad Pages Sold: 346.6

Cover Celebrity: Gwyneth Paltrow

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