The issue has moved a mere 246,000 copies on the newsstand, narrowly surpassing a Harrison Ford cover that sold 243,000 newsstand copies in 1993. A Will Smith cover that accompanied the lukewarm critical reception of Wild, Wild West sold 202,701 single copies in July 1999, the worst in Carter's 19-year reign.
Collectively, newsstand sales of Vanity Fair are down 5% for the first half of the year, averaging 342,000 per issue.
Bieber has performed poorly for other titles, as well. An April 2010 People cover featuring the teen star was its third worst-selling issue in 2010, down 25% from its 2010 average, while an October 2010 Teen Vogue cover performed 12% below its yearly average.
Magazine publishers need not worry that Bieber is symptomatic of a larger trend; teens are still reading magazines. Teen Vogue is still in print, after all.