Business Notes PUBLISHING

Some 60 million Americans spend about $50 billion each year shopping by mail- order catalog. Until now, most of these slick advertising circulars were free. Starting later this month, however, consumers will be able to buy the publications at their local news outlets. Catalog Retail of Connecticut will send more than 200 catalogs for goods ranging from Fuller brushes to Tiffany crystal to 76,000 newsstands and other U.S. magazine retailers.

The $1-to-$3 publications will be sold alongside regular magazines that deal with related topics. Followers of fashion, for example, may find catalogs for Brooks Brothers and Benetton next to Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, while cooks will find Community Kitchens and the Chef's Catalog alongside Gourmet. In a test run of the notion earlier this year at 1,000 Waldenbooks stores, more than half a million copies were sold.