Is the Scottish magazine publishing industry in good shape?
It certainly is and I feel that there is a strong future ahead. The newspaper industry is being squeezed by the growth of the internet but print magazines have the advantage of co-existing more happily alongside the internet and digital publishing since they are more of a relaxed, leisure read than a newspaper, which is focused on delivering the latest news on a daily basis.
How will the rise of digital media impact traditional print magazines?
I think that there will continue to be many circumstances where people will prefer to sit down and read something in print. People still enjoy looking at photos and well-illustrated articles, which will always work best in print. For instance, we launched an art magazine called Map a few years ago, which is currently on its 17th issue and performing well. It focuses on contemporary art from Scotland and across the world, and is a prime example of the benefit of a tangible product. Map just doesn’t work as well online as much of the visual impact is lost. We also recently launched The Midgie – a magazine for independent travellers in Scotland. It has a level of accessibility and engagement that only magazines can provide. Increasingly, print and digital media will work alongside each other.
How do print and digital media complement one another?
It’s interesting because print and digital media both serve two different audiences and serve the same audience in two different ways. The key point is that print publications and digital services will co-exist in the same way that print has continued alongside the growth of TV and radio for many decades. When well organised and approached correctly, they can complement and support one another in all sorts of interesting ways. The great thing about digital publishing is that there’s always capacity. When we’re putting together The List in print, there is always more of interest to write about and more going on than there is page space. Digitally we have many more opportunities to cover more events, profile more bands, break more stories and deliver them in new ways.
What are your plans to develop the magazine online?
We see our entertainment listing activities as having a very bright future in digital publishing, so as well as investing in maintaining and developing The List in print, and launching new titles, we have brought together a talented team to develop digital publishing for an increasing range of events, attractions and restaurants etc. for both the resident and visitor. This is proving very successful and we now receive around 450,000 unique monthly visitors to our main site. To an extent, The List in print will bec-ome more of a distillation – increasingly emphasising the key highlights, whilst the core information service will more and more be available online.
How does the magazine work in tandem with www.list.co.uk?
There are many examples. One where they work very well together is, when the magazine profiles a new band, we can provide a link to our website where readers can hear a clip and book gig tickets. Connecting in simple ways like this offers readers a fully integrated experience. The clever bit is linking it all together!
What changes have you witnessed in publishing in your career so far?
Opportunities have opened up steadily year-by-year over the past 20 years that I have worked in publishing. At the start of my career, big publishing groups tended to control the industry and they dominated both their local markets and the international market. Now, more and more opportunities are arising for innovative, new operations. This is partly owing to the advent of desktop publishing and new printing technology but, more recently, the big difference is due to the advent of digital publishing.
I also think that the importance of the media and culture in people’s lives has increased. For instance, in Edinburgh the Fringe has grown incredibly in the last 20 years and the number of festivals that take place across the country keeps rising every year.
The media is playing a big role in communicating and shaping that culture as evidenced by the growing number of media studies courses available in Scottish colleges and universities.
It has been really exciting witnessing how quickly the world has moved from traditional print to add websites, then blogs, and now social tools like Facebook and, most recently, Twitter. They have contributed enormously to how we communicate.
Does Scotland have the expertise to succeed at digital publishing?
The magazine experience, editorial skill and expertise to research information, compile it and present words and pictures creatively to the reader is ideally suited to digital publishing and gives a head start to any organisation launching a digital operation.
Scotland is lucky to have a wide range of creative talent among its writers, designers, photographers and great technological innovators. It is leading the way in many new technologies and the media is very active here. Companies like Rockstar North and Django Films are major players in the game and animation industries for instance.
As with anything else in life, to succeed in any branch of publishing you need to have lots of good ideas, plus talent, expertise and determination. If you have all of those and a little luck along the way, chances are you’ll go far.
What magazines stand out from the competition right now?
On an international level, relatively new print publications like Monocle are very ambitious, imaginative and successful. Its creative approach to reporting on international affairs, business, culture and design across the globe is a prime example of what can be achieved with enough talent and vision.
Here in Scotland, a lot of exciting things are also happening. Clash magazine has a really innovative approach and the high quality of its design and editorial is well matched with its publishing flair. Despite their other problems, the Royal Bank of Scotland’s Sense magazine has one of the highest circulations of all UK customer magazines and sets a great example to others in this market.
What challenges are publishers currently facing?
Environmental concerns are rising on everyone’s agenda, and, quite rightly, wastage and inefficiencies in the industry are being attacked. We’re keen to increase the use of recycled paper in our publications and I think that the market for recycled paper still has a long way to go. Further research in this area would be welcomed.
If you could change one thing in the industry for the better, what would it be?
I have two things to change! Firstly, it is a question of the strength of local media and local businesses being recognised. We enjoy great relationships with many of our retailers but it can sometimes be difficult getting larger retail chains to appreciate the need to stock local titles and give them prominence on their displays.
Similarly, there is a need for London agencies to recognise the role local titles play. The most powerful way to reach the Scottish market is via a Scottish publication.
And secondly, I would like the public sector in Scotland to find more ways to work with Scottish publishers and make the most of our expertise. We can help communicate effectively to a large audience.
What’s the general outlook moving forward?
There are many pressures on the media world at the moment and the eventual stabilisation of the economy will be a great relief to everyone as uncertainty is shaking people’s confidence. But I can see a bright future. I think that digital publishing houses currently still in infancy will grow strongly alongside traditional print.
Ongoing technological change keeps the industry exciting. Lots of opportunities remain for new print publications and there are also very great opportunities for digital publishing, and to expand via all channels of the media. There are many opportunities out there to be explored for those with vision and flair, and we have a team here at The List already well underway.
