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
