The InPublishing Podcast

James Evelegh talks to Loma-Ann Marks, editor-in-chief at interiors magazine Reclaim, about why the recycling and repurposing that is at the heart of her magazine is now in vogue, how Instagram has been central to her community building efforts and why she makes a point of responding to every comment, why “finding your voice” is the secret to successful magazine publishing, why she always likes to...

James Evelegh talks to Ivor Eisenstadt, managing director of healthcare publisher MGP, about why 2020, despite being a “horrific” year in so many ways, was a year of great progress for many publishers, how a successful brother tempted him to switch from a career in pharmaceuticals to one in publishing, the benefits of having a business partner (in his case, his wife Rosie) with complementary skill...

Ciar Byrne talks to Esther Newman, editor of Women's Running, about why editing Women’s Running is a “massive responsibility and a huge privilege”, why ‘production’ is a great starting place for editors, why achieving publishing success is much harder for women, why her title is all about kindness and support and not losing five pounds (“we’re not telling women that they look wrong”), her views on...

Ciar Byrne talks to Mark Sennett, CEO of Western Business Media, about the rollercoaster ride of completing an MBO a few months before Covid struck, their “phenomenal” first year (not one argument with his new business partners), how they’ve survived Covid (strict cost control, cutting “frivolous activities” and innovating), the importance of getting staff buy-in and achieving a shared sense of ow...

Ciar Byrne talks to Owen Meredith, CEO of the PPA, about the changing nature of magazine publishing and why it’s such an exciting sector, the role and future of the PPA, the impact of Covid, the long running but ultimately successful VAT battle, the secrets of successful lobbying, the challenge posed by the big tech platforms, what government can do to help the events sector during the pandemic an...

Ciar Byrne talks to Luke Nicholls, edie content director at B2B publisher Faversham House, about the invaluable digital marketing lessons picked up in his carpool, the importance of creating the right team culture based on honest and open two way feedback, why publishers need to bridge the gaps between content, sales, marketing and events, how the ‘mission possible’ initiative re-energised the edi...

Ciar Byrne talks to Dominic Carter, group chief commercial officer at News UK, about the “story telling business” we’re all in and how the future is based on driving innovation and encouraging collaboration. Dominic describes how this year has been the toughest ever as advertising virtually disappeared for two months, but that his message to advertisers is, “being absent from the market will hold...

Ciar Byrne talks to Paul McNamee, editor of The Big Issue, about his early career “going where the work was”, why the triumvirate of editor, deputy editor and art director is so central to a magazine’s success, how he works to make the title “challenging and provocative” but not a “pity purchase”, his 20 ft rule for assessing front covers, some of the great guest editors he’s had (Armando Iannucci...

Ciar Byrne talks to Duncan Tickell, chief revenue officer of Immediate Media, about why he rejoined the company after a short stint away, about Immediate’s success in diversifying its business and creating a vibrant culture, his strategies for growing direct to consumer revenues and developing other non-circulation revenue streams like affiliate and, in particular, webinars (sourdough anyone?). Du...

Ciar Byrne talks to Hero Brown, founder and editor-in-chief of Muddy Stilettos, the “lifestyle platform for affluent, fun-loving women outside London”, about what prompted her to launch the site, why it tries to be “humorous and a little bit naughty” but also a “happy, positive and feel good space”. They also talk about how Muddy Stilettos, which focuses on things to do and places to see, has cope...

Ciar Byrne talks to Christopher Phin, head of podcasts at DC Thomson, about how this “incredibly intimate medium” allows publishers to “hyperserve” their community and why podcasts are brilliant for brand building and delivering highly engaged audiences. Chris gives us four main strategic reasons why publishers should get into podcasting along with practical advice on launching podcasts and keepin...

Ciar Byrne talks to Peter Johns, MD of WW Magazines (publishers of Waterways World and SelfBuild & Design), about how his training as an economist has underpinned his approach to publishing and his mantra of “test continually and measure everything”, the gradual circulation shift from newstrade to subs for his titles, the thinking behind their recent website relaunch, how Covid has turned reve...

Ciar Byrne talks to Mark Allen, chairman of Mark Allen Group, about the three budget plans the group prepared at the start of the pandemic (“the good, the bad and the ugly”), why “cash is king” at the moment, the joys of a diverse portfolio, how to successfully integrate new acquisitions, his ambitions for the group (“we’re only half way up the mountain”), how the publishing industry “vastly under...

Ciar Byrne talks to Tim Robinson, group content development director at JPIMedia, about his early days on the Bucks Herald and what the story of a downed US WW2 bomber taught him about the nature of local journalism, how his central content team is all about freeing journalists from the shackles of designing pages, the success of their data journalism team and the sterling work of their investigat...

Ciar Byrne talks to Andrea Thompson, editor-in-chief of Marie Claire, about why she chose a career in journalism, how going digital-only has transformed the title, why we all need to do more to increase diversity in media companies and much more… We would like to thank our podcasts sponsor – Acorn Web Offset , the Yorkshire-based specialist A5 and A4 magazine printer. With high speed web offset an...

Ciar Byrne talks to Richard Butterworth, commercial director at Chemical Watch, about the B2B publisher’s successful transition from a subscriptions model to a high value membership model and the accompanying switch from being ‘product-led’ to ‘customer-value-led’. Richard describes the journey, the key milestones along the way and the lessons they learnt. We would like to thank our podcasts spons...

Ciar Byrne talks to Nicky Cox MBE, editor-in-chief of First News, about her long standing commitment to providing children with a trustworthy source of news and to giving them a platform to discuss issues that are important to them, like climate-change. Children make up, she says, 27% of the world's people but 100% of the future, yet often struggle to be heard. Nicky talks about the 2006 launch of...

Ciar Byrne talks to Sam Hailes, editor of Premier Christianity magazine, about his early break at the magazine following some wise career advice from his journalism course, why he enjoys publishing a “broad church” magazine unafraid to challenge Christians, the balancing act of writing for both US and UK evangelicals, the need for journalists to focus on the positive not just the negative, his rec...

Ciar Byrne talks to Matt Kelly, chief content officer at Archant, about his career break at the Bootle Times, his early years in production journalism, working with Piers Morgan at the Mirror, his current role at Archant and what its recent acquisition by Rcapital Partners means for the business. The conversation touches on the New European, the Project Neon initiative with Google and why he think...

Ciar Byrne talks to Ian Murray, Executive Director of the Society of Editors, about why his school teacher thought he would be just right for journalism, what he’s most proud of from his long career in the regional press and the challenge of taking over from Bob Satchwell at the SoE, fake news, the funding challenge, press freedom and why we should all be wary of the law of unintended consequences...

Ciar Byrne talks to Jon Bickley, CEO of Anthem Publishing, about his early days in circulation, heady times at rapidly expanding Future Publishing, setting up Anthem, how the company has evolved and where next for the Bath-based publisher. He also looks at the wider challenges facing the magazine sector and tells us why forging an ever-closer relationship with the reader is so important, and much...

Ciar Byrne talks to Jo Adams, Marketing Director at New Scientist, about why she chose a career in subs over one in the newstrade, the key drivers of a modern subs strategy and how 'marketing' acts as the voice of the customer in everything New Scientist does, and much more… We would like to thank our podcasts sponsor – Acorn Web Offset , the Yorkshire-based specialist A5 and A4 magazine printer....

Ciar Byrne talks to Sam Kinchin-Smith, Head of Special Projects at the London Review of Books, about what his ‘special projects’ role entails, what he thinks digital can bring to the publishing mix for a title that is likely to remain print-first, and how the LRB archive is driving exciting new content opportunities during the pandemic, and much more… We would like to thank our podcasts sponsor –...

Ciar Byrne talks to John Barnes, Chief Digital Officer at William Reed Business Media, about his journey from editor to CDO, what it takes to succeed in digital publishing, how lockdown has sparked a wave of publishing innovation, and what he sees as the main trends and opportunities in content creation and revenue generation, and much more… We would like to thank our podcasts sponsor – Acorn Web...

Ciar Byrne talks to Lucy Brazier, CEO of Marcham Publishing and publisher of Executive Secretary, about how she transformed the Executive Secretary newsletter into a global events, training and consultancy business, how social media and the close relationship she has built with readers have underpinned the brand’s growth and why she is so passionate about the future potential of the executive assi...