Indie print titles triple driving forward a 'modern publishing phenomenon'

In the ‘Media Moments 2018 Report’ Peter Houston advises that independent print has discovered a complementary niche alongside the digital media that was supposed to kill it. 

In its coverage of the ‘Print! Tearing It Up’ exhibition in London The Guardian cited a five-year tripling of the number of independent print titles and describing the indie magazine scene as a ‘modern publishing phenomenon’ making a ‘stylish stand against the march of technology and the fast pace of the digital age’.

GQ editor Dylan Jones says “I think recent political turmoil has put far more of an emphasis on quality well-commissioned, well-written, well-edited, well-printed content”. Print is evolving into a trusted, legacy format, a place where people turn to reduce the white noise of digital media, to save them from misinformation and give them a break from the relentless social stream.

That focus on well-made magazines underpins the rising independent magazine sector, the overwhelming consensus with a focus on the product, from niche content to stand-out design and premium printing. If that consensus is right, niche print is the future.