Hello magazine makers,

I’m sharing another interview this week, this time with Andy Afford of sports quarterly Pitch. But we’re not talking sports, we’re talking about music, specifically The Boss, because I wanted to know why the team behind a sports title has printed a magazine to mark the 50th anniversary of ‘Born to Run’.

Andy is the MD of Stencil, a mission-led creative agency that’s focused on giving professional opportunities to young creatives. Formerly a professional cricketer and MD of The Cricketer magazine, Andy has been trying to leave print behind since he started Stencil.

“When we became a creative agency, the first thing we said was, we've got to get out of magazines. We've got to get out of publishing. We’ve got to get out of print.”

Fortunately, he’s failed and in this interview, he talks about why.

The audio from our conversation follows and, after that, my edited highlights in case you would rather read than listen.

Please let me know if you would like to see more of this kind of 15-20 minute conversation with a magazine-maker in the Magazine Diaries.

Slàinte Mhath

Peter

Newsletters are not a numbers game, but the Magazine Diaries is so close to 500 subscribers. Do me a solid and share it with everyone you know that cares about making print magazines work in a digital world. Help me hit that milestone before the end of April... GO!

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Andy on still publishing print

When we became a creative agency, the first thing we said was we've got to get out of magazines. We've got to get out of publishing. We’ve got to get out of print. And bugger me if we don't win print stuff now. I have these out of body experiences during meetings when I'm talking about Pitch and print in general.

On adding a music title to the Pitch portfolio

Magazine buyers - I think particularly men - it's that sort of world of sport and music and vinyl and work boots and all those things that people can get nerdy about. Magazines fit into that well. Men rarely tire of hearing other men talk about sport or music, typically wearing beards.

On Springsteen

It was a bloody accident. I was trying everything I possibly could to put a line through doing a music version, because of the time [it would take]. Everybody in the office loves working on Pitch, absolutely loves it, but we sink an inordinate amount of hours into it.

So we're at an editorial meeting and I said, ‘I think Born to Run would be 50 years old’. Typically, Springsteen would be the sort of cover icon that would sell magazines; people that care about Springsteen really care about him.

I went into a meeting with the idea of canning it… I couldn't have done a worse job.

By the end, I couldn't think of a reason not to do it. Not only did it seem a good idea, it seemed a good idea to the publisher, then it seemed a good idea to the distributor, and then it seemed an even better idea to the distributors in America… an absolute house of cards falling over in the wrong direction.

On making another music title

Oh, let's hope not, but, maybe. It's one of those things. It's hard not to love it when you get involved in it.

You know, there's nothing better than sitting down with your cup of coffee and your favourite magazine and the smell and the feel of it. Opening the pages and putting yourself in another world - that's the world of podcasts, that's the world of magazines, and that's the world of coffee.

On why print endures

I think part of it is nostalgia, if I'm honest, and that's a pretty powerful thing.

A lot of the brands that start in a certain way, they almost aspire to it. It is quite expensive, even done averagely, it’s still perceived as premium. And there's something about the permanence of it as well… sending copies across to the British Museum always feels amazing.

And there's the trepidation of it, when you've committed to something. You want the colours to come back as you send them. You've got all that horrible angst as well, of whether you've bollocksed it up in some way.

There's something different about a record and a magazine that you are committing to spending some time with, you've made a decision about it. Whether that's a cup of coffee, a podcast, 20 minutes, half an hour, a three-our train journey, they’ve set aside [time] to spend in your company. It’s time well spent.

On making magazines

They're absolutely murder to put together. They're a complete distraction. They're incredibly exacting. If you like them, it's an absolute curse.

But there's a thrill in it as well, isn't there? And it's a really good learning ground, especially trying to develop young creative talent, because of the exacting nature of it.

There are magazines, famous, great magazines that have gone before and they set that bar. We're all measured against that and you don't get that in every industry.

Want to know how people are making print magazines work in a digital world? Sign up to get The Magazine Diaries sent straight to your inbox every week.

In other news…

Your audience doesn’t need you anymore

I’m not sure too many magazine makers take anything for granted any more, but this piece from former Cosmo editor-in-chief Jessica Giles is a nice reminder that you have to work to keep the atténtion of your readers.

“You need to start hosting the conversation, not just sparking it. And no, that doesn’t mean just slapping a comment section at the bottom of an article and calling it a day. It means creating dedicated spaces that are owned, operated, and optimized for deeper dialogue.”

Death is not the end (for magazines)

This is an interesting piece, looking for the silver lining in the closure of the The Lady.

If you didn’t know, and unless you have a butler why would you, The Lady was launched in 1885 as a magazine where upstairs “gentlewomen” could place wanted ads for downstairs domestic help.

After 140 years, the title has apparently reached the end of the road, but rather than focus on the death of another print title, this article from the The Observer focuses on the general health of the woman’s magazine market in the UK.

MagCulture’s Jeremy Leslie said:

“We have plenty of examples here which are specialist, have a loyal readership and encourage the belief that there’s a very bright future for magazines.”

Sometimes I feel like I’ve finally escaped the magazine industry’s darkest timeline where every closure was another excuse to bang on about the death of print. In this shiny new timeline people actually see the bigger, brighter picture and I LOVE IT!

And, yes, great covers are still a thing

Last week’s interview with TIME’s D.W. Pine got me thinking again about the power of a magazine cover and then I got an email from the PPA reminding me to vote for their cover of the year 2025. Whether you vote or not (you should always vote for everything) the line up is a really strong reminder of the great work being done on UK magazine covers.

I don’t want to sway anyone, but seriously, Saga’s March ‘Global Warming’ cover featuring Chris Packham is BRILLIANT!

Is you Grub Street collection complete?

We’ve published four editions of The Grub Street Journal.

• The Don Quixote issue: What kind of idiots still make magazines?

• The Jerry Maguire issue: Show me the money in magazines

• The Walking Dead issue: Why won’t print just lie down and die?

• The Next Generation issue: Finding the future’s readers and leaders

Complete your collection

Magazine Songs

I have a Spotify playlist of songs that reference magazines… What? Music and magazines are two of my favourite things.

This week’s song is the title track from a 50-year old album that actually inspired a magazine… What else but ‘Born to Run’ by New Jersey’s finest. TURN IT UP!

If you have a favourite magazine song, just reply to this email and I’ll add it to The Grub Street Journal’s ‘Magazine Songs’ playlist.