I know, I know: my confession makes no sense for a guy who grew up spending all of his pocket money on car magazines and wanting nothing more than to be a motoring journalist. It makes even less sense when you learn that I achieved my goal in 1994 and that I’ve been fortunate enough to have a career in media for 27 years and counting, first as a motoring scribe; then as editor of technical B2B titles; and ultimately as managing director of an international media business. Print magazine revenue has contributed in no small way to my lifestyle and yet on a personal level at least, I abandoned paper magazines six years ago.

Why did I stop my part in deforestation? I went digital. Thanks to digital magazine platforms, I read more magazines than I’ve ever read. The Readlys of the world are to publishing what Spotify is to music. I went from thumbing through one or two magazines a week for pleasure to scrolling through a dozen or more titles in the same period. Now I had ‘free’ access to titles as disparate as Southern Horse and OK! magazine. I love publishing, so these massively broadened my horizons.

But then came Covid and I started to stare at this screen 10-12 hours a day. Predominantly working on an iPadPro, this screen goes where I go. Pre-Covid, 60-80% of my day was spent in face-to-face meetings in which I barely looked at my screen. At 45-years-old, I had perfect reading vision. At 46, I now have to wear so-called multi-focus contact lenses. It took just four months of this ‘it’s-not-normal’ era for my vision to deteriorate.

And so I subscribed to a paper magazine last year because I wanted to put this screen down. Thereafter, I subscribed to some more paper magazines because I liked the experience – and then my wife subscribed to some paper magazines too. We aren’t alone: it is a fact that subscriptions of some B2C magazines has increased over 50% thanks to Covid, i.e. either as a result of people being less able to pick up a copy of their favourite title from their usual outlet or because like me, they’ve had enough screen time! B2B publications – those providing information that is no longer on display at a trade show in Las Vegas – have equally seen subscriptions increase.

Will this Covid-paper-magazine-bounce last? I’ve discovered that I’d missed the feel of a proper publication in my hands on the sofa at night. It’s a novelty, plus it’s true escapism because there are no email notifications in the latest issue of Wheels magazine (unlike when I’m using a digital platform)! I’ll renew my subscription later this year for sure…

Graham is Consultant Development Director at Air Business, a market-leader in global mail, fulfilment, distribution and subscription management. As strategic partner of the PPA since 2010, we are committed to being more than just a supplier. We are a visible and active supporter of the industries we serve.

Air Business is hosting a Think Tank at the PPA Leadership Summit on ‘Cost Transformation and Balancing Risk.’ Media companies have faced more challenges than many sectors during the pandemic, but this period of reinvention has also offered opportunity to streamline business models. Fresh thinking is changing how content is produced and disseminated, and we’re witnessing cost and revenue models change significantly as a result.

Join the session to explore which cost-cutting strategies deliver rapid efficiencies, and conversely, where publishers should be investing to achieve long-term growth.