Once a month we invite our member magazine publishers and enthusiasts to guest-edit our fortnightly email newsletter. The aim is to inspire others with magazine-related content, connect members and build our community so we can learn from each other.
This month our guest editor is Nicola Miller, Editor In Chief at Rare Revolution Magazine. You can follow Nicola on LinkedIn – remember to connect and say hello!
Tell us about yourself
I am the co-founder and creative director at NRG Collective Ltd where I am also editor-in-chief of RARE Revolution Magazine, our flagship title. We are the go-to platform for rare disease news, insights and education with a global audience.
I guide our strategic vision in terms of our brand presence and content for both RARE Revolution and our RARE Youth Revolution platform. Ensuring that we deliver high quality content through lived experiences that stay true to our guiding principles is my paramount priority.
However, publishing wasn’t my first career. I spent over a decade channelling my creativity into architecture before a career pivot.
Members receive their first 5 Ikon Images illustration uses for £50 each
What are you up to at the moment?
With a rapidly growing international audience, the topic of language translation and geographically relevant content is very much on my mind at the moment. Currently we are an English-speaking publication, and our content is very USA and Europe dominated. Over the last 12-24 months we have really sought to expand the diversity of our content both in terms of contributor and own copy which has been successful.
Looking ahead to 2025, we would like to see the roll out of our international outreach strategy come to fruition, as we aim to better serve our LatAm, MEA and Asean audiences.
What’s the best article you’ve
read this month?
Sustainability seems to me to be something that should matter to anyone who is involved in a creative pursuit. Whether that be publishing, architecture and any other form of design and innovation.
So much headway has been made in innovation of sustainable solutions and alternatives, but the current economic climate and pressure on companies to address the cost-of-living crisis for its customer base has the potential to set back some of this progress.
An interesting short piece from dezeen magazine on the worrying trend of brands backing away from prioritising the planet amid difficult financial conditions. Written by Caroline Till
Show us an incredible magazine cover
This one is an old cover from 2001 but I came across it very recently for the first time while doing research for an internal project. Getting a front cover right is tricky at the best of times, but when you are in the midst of wider societal big moments the pressure to get it right is amplified.
When it comes to defining moments, for our generation the 9/11 attacks in New York are etched on everyone’s memories. This New Yorker cover by Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly from 2001 is just so on point. When something so utterly devastating happens, collectively we struggle to find the right words. This was a time, when I think the whole world felt speechless. This cover sums it up so perfectly with the use of negative space, and the iconic silhouette – a real sense of grief not just for New Yorkers but for all of us was conveyed.
The New Yorker rarely fails to deliver when it comes to covers, and this is a classic example of that.
What’s your top tip for publishers?
As someone who hasn’t come from a traditional publishing background I always struggle when I am asked to give advice. I guess I don’t feel that I have enough time served to be able to offer advice. But one thing I would say is to stay in lane and stay true to your mission and audience.
That’s not to say you can’t pivot when needed, and of course nothing stays static, we must evolve to remain relevant. But what I mean is to try to drown out the noise around you. There is so much distraction out there and many techniques being employed to achieve those enviable impressions achieved by the latest influencer with something to say. The skill is learning to upskill and evolve without being distracted by the next shiny object or the next person who looks like they know how to do it all better.
Creating a magazine for longevity that will still mean something to the readers in 20 years is a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t be afraid of organic growth and taking time for your team and brand to do it’s growing up, versus overnight viral success. The ride might be harder, but the sense of personal and professional achievement may well be greater.
Questions for the community
What subject or issue would you like the International Magazine Centre Members Group to discuss and untangle over on LinkedIn?
My question is: How do you optimise the potential of advertising revenue for in-magazine placement and demonstrate value, when advertisers can now achieve phenomenal exposure on social media with equal or less ad spend on socials?
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