Once a month we invite our member magazine publishers and enthusiasts to guest-edit our 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 Rupert Cornford; writer, editor and co-director of Story Publishing. You can follow Rupert on LinkedIn and Instagram – remember to connect and say hello!
Tell us about yourself
Hello, I’m Rupert Cornford; writer, editor and co-director of Story Publishing, a family-run editorial and audio production company based in North Yorkshire. I work with organisations on specialist editorial and magazine projects and write Voices For The Future on Substack. Suzi Dale develops audio series and podcasts for broadcasters and businesses. She also makes the award-winning podcast The Scars. Story started back in 2018 when I was made redundant, so with the support of clients who recognise our value, we are nearly eight years old.
What’s on your mind?
I’m thinking about the next eight years. We have conversations in the diary that will help us to hold up a mirror and see how we could do things differently. We still believe in the power of good editorial and audio production, and human storytelling, combined with the critical thinking of journalism. We still enjoy what we do and are both creative at heart. But businesses go through cycles and it’s time to think about the future in a changing market.
What’s the best article you’ve
read this month?
I’ve been interested in Buddhism for a long time and recently started reading Nick Hashimi’s work on Substack. He’s a former monk who is good at explaining Buddhist philosophy in simple and accessible language. In this article, he talks about the ‘Middle Way’, an extremely helpful message about managing energy.
Show us an incredible magazine cover
I was at Leeds station in November last year, and the cover of The Guardian Long Read stood out on the newsstand. It’s a simple design, but it captured my attention with its colours and headlines. I’m also a massive fan of long form writing as it encourages readers to slow down and wise up
What’s your top tip for publishers?
Don’t be afraid of going long. If something is interesting enough, then people will read it, listen to it, or watch it. So, alongside short articles, podcasts and videos, allow space for something longer; somewhere for readers to become immersed in a topic of interest in more depth. In the age of fractured attention, their brains will thank you for it, and they will also feel better for the experience. Humans are at their happiest when paying focussed attention.
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: When you sense change is coming in business, what’s your advice to work through the next stage of the journey?
Need more of this in your life?
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