Publishing in the Time of Covid-19

In Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez there are plenty of examples of how a crisis - cholera in the case of this novel - makes life more complicated and yet people persist nonetheless.

It is undoubtedly true that Covid-19 has made publishing Like the Wind magazine more complicated. But more people than ever are running and demand for the journal has been growing throughout 2020 at an unprecedented rate.

This morning the Dense Discovery email from Kai Brach landed in my inbox and his introduction, talking about why he persists with publishing Offscreen - his ink-on-paper magazine about digital design - really resonated with me;

In a recent interview about indie publishing I was asked what motivates me to continue to publish a magazine in print. It seemed like a fair enough question, particularly now, given that sending real atoms around the world during a pandemic is so difficult. 

As someone with a foot in the digital and the print camp, I always felt the push and pull of both sides. I like the immediacy and low barrier of entry of digital publishing. But I also appreciate the steadiness and maturity of an old technology like print.

Take newsletters for example: I believe we’re currently in the volatile phase of the hype cycle where everyone – startups, publishers, VCs – is trying to get a slice of the pie. I find this gold rush mentality and the FOMO that comes with it pretty exhausting – even just as a bystander.

The print world serves as a kind of refuge from that feeding frenzy. In a field where success usually means ‘breaking even’, I think what motivates print publishers most is the belief that they have something meaningful to contribute to their chosen niche. 

It sounds corny, but adding something of value and longevity to this thing we call ‘culture’ is a major driving force behind so many indie books and magazines you see in your local bookstore. The friction inherent in creating physical goods and – for better or worse – the low expectation of financial reward breed a certain conviction to the cause that feels refreshingly genuine. 

And, at the end of a long day behind the screen, it’s just nice to put something on your shelf and be able to say: ‘This exists because I made it.’

I really could not put the reasons why my colleagues and I keep publishing Like the Wind. better. It is a mixture of motivations, chief amongst them the need (and it is a need) to give the stories that we uncover or receive from contributors a platform. It is the desire to inspire, move, motivate and entertain our readers and subscribers around the world. And it is - to some extent - the feeling that we are adding to the culture of running.

Of course it is hard to keep publishing when the world is going through such a massive upheaval. But then again, running is not easy. And runners don't seek ease or comfort. And we're runners. So I suppose it was inevitable that we would see the challenge, work out a plan and adapt. And keep going.

Thanks to all our writers, illustrators, photographers, readers, subscribers, retailers and the brands that support LtW. You are all the fuel we need to keep running this race with no end in sight, no matter what the circumstances.