Print may be “absolutely core” to his brand, as the London Review of Books’ publisher Renee Doegar puts it, but there’s an increasing attraction in the immediacy and access of digital editions.
The UK publisher is among the latest to exploit digital editions as a means of bridging the distance between continents, adding a new subscription option to include institutions such as universities, libraries, colleges. “This digital-only product aims to widen the audience to new regions outside of Europe and North America – particularly regions with strong academic bases, such as in Australia and Southeast Asia,” Exact Editions’ Jake Thompson says.
“Everything from the paper itself, the design, the advertising to the layout speaks to the sheer quality of the print product. And that is not only because we love it, but because our readers do too.
“That said, the content is what makes the LRB so unique, and we want to make that content accessible to anyone who wants it in any form, hence our focus on expanding the digital offer.”
Thompson says work from the magazine was both a destination and jumping-off point for academic research. “Now libraries across the world can subscribe to it,” he says.
Australian publishers using the platform include Schwartz Media (Australian Foreign Affairs, Jewish Quarterly), The Spectator (for its successful Australian edition) and the Journal of Australian Ceramics, while those in Asia include Mekong Review and Orientations.
Conversely, clients include libraries in Australia – all of the Go8, for example – and, increasingly, southeast Asia. “Many publishers like that they can deliver a print-esque magazine experience without the expense/difficulties of postage and to remote regions,” says. “There is also the benefit of archive content with a subscription and unlimited multi-user access. And of course, each subscription is worth thousands of A$ per annum.”
As for the London Review of Books, GXpress found the letters page alone, fascinating reading, if you have the time.
Doegar says he hopes first-time visitors love it when they uncover it: “The LRB is academic but not at all stuffy, and I think it would be a surprising and delightful discovery and an invaluable tool for anyone interested in a particular area of study.”