“Why I switched from print to digital – and how it paid off”

by Anonymous Editor
19 August 2016

Three years ago, I was employed full-time at as a senior editor on a major magazine and was doing well. For all intents and purposes I had a great career behind (and more importantly ahead) of me. But after being in top-line managerial meetings and hearing what was really going on behind the scenes – and how fast the industry was projected to change – I started to think. Then after studying job ads for twelve months, and looking at how my current skill-set compared to what was needed in the job market, I decided to take action.

I knew I had something missing – and it was serious digital experience.

Like everyone, I know lots of steadfast publishing people who are getting out. Some people are retraining to become PRs, teachers, government employees, yogis and (fill the blank here). I admit, the current state of play in publishing is one I never expected as a young starry-eyed cub reporter in the 1990s. Having said that, I wasn’t ready to leave the party. I’m stubborn and I’ve spent twenty years honing my skills. So, why should I let someone else have the power of my career and what I choose to do with it?

New opportunities ahead

I ditched the unattractive ‘it’s just not fair’ tinge of bitterness about how fast things were changing. Instead, I starting opening up my mind about realistic options for me. I started saying I was excited about the opportunities ahead (even if I didn’t quite mean it yet).

If I didn’t want to retrain in a new profession but I wanted to take control of my own destiny then what would I do next? I began thinking of the problem like it was a game I wanted to win. What would be my next step?

I knew I’d be fine continuing as I was for at least another five years or so in traditional publishing but what then? I wanted to get ahead of the curve. So, a couple of years ago, instead of just complaining about the state of play I decided to think strategically. Some people clearly thought I was crazy walking away, as I left a stable job in magazines I could have stayed in for a few more years.

But I wanted to get more digital experience, and I wanted to get it now.

Upskilling from print to digital

Meanwhile, I figured that if I realistically projected that my traditional publishing skills weren’t going to keep me in the job market for the next thirty+ years then I needed to up-skill (or at least side-ways skill) before everyone else realised the same thing. I took a more junior role as a lifestyle editor on a digital title for slightly less money (with worse conditions) and decided to give it two years.

At first I was very frustrated – particularly writing headlines. Clickbait is a different beast to cleverly worded magazines headlines discussed over coffee with talented subeditors. Worst of all was having no subeditor on staff at all. It freaked me out. Digital titles seem to have unanimously decided that subeditors are an unnecessary expense. I don’t agree with it at all – never will – but it is just how things are so I continued with my experiment regardless.

The differences in digital

I was freaked out not having anyone else read my work, only having a few hours to create an article (rather than a few days) and a pittance of a freelance budget to commission. But I continued on.

After all, I figured, it isn’t really any different to doctors who have to constantly retrain and update their skill-set, or accountants who need to learn a whole new program to do their daily job. If I wanted to take control then I had to endure the bumpy ride to get to my destination.

On the whole, I love what I do and I want to keep doing it for as long as I can. So, despite the issues in traditional publishing we are all too familiar with such as slashed budgets, pay and staff freezes, falling circulation and readerships and freelance rates, digital everything, apps and bending over backward for advertisers in a way never seen before, I figured there always has to be a solution (if you think about it in the right way).

Senior management aren’t all bad

It is all too easy to point fingers but the truth is senior management aren’t the bad guys. In fact, they are trying everything they can think of! Publishers are not sitting in their champagne-filled ivory towers deciding who to pick off next for fun. Most times, their hands are tied and they are busy trying their best to create new revenue streams to keep newspapers and magazines afloat.

I was recently offered a new job out of the blue at a fantastic new corporate digital company two years to the day after leaving ‘traditional publishing’. My plan worked. I love it. In fact, it is much better conditions, better pay and allows me to use all of the skills I have and love on a daily basis.

Selling out? Perish the thought

I haven’t sold out and I haven’t lost my way. Instead, I’ve created an unexpected new path which allows me to continue to learn and grow while also doing what I love.

Don’t let anyone tell you publishing is dying because it isn’t. Don’t let anyone tell you there are ‘no jobs’ because there are. You just might end up working with a different job title in a different company but still using the skills you love … just like me.

Have you left print, or are you contemplating moving from print to digital? If you have, has it been a good move?