The recipe for success

The power of a team coming together to create something wonderful.

Have you ever had the experience of preparing a meal for others - probably a complicated meal that requires hours of shopping, chopping and cooking - and by the time you serve the food to your grateful guests, you aren’t all that hungry or excited about it? I imagine that is the curse of chefs everywhere. Having been so close to the whole process, preparing ingredients, tasting and watching the transformation in the pan or oven, the magic of the first bite has gone.

That was my experience of publishing Like the Wind for the first decade. Along with my co-founder and wife, Julie, I was involved in almost every aspect of the process of putting the magazine together. I was the editor, picking the stories we would publish, working with the writers, liaising closely with our sub-editor. I had a small part to play in the design of the magazine. I was involved in the production process, the shipping, the marketing. And I was the person responsible for all the brand partnerships.

So when advanced copies of each edition of the magazine arrived, I’d be happy to see it had all come together. I’d be proud of the work of the contributors and LtW’s small team. I’d feel a sense of relief that we’d avoided most, if not all, of the pitfalls that every indie publisher fears.

But I didn’t feel the thrill of opening the magazine and seeing it with fresh eyes. I never had that first bite. Unlike thousands of subscribers around the world, I knew what was coming. I’d read every word a dozen times. I’d seen every layout, illustration and photograph. I knew what the cover would be weeks in advance.

But with LtW#45, that has changed a little. Now we have an editorial team, with Alex, Emily and Adrienne taking responsibility for the stories. Our other Alex - the magazine’s creative director - has brought to life the visual heartbeat of the pages and the all-important cover. And behind the scenes, Stella, Mat, Nichole, Laura, Jacob and Amanda have all toiled to make sure the business is running as smoothly and effectively as possible.

I have, of course, been involved in the production of LtW#45. But not in the hands-on way of the past. So when I got my hands on an advanced copy of the magazine, it felt new and fresh. Like running in an unknown city or on a new trail. There were surprises at every turn (of the page). To a hitherto unknown extent, I had a sense of what Like the Wind’s community feels when a new edition drops on doormats and arrives in mailboxes around the world. And I’m here to tell you, it is a great feeling.

All of which leads me to say a huge thank you to the team for all their hard work, to the contributors for their creativity, to our brand partners for their support and mostly to all the people who subscribe or buy a copy of LtW. Without all those people, LtW would not exist. And I would miss out on pouring myself a coffee and opening a fresh edition to enjoy the (new) thrill of discovering what’s inside.

Simon

Simon Freeman
Co-founder, Publisher and avid LtW fan

---

P.S. if you want to join the community, you can subscribe here. We have officially - and somewhat unexpectedly rapidly - completely sold out of LtW#44. So to avoid missing out, don’t sleep on this.