Guardian plans monthly magazine

Guardian Newspapers Limited, which publishes the daily Guardian newspaper, the Guardian Weekly and the Sunday Observer, is now to launch an international monthly magazine from the end of the year called Guardian Monthly. It was reported in the U.K. Press Gazette, although there have been broad hints for months.

It is to be edited by former Independent journalist Jessica Moore (pictured) and will be available on subscription and from selected newsstands in mainland Europe priced E3.50. Pricing has not been announced for North America but it is likely to be in the range C$5.95 to C$6.95.

It will contain lifestyle-themed content from the Guardian and Observer magazines and has been designed by the Guardian’s creative director, Mark Porter. It's not clear what impact that will have on subscriptions to the Weekly, which has significant presence in Canada. With its progressive (ie. left of centre) point of view and its excellent resources, the Guardian Monthly will be a significant competitor for such international publications available in Canada as The Economist and The Week (Dennis Publishing).

Publisher Will Ricketts said: “Guardian Monthly is a blend of the very best magazine writing in Britain, made available for the first time in one publication for an overseas audience. We already have a loyal international readership and the thought-provoking, stimulating content of Guardian Monthly, focusing on culture, lifestyle and people, will bring a new element of choice to the market."