Reader’s Digest appoints James Brown as a columnist

Reader’s Digest has appointed James Brown, the creator of Loaded magazine, as its latest columnist.

Brown’s column – called Reasons to be Cheerful –debuts in the December issue of the magazine, which goes on sale today.

He said: “I really believe that it helps to write for an audience you are part of.

‘In my twenties I wrote for NME and created Loaded, in my thirties I edited GQ and created Jack, and so in my forties writing for Reader’s Digest and running my own digital publishing venture ‘Sabotage Times’ just seems right. The column is about enjoying yourself, simple as that.”

Earlier this month, Reader’s Digest launched a £3m marketing drive which included an extensive programme of consumer sampling at key transport hubs, including tube and train stations in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.

Reader’s Digest, which was saved after a management buyout in April, plans to raise the circulation of its magazine from 400,000 to 600,000.

According to the most recent figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations, Reader’s Digest was the 14th biggest selling magazine in the UK during the first half of the year with an average circulation of 402,290.

However, the magazine has been through something of a fall from grace in recent times as its average circulation was 23.4 per cent lower year on year according to that most recent audit.