LRB sees subs and web traffic surge in lockdown

In April, the London Review of Books recorded its highest volume of website traffic since December 2015 and saw subscriptions rise by 70% year on year, the literary magazine has reported.

Web sessions were up 42%, partly due to Diverted Traffic, a newsletter free of coronavirus news that features an article from the magazine’s archive chosen for its immersive and escapist qualities.

For subscribers who want to read the LRB in print, but whose postal services are currently suspended or experiencing delays, a new downloadable print-at-home edition has been created to serve as a stand-in until physical mailings can be resumed.

Meanwhile the London Review Bookshop has also expanded its selection of its curated book boxes with new additions for locked down readers, including a selection packaged for letterbox delivery. Events at the bookshop have been moved online, with new virtual interviews and podcast versions of cancelled events such as Danny Dorling discussing his new book Slowdown (Yale University Press) with journalist Zoe Williams.

Sam Kinchin-Smith, the LRB’s head of special projects, said: “The way the world’s publications and cultural institutions have responded to the present crisis has been inspiring. It’s been a privilege to serve up some much-needed escapism and distraction alongside everyone else – interspersed with our usual, conversation-leading essays about the politics, economics, sociology and science behind the pandemic – and we hope many of our new readers will stick with us, even as restrictions start to be lifted.”