The Independent newspaper in Great Britain has launched a tabloid edition identical to its broadsheet, for commuters in London and others who favour the compact size - perhaps the first time in publishing history that readers have been given a choice of formats.

Some reports say that total circulation has increased by as much as 30,000 copies a day.

Ivan Fallon, the CEO of Independent News & Media, will present the inside scoop on this innovative development at the World Association of Newspapers’ Editor & Marketeer Conference, to be held in Monte Carlo next month.

“If you walk into a supermarket and you want to buy a tube of Colgate toothpaste, you can get it in four different sizes. You get newspapers in broadsheet or tabloid, but not both,” said Mr Fallon in launching the new tabloid.

He says women, younger readers and commuters prefer tabloids. Focus groups found that there was demand for a quality, upmarket tabloid. And tabloids have been increasing their share of the newspaper market.

But Mr Fallon says there are no plans to do away with the broadsheet - the company doesn’t want to lose the readers who are satisfied with it.

Mr Fallon’s presentation on the tabloid/broadsheet Independent is just one of the exciting and innovative approaches to increasing readership that will be examined at the Editor & Marketeer conference, to be held on 27 and 28 November on the theme, “New Editorial and Business Concepts.”

“We are seeing new formats, tailored content, smaller sizes, and new distribution channels,” says Timothy Balding, Director General of WAN. “These new readership trends are reflecting changing demographics and lifestyles, and publishers who are ahead of the curve are finding new revenue from these editorial and business ideas.”

The annual WAN conference is the place where hundreds of editors and marketers from newspapers around the world come together to discuss their common goals. It will be held this year at Le Meridien Beach Plaza Hotel on Monte Carlo’s waterfront. Full details are available by clicking here.

Presentations include:

  What the Danish daily Berlingske Tidende is doing to better understand its readers and adapt its editorial product to their needs, by Niels Lunde, Chief Editor of the paper, and Ole Kahrs, Director of Communications and Content for consultants BearingPoint.

  An overview of important developments in the newspaper business from WAN’s Shaping the Future of the Newspaper project, which identifies, analyses and publicises all important breakthroughs and opportunities that can benefit the future of newspapers all over the world.

  A case study of “the 20 minute read” and the philosophy that created a newspaper for people who don’t have much time for newspapers.

  An examination of the future direction of Metro-style free newspapers and what they mean in terms of threats and opportunities for traditional newspaper publishers.

  Some examples of how newspapers can reach across demographics and geography to build new readerships and revenue by using multiple delivery channels, by Hans Arne Odde, Chief Editor and Managing Director of Drammens Tidende in Norway.

  An examination of the latest electronic delivery format, used by de Telegraaf in The Netherlands, that provides a flexible electronic newspaper in a fully searchable file format, by Tom Maessen, Chief Technology Officer of PayperNews, and Theo Korstanje, Sales & Marketing Manager of DIGI-dition, The Netherlands.

  A look at a new publishing business and format for young readers, by Carlos Echeverry, Managing Director of La Maquina de Ideas, Bolivia.

  A case study of The Business newspaper in the United Kingdom, which freed itself from the restrictions of a large newsroom and production and delivery management to concentrate on improving content, by Andrew Neil, Managing Director of The Business.

  A session on measuring circulation and marketing activity by Dave Phillips, Publisher of The Newton Kansan in the United States.

  An examination of new measures of editorial output, by Michael Smith, Managing Director of the Media Management Centre at Northwestern University in the US.

The Paris-based WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry, represents 18,000 newspapers; its membership includes 72 national newspaper associations, individual newspaper executives in 100 countries, 13 news agencies and nine regional and world-wide press groups.

Inquiries to: Larry Kilman, Director of Communications, WAN, 25 rue d’Astorg, 75008 Paris France. Tel: +33 1 47 42 85 00. Fax: +33 1 47 42 49 48. Mobile: +33 6 10 28 97 36. E-mail: lkilman@wan.asso.fr.