i Editor's Letter: A price increase after a three-and-a-quarter year freeze

I know a few of you have been expecting this particular Editor’s letter for a while – you’ve written to say so.

Some papers gloss over cover price rises, hoping that readers don’t object when they arrive at the newsagent’s counter and are asked to cough up. But I wanted to let you know in advance that next week, on Monday, after a three-and-a-quarter-year freeze, we will increase the price of i nationally by 10 pence, to 30p.

We know this won’t be popular - who wants to pay more for anything? – but we hope that it is not a prohibitive increase for you, and that you can support us in this move.

Since we launched on to a surprised newspaper market 39 months ago, you have been generous, not just dipping into your pockets but writing to tell us the good and bad in what we do.

The result of your correspondence, and our endeavours, sits before you each morning.

In turn, we try to improve i and to maintain consistently high standards of journalism.

Only a fool takes readers for granted.

The price of i has remained static at 20p (and 30p on Saturdays) for the entirety of those 39 months. Meanwhile every single other title has raised its cover price: The Times (£1 to £1.20), the Telegraph (£1, £1.20, £1.40), The Guardian (£1, £1.20, £1.40, now £1.60), FT (£2, £2.20, £2.50), Mail (50p, 60p), Express (40p, 45p, 50p, 55p), Sun (30p, 40p), Mirror (45p, 50p, 55p).

The challenging nature of the newspaper industry will not have escaped any of you.

i has prospered editorially with your help, but it has become essential for us, after such a long freeze, to raise our cover price to meet overheads and further invest in our journalism.

The Saturday i will also increase by 10 pence, from 30p to 40p.

For i subscribers, all existing vouchers will be accepted by retailers at the new price. For those who want to avoid paying the increase and “lock in” i at the old price, subscriptions will continue to be offered at £45 for a year (14p an edition) or £25 for six months (16p an edition) – more details can be found if wanted at i-subscription.co.uk.

We know that price is far from the only factor for readers choosing i: editorial quality, brevity, the content, tone and dialogue matter greatly too. Whatever your view, I am very interested to know your thoughts, as you can imagine.

You can contact me on i@independent.co.uk. Our deputy editor Rhodri Jones and I read every letter.

Thank you once again.

i@independent.co.uk

Twitter: @olyduff