Ghost Theme — Publications
Indy
Built for the publication that
refuses to be generic.
For indie publications, zines, small press journals, literary magazines, and newsletters that grew up.
In development — join the waitlist for early access and launch pricing
The Understory
Independent literature & commentary
Current Issue
Archive
Contributors
About
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Issue 14 · Featured
The Cartography of Forgetting
On the places we leave out of the story, and why the blank spaces on the map are never actually blank.
Field Guide navigation
Issue-based architecture
Publication, not portfolio
The problem
Your CMS doesn't know
you run a publication.
Your CMS treats every post the same. Your publication doesn't. You have sections, issues, series, contributors — and none of that structure is reflected in how readers navigate your site.
Ghost is the right engine. But out of the box, it doesn't know you run a zine. It gives you a blog roll when you need an editorial front page.
You need an archive that works, a nav that reflects your structure, and a front page that doesn't look like a blog.
What's inside
Infrastructure for publications
that take themselves seriously.
Field Guide Navigation
The adaptive engine that surfaces the right content for each reader based on reading behavior and content relationships. Not related posts — a navigation system that understands your publication's structure and each reader's path through it.
Flagship feature
Pathway Nav
A secondary navigation system built around your publication's structure — issues, sections, series, tags. Not a sidebar. A deliberate editorial map that helps readers orient themselves within your body of work.
Navigation
Front Page / Issue Layout
A homepage that works like a magazine front page, not a blog roll. Featured story, supporting articles, issue branding — the kind of layout that signals to readers they've arrived somewhere with editorial intent.
Core layout
Archive That Works
Filterable by issue, section, tag, and series. Readers can actually find things. Not just a reverse-chronological list — a structured, browsable back catalog worthy of your body of work.
Content structure
Editorial Bylines & Contributors
Proper multi-author support with contributor pages, bio blocks, and article attribution. Because a publication is more than one voice, and your readers should be able to follow the writers they love.
Multi-author
Newsletter Native
Ghost's built-in newsletter, but with Indy's editorial layout driving subscriptions naturally — inline CTAs, issue teasers, and reader conversion woven into the content flow. Your list, your readers, no third-party tools.
Ghost native
The engine
The right article. For the right reader.
Right now.
Most “related posts” are a keyword match at best. They don't understand your publication's structure. They don't know if a reader just arrived or has been reading for months. They surface the same three articles for everyone.
Field Guide is different. It maps your content relationships — issues, sections, series, tags, contributor connections — and combines that with each reader's actual behavior. What they've read. What they skipped. How deep they went.
The result is navigation that adapts. A first-time reader sees your best entry points. A returning reader sees the threads they haven't followed yet. The deeper your archive, the smarter it gets.
This isn't an algorithm deciding what people should read. It's a navigation engine that understands your content structure and helps each reader find their own path through it.
Field Guide — Relevance Scoring
Adaptive
New reader
Returning reader
The navigation layer
Three engines.
One smarter publication.
NextUp
Surfaces the next article based on what this reader has already read and what connects to it.
94% match
Against Virality
87% match
On Revision
71% match
Interview: Marsh on Process
Adaptive — every reader gets a different path
Ledger
A personal reading history for logged-in members. Track what you've read, pick up where you left off.
✓
The Cartography of Forgetting
✓
Salt Water Engine
½
Against Virality
→
Three Rooms
Members only — a reason to subscribe
Members-only — drives subscriptions
Pinned Posts
You decide what surfaces. Pin articles to the front page, feature sections, or nav — full editorial control.
01
The Cartography of Forgetting
02
Why We Started This
03
Issue 14 — Editor's Letter
You control what readers see first
The platform
Built on Ghost.
Owned by you.
Indy runs on Ghost — an open-source publishing platform that gives you a proper CMS, a built-in newsletter, member subscriptions, and no algorithm standing between you and your readers.
No WordPress. No page builders. No plugins to maintain. Ghost is fast, focused, and built for publishers who want to own their platform.
- Your content lives in a clean, distraction-free editor
- Send newsletters directly to subscribers — free for the first 1,000
- Set up paid memberships to monetize your publication
- Your site, your domain, your data — hosted on Magic Pages
Indy — Spec Sheet
Ghost 5.x
Platform
Ghost 5.x on Magic Pages
Newsletter
✓ Built in
Members / Subscriptions
✓ Native Ghost
Multi-author
✓ Contributors & bylines
Field Guide
Requires Concierge config
Pathway Nav
Requires Concierge config
Mobile responsive
✓ Yes
Dark mode
✓ Auto-detects system
Hosting
Magic Pages (included with Concierge)
Domain
You purchase, we connect
Get started
Two paths to
Indy.
Get notified
Waitlist
Join the list for early access pricing and launch updates. Be first in when Indy ships.
- Early access pricing at launch
- Launch updates and development notes
- First look at Field Guide in action
- Priority booking for Concierge setup
No commitment. Join the list, get updates, and decide when Indy launches whether it's right for your publication.
Coming soon
Concierge
A deeper setup — includes a content strategy session and navigation configured around your archive.
Available at launch
- Indy theme included
- Magic Pages hosting setup & configuration
- Content strategy session for your publication
- Field Guide & Pathway Nav configured around your archive
- Domain connected (you purchase it, we connect it)
- One onboarding session — full walkthrough
- 30 days of follow-up support
Hosting & domain are separate charges — we set up your site on Magic Pages. Domain is purchased separately. We handle everything else.
Questions
Things people
usually ask.
What kind of publication is Indy built for?
Indie magazines, literary journals, zines, small press sites, and newsletters that have outgrown the blog format. If you have sections, issues, multiple contributors, or an archive that matters — Indy is built for you.
What makes Field Guide different from related posts?
Related posts match keywords. Field Guide maps your content structure — issues, series, contributor connections — and combines it with each reader's actual behavior. A new reader and a returning reader see different recommendations, because they should.
Do I need a lot of existing content for Indy to work?
Field Guide gets smarter with more content, but it works from day one. Pathway Nav is structural — it reflects your sections and issues immediately. If you have even two issues worth of material, you'll see the difference.
Can I use Indy for a solo newsletter that's grown into a publication?
Yes — and this is actually the ideal use case. You've outgrown the blog format. You have sections, recurring features, maybe guest contributors. Indy gives that growth a proper home.
Why is Indy Concierge-first?
Field Guide and Pathway Nav need to be configured around your specific content structure. It's not a theme you install and figure out — it's a system we set up together, tuned to how your publication actually works.
When will Indy be available?
Indy is in active development. Join the waitlist for launch updates and early access pricing. We're building it right, not fast — which means it ships when the navigation engines are ready.
For the ones publishing on their own terms
Your publication deserves more than a blog template.
Indy is coming. Get on the list and we'll let you know the moment it's ready.