Veteran Indianapolis Monthly chief Deborah Paul is easing into retirement, leaving her full-time gig as editorial director of Emmis Publishing to work as a consultant.

In a letter to colleagues, Paul said Tuesday she is scaling back her role effective April 1. Over the next year, she will hand the publishing division reins to Los Angeles magazine Editor-in-Chief Mary Melton, who will retain that job and add Paul's responsibilities.

Paul, 64, has been at Indianapolis Monthly for three decades, including the 23 years it has been part of locally based Emmis Communications Corp.

She served as managing editor and editor in chief before ascending to her current position overseeing Emmis’ stable of city and regional publications. Born in Indianapolis, Paul was associate editor at IBJ before joining the magazine.

Her letter said Paul will work part-time as a consultant, retaining some of her editorial duties during the transition period.

Indianapolis Monthly is undergoing its own leadership change following the abrupt departure of Editor David Zivan, who left last month for undisclosed reasons. Amanda Heckert, a senior editor at Atlanta magazine, has been tapped to replace him.

With circulation of about 41,000, Indianapolis Monthly is one of six such magazines published by Emmis. The others are Texas Monthly, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Cincinnati and Orange Coast.

“The publishing division is in excellent condition, and we’re proud of the great teams we have in place in all of our markets,” Paul said in her note.

Emmis’ publishing revenue increased 5.6 percent in its most recent quarter despite a drop in radio revenue. Overall, the company reported a profit of $110.9 million in the three months ended Nov. 30, a period that included one-time revenue from the sale of three of its radio stations.