Digital Publishing Insights

Magazines Can Succeed on the iPhone

2009-07-16T13:10:00.003-04:00

The recent Forbes.com article Magazines Struggle on the iPhone misses the point by focusing on iPhone developers who don't really understand magazines.

The article is from the iPhone developer point of view, stating "...publishers also expressed interest in iPhone apps but wanted to pay the firm through revenue-share deals, meaning it would have to shoulder more of its development costs upfront." Translation: publishers don't feel like paying $50K for an iPhone app with an iffy upside.

It's still early days. The iPhone user wants a great reading experience: an application that blends branded content plus 'real time' information and a way to engage with other readers and the publication.

The challenge is that many iPhone developers don't yet understand the unique value of a magazine (i.e., the high quality layout and branded feel), and at the same time the magazine needs to significantly add value to what exists on the print page.

Texterity, working with our publishers, is developing a true next generation mobile application that leverages the branded content and the capabilities of the devices. This includes iPhone, Blackberry, Palm Pre, and what we expect to come soon -- a "super smartphone" device with a larger display.

Texterity User Interface - Coverleaf Reader Tutorial

2009-07-12T09:55:00.002-04:00

View our full tutorial video on the lastest Texterity digital edition reading interface -- the Coverleaf Reader. This 10-minute video covers all the features and benefits, including:

The Technology Behind Texterity's Coverleaf Reader
Increasing your Bottom Line
Enhancing the Viewer’s Experience

Asset International ai5000 goes "Designed for Digital"

2009-07-09T08:37:00.005-04:00

A great example of a "Designed for Digital" publication which is "screen ready" is the new launch from Asset International, ai5000. Min online ("ai5000 Aims for the Super Money") noted the recent launch, stating "In tough economic times publishers can go one of two ways... Either re-target your content towards budget-conscious readers with belt-tightening tips, or look for the places where the big money still resides."

Revenue Generation is provided by sponsorships from Northern Trust, State Street, Bridgewater Associates, and PanAgora Asset Management. Using Texterity's platform, the digital edition can be viewed directly from the web via it's "branded" URL (www.ai5000.com), through google and bing web searches, twitter, and social networks. Asset International plans to re-market its larger suite of institutional research, webinars, conferences and sponsored round tables to high-end customers.

To view the inaugural issue, go to www.ai5000.com.

Link to a page in a Texterity online magazine

2009-07-01T19:44:00.003-04:00

One of our friendly readers (Torley) has posted a nice short video explaining how to share a page of a Texterity digital edition with others.

Link to a Page in a Texterity Online Magazine

Torley, thanks for sharing. Good news! In our new release of the Texterity reader interface, the "share" function is much easier to find and use. And, the URL line always has the page number included!

Introducing Coverleaf Reader: The Next Generation User Interface for Digital Editions

2009-06-11T17:10:00.003-04:00

See the next generation digital edition reading interface. The Coverleaf Reader! Jam-packed with new features such as one-click social networking, innovative navigation, and customizable areas for video, social networks, and other add-ons. The webinar demonstration is tomorrow - you can register at www.texterity.com/webinar/.

Or, see the video:

Palm Pre - YAMD (Yet Another Mobile Device)

2009-06-05T14:19:00.003-04:00

The mobile devices are coming fast and thick now with the release of the Palm Pre this weekend. This device is getting tons of publicity as a possible 'iPhone killer', but the early returns are that without significant application support, it will be a tough road.

As a provider of services to magazines, Texterity continues to develop our iPhone application suite and also is supporting the Kindle with future support for other XML based devices. Players such as Apple and Amazon (who have the distribution power) have the early lead, but magazines are still "second class citizens" behind ebooks and feeds for most devices.

Kindle DX provides path for magazine publishers

2009-05-06T13:05:00.005-04:00

Finally it's official -- the Kindle DX was announced this morning.

The most interesting aspect of this device is the size, and the ability of the device to display a "magazine" format with a full-page PDF representation. It remains to be seen whether an XML-based representation (allowing reflow and better linking) is better than the "PDF" mode, but we'll work that out.

Texterity is working with our publishing partners to make all our magazines available on the Kindle, both paid and controlled, as we have done already with the iPhone and iPod touch.

I am personally very excited to see this device, and think that it provides a real breakthrough in the reading experience. And, in expanding the audience for magazine and newspaper content.

Examples of "Interactive Magazines"...Thanks Joe!

2009-04-10T08:16:00.007-04:00

Joe Pulizzi of Junta42 was asking if we had examples of "interactive magazines", and here is an excerpt of my reply:

Here are a few examples of interactive magazines:

Enthusiast:
Driver's Republic -
Contains integrated videos and innovative advertising, including IAB ad units.

Consumer:
Organic Style -
Interactive pages allowing changes of clothing by season, zoom in on areas, interactive recipes.

B-to-B:
Consumer Goods Technology -
Interactive elements to bring readers into the edition.

Joe -- thanks for asking!

If you don't change in today's media world, you're toast

2009-04-02T09:50:00.004-04:00

"If you don't change in today's media world, you're toast," says Jeff D'Alessio, Editor-in-chief, Sporting News. The Texterity digital edition of Sporting News Today is featured in this Fox News video clip, and makes the case that digital editions can be a path to success for print brands.

See the video by clicking here.

Premier Guitar: "Our Top 11 Reasons for Online Magazines"

2009-03-19T08:41:00.007-04:00

Peter Sprague of Premier Guitar presented NEW PRICING STRATEGIES For the Multimedia Era at the FOLIO Growth Summit in Chicago. It was an eye-opening presentation, and he did a great job of explaining how they sell multimedia packages based on total impressions/exposures with a "packaged" CPM rate.

I'd like to reprint his slide entitled "Our Top 11 Reasons for Online Magazines":

It is a form of product sampling.

Free access to the digital magazine has increased print subscriptions and single copy sales.

It is a way to grow rate base (and $ yield) quickly and very efficiently.

Online opt-in subscribers are auditable.

Online magazines allow a publisher to charge for new sound and sight services.

If you operate in a global market, an online magazine is the only realistic way to serve offshore readers.

An online magazine allows the publisher to quantitatively evaluate content and creative.

An online magazine’s metrics allow a publisher to share real time data with an advertiser.

Online magazines are measurable and accountable.

Online magazines save wood... for guitars! Don't underestimate environmental appeal.

There is no "waste" with an online magazine vs. single copy distribution, which generates revenues and provides for sampling, but in a grossly inefficient manner!

Premier Guitar's success with digital editions from Texterity is a testament to his teams integrated strategy, clear message to the market, and quality execution.

NOTE: You can download the original powerpoint presentation by clicking here.

ABC Issues New Digital Edition Rules supported by Texterity and Coverleaf

2009-03-17T18:01:00.003-04:00

The Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) has just updated their definition of a "Digital Edition" (see www.accessabc.com/resources/c_electronic.htm).

ABC is now fully recognizing the concept of both a "replica" and "non-replica" magazine in digital edition form. For quite awhile, Texterity has been working with publishers to provide "digital only" layouts, usually in landscape format, that take full advantage of the screen and are not modeled on an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper.

Texterity is well positioned to take advantage of the new options afforded publishers to distribute "replica" or "non-replica" editions, in either the "pull" or "push" method of delivery. With the current built-in back-end tracking, reporting, logging, and full audit compliant packages, Texterity and the Coverleaf (www.coverleaf.com) site can support any of these new methods.

Masthead digital archives now available by Texterity

2009-03-05T21:47:00.002-05:00

The last two years of Canadian magazine publication Masthead print magazines are now available as digital editions.

Users can read the full contents of each issue, as well as search the contents and click on all web and email links, including advertiser links. All content is available free of charge.

The initiative was sponsored by Texterity.

To view the archive, visit www.mastheadonline.com/texterity/.

Coverleaf's Ten Clipped Articles of the Month

2009-03-04T15:14:00.002-05:00

Coverleaf has released the "Top 10" clipped articles of the month. The list is part of an ongoing effort to help publishers tap into the behaviors of their reading public and to learn more about the type of content readers choose to clip, save and share through digital editions.

What's cool is that having this information is also a boon to readers, who can see what other folks are interested in.

To see the list, see the press release at:

http://tinyurl.com/coverleaf-top-10

Magazine Site Licensing and the BPA Worldwide

2009-02-11T04:22:00.004-05:00

Magazine "site licenses". Boring? Hardly. This is actually a great way for all types of publishers to increase reach and revenue in these challenging times.

Currently, a number of professional and trade publishers are distributing to corporations and libraries a "digital edition" for sharing. And many others would like to.

However, publishers that are audited by BPA Worldwide, and would like to "count" these subscriptions on their audit statements, cannot. (The ABC already allows a form of this reporting.)

Currently, BPA Worldwide requires that a contract must require the administrator of the license to notify all individuals of the availability of each issue. Licenses are reported only for a specific number of seats -- and a global or corporate-wide agreement cannot be reported.

There is a lively blog discussion on the topic of "BPA considering non-request electronic circulation as qualified" which directly relates to this issue.

So, one idea is to combine the corporate-wide agreement model with a tracking/reporting 'usage' report (i.e., the number of readers per month). Perhaps we can use the new BPA/Nielsen system as a way to report these to advertisers.

Texterity has announced a new IP address authentication method (see Texterity Announces Site Licensing Program for Digital Editions. However, having the technical means to provide IP address range and "domain" content protection and authorization doesn't solve the "accountability" problem.

Texterity pledges to work with publishers and audit organizations to provide innovative ways to server readers, the publishers, and the advertsers in an accountable and effective manner.

Reader engagment: Is there intelligent life elsewhere in the universe?

2009-01-24T07:32:00.002-05:00

Costco Connection's “Debate” series is a greate way of encouraging direct feedback by readers with “Click to Vote/Debate” features. I love the most recent question: "Is there intelligent life elsewhere in the universe?"

Topics are intentionally controversial to drive participation. Each article also include web links so readers can access additional, related information.

The results of each month’s column are summarized and reported in subsequent issues, with extended comment areas in both the online and print editions. The use of interactive “online input” -- resulting in “online” and “offline” output -- is a unique feature of makes COSTCO’s Debate Series a great example of a publisher engaging the online reader.

You can cast your own vote by going to http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/200901/?folio=18.

Tips for Improving Lead Generation

2009-01-06T09:28:00.005-05:00

I'm often asked about how digital editions can be used for "lead generation". The short answer is that to be really effective there needs to be a "value added" for readers to provide advertiser permission to contact them. Simply having a "pop up" form asking for an email address when someone clicks on an advertiser link to go to a website does not move the needle. Offering a white paper, webinar, free gift, or anything "above and beyond" can get someone motivated!

DMNews has a nice on-line article on using your databases and driving sales with more leads. Some experts (including yours truly) offer tips on how to improve lead-generating efforts. You can read it directly from the www.dmnews.com/5-Tips-Lead-generation-lift-off/article/123495/.

Google Launches Magazine Search

2008-12-09T17:03:00.004-05:00

Google officially announced their "initiative to help bring more magazine archives and current magazines online, partnering with publishers to begin digitizing millions of articles". You can read it directly from the google blog.

Generally, I'm in favor of anything that exposes great magazine content to a wider audience. The "scan everything" model works well for magazines with a large historical archive, especially for researchers. This is a service to magazines in general, and allows people to see magazines that are both in and out-of-print.

The quality of the pages is obviously limited by the scanning approach, and zooming in is a bit blurry. But, as a free offering this is still very useful.

Is this directly competitive with efforts such as Coverleaf (www.coverleaf.com) which makes digital magazines available on a direct to consumer basis?

Much of the value-added of Texterity is the "business model" that supports publisher's circulation and revenue generating interests. The Google Magazine initiative provides a link back to their website, but not much more. With respect to the "quality" of the digital edition, digital edition providers can do many more things than Google. For example, more advanced "mark up" such as linking URLs and pages, rich media embedding, gatefolds, blow-in cards, audited delivery, and many other services that integrate the digital edition into the publisher's site.

Google is technically and financially capable of doing a lot, however, I believe that publishers will be interested in protecting their brand and leveraging their content beyond that of "sampling" via Google.

Five Tips to Cope -- or Even Thrive -- Through Downturn

2008-12-08T12:14:00.001-05:00

Ad Age knows something about troubled times: The magazine was founded less than 90 days after the crash of '29 and has reported on every downturn since the Great Depression. They have dug deep into their archives to analyze the issue of innovation during three of the worst times: the Depression and recessions of the early '70s and early '80s. The result of that research is "Downtime Opportunity," a comprehensive Texterity digital edition "white paper" available at adage.com/whitepaper.

Bottom line: A great example of "just in time" publishing leveraging the brand and knowledge of a leading publisher and the quick turnaround and features of Texterity digital editions.

Premier Guitar : a showcase website and digital edition integration

2008-12-07T12:11:00.005-05:00

Premier Guitar, which bills itself as the "relentless pursuit of tone", has a great website and integration with the digital edition.

Peter Sprague (CEO) and his team have worked with the Texterity team to use digital editions to truly leverage the www.premierguitar.com) website and brand.

Some of the cool things they've done include:

Providing multiple offers to sign up for the digital edition throughout the site, encouraging visitors to self-identify and starting the relationship in a personal way

Cross-linking the HTML readable version of articles with the digital magazine view, allowing easy viewing in both delivery methods

Customizing their digital edition interface, including "Gear Search" to help readers find advertisers and products easily, and an introductory page next to the cover to highlight key articles

Check it out and I think you'll agree - nice job!

Dan Woods Driving Digital

2008-12-03T13:04:00.003-05:00

Dan Woods, who is Associate Publisher for O'Reilly Media's Maker Media Division, just appeared in an online interview on the Magazine Publishers of America site (see www.magazine.org/digital/digidriver-dan-woods.aspx).

Dan talks about how Make and Craft magazines were among the first available on the iPhone editions via Texterity. Dan also pointed out that his readers love it when they find it that way. Dan adds, "We like trying different things. About 80 percent of our total circulation signups come through all the online marketing that we do."

Dan and the O'Reilly team have always been at the forefront on using new technologies, and we're thrilled to have them as a publishing partner.

Incisive Media - Capitalizing on Digital Edition Technology

2008-12-01T17:48:00.003-05:00

Bill Pollack from Incisive Media just posted a nice entry about the use of digital editions in an issue of The American Lawyer. The digital edition features a video ad with a highlight of the TAL Awards dinner, and it’s embedded over the spread ad on pages 36-37. The pages with the video can be viewed directly with this link http://www.americanlawyer-digital.com/americanlawyer/sample/?folio=36.

Bill points out that "digital publishing does provide advertisers with some major advantages over print. Thanks to web links, embedded audio and video, and other opportunities for inclusion of rich media, a digital ad can do a lot more than a print ad. It can more easily be used to generate leads, provide specific product information, or link over to the advertiser's website. And so the accountability and statistics available in connection with a digital ad are quite a bit greater than with a typical print advertisement."

I could not have said it any better!

Kelsey Voss - Exploring the World of Digital Circulation

2008-11-25T10:16:00.000-05:00

Kelsey Voss is Director, Circulation & Customer Development at Ziff Davis Enterprise, and is authoring a 4-part series on "Exploring the World of Digital Circulation" on the Audience Development magazine blog (see www.audiencedevelopment.com/2008/exploring+world+digital+circulation).

In Part 1 of this series, Kelsey talks about the benefits of digital for cost savings, flexilibity, tracking and reporting, and a better reader experience.

Kelsey's observation that "digital is great for those who love to click through the magazine, archive issues on their computer, look up anything with a keyword, and send articles to friends and colleagues" is one of the areas we are focusing on: the sharing and social aspect of the digital edition.

We are glad to be partners with Kelsey Voss and the Ziff Davins Enterprise team, and with the new "digital format" of eWeek they are showing real leadership. You can check out the latest version of the digital edition of eWeek at www.eweek-digital.com.

Should We Go Digital? And Robin's Tips for Digital Editions

2008-11-17T15:02:00.002-05:00

Robin Kruk from FORUM magazine, published by the Association Forum of Chicagoland, has just written a great round-up article on digital edition use in the association community. It includes numerous case studies on Associations using digital editions, including associations working with Texterity.

Her recent article, “Should We Go Digital?” appear in the November/December 2008 issue of FORUM magazine, page 72, and can be viewed at http://www.associationforum-digital.com/associationforum/200811/.

Also check out “Robin’s Tips for Digital Publications” at The FORUM Effect, which provides an in-depth conversation with FORUM authors. Her blog is available at http://www.associationforumblogs.org/theforumeffect/2008/11/robins-tips-for-digital-publications.html.

Sporting News Today named the 2008 Online Launch of the year

2008-11-12T08:16:00.003-05:00

Texterity is proud to announce that Sporting News Today was named the 2008 Online Launch of the Year and was honored by min magazine . Texterity has been providing this unique "digital only" daily magazine with publisher American City Business Journals since it's debut in July 2008. Anyone can sign up for the publication at Coverleaf.com.

For more information, see the min's article at http://www.minonline.com/features/9178.html

Audited Digital Circulation Rising

2008-10-14T12:47:00.004-04:00

Folio Magazine's article titled Publishers Claiming Digital Circ on Rise (http://www.foliomag.com/2008/publishers-claiming-digital-circ-rise) showed a 28% increase in the number publications claiming audited digital edition readership. The numbers were released by BPA Worldwide, so they represent primarily the "B-to-B" magazine segment.

The headline should be "Audited Digital Circulation on Rise". In addition to audited circulation, however, is the large growth we are seeing in non-audited publications and subscribers too. This includes the large category of "digital only magazines", such as Sporting News Today.