Kindle Clampdown?

Amazon has announced that their e-books will soon only be available in either the Kindle format or the Mobipocket format, basically shutting out the Microsoft Reader and Adobe e-book formats.

It’s interesting move on Amazon’s part. Even while the company is selling more and different products, it seems they’re not selling things it feels are competitors.

This move won’t effect Nxtbook Liberty, however. Our Libert product is structured HTML which plays just fine on the Amazon Kindle when viewed through the device’s browser.

(Note: Caught this link from Chris Webb, a dynamite writer covering how publishers are tackling technology and social media.)

Nxtbook 3.0 Trailer Released…

Exciting changes are underway at Nxtbook Media. Soon, our 3.0 product will be released to a small number of publishers as the culmination of our beta phase. The 3.0 product is true to the digital magazine industry, further building affinity to a print-like product, but doing so in a way that embraces the realities of a web world. Sculpted by an award-winning interface design company with input from readers and publishers, Nxtbook 3.0 will go further to build digital magazine readership and revenue than any product in the industry to date.

In the coming weeks, you’ll learn more about 3.0 right here. But for now, be sure to check out the first trailer here.

 

The Lie of Print Advertising…

Jeff Jarvis has a new book coming out, so it makes sense that he’s blogging about it. What’s great about this post, however, is how he explains that while the CPM model is dying, there are many great ways to survive. A lot of these, it seems, could be helped with digital magazines.

The Digital Magazine V. The Website…

It’s a question we get asked a lot – how a digital magazine is different than a website. In fact, we were given the opportunity to expound upon this a bit in Niched-Out-News. However, Jim Meskausas explains it even better for MediaPost:

I realized that what I like about Time, or any print vehicle for that matter – be it magazine or newspaper or broadsheet or pamphlet – is that I am exposed to tidbits of information and long-form thought pieces that I don’t necessarily want to fetch. I
am presented with an organized collection of opinions, perspectives, information and facts that are the construct of someone else’s mind, or a collection of minds.

Jim’s comments were made about print, but they apply equally to digital magazines as well. They don’t present a better or worse reading experience. Rather, they present a different one entirely.

 

Plastic Logic Exec. to Speak at Nxtbook Sponsored Luncheon

How cool is this? As a major sponsor of this year’s FOLIO Growth Summit and it’s companion event: The E-Media Strategist’s Event, we’re thrilled to welcome Plastic Logic’s Daren Benzi to be our keynote luncheon speaker. Benzi, vice president of Business Development for Plastic Logic, will discuss how plastic electronics technology created by his company and others is poised to propel new frontiers in consumer electronics–and magazines.

It’s a can’t miss event for anyone looking to see one of the futures of digital publishing. Be sure to check out the great video of the forthcoming device here.

 

 

Lay-off News Slow, So FOLIO Turns to a Success Story…

We’ve been guilty of accusing FOLIO of only covering the bad news, so we need to give them mad props when they tell a good story. In this one, publisher Risa Crandall tells how Scholastic Parent & Child boosted ad pages by 28% in 2008. Well worth the read. A key element was finding a major single sponsor, something we’ve seen Hearst do with many projects.

New Kindle on the Horizon?

There’s much speculation that a new Kindle will be announced on February 9th. If true, we’d expect some cool enhancements from the device, though it’s questionable which of these enhancement could be big for magazine publishers. E-ink as a technology hasn’t made dramatic strides in color or animation since the first Kindle was released, so the idea of viewing a digital magazine in color glory almost definitely won’t happen in this format. However, the first Kindle has been a success and publishers seeking to reach Kindle users can use the Nxtbook Liberty platform to deliver a Kindle-like text-based solution of your magazine. Think of it as planting your flag prior to the gold rush.

links for 2009-01-26

• Medical Economics – January 23, 2009 – Page 14
  Example of an advertisement promoting the digital edition
  (tags: digital-edition-ad)

Nxtbook Customer Featured in Audience Development…

Nxtbook customer Reliabilityweb is featured in Audience Development magazine. A choice quote:

"Advertisers are becoming more interested in Uptime’s new digital edition, as well. They’re running flash ads that move, putting digital tabs on inserts, and adding direct-request forms for further information. Advertisers don’t want Web traffic. They want leads. So rather than linking to an advertiser’s Web site, putting a lead form in an ad sends interested readers directly to the advertiser for an immediate response."

Six Nxtbooks You’ve Got to Read…

Here are six very cool Nxtbooks, all produced within the past 30 days (some within the past 3). Some are listed because they’re some of the most-read titles of the past month. Others are listed because the content is unique or intriguing. Each is worth a look.

The Official Event Guide to SuperBowl XLIII – One of our most-read titles of 2008 is back for 2009!
Your Guide to Verizon Wireless, Winter Edition – Commence wishing now.
The 2009 Catalog from the Stuttering Foundation – NEW to the Nxtbook family, this catalog has great integration with their e-commerce site
Gold Medal Whole Wheat Baking – Custom publications from General Mills consistently crack the Nxtbook Top 10 in readership
Boat U.S. – January, 2009 – Who says it takes time to build readership? Since launching last year, Boat U.S. digital readership has been near the head of the fleet every month – Check out the animated water on the cover!
Connections Magazine – This one’s close to our heart – a magazine produced by Nxtbook Media’s in-house custom publishing team. Notice the font styles and sizes, perfectly chosen for on-screen reading

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