Cross-Platform Content Infographic

“Cross-platform” is the buzzword among publishers these days, and with good reason. Publishers are looking to syndicate their material across as many platforms and devices as possible, as easily as possible.

A simple way to get your content on as many devices as possible, including Apple, Android, and e-ink devices, is to get on the GoMobile plan. Click here to download our updated e-Reader Guide, which seeks to educate publishers about the difference between the devices, and what to expect with each screen.

Many of you might already have the guide. Great! New to the guide is the infographic on page 4. The animated image explains what each version – text, mobile, or native app – is available per device. See screenshots of a digital magazine on each of the devices, including the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Galaxy tab, and BlackBerry. Go even further and see how articles appear on a Kindle, Nook, Sony eReader, and more.

At this point in the game, it’s important to have a mobile strategy. If you have questions after viewing the guide, feel free to post them here, submit a contact form, or drop your account manager a line.

Coming Next Week

If you’re in NY, or close to NY, or want to go to NY, why not stop by the Publishing Business Conference and Expo, chaired by Rex Hammock, on Monday.

The Symposium has frequently been one of the better events that takes place in our space. This year’s panelists, which include Nxtbook customer Terry O’Hanlon, promises to be great.

The panel also includes Khoi Vinh, who has been involved with – and openly criticized – many magazine apps. Khoi loves the simplicity of the printed magazine and poked fun at app instructions with this hilarious guide on how to read a regular magazine.  While I don’t agree with everything Khoi has written or said, his opinions are always well thought out, and make great consideration points when designing for the medium.

Are We Losing Sight of the Big Picture?

Tablets will be big. And important. And you need to get your content on them. And we can help you. But they’re not everything.

If you go to FOLIO’s digital edition front page, the oldest story acknowledges that the tablet market is "nascent." And then 6 of the 11 stories above that one are about tablets. I’ve also been interviewed by two writers in the past week. Guess what they wanted to talk about? The iPad.

Repeat after me: the iPad is the sizzle; the browser is the steak. For at least the next two years.

Using a Digital Edition to Assist Japan

Yesterday, United Business Media (UBM) released a special edition of EETimes digital magazine, "The Day the Lights Went Out in Japan." This unique digital edition covers the impact of the March 11 earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan. It provides a comprehensive view of how the sudden destruction and loss of electricity impacted – and continues to impact – the people and businesses in Japan.

The main focus, however, is to raise money to assist Japan through the American Red Cross. As it said in the EETimes website, "Our intent is to show solidarity with the people of Japan, and understanding for all." Advertisers, who are primarily in the electronics industry, express solidarity with the people of Japan. All of the profits made from this edition will be donated through the American Red Cross. Readers are also encouraged to donate $10.00 to the American Red Cross as they read the digital edition.

Check out the digital magazine, and see how you can support the cause. For further coverage on the topic, click here.

Increased Costs for Print

If you run a quick search on google, you can find reports on continued increased prices for print. In an article about increasing costs for printing plates, Director of Current Solutions for Commercial and Publishing and Marketing Director for Offset Consumables Kevin Cazabon said," this is not a new situation for printers, who have been facing pricing increases for just about everything, including ink, paper, and energy." Couple this with ever-increasing rates for shipping and distribution, and the cost of print magazines – for an audience rapidly turning to the Web for entertainment, news, and reading – gets only higher.

As Mr. Cazabon said, this is not a new story. We’ve been there ourselves. Prior to becoming Nxtbook Media, the Nxtbook Executives worked in the print publishing industry. As Partner and Vice President of Operations Jim Lewis states, "I’ve been in printing for thirty-five years – so long that I’m one of those guys who people say ‘bleeds ink.’ The problem with this metaphor is that too many of the publishers I work with are bleeding profits!"

With a background steeped in publishing, Nxtbook Media’s approach to digital editions is to ensure the best quality and service for publishers. Finances are an undeniable factor for many publishers to switch to a digital format, and that’s something we understand. Because of that, Nxtbook seeks to provides you with the best training on how to maximize your ROI and revenue generation with a digital edition. At the same time, we provide our clients with the best customer service because we know the difference between having to leave a message at the beep and getting to talk directly with the head of production. We know where you are coming from, having been there ourselves. Now it’s our turn to help publishers leap into digital printing with confidence and know-how.

For more about Nxtbook Media history, click here for an interactive timeline.

What Matters… To You.

I had the pleasure of speaking this week at the Publishing Xchange. on the topic of choosing a digital magazine vendor.

Though this first year show’s attendance wasn’t great, or necessarily even good, it’s a great, great topic; one that’s near and dear to my heart.

One of the great things about our industry is that we’ve reached a certain level of maturity, which means that your evaluation process can easily allow certain vendors to become more, or less, important in your evaluation.

These were some of the questions I recommended publishers ask of themselves prior to vendor evaluation. Knowing these answers will greatly simplify the process:

1.) Do you have the time and talent to make your own digital magazine? This is a resource question and the answer will point you in the direction of self-service or full-service vendors. Nxtbook is full service.

2.) Do you have a strategy you’re confident in and do you know the tactics necessary to execute on that strategy? Some vendors are technology companies and aren’t in the strategy, consultation business. Nxtbook is.

3.) Do you know what you want to do regarding mobile or know what your readers want from you? Though most vendors in the space are developing in these areas, some are further ahead than others. If it’s important to you, find out where the vendor is, and is going.

4.) Replica or optimized? If you wish to optimize the layout and design of your magazine for online reading, you will either have to have additional resource outlay or work with a vendor who offers creative services. According to a survey we did last year, only 20% of publishers are not at least considering optimization this year. For that reason, we have a creative team on hand that can handle as much of the work as you want us to… but again, that only makes sense if it’s part of your goal.

I promise you that if you ask yourself these four questions prior to your vendor evaluation, you won’t be nearly as confused by the myriad of possibilities that exist.

It’s Only a Race if the Horse Wins Something

There’s an interesting post over at emedia vitals about the "digital newsstand race." It’s worth the read to be brought up to speed, but it misses a larger point: 

There really is no need for a digital newsstand. A newsstand is – by and large – a product for browsing, almost always when we’re killing time and nearly always when we’re planning on pulling our wallet out at the end of the time spent browsing. This just isn’t how people (today) consume content online.

When content consumers are curious about you, they ask Google where you are. Google tells them and they come to your doorstep, where you can then engage with them. It’s really no more complicated than that.

And while I’ve said it before, I haven’t said it recently and it’s so vital to our understanding of all of these newsstands that practice long-tail economics. Long-tail economics work and they work, well, but if you really understand how they work, you come to realize that the content producer only benefits a little. That’s you. The ones who reap the larger rewards are the aggregators, and that ain’t you.

All of which goes to say I don’t know who’s going to win the digital newsstand war, but my guess is nobody will and even if they do – your potential gains are minimal.

Your move: drive your fans to your content via your brand. Period.

Something for Every Reader

How can magazine, manual, or informational publishers engage experts and dabblers alike? Cygnus Publishing tackled this idea head-on, creating content that keeps readers stuck to each page.

Prior to reading their digital edition, Sustainable Construction, I knew nothing about sustainable building. And given my current path in life, it’s safe to say I probably never would.

But then, Sustainable Construction came across my desk (er, desktop), and I now know more about it than I ever thought I would. Why did I bother reading it? Because it’s choc full of buttons, videos, media, and animations; I kept reading because I wanted to see what the next page held.

The key is, this digital edition caters to all kinds of readers, no matter their initial interest level. Whether (like me) this is the first time they’ve heard of it and just came across it through email or social media, or they’re long-time readers who can’t wait to see what you publish next, there’s something for everyone here:

For the curious: Cygnus Publishing has sewn in enough bells and whistles to keep casual observers oohing and aahing over every page. The benefit? It’s increasing the time and the level to which readers are exposed to your brand. Should they ever need to know more about this topic in the future, you’re already positioned as the leader in this topic.

For the interested, but busy: Cygnus optimized the digital edition so it looks great on every screen: computer, tablet, or smartphone. Busy readers can take the content on the go, to read on a train, standing in line for coffee, or while at the desk. Supersized graphics and text make the articles eye-catching and easy to read, so viewers get all the information they want quickly.

For the engaged and informed: Readers are encouraged to dig deeper into the content by the additional material tucked into each page. Page 13, for instance, provides a roll-over slideshow and 2 collapsible tabs of supplemental information. The additional content is a service for readers who want to know more about a particular topic, and it keeps readers engaged for longer in your digital edition.

Appeal to readers of all types: keep it interesting!

Tracking Device Use Trends

Over the past few months, we’ve been tracking internet-use trends of Omniture-tracked websites and reporting the information here. (First four articles here will give you past results.) Publishers can use this information to cultivate an awareness of how users are interacting with the Web. For the past month, content-consumers have used the following devices to access Omniture-tracked websites:

Apple iPhone : 44.2%
Apple iPad: 15.1%
Apple iPod Touch: 5.7%
Nokia 5800: 4.6%
Nokia N8-00: 3.5%
HTC Evo: 3.0%
Nokia 5230: 2.8%
Motorola DroidX: 2.4%
Motorola Droid: 2.4%
Nokia 5233: 2.1%
RIM BlackBerry 8530/Curve: 2.0%
Nokia E63: 1.7%
Nokia E71: 1.7%
Nokia X6: 1.6%
HTC Droid Incredible: 1.6%
RIM BlackBerry 9700/Onyx: 1.5%
Nokia 5530: 1.4%
Nokia E72: 1.4%

Nxtbook publishers can track the success of their individual books or their digital campaign as a whole through specific Omniture analytics. For instance, we can see that in the last two weeks, 95% of the people who visited one of our digital editions did so through a computer. (These visitors accounted for well over 15.6 million page views during that two week period.) 3.7% of views were through an iOS device, including the iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. That is a steady, if mild, increase of iOS device use. Armed with this information, publishers can not only see how readers are accessing their content now, but they can plan how they want that to look in the future.

 

Nxtbook On the Road At a New Show

If you’re in DC next week, be sure to come by the Publishing Xchange, a brand new publishing show being held in conjunction with a bigger show. On Wednesday, I’ll be speaking on the panel regarding Choosing the Best Digital Magazine Partner. In general, the entire agenda looks promising for this new show on the circuit. We’ll be sure to file a report next week!

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