From All of Us To All of You

Here at Nxtbook, we always enjoy the opportunity to wish you a very special holiday. Through the years, we’ve delivered open fires and dancing elves inside our digital editions. But this year, we think we’ve reached a new level. Click here to visit our very special holiday greeting!

 

Number One Best Place to Work In Pa is No Surprise to Us

On Thursday, December 1, we had the honor of winning the #1 Best Place to Work in PA out of 65 small- to mid-sized companies (25-250 employees). Make no mistake, it is a big deal to make the list of 65 at all: Pennsylvania is a large state with a lot of businesses. The process for narrowing down the list is rigorous, starting with getting the employee’s perspective, then factoring quantifiable benefits and employer information. 

And though, when they counted down the list and finally named our company as #1 we exploded into cheers and applause, it was more from pride than surprise. Since its inception, Nxtbook Media’s owners have actively and intentionally created the best place to work. As CEO Michael Biggerstaff put it, they try to make Nxtbook, "the place we always wanted to work but could never find." Being one of the top 3 companies to work for the past 4 years is proof this mentality pays off.

Of course the success of this business depends wholly on everyone’s participation in making it great. Winning #1 is simply an external representation of the pride everyone takes in their jobs. When we get to work, it isn’t to drudge through 8 hours and go home. We care about what we do, about serving our clients, creating work we can be proud of, and about caring for each other. Think about how much better it is to work with someone who is glad to be where they are (and have an award to prove it) rather than trying to get through to someone in less optimal conditions. (Think of "Peggy" in those customer service commercials.)

So the next time you call us, you can be proud that you’ve partnered with the best company to work for in the state of Pennsylvania.

No Two Things Are More Indespensable: App and AOPA

"Other than fuel and oil, there are perhaps no two things more indispensable to aviation these days than AOPA Pilot and the iPad. And now, they are together in a new way thanks to the new AOPA Mags app."

That’s AOPA’s opening line introducing their new iPad app, available for download. What did you say to introduce your magazine or app to the world?

AOPA, or the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, is phenomenal in their continuous pursuit of conversation with their readers, and in using that conversation to grow their audience. For instance, take this newscast video released by AOPA: Editor-in-Chief Tom Haines explains in detail some of the new features readers can look forward to in the iPad app, giving it an official and newscast feel. Within the article below the video, they link to a FAQ page and they provide a chart of App Tips for readers who are unsure of the new technology.

Of course, their app is also very newsworthy as AOPA takes advantage of several cool features enabled in the iPad. Across its publications, AOPA has included polls, extra images, and tests which give you the results as soon as you submit your answers. This is beyond the other videos and imagery they typically include.

Consider your app: Have you made it exciting for your audience? Is it broadcast worthy? 

7 Sensational Magazines Revealed

In a seminar exclusively for the Folio: show earlier this month, Marcus Grimm revealed 7 of the most sensational digital editions from 2011. He talked about what each magazine (or publisher) did well, either from a content and design standpoint, or in revenue generation. Due to the response we’ve received, we decided to break it down for everyone’s benefit. You can receive each of the 7 digital editions, as well as a dissection of what makes them sensational. To get your hands on this free offering, simply click here. 

Want a preview? Here are a couple snippets from the seminar:

I’m Glad Matt Kinsman is Leaving FOLIO

That headline is link bait; Matt Kinsman, nearly formerly of FOLIO, is off to develop content for ABM. Despite the fact that Kinsman has taken extreme care to understand the digital edition marketplace over the past several years, I think those of us in the space stand to come out ahead:

1.) FOLIO is a top-notch publication and while Kinsman was probably the sharpest crayon in that box, truth is there are several bright colors. While it remains to be seen if they can reach Matt’s calibre, I’m optimistic they can. Bill Mickey, in particular, has come to understand the digital edition space nearly as well as Matt, and can be counted on to contribute to the public understanding of our industry.

2.) ABM on the other hand, needs help on the content side, and badly. Look how rarely we link to their stuff. Pretty much never; not because we don’t want to but because they either don’t represent what our publishers tell us they care about OR the things they do say are so far afield from reality as we know it. As my kids would say, ABM’s content is all jacked up, and if anyone can right that ship, Kinsman is probably the guy.

So in the end, this could work out well for all of us. FOLIO will be strong enough to stay strong and ABM has the potential to become relevant to those of us in the digital edition space. 

Digital Magazine Success is Not the Exception but the Trend

It isn’t often I recommend articles, but I found "Andrew Rashbass: ‘The biggest reason we’re successful is that we are lucky’" to be well worth my time. Chief Executive Andrew Rashbass of the Economist group gave his first interview in quite some time, detailing the journey of the Economist magazine and website.

While the article provides a pretty comprehensive look at the Economist’s story, it naturally focuses on the magazine’s success. While Rashbass attributes much of that to luck, there are a couple of other factors to note:

1. Rashbass did his research, and therefore knows his audience. For example, in understanding the impact of tablets and eReaders on consuming his content, he polled subscribers to ask how they read the Economist now, and how they expect to read it in the future. (The number of subscribers expecting to read print in two years dropped 35%.)

2. He has an understanding of how readers consume content differently depending on the platform, and he builds content to fit that understanding.

3. He is relaxed about his print sales, recognizing that print sales is not the big picture. The big picture view includes the digital scope.

Lastly, something the article points out which I think is worth noting is that Rashbass doesn’t see the Economist as an exception, but "a manifestation of broader trends.’" It’s tempting to say that 100,000 digital subscribers is not a big deal because it’s a well known title. Instead, it’s better to see it as a case study for the future of digital magazines.

Of course, much more was covered in the article, so  click here to read it.

You Might Think You’re Ready for Folio

You might think you’re ready for the Folio: show next week. Your bags might be packed, your tickets purchased and reservations made. But are you ready for the mind-blowing presentations we’ve got lined up for you?

For instance, our booth (#602) is going to have a special surprise for you, involving iPads, technology, and a lot of personality. Watch the sneak preview video here:

 

Don’t forget, Marcus is revealing the top 7 digital editions we found this year. Who knows, it might even be YOURS. Check it out to see who earned the honors. We’ll be in the "Wilder" room, 4th floor, at 10:35 am.

If nothing else, stop by and say hi. It’ll be great to see you.

 

Rising Postal Prices Might Affect Your Ability To Mail Catalogs

The good news is this won’t go into effect until after the major catalog season, otherwise known as the holidays.

The bad news is there’s going to be an average postal rate increase of 2.1% starting January 22, 2012. This means selling products via print catalogs and flyers just got a little more expensive. The question is, do you pass the increased rates to your consumers, decrease how many catalogs your ship, or look to diversify how you distribute your materials?

We’ve been watching the USPS struggle to figure its way out of financial crisis for some time now. Back in January there was a hope that rates would only increase 0.8% for Standard Mail flats, making a much smaller price bump for shipping catalogs. The new price rate wasn’t enough, and we’re watching as prices jump again.

Providing your readers with digital catalogs is one way to circumvent the rising shipping rates. You could also avoid inflating rates for paper and ink. What’s more, since so many businesses are offering digital catalog options now, there’s a plethora of information on how to make the switch profitable, not just as a tool to cut costs. When print and distribution prices starts chipping away at your bottom line, it’s time to look for other ways to get your catalog in the hands of your readers.

Are You Going to Folio?

Man, I sure hope so. It’s going to be a fun time, including awesome key note presentations, a free Nxtbook sponsored run by City Running Tours and much more.

If you’re there, please be sure to check out my session entitled, 7 Sensational Digital Magazines for 2011. Rather than talk about what’s new at Nxtbook, we thought it would be more fun to shine the spotlight on YOU this time around, and show what publishers are currently doing to create some of the coolest titles of the year.

If you’re not going, we’ll try to somehow capture the magic on SlideShare or some other way, but do yourself a favor and hit the big apple next week! 

Stand Out Next Trade Show Season

It’s not easy to stand out during trade show season. Trade shows are still popular ways to gather thought leaders and vendors to share knowledge and products related to an industry. The trick is creating a value that sets you apart to both attendees and vendors.

Nxtbook clients have approached this many different ways. The American Association of Endodontists, for example, created a digital exhibit prospectus for sponsors and advertisers which made it easy for sponsors to find and print necessary documents for the event. They also created an animation which made it easy for potential sponsors to view the floor layout page, enabling it to flip vertically and horizontally so buyers can get a good look at the floor space available.

Georgia Tech went a different direction. They decided to focus on integrating a cutting-edge interactive show agenda in their brochure to connect attendees with networking opportunities before the show even began.

The Boston Atrial Fibrillation Symposium set itself apart by creating a screen-friendly design with optimized fonts and optimized layout so attendees could access the information on any digital device.

Your approach to differentiating yourself from the competing shows might look completely different from any of those samples, but one thing is clear: digital editions are a key platform for achieving that goal.

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