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.

 

Another Step Closer to the Permanent Magazine…

The NY Times features Readius, the first roll-up e-paper display due to hit the market next year. At $359, we’re still nowhere near a price that the average consumer will pick one up and at five inches diagonal with black and white text, we’re still nowhere near the size or resolution it will need to be if magazine publishers are to embrace it, but no matter…. it’s the type of product that could birth the magazine of the next generation.

 

Google Loves Nxtbooks (continued)

Several months back, we made reference to the fact that traffic to Nxtbooks via Google is up tremendously. In fact, comparing April, May and June to January, February and March, we see more than a 400 percent increase in traffic via the big guy.

It’s possible that the rapid growth (which started in April but continues to increase daily) has to do with Google’s news that they’re now able to index text within Flash itself. As we’ve said, Nxtbook content has been indexed for some time via our hybrid index Flash technique. However, if Google is now indexing the Nxtbook itself, the result would be that Google would see the content twice on the page – inside the Nxtbook and within the XML. This double-shot of content seems to be having the desired effect for our publishers and their readers.

Why a Digital Magazine?

At today’s Webinar, we asked publishers if they had to pick one reason to have a digital magazine, what would it be? The choices given were: Revenue generation, circulation building, cost savings, brand extension or environmental. The wimpy "multiple" option was not allowed.

 Here’s how the percentages break out:

• Cost savings: 50 percent
• Revenue generation: 25 percent
• Circulation building: 12.5 percent
• Brand extension: 12.5 percent

The cool thing about a digital magazine is that by doing any one of the options, the environment automatically benefits (even though no one voted on it). In fact, the really cool thing about a digital magazine is that many of our publishers enjoy all of the benefits. But when we made publishers choose just one, that’s how the results played out.

Don’t Confuse Me With The Truth

Every now and then journalist Steve Smith writes an article about the failure of digital magazines. Typically, he does this with no proof. Here’s his latest:

Companies like Zinio and Olive Software have
pushed unsuccessfully for years to move publishers and readers toward
downloadable and online digitized versions of the print experience, but
the “digital magazine” concept has yet to take off. Some business and
consumer publishers like Ziff Davis and Reed have gotten up to 15
percent of readers of select titles to accept electronic versions of
their print subscription, but even cheerleaders for the platform admit
that the digital magazine remains decidedly niche.

Let me get this straight: A product that accounts for 15% of readership (at a fraction of the cost) is "decidedly niche," according to the same guy who wrote that a product with less than 1% marketshare "changed everything." Huh?

Always a clever guy with the pen, Smith was eager to jot down this quote from David Renard: “It’s not that important and won’t be for a while,” he admits. In a conversation I had with Renard months ago, he told me that line was misquoted. However, if we want to say a quote’s a quote, here’s another one from Renard:

They (publishers) must formulate a
strategy for both their printed and digital magazines, which, combined,
will remain a significant part of their business, as well as for all
their other digital initiatives.

Which quote seems less apt to be misquoted to you? 

Understand, there’s nothing wrong with being skeptical about digital magazines and many great journalists are skeptical. Yet Smith seems to enjoy ignoring data and information in favor of his own mindsets and while that’s unsettling to see in anyone, it strikes us as more so for a writer supposedly covering the cutting edge.

 

Show Me the Money

Can publishers make money from digital editions? According to this Nxtbook customer, they can:

In 2007, ITEM Publications saw $180,000 in digital publishing revenue
and $70,000 from optional digital ad revenues. “It’s not huge but it’s
not a difficult sale to make and it comes with high margins,” says
Kilshaw.

 

Save $100 at CPC Show

We’re only two months away from the Custom Publishing Council’s 2008 Industry Conference – the first conference put on exclusively for custom publishers by the CPC. As a proud sponsor of this event, we’re proud to offer attendees a $100 discount. Simply ask for the Nxtbook Media discount when registering, and the price is magically reduced by $100. Nothing like having a friend on the inside!

While you’re over at the CPC site, be sure to check out the premier edition of Content Magazine, the official magazine of the CPC, also provided in Nxtbook format. 

Grazers V. Super-Users

Dan Blank has written a great post about the variety of media we’re all consuming and the differences in how we react to it:

It’s a fascinating distinction because it crosses the line of
“content-creators” and “audience.” Super-users may create as much
content as they consume. Grazers may be similar to traditional
audiences, but even less engaged as they stream through massive amounts
of media, constantly filtering.

There’s an interesting challenge for magazine publishers here – and particularly publishers of digital editions – as most traditional magazines are formatted for grazing, as Dan defines it, and aren’t naturally hard-wired for interaction. Why does this matter? There’s at least two reasons:

1. By not encouraging interaction, magazine publishers are missing out on creating a "stickier" brand and because web analytics will continue to move more in the direction of engagement, stickiness will continue to be more important.

2. When people interact with your content, they post links to it, and links are the currency of the Web. It’s the simplest way to generate more traffic to your content and also makes your digital edition content that much more yummy with Google.

Simple ways to build interact inside your digital edition:

1. Make sure you’re promoting the RSS feed of your digital edition, which is free with Nxtbook Media.

    Why this works: Those who use RSS readers are much more inclined to be Super-Users.

2. Post links to your digital edition content on forums.

    Why this works: Ditto #1. While there are "lurkers" and grazers on forums, that’s also where the Super-Users can be found.

3. Blog about (and obviously link to) your digital edition content.

    Why this works: Ditto #2

 

One Blogger’s Thoughts…

Here’s a blogger thinking about the future of print through the prism of the Nxtbook.

The Bonj Looks at Nxtbook…

A nice review of the Nxtbook – courtesy of Bonj – can be seen here.

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