As consumers continually adapt and change the way they like to consume content, publishers are scrambling to overhaul the way they produce and distribute it. Along the way, the definition of a digital publication has changed and publishers must utilize an "unrestrained" approach to multiplatform content production, argued Steve Paxhia, president of Beacon Digital Strategies, in his presentation at the recent FOLIO: Virtual event.

According to Paxhia, just 18...more

While many publishers simply turn PDFs of print content over to the vendor to create a digital edition—music magazine Spin has a dedicated digital edition manager in Nick Pandolfi.

“We saw a lot we could bring to a digital edition that we couldn’t do with a print edition,” Pandolfi said earlier this week during a presentation at the Folio: Show Virtual. “We’re now trying to expand readership as...more

With advertising taking a massive nosedive this year, publishers venturing into selling uncharted ad territory have likely hit a number of roadblocks. But during the FOLIO: Show Virtual, Josh Gordon, president of Smarter Media Sales, presented his preliminary findings on how readers respond to advertising in interactive editions (defined as digital editions that are not merely replicas of print titles) as compared with other electronic media.

Gordon’s independent...more

“Experience shows that consumers expect to pay less for digital editions,” wrote LCM Digital Media director Matt Hunter on Folio:’s social network mediaPRO. “As far as they’re concerned, there’s no print cost, no distribution charges and no retail margins to cover, so it should be cheaper.”

This is clearly indicative that some publishers are finding that the right content mix is coaxing readers to purchase digital back issues, annual subscriptions...more

Magazine Taps 10 Digital Vendors to Compare Features
With so many digital magazine vendors offering so many different features, choosing a vendor can be a difficult task. That’s why FPO magazine, a quarterly publication for magazine professionals, turned to 10 different digital vendors to publish its MGZ A-to-Z issue to find out exactly how the issue and its features would differ depending on the vendor.

The issue was published individually by...more

The phrase "it all starts with the customer" has gotten so much lip service that it has virtually lost its meaning. Yet, if publishers would like to see their digital edition circulation thrive beyond international distribution and accommodating the "green" option, they could start by clearing up the confusion still faced with the digital magazine experience—and offer a choice that makes the best sense from the customer's perspective.

Questex Media, a...more

Publishers are increasingly taking a cross-platform marketing approach with their brands by creating a synergy between their print and online products, but they often leave their digital editions out of the equation. In other words, most are still viewing digital editions as an alternative to the print or Web product as opposed to a companion.

There are a few publishers out there, however, who are making the connection and actively...more

The uncharted territory associated with marketing digital editions can be daunting. So much so that, for some publishers, their digital edition “marketing plan” is defined by a series of trials and errors.

While this experimentation is normal in a relatively new space, with the limited time and resources that many publishers are working with, having a plan is key, making it vital to develop and execute a marketing timeline. Here,...more

Dropping the print magazine in favor of a digital-only approach can make sense financially, but publishers need to prepare their readers for that transition, particularly if their audience is not very Web-savvy. According to a survey of consumer magazine readers done by the Rosen Group earlier this year, just 7 percent of print subscribers also seek out the magazine’s Web site.

Converting readers is a challenge facing discount camping club...more

Fast-Growing
Digital magazine vendor Nxtbook Media ranked number 583 overall on Inc. magazine’s annual ‘500’ list of the fastest-growing, privately held companies in the U.S. The list was released earlier this month.

Although the company slipped slightly from its ranking last year (number 303) Nxtbook saw revenues grow 464.7 percent to $6.7 million from 2005 through 2008. The company ranked number 35 in the software category.

Founded...more

“Experience shows that consumers expect to pay less for digital editions,” wrote LCM Digital Media director Matt Hunter on Folio:’s mediaPRO message board. “As far as they're concerned, there's no print cost, no distribution charges and no retail margins to cover, so it should be cheaper.”

While Hunter may aptly describe the mindset of some digital edition readers, many publishers are finding that the right mix of exclusive content and...more

As digital magazine technology continues to evolve, so does reader expectation. Features that might not have been considered essential to subscribers a year or two ago are considered a “must-have” now, and publishers should be prepared to comply. Overall, “must-have” features in digital editions can range from the very simple, such as smooth navigation, to the more complex, such as embedded videos and podcasts. Does your digital magazine’s user interface...more