Magazine News: Publishers are Focusing on More than Digital Magazine Software

Digital magazine publishing success considers tablet growth and mobile sites too

Digital magazine software initially focused on the app. Although this is still a prominent part of digital magazine publishing, many publishers are starting to look at the bigger picture by considering the value of mobile websites, the tablet market, and even print content.

The model of a modern publisher

Publishers took time considering the world of digital magazine publishing. They watched as tablets took off and looked for strategies for selling digital magazines. Some publishers quickly developed apps for smart phones and tablets. This of course involved trial and error and most publishers still aren’t offering the right type of apps. Some publishers have a grasp of the modern digital landscape and may have figured out how to be the epitome of a modern publisher.

If you don’t offer an app, you need to at least update your mobile site.

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The future of the digital magazine

Nowadays you can find some publishers trying to bridge the gap between print and digital editions by creating hybrids that offer the best of both worlds. Not only does this add value to the content, it really brings the functionality of the tablet to use. New York magazine is doing this by literally splitting the screen – with one side offering print magazine content and the other sharing web exclusive content.

Long live the tablet! Especially after it replaces your PC…

Take a train into any metropolitan area during the workweek and you will see why tablet usage and ownership is growing significantly; people love to consume, particularly when they find themselves bored (on a train).

Do you believe PCs aren’t selling as well as they used to? According to IDC, the number of PCs shipped worldwide is down 8%, while tablet shipments are expected to grow 59% this year.

Hey digital publishers – are you prepared to deliver on tablets yet?

Will Androids surpass Apple?

If you ask Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, he’ll obviously tell you that Android doesn’t have much of a chance to overtake Apple. This would be expected by most, if not all, major-brand CEOs.

Cook, however, has some data to back up his opinions. According to a study, more ecommerce transactions are made on iPad than all other Android devices combines. This includes Android tablets and Android smart phones.

Don’t count out the power of print

Younger audiences are consuming more print magazines and many of these magazines have increased their audience by at least 5%. Print still has life and there are audiences that haven’t yet switched to an all-digital existence.

Some print magazines (fashion magazines to be exact) have added more advertising pages in the first half of 2013 – will the same happen with digital magazines?

Can you imagine what if print magazines were created after digital magazines? Would the question of one “killing” the other be discussed? Or would smart publishers be working towards integrating the mediums of print and digital until one was completely irrelevant?

It certainly appears that digital magazines will be the dominant force within the next decade, but that doesn’t mean print will completely cease to exist.

Learning to succeed in the digital age

Best practices for digital magazine publishing do exist. We’ve seen them work through our extensive research. Digital consumers love some components of digital magazines, especially when they appeal to the digital native audience.

The future of digital magazine publishing success is revealing itself. Stay tuned for the advances worth utilizing.