How to use 3D Issue online magazine software: from product feasibility to launch

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Digital publishing software can provide a new medium for many channels of your business not only Publishing or Marketing Communications. This blog post shall consider how a company selling

physical products might use the platform in an everyday business scenario. Digital publishing can assist in many aspects for lots of business models.

For the purposes of this blog let me introduce Wise Guys Glassware Inc. Josh manages the Company portfolio of Wine Glasses. Josh has a line manager Susan who deals with the commercial side of the business, she has sourced some new product and tasks Josh with marketing the new customer proposition.

Prior to any new customer proposition at Wise Guys Glassware Inc. each product must pass the approval of the Board, these are no ordinary Wise Guys they know more about glasses than anyone else at the firm – impressing them takes something special.

Josh puts together a presentation utilizing 3D Issue to present to the Board, they all use tablets so whilst be presents on the LCD television the board can follow along on their tablets too even making notes as appropriate. The novel approach to the presentation earns recognition for the product and already Josh feels like he is onto a winner. Susan is impressed and likes that the software can be used across the business in multiple situations.

Josh is successful in his pitch and now that he has the green light the rest of his team must be briefed on the new product. Using the software once again Josh creates a digital brief with a Video of himself via YouTube and circulates to his team, they listen, watch, interact and Josh feels that this has got his project off to a great start. Josh then asks his team to add feedback to various elements of the project due to the casual nature of this communication Josh feels that he has had a more productive session from his team and viewpoints which might not otherwise be shared.

A few months pass and all is going well for product launch, this is where 3D Issue really steps up to the mark. Glassware suppliers are a notorious supplied for long and heavy product guides. Josh decides that the best way to distribute the new catalog for this range is via digital edition. He creates a magazine version and .epub and .mobi files too with images outlining the full range.

Distributors are starting to get involved at this stage and begin requesting some marketing content from Josh to complement the full range of other collateral provided by Josh ensures that everyone has access to a 3D Issue Digital edition of the catalog. In this aspect of the campaign 3D Issue can be of major advantage to the Company where readers and publishers alike get to utilise the features of the software and to benefit from interactive publications.

Josh attaches various pricing lists depending on the relevant market, includes audio clips advising on product sales for front of house employees and more. In total Josh was able to use his 3D Issue software for, briefing the board, briefing his team, providing marketing collateral to distributors and to resellers for front of house staff involved in actual sales going beyond the traditional relationship making for a highly successful launch and execution.

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e-Books increase in popularity over print books

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As e-Books become more and more popular, another significant milestone has been reached. It has been announced that Amazon in the UK now sell more digital e-Books than print books. Mashable reported “The retailer says for every 100 print books sold, 114 ebooks are purchased. These figures are specific to Amazon.co.uk and don’t factor for print or ebook sales bought anywhere else online or in physical stores. Even so, this upsurge marks a definite though not surprising — shift in the publishing world.”

The Kindle , has evolved to meet with the growing demands of the digital reading audience over the last few years. Whilst the original Kindle was launched in 2007, the Kindle DX line (with a larger screen) became available in 2009. The range now includes devices with keyboards, touch screens, a tablet computer with a reader app and a color display (Kindle Fire) and a low-priced model with an on-screen keyboard.

This trend for e-books outselling printed books was seen in the US some time ago, and now the trend has reached the UK. The Telegraph reports Jorrit Van der Meulen, vice president of Kindle EU, said: “We hit this milestone in the United States less than four years after introducing Kindle, so to reach this landmark after just two years in the UK is remarkable. It shows how quickly UK readers are embracing Kindle.

Whilst digital readers enjoy the freedom of access to books when and where they want it, convenience and lower prices, the self publisher is also benefiting from the move to digital. Amazon has seen a huge increase of 400% in authors using Kindle Direct Publishing in the past 12 months.

Digital publishing & Tablets: Global use taking off

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A recent report from Nielsen indicate that a ‘dual screen’ set up is n

o longer only confined to those sitting at their desktop PC or MAC.

As the advance of the tablet moves forward it now threatens to shake the most popular of advertising and consumption channels – the Television.

In an insightful poll which is available here it was found that more and more tablet users are seeking out digital experiences on their tablet at the same time as watching television. From the trends in the poll it would seem that the European respondents (from Germany and Italy) were less likely to do so but nonetheless will often take to that tablet whilst watching the tube.

The US leads the way for use of both tablet and smart phone whilst watching the television.

What does this new phenomena mean for digital content? It is likely to assume that as many tablet users are interacting with content which is relevant to their TV show e.g. Twitter or the website of a certain show we could assume that in time the show will present content directly to the tablet.

If we think of iPad mirroring via Apple TV but with a two way channel for example, so when game show presenters introduce a new guest the bio for that guest appears on the tablet

Or consider gaming on an iPad connected to Apple TV already provides relevant information about the game which is being played on another screen. See Nintendo’s new console Wii U due for release soon for more on this type of gaming.

In the future TVs will have technology built in which will allow for more than simply a Twitter feed to display beside the chosen program (which is already possible see Samsung’s latest line up for an example the integration of social media like here )

What is certain is that digital content and advertising in particular will need to harness this new approach as anyone who knows will say – once you become accustomed to browsing whilst watching it is hard to go back.

Free e-book market statistics report

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Our free digital publishing resource hub is growing by the week with more titles and publications to help marketers and publishers learn about key trends, facts and advice.

The latest e-book to this hub is now available and ready for download! The ‘Latest e-book market statistics’ reports on a range of trends and statistics on this growing market, sections include:

- E-Book Market and Market Share

- Consumer Preferred Choice of e-Book Devices

- Sales per Book Segment

- Sales per Country

Download the Free e-book market statistics report here. Don’t forget to check out the other titles and guides available from our digital publishing hub

Easy and cost effective ways to market your e-book

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We were asked to write a blog post on easy and cost effective ways to market your e-books from a blog reader last week.

So here are our top tips on how to get your digital publications out and increase the number of readers and sharers.

1. QR codes in offline media and printed material

QR codes are something that we are seeing our customers use more and more. It is becoming a very effective way of connecting the offline audience with the online magazine or publication. If you have printed versions of your publications then adding a simple QR code can allow these readers to reach the online publication fast and easily. This can ensure that your print readers can continue to enjoy the publication on the move. Check out some other effective ways to promote your online e-magazine offline here

2. Ensure you entire company become content promoters

When your online e-book becomes available online, take some time to put together information about the e-book to share inside your company. You could create email signatures with a link to the e-book for members of staff to add to their email communications. This enables staff from other departments to join your efforts in promoting your content.

3. Use the power of social sharing

Your Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest accounts are valuable ways to market your content. These are followed by your fans who opt in to hear about your content, so don’t miss out these opportunities. Check out how we use our Pinterest board to promote our latest e-books and resources . Also where sharing is concerned, it is important that if you want the e-book to have the best chance of being shared as much as possible amongst social networks that you enable sharing features of your online publication.

4. Ensure search engine visibility for your digital publications

3D Issue ensure that your new content is included and recognized as new content. To ensure this occurs there are a few areas which one must consider in the preparation of content particularly when using page flip software. Check out this quick guide to how to enhance your e-book for SEO .

5. Use a prime space on your website to promote

When a new publication is available, how is this promoted to visitors on your website? Designate an area on your site where readers of this publication will land and present them with a way of accessing the publication, with ease. Often an image of the publication front cover can work well as a link with a brief description of what they can expect from the e-book.

6. Remind your social audience

Sometimes once isn’t enough! This is particularly true if your publication readers span across different time zones. With this in mind tweet and post reminders of how readers can access the content at different times of the day and even a week after the publication was initially made available.

7. Give your mobile readers easy access

With 3D Issue you can also create epub formats – eBooks which can then be downloaded to then accessed when the reader needs it in the iBooks app. Here’s some more information about creating offline iPad digital publications

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A Cheat Sheet to Optimise your digital editions for search engines

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After working hard at creating your publication with unique content, fantastic design and enhancing the publication with interactivity to wow your readers, don’t miss out on optimizing the publication for search engines…why? Well without this kind of optimization the only online readers that will get to view the publication are those that are coming directly to your site anyway, or those that are recommended to view the publication by another reader. Without enhancing for search engines you could be missing out on a huge number of potential new readers, looking for exactly what you are writing about.

Tasks to complete:

1. Carry out keyword research

This is the vital first step before optimizing the publication for SEO. By understanding what words and search terms your target market are using, you can then optimize for them. There are several free tools available for this research including WordTracker, and Google analytics. Don’t forget that longer, nice terms can often attract higher quality leads, so look into longer phrases as well as the shorter, more competitive terms.

2. Optimize the publication

Once you are aware of which words, terms and phrases are most appropriate for your target market, then you ensure these words are used in titles and body text of your publication.

3. Name your publication

When you come to name your publication remember that the name will form part of your url. URL names are very important for search engine optimization so keep this in mind.

4. Add a publication title

The ‘publication title’ can be changed in the set up wizard (Content tab > edit > seo) This title is the click-able title that will be listed in the search engine results page, so is very visible to the searcher. Ensure that as well as containing keywords that this title is sharp and easy to understand what the publication is about

5. Add a publication description

Again this section can be edited in the set up wizard. The description gives you a bit more information than the title allows. Again this description is listed in the search results (under the title) so should entice readers to click through to the publication to read more.

6. Anchor text to link to the publication

When you upload your publication to your website you will need to link to it from an image or text for example. This text that forms the link is the anchor text, and is very important for SEO. Instead of making the link from words such as ‘Click here to Read’ put some keywords in, so for example ‘Download Fishing Magazine’

7. Add the publication to your website site map

HTML text is only of use if recognized as part of your website so you will need to connect these pages of HTML to the rest of your site somewhere – so they appear as part of your website. Then build your site map and submit to Google and Bing (Did you know that in the USA right now Bing accounts for almost 35% of search?)

For information on submitting a site map for Google check out this search result.

For information on submitting a site map for Bing check out this search result.

Responsive web design: What it means for digital publications

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In a recent blog post here at the 3D Issue blog we looked at some of the key concepts around the area of Responsive web design. To catch up on this article why not browse the article here?

The idea of RWD is concerned with some key factors so as a publisher one needs to consider what impact this might have on the content creator and the publisher. The idea is primarily one of consistency across devices – ‘a mindset in action!’…

Since the introduction of HTML5 to 3D Issue in Version 5 it has been possible to create two versions of a digital edition – One for tablet devices in HTML5, one for smart phones also in HTML5. The desktop variant whilst built in good ‘oul flash will adapt to the window size as specified by the reader. PressJack similarly will adjust to the reader window. For some flash flip book samples see this link.

The increase in communication and general talk about Responsive web design has increased. So what are the implications for your readers when it comes to publishing with RWD in mind?

Some of the thought leaders in this area are saying that is only a good thing for all on-line publishing.

This article by James Blake Design in the UK outlines how we should really consider the advantages and requirements for a website from the beginning. Implementation can be as effective as possible. In this way – This point certainly rings true when we consider the point that a mobile site which is not developed for mobile as well as desktop will do more harm than good.

According to Mongoose Metrics, who are a call tracking firm only 9 percent of sites are ready for mobile in 2012 as cited here

If we consider briefly the impact that this can have on commerce generally from the infographic above we see that our digital publications must also bring the same approach. (Infographic is from Compuware.com)

In order to prepare our digital publications for multiple device consumption there will be more planning involved in the creation and execution of content. No longer will the content be just converted and uploaded as a digital publication rather the publishing of content must be developed with digital publishing at the forefront of the mind – for both reader and publisher alike.

Digital Publishing Beginners’ Starter Pack

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New to digital publishing? Want to know where to start? What the best practices are and how to start? Well look no further! We’ve put together this starter pack that will give you all the necessary information to get started and help understand digital priorities, terminology and best practices.

This starter pack includes:

- Guide: 10 Best Practices For Creating Online Magazines

- Checklist: Evaluating Digital Publishing Solutions

- e-Book: Beginners Guide to HTML5 Digital Publishing for iPad

- Article: Digital Publications – Part 1 Beginners guide to output formats

- 30 Day Trial: Digital magazine software 3D Issue

These resources are a great way to get to grips with the subject and understand which is the best way to move forward with going digital.

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Don’t forget we also have the daily webinar demo sessions and the video tutorials which help new users of 3D issue understand the software capabilities.

Challenges faced by publishers going digital with their publications

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Are you a publisher investigating the feasibility of going digital with your publications? Perhaps you are looking around and noticing others moving towards the online digital space, but

are worried about some challenges that going digital could unveil? Any changes to the production and distribution of your publications should of course be well evaluated with the potential advantages, disadvantages and the challenges understood, then it can be possible to evaluate the facts and make a decision based on knowledge rather than chance.

So what are some common challenges that publishers face when going digital?

A recent survey by Innodata and Digital Book World found that “Lack of financial resources, a defined process and internal expertise are the three biggest challenges facing book publishers that are struggling to become digital content businesses” were the key challenges that publishers were facing.

The graph below is from the survey which details can be viewed here

With these challenges in mind it is also useful to look at the associated benefits of going digital too, take a read of this previous blog post which discusses the key advantages of going digital and in particular why many companies are moving the digital publication process in house rather than outsourcing the projects.

So what are they key advantages of going digital? Here are some of the reasons our customers have given:

- Cost of production

- Cost of print and distribution

- Broadening reach and accessing a wider reader base

- More advertising opportunities for advertisers

- Tracking and analytics available

- Speed of publication reaching the reader

For more information on these findings and the survey result, Innodata and Digital Book World presented the results of the survey which can be downloaded here.

Are iPads the future of digital publishing?

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Apple are well established at this stage in taking a market and changing it for the better, in many sectors Apple as a company have made a huge impact.

One of the core reasons mentioned for this is Apple’s tight connection between its hardware and software – a total shun to the idea of open source, which is the theme at companies like Google and likewise for any type of licensing.

To appreciate Apple and their position in this market as the potential ‘king of digital publishing’ one could not ignore the idea above. So what exactly have Apple changed already and how might they propose to cause disruption in the digital publishing market?

Apple’s history is well documented; their impact on the music industry was first established with the launch of the iPod and later the iTunes music store. Apple as a company managed to establish what other firms could only dream of as it negotiated agreements with major music labels and artists to provide individual downloads for only 99c per song.

The sale of music via iTunes ensured that Apple’s devices went from strength to strength also – in order to purchase music one needed iPod to play it.

Apple’s attention then focused on Movies. For long term Apple fans this would not have occurred as any major surprise Quicktime and its Trailers were quite the feature at one stage allowing visitors to the Apple website access to a library of movie trailers, Apple achieved here what they did in the Music business by providing movies for sale, then rent and later top TV shows.

Apple’s release of the iPad in 2010 brought iBooks to the market. E-Books had already been in existence of course, the kindle having been released originally in 2007. What Apple tend to be good at is getting the execution 100% correct – the iPod was not the first MP3 player it was however the first that was easy to use.

iBooks provided a new platform for Authors and publishers alike, despite currency criticism of the platform and legal action in the US, iBooks certainly offers opportunity for sales of iPads like iTunes did for the iPod but are they the actual future of digital publishing?

The iPad will undoubtedly be a major force in digital publishing but there are some factors which will in time make it a luxury device. The first of these is price Apple’s devices are expensive when compared with the majority of alternatives the kindle starts at $79 the iPad from $499 both will allow the reader to read e-books albeit in different ways.

Apple have a key component in their model which is the integration of their hardware and software as well as their reliability and ‘trust factor’ there are few companies who customers will wholeheartedly trust with their credit card details for e-commerce purposes, Amazon and Apple are possibly the most important in this regard. Because of this Apple have an ease of access to market which is not simply replicated. The iPad must be considered as a key element for the future of digital publishing as a product owned by a large proportion of the reader base even if the price of the device remains high – which it will!

Creating a digital magazine for the first time?

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If you are are a beginner in digital publishing it can be difficult to know where to start! What works best when moving to a digital interactive publication? What will readers expect? What should you avoid? These are all questions that come up in conversation with marketers and publishers each day.

To help get you started and set up in the next way possible we have collated some great resources that cover the answers to all these questions. Check them out here!

Before you get started…

1. Formats

So should you be creating files for eReaders (Kindle etc..) or should you be creating more interactive, color, magazine type publications? The answer lies in ‘Where are you audience?’ and ‘What kind of publication are you creating?’

Find out more here all about digital publishing formats explained

2. Devices

There are an ever increasing number of devices that readers access content on. From traditional computers and laptops to dedicated eReaders. Check out our guide here which explains digital reading devices and which devices can display which content.

3. Digital publishing considerations

What key considerations should be explored before even starting your digital publication? Check this guide to digital publishing considerations

4. Native app or HTML5 web app?

This has become a real debate amongst publishers, check out the pros and cons for each so you can make a justified decision of which route is best for your publication

5. Find the right provider for your publications

Finding the best solution and provider is very important, check out the free ebook Checklist for Evaluating Digital Publishing Solutions

6. Avoid some common mistakes

There are some frequent mistakes that we see when writing an e-book or digital magazine, to ensure you don’t fall into this trap check out the guide here

7. Follow best practices

Following some top tips and best practices can help you create the most effective digital magazines. An e-book entitled 10 Best Practices For Creating Online Magazines

8. Some top digital publishing tips

We’ve put together a comprehensive guide here ‘50 Ultimate Digital Magazine Tips and Tricks‘

Digital Publishing for Tablet Devices: Do’s and Dont’s

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This blog post shall identify some key talking points around the use of software in the conversion of content for consumption on a tablet device, be it from the creative stable of interactive magazine software or other source. From making e-books to the core of page flip pdf conversion tablet devices are a crucial component in the channels of marketing departments and author’s alike.

So what is a tablet?

A tablet is a small and lightweight touch screen device; tablet users generally interact with the touch screen by tapping with ones finger or a stylus. The most well known Tablet Operating system is undoubtedly Apple’s iOS which is currently in Version 6 and runs on their iPhone and iPad devices. The next (best?) most common Operating System is the ‘open source’ Android OS which was developed by Google and is currently in its 7th variant and is called ‘Ice-Cream Sandwich’ (ICS for short)

Did you know that the name for each release of Android OS follows the alphabet? First was Cupcake, followed by Donut, Éclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, ICS (current) and next up is Jelly Bean! More on this here

Tablet computing was revolutionised with the release of the iPad in April 2010, in 2011 alone the iPad made up 73% of the total sales of tablet devices in the US. as cited

The iPad is now in its 3rd release and looks to dominate the market with some mooting that the term iPad will eventually become a generic one like Hoover in Europe in reference to Vacuum cleaners or Kleenex in the US.

So why is it so important to consider the tablet device in preparation of digital publishing?

The core reasoning for this shift is because tablet devices will in time replace the hard copy publication by and large this shift will occur as the consumption of digital content earns larger revenue for publishers. Digital content is more easily and cheaply distributed via these mediums and consumers expect to have access to all content across all devices.

Do

Create in HTML5 the latest in technology will ensure that your publications are viewable on more devices and will allow for greater interactivity.

Design with digital publishing at the forefront of your communications strategy the content must be created with the tablet in mind

Provide the necessary resources for your digital content to wow your readers if there is’nt a full commitment to the publication for digital it is better to leave the publication aside until it can be

Do not

Convert hard copy content for consumption to a digital device and expect it to look great and be easily navigable or readable always design with digital publishing at the forefront of the creative process.

Forget that the options in a digital publication make it simpler to present additional content consider a digital brochure.

For more information on publishing in HTML5 for tablet devices, download this free e-book:

What devices do readers use to access digital editions?

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Recently we’ve been hearing from customers who are wondering how they can ensure that their page turning software creates publications which are viewable across all devices. Luckily 3D Issue is prepared for this eventuality as the software will prepare publications for use across practically any screen out there!

The core devices used today include Desktop PC and MAC, Tablets e.g. iPads and Smart Phones e.g. iPhone or the Samsung Galaxy. In the e-reader category we have devices like the kindle from Amazon and Barnes and Noble’s ‘Nook’ or the Sony e-reader. For a run down on the device types click here catered for in 3D Issue see this blog.

The spec sheet for 3D Issue and publications which can be created includes:

Flash editions for Desktop PC and MAC from PDF and RSS feeds;

HTML5 editions for iPads and other tablets from PDF;

HTML5 editions for Smart phones like the iPhone from PDF;

Epub and Mobi files from PDF and RSS feeds;

If a publisher prefers the use of HTML5 across all devices then this can easily be arranged too by ensure that your publication link points only to the HTML5 version. To create a magazine online and then not provide this content for as many devices as possible is not the best use of a scare resource so ensure that your customer base and prospects too are all catered for.

All this content is prepared using 3D Issue’s ‘Magazine mode’, whilst epub and mobi file formats are prepared in the ‘e-reader mode’ of the software. Note that 3D Issue also ships with it’s sister product PressJack which will create Digital Magazines from RSS content and epub and mobi files it can even be automated when necessary.

So why one may ask is the content which is created and the device important? And how can we track this information?

Using Google Analytics it is possible to not only determine the device used to read content but also to see browser and Operating System information – valuable information to have. Google Analytics provides this key information which will allow publishers to ask some great questions like:

Are you getting more mobile viewers than desktop?

Are your circulation numbers changing significantly over time?

Is your content when available as .epub and .mobi more or less popular?

Do you need to start planning for new types of publications?

Are your sales from your website for certain devices stronger than from Amazon or another bookstore on-line?

To read more on the advantages of hosting and selling publications via your own website check out this blog post here. Digital Magazine publishing is about more than a new medium it can also be a useful tool in the preparation and execution of your business model. More information on Google Analytics is available here. And to learn about how to integrate your Google ID into 3D Issue follow this link.

Download a 30 Day Free Trial of 3D Issue Digital Publishing software.