How Apple are refusing to let publisher Time Inc directly sell subscriptions to its iPad digital magazine apps

Interesting considering the odd bold and italic font they are now using for running copy on the website...

Higgs International Publishing Logistics (A DHL Company), the market leaders in the export of press products distributing over 200 million copies worldwide, announced it has signed a digital distribution partnership with Pressmart Media Ltd, leading digital publishing solution provider. Some of the leading titles that Higgs distributes include OK!, Vanity Fair and Reveal.

Starting today, Higgs will offer a very exciting and cost-effective global distribution service to its publishing clients looking to create a successful presence in the digital space, using the on-demand digital editions powered by Pressmart.

Pressmart's 360o fully-hosted solution will power the Higgs' digital delivery initiative for its customers including newspapers, magazines, books, brochures and catalogs. Using patented technology, pre-press pages are converted into intelligent XML content in a format compatible for delivering on Web, Mobile, eReader, and other digital channels. Publishers also get access to state-of-art marketing, subscription and advertising tools for monetizing from digital delivery from almost day one.

Pressmart is widely used and proven in 49 countries, covering 24 languages, including publication groups such as The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Orlando Sentinel, Trinity Mirror, Manila Bulletin, Hindustan Times, and other premier publishing associations. Darren Starkey, Business Director at Higgs / DHL said, "This is a significant launch for Higgs. We are sure it will bring greater benefits to our publishing customers and help them compete effectively with their online counterparts. Pressmart's on demand digital publishing platform gives us exciting new ways of meeting the needs of our publishers both locally and globally." "We could not be more delighted by Higgs' choice of selecting Pressmart as its digital delivery partner", said Sanjiv Gupta, Founder and CEO of Pressmart. "With this addition as an important channel partner strategy, it ensures us that our business is moving in right direction and rapidly." About Pressmart
Pressmart offers a full suite of online publishing products and solutions to newspapers and magazines in 49 countries, using Web, Mobile, eReader, RSS, Podcast and other digital channels. Conversion, Hosting, Subscriptions, Ads and Analytics-packed a single easy-to-use service. For more information please visit www.pressmart.com . About Higgs
A DHL company, representing publishers and international distributors, specifically delivers global logistics and management solutions for the exporting of newspapers, magazines and books. For more information please visit www.higgs.co.uk .

"Magazine publishing, the fight back begins"

Econtra Publishing has announced the launch of Independent Magazine Publisher , a new title designed to provide magazine publishing companies with a thought provoking, how-to guide to launching, managing and growing profitable magazines. Publisher, Jon Barrett, explained: "Our cover strap-line says it all, Making Magazines Make Money. The economic downturn has been a sharp reminder that magazine publishing is like any other business. Every department is duty-bound to maximise its productivity, seek out cost savings and support revenue growth. "We invite everyone in the magazine industry to join our readership, from the multinational consumer press to niche business-to-business specialists: even non-publishing companies producing customer or employee titles. "Our editorial team will leave no stone unturned in its quest to find new products, services and ideas designed to help publishers improve their profitability. To guide our editorial research and exclusive reporting, we are contacting tens of thousands of publishing professionals to learn from their experiences, thoughts and plans." Independent Magazine Publisher's launch coincides with Publishing Expo 2010, offering publishers and suppliers the opportunity to discuss the title's editorial content and marketing opportunities face-to-face. The event will also see the title reveal the findings of its ongoing research into magazine profitability and innovation. Register to receive free issues of Independent Magazine Publisher at http://www.magazinemagazine.com/ .

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Hi all

Thought you might want to see the link below, plus my company's chairman sounding off about it! I think his remarks could be applied to digital books/vooks, too

http://www.niemanlab.org/2009/04/print-is-still-king-only-3-percent-of-newspaper-reading-actually-happens-online/


"Print is still king" is 100% the wrong headline. The true story should say:

"Newspapers still screwed, and moving to the web won't save them"

Salient points are:
· Newspapers are dying slowly, because more people want to get their news free via the web (and indeed want to shop from the web, not from local newspapers)

· Newspapers are trying to parlay their offering to the web in an attempt to stop the circulation slide...

· ... and as this research is showing, their web editions are a flop. The 3% web readership is 3% of a declining readership.

· Conclusion: for many people (especially I guess younger people) newspapers are just not that interesting and engaging any more, and they don't even think about newspapers if they want to find out what's happening - so an online newspaper is of as little interest to them as the papery version.


As previously discussed, magazines (especially our B2B trade and technical magazines) have more resilience than newspapers a) because their basic premise is entirely different (i.e. huge amounts of heavily targeted and reasonably timeless information designed to appeal to a specific audience with a specific interest, as opposed to newspapers' mission to deliver a lot of varied and very time-driven stories to a very wide audience with a huge collection of varying interests) and b) because news is well-suited to a couple of moments in front of a screen, but magazine content is a pain in the arse to read on the web, because there's so much of it.

That said, we can't assume magazines will be immune from the web effect forever, which is why we need to get our heads around matters digital and why I in particular need to get me head around 'proper' digital magazines (FTAOD, a YUDU edition is not a proper digital magazine - it is a web rendering of a product meant to be printed on paper. It is inferior to the paper magazine in all respects but two: the fact that you can click through links in text and adverts, and the fact that you can search through it [and archived editions] for keywords).