With all of the focus on making the transition to digital and how that is helping news outlets and periodicals alike, it's easy to overlook the fact that it's not just about increasing ad revenue or reaching subscribers where they read. For some outlets, it will mean the difference between closing their doors and keeping a centuries-old institution alive. In an article for … [Read more...] about Digital Shift the Only Way to Save Some Newspapers
digital publishing news
Digital News Readership Continues to Gain New Ground
Newspaper outlets were initially slow to adopt digital publishing in a full-force manner, with many still experimenting with systems like paywalls and subscriber-only content in order to avoid alienating their paid print subscribers. But new data is showing that news outlets have nothing to fear from digital; even as print sales and print advertising revenue continue to … [Read more...] about Digital News Readership Continues to Gain New Ground
No Tax Break on eBooks in the EU
There's a fun throwaway scene in the iconic climate change movie, The Day After Tomorrow. Two intellectuals who are holed up in the New York Public Library to ride out the next ice age are gathering books to burn. One of them grabs a copy of Nietzsche's works, but they argue over the implications of burning such an important thinker's book. The nerdy high school student calls … [Read more...] about No Tax Break on eBooks in the EU
Digital Lending Reaches Japan
Just as libraries in the US have had to learn to navigate the sometimes frustrating world of digital content circulation, libraries in Japan have launched digital lending initiatives of their own. While the numbers remain small--only a total of thirty-three libraries offer some form of ebooks--it's the high rate of adoption spreading throughout the various library systems that … [Read more...] about Digital Lending Reaches Japan
Digital Is the Only Strategy to Save News Outlets
In an interesting juxtaposition in how ebooks were slow to "save" libraries, digital newspapers haven't been the "hit the ground running" salvation of newspapers, especially small town or locally owned news outlets. While it's true that print subscriptions are declining and digital is on the upswing, one keynote speech highlighted the data that says digital adoption isn't … [Read more...] about Digital Is the Only Strategy to Save News Outlets
Digital Editions Fill the Gaps Where Library Catalogs Dwindle
The digital reading space has come a long way from the era in which public libraries had little to offer in the way of ebooks, digital magazines, or digital newspapers. Some libraries, in fact, such as the Riverside Public Library in California, have face dramatic cuts to their print circulations. According to an article in The Press Enterprise, the library lost nearly 300 … [Read more...] about Digital Editions Fill the Gaps Where Library Catalogs Dwindle
Are Paper Magazines Still Important?
Just as the debate once raged about the state of print-versus-digital book publishing, magazines and newspapers are feeling the pinch of that familiar argument. While supporters on both sides of the book format aisle proclaimed that their preferred format was here to stay and the other was on its way out, the same points could be made of digital news. Jeffrey Trachtenberg of … [Read more...] about Are Paper Magazines Still Important?
Irish Times Adds Digital Subscription
The Irish Times is the latest news outlet to make the important leap to offering a subscription to its digital edition, while keeping a freemium paywall in effect. The fairly generous paywall--ten free articles per week on its website, or twenty free articles each week via the mobile app--allows those who have an interest in the outlet's local coverage but may not rely on daily … [Read more...] about Irish Times Adds Digital Subscription
Underserved Communities Turn to Digital Publishing for Local News
When experts mourn the demise of the locally-owned (often family-owned) newspapers, they don't cite things like fast-breaking news or 24-hour headline news coverage; it's the local news and it the hometown coverage that get lost when big name media outlets become the only surviving players in the game. And there is possibly no greater loss in news coverage than that of the … [Read more...] about Underserved Communities Turn to Digital Publishing for Local News
Wattpad Adds Tools for Greater Engagement
One of the sleeping giants in the world of self-publishing is the unassuming platform Wattpad. While the rest of the industry battles it out to be the biggest names with the flashiest systems and lure the most authors or books, Wattpad has quietly been amassing a user base of forty million registered users who actively engage in the site's content and communities. How … [Read more...] about Wattpad Adds Tools for Greater Engagement