Two new food magazines shows that a gulf that remains between major commercial magazine publishers and new, citizen publishers within the Apple Newsstand

Digital publishing was supposed to be the great equalizer – at least that was the hope of citizen and small publishers. While the major magazine publishers had good printing contracts that favored high volume publishers, in digital publishing the playing field would be more level.

But a look inside the Apple Newsstand shows that if you have the money to spend on native digital publishing platforms the end result will be quite different than what is seen with simple, PDF-based platforms.

A look at two food magazines that have released digital editions today show the differences.

Nourish is a new Newsstand edition from Australian publisher Blitz Publications. Nourish is the eighth Newsstand app they have released, all for the iPad only (as opposed to a universal app containing an iPhone edition).

The app description describes the magazine as "not just another food magazine, it is a woman’s holistic guide to good health and wellbeing, through good nutrition, healthy, tasty meals and great recipes."

The app was built using the Oomph platform, Australia's homegrown digital publishing platform that has produced some very good digital magazines such as Coles, and other digital magazines.

Oomph, like most (all?) native digital publishing platforms is not cheap for the citizen publisher, though not extravagant for the commercial one: $749 a month for a Newsstand app ($999 for a stand-alone app). With added costs for hosting a publisher is looking at a $10K investment at a minimum – practically nothing for a title producing $10M in revenue a year or more, but out of the question for someone looking at a vanity title.

The digital edition of Nourish can be read in both portrait and landscape, but it really designed for portrait. In this regard it is a modest conversion from print, but has the advantage of having its fonts chosen for the tablet, and being able to use the navigation standard of scrolling within a story and swiping to move to the next article.

Food plus Chef Magazine is from Kevin Schmidt, and while a native tablet magazine (meaning that it is not a conversion from a print title), it is a different thing altogether. Like many other citizen publishers, Schmidt has chosen to use the MagCast platform – a PDF based system that works like other PDF systems, but seems to be the platform of choice for so many new publishers. The cost to use MagCast is about half that of Oomph, but then again the design potential is at least half as much as well.

Designing a PDF file allows the publisher to design for the tablet's display, but what one ends up with is limited by the screen size, whereas with other platforms one can extend the screen by using scrolling text boxes, pages that scroll down to the next page, or simply oversized pages that require scrolling to see the whole page.

Most PDF solutions allow for some form of embedded content like video, audio, links, and the like, but the options of how these are displayed are limited. So the design success of any PDF solution lies almost completely in the static pages designed – here Food plus Chef is, I would judge, better at page design than many of the other MagCast produced magazines I've looked at.

Schmidt has also done an excellent job of supporting his new digital magazine by building a simple website, a Facebook page, and creating a Twitter account. Many newbie publishers simply launch their digital magazine and wait and hope someone finds it and subscribes. With Apple making it impossible to find new digital magazines inside the U.S. App Store that usually results in disappointment.

The app review team appears asleep at the switch as dubious apps continue appearing in the Newsstand

The Apple App Store, when first opened, was like the wild west – apps would routinely make it through the review process that were of dubious worth. It led, eventually, the Apple famously proclaiming stating that "We have over 250,000 apps in the App Store. We don't need any more Fart apps."

But Apple is back approving Fart apps – possibly driven by a desire to remain the number one app store in existence. It won't work, it is inevitable that Google Play surpasses Apple's store simply based on the market share of smart phones.

I've recently written about the some of the sharks that are launching apps into the Newsstand, many coming from Russian developers. JLynnApps, which already has some less-than-credible apps inside the App Store has released another that really has to have you scratching your head as to how it made it through the review process.

UnderCover News is simply a collection of low-rez screenshots that are then placed in a Newsstand app. There is no magazine cover, no table of contents, no masthead (they certainly wouldn't want to use their real names here), no ads, and only 12 pages of content. Each screenshot then has an embedded link in it that takes you out of the app to the original publisher's website. The stories are, way out there, and usually are to be found on conspiracy websites or far-right news sites. A short note from the "editor" opens the app with the word "Hi" followed by a couple sentences, ending with "Best" but no name. Even the email address included is aimed at "admin" rather than an actual person.

The app is built using Fast PDF. The developer's website contact page lists their address as "244 Madison New York, New York, 10016" (sic), with no phone number and no e-mail address.

The anthrax vaccine story seen here is a good example. The story originated with a report by a presidential bioethics commission that declared that the vaccine against anthrax should not be tested in children until its safety it better understood. This immediately turned into a story that the Federal government wanted to test an anthrax vaccine on children.

In fact, vaccines are tested on humans all the time, but only when a reasonable amount of safety checks are conducted. Still, in clinical trials, it is possible for something to go wrong – that is why new drugs are tested. Of course, in this case it was convenient to twist the story into a monstrous tale of the Obama administration going rogue.

But the issue here isn't the news content as Apple would be wrong to reject an app for political reasons. No, the issue here involves three issues: 1) the app takes copyrighted material and reassembles to without the publisher's permission in order to attract its own readers, it is aggressive aggregation of the worst kind; 2) the app does not fulfill any function that the browser could not handle, a typical reason an app is rejected; and 3) the track record of the publisher shows that all their apps have questionable reviews attached to them (check them out yourselves and tell me that these are legitimate reviews).

Apple is either asleep at the switch or else are now actually encouraging bogus apps to be launched into their store in order to maintain their number one position. As a result, the Newsstand is a mess and getting worse every day. This is a great way to convince publishers to shy away, I can't imagine that is their goal here.

---

The major problem with Apple's Newsstand remains the inability of readers to find what they want. It is a mess and getting worse every day. The problem is see at its worst with the U.S. App Store that contains hardly any promotional efforts and does not even contain an "ALL" section where readers would be able to find either the best selling apps there, or a listing of apps by release date.

As a result, I routinely change stores to use the Irish or Canadian app stores to find new apps. It is simply not possible in the U.S. store. Even "browsing" does not work as Apple restricts the search to 6,000 apps which is far less than the number of Newsstands apps now available. How Apple determines which make it into the 6,000 shown is a mystery.

I've speculated in the past that Apple must believe that by limiting the number of apps readers see that they will drive sales to bigger titles and make more on volume. For every buyer of a citizen published magazine ten are bought of Cosmo, for instance – actually, probably a thousand a bought.

I get it. But the store is a mess and its reputation is in danger. Apple should not get into the censorship game, but it also should not allow in apps that are obvious violations of its own developer guidelines. Just as importantly, Apple needs to make it easier for new apps to be found by not intentionally making it difficult for them to be found. Not everyone wants to go exploring in the Irish app store to find a new app, do they?

The Saturday Evening Post enters the Newsstand with an app build by replica edition and flipbook maker YUDU

You probably would not expect a legacy title like The Saturday Evening Post to be a leader in the digital media space. The magazine title was founded in 1821, with a dotted line link back to The Pennsylvania Gazette, first published in 1728.

For years the title was a weekly, but hard times nearly killed it off and today it is published only six times a year by the Saturday Evening Post Society.

And no, the magazine will not be a leader in the digital space.

Today the old title launched a Newsstand app built by YUDU which specializes in flipbooks and replica edition apps. The best that can be said of the app is that it at least appears under the publisher's name rather than the vendors and the app description is professionally written (though the screenshots used are terrible and hopefully will be replaced with actual screenshots from the magazine itself.

One of my biggest complaints with replica editions is that they reduce the size of the magazine to a point where the reader needs to work in order to be able to read the magazine – using either pinch-to-zoom or very strong reading glasses. Knowing that it is mainly older readers that the ol' Saturday Evening Post appeals to one could almost hear readers muttering the line "they just don't make magazines the way they used to."

Also released into the Newsstand today were other Saturday Evening Post Society's other titles, children's magazines Turtle Magazine, Jack and Jill and Humpty Dumpty – all inside the Newsstand thanks to YUDU apps.

Morning Brief: Hearst launches Totally Global Media, a worldwide advertising platform; Boston Globe launches new Sunday Arts section, Travel section also re-branded

I think rather than rounding up the news this morning I'll let the companies speak for themselves, editing out some of the puffery, of course.

Of all the media news, the news from Hearst I find the most interesting (see below). The launch of Totally Global Media is a reflection of the fact Hearst owns many of their international titles and are actually in a position to sell advertising globally. Many other major publishers have licensed their magazine titles to other overseas publishers and would not be able to do this.

The thing is, though, that digitally, inside the Apple Newsstand, copies of one major magazine title sit right next to the same magazine title of another country, usually published by the local publisher. This not only creates branding problems inside the Newsstand, but makes it confusing for global brands who want to use the vehicle for advertising. Hearst's move is, then, really a partnership deal that brings together their publishing partners is a way that will allow for brand sales across not only titles, but international editions, as well.

---

Hearst Magazines International announces launch of Totally Global Media: a first of its kind global digital advertising platform

NEW YORK, May 16, 2013 – Hearst Magazines International (HMI), a unit of Hearst Magazines, today announced the launch of Totally Global Media. TGM is a worldwide advertising platform comprised of Hearst Magazines’ websites and Hearst’s international publishing partner websites that offers quality content from brands including Harper’s BAZAAR, Esquire, ELLE and Cosmopolitan as well as highly-trafficked, pure-play digital sites such as Digital Spy in the U.K. and Yoka.com in China.

US & UK tab editions

With offices in New York and London, TGM is a centralized marketing solution for brands looking to leverage digital and cross-platform programs in multiple regions of the world, with a portfolio that offers 200 million unique visitors per month in more than 20 countries. Hearst Magazines International’s publishing partners include industry leaders Burda Media, Televisa Publishing + Digital, Groupe Marie Claire, Rogers Communications and more.

“TGM is a one-stop-shop for global marketers,” said Gina Garrubbo, senior vice president of Totally Global Media. “We’re developing and managing custom, multi-country digital and cross-platform advertising and marketing programs with global appeal, translated for local markets, all with a single buy and one point of communication—it is streamlined and highly efficient.”

“TGM is the first worldwide advertising platform built on globally recognized content brands that offers marketers a powerful tool for communicating with a huge audience of women,” said Duncan Edwards, president and CEO of Hearst Magazines International. “For advertisers, TGM simplifies the often complicated process of marketing in multiple countries, and for our publishing partners, it is an opportunity to capture incremental dollars from global budgets. TGM is a prime example of Hearst’s unique ability to harness our brands and audiences to create scale that is unrivaled in the industry.”

---

The Boston Globe Launches New Sunday Arts Section: More Content, Color and Columns

Enhanced 20-plus-page section features award-winning arts and lifestyle writers and expanded coverage; popular lifestyle “Names” column also moves to Sunday Metro section

BOSTON (May 17, 2013) – The Boston Globe will launch a new 20-page Arts section on Sunday, May 19, bringing more vibrant, award-winning arts and lifestyle coverage to readers every week.

The enhanced Arts section, which will now also include the Globe’s Sunday Books content, will feature more pages, content and columns, with color on almost every page. Award-winning Globe arts writers – including Pulitzer Prize winners Sebastian Smee and Mark Feeney – will take center stage, along with enhanced restaurant, style and books coverage. The section will also include “The Ticket,” the central dashboard for Boston’s cultural scene, keeping readers in-the-know on the week’s hottest theater, music, movies and arts picks. A new video game column by Jesse Singal will add another new dynamic to the section’s lifestyle coverage.

“Readers will now have all of Boston’s cultural and artistic life at their fingertips, in one lively and engaging section every week,” said Doug Most, deputy managing editor of features. “And now they will undoubtedly discover great stories they may have previously missed, from pop culture to the classical arts, to a review of the latest best-selling novel to the opening of a new restaurant. We have no doubt the new section will serve as the cultural voice for our community.”

The new Arts section will include:

Exclusive Arts and Movies content, including television, video games, visual arts, music, dance, opera and theater.

• “The Ticket,” featuring Globe critics’ picks for the coming week.
• “The Enthusiast,” two pages of new food and lifestyle coverage, including fashion and shopping. The food section will cover restaurant industry news and gossip, a column dedicated to the scene and ambience of new restaurants, along with a drinks column and the occasional cocktail recipe.
• Books, with interviews, criticism and columns, and an even stronger focus on New England authors.
• An artistic comparison of a historical photograph with a current shot of the same location or subject, chronicling change in Boston’s artistic, cultural and architectural worlds

The Globe’s new Arts section debuts Sunday, May 19, 2013, and all of its content will also be available online at BostonGlobe.com.

The Sunday Travel section will also be re-branded with the same distinct aesthetic as Arts. Travel will also feature a new column, “The Concierge,” a full page of advice, tips and more.

The daily lifestyle and celebrity news column “Names” – written by Mark Shanahan and Meredith Goldstein for the back page of the Metro section – will also move from Saturday to Sunday, remaining on the back page of Metro, and making the entire edition a must-read for arts, pop culture and lifestyle enthusiasts.

Apple updates iTunes, changes the way app updates are seen inside iTunes and linked to store

Apple today issues an update to a couple of its software packages including iTunes (the other big one was iMovie). The change at first appears minor in that the main difference most users will see immediately is the Songs View and new MiniPlayer.

But iTunes 11.0.3 also changes the look and feel of the way apps are updated. The Update button has shifted from the bottom right of the iTunes window to a spot at the very top when the user is in their Apps area.

When clicked, the apps come up that can be updated, and when the icon is clicked once a new window appears that gives details about the update taken from the What's New section of the app description.

This should help users determine whether an update is essential to download. Plus, the mechanism allows the user to see details without having to be taken directly to the App Store (and then go back again). It's a small improvement, but definitely a step in the right direction.

Three new digital magazines from Europe: all three promote products or events, but take varied approaches to the new publishing platform

The Newsstand remains a very busy place as publishers, start-ups, citizen publishers, and brands rush to launch publications. Three new apps from Europe show not only the variety of design approaches possible, but also the business models, as well.

Festivalguide Magazin comes from Germany, from Intro GmbH & Co. KG. As the name implies, the digital magazine was created to write about the upcoming music festival season.

The new app is free and is the fourth Newsstand magazine app released into the Newsstand by Intro. An iPhone app was also released, though that app is a stand-alone one and was designed as a news app rather than as a mobile version of the tablet magazine.

All the Newsstand app appear to be of native tablet design, though I could not identify the digital publishing platform used to create it - it looked unique to me. The new app had a few bugs in it involving the subscription process – it seemed stuck in a circle of dialogue messages before finally starting the issue download. One thing unique about it was that the navigation bars were always visible instead of disappearing and reappearing with a tap of the screen.

Gourmandises d'été was launched into the Newsstand by Melons Le Rouge Gorge and is also free to download. The digital magazine is designed to promote the company's food products through recipes and feature stories.

The digital magazine is also available to download as a PDF, so it is not surprising to see that the app has the look of a replica edition. But the typical page numbering seen in print – left-even, right-odd – is totally unnecessary in both the tablet and PDF platforms. Some habits, it appears, die hard.

DESIGN in/from Spain also is meant to promote brands, in this case interior design firms from Spain. But this new tablet-only magazine is replacing a print publication and so is charging for access within the Newsstand.

The Newsstand app is published by ICEX Spain Trade and Investment, which is publisher of technical and academic publications, so their design magazine is not promoting its own brands. But at the same time the magazine is in English and seems designed to be used by a trade commission – that is why I found it somewhat surprising that it was not free.

"Well, there's no bucking the move towards paperless communications," says the editor's letter inside the first tablet edition,"and while it's always sad to say goodbye to print, it's also exciting to embrace the future. So welcome to the first iPad app issue of our magazine DESIGN which we hope you'll find convenient to use, as well as enjoyable to read."