New OverDrive App for Windows 8

OverDrive's newest app showcases the best aspects of Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system and brings library ebooks to new devices including the Microsoft Surface tablet. Incorporating "action bars" and other dynamic features, OverDrive Media Console (OMC) for Windows 8 enables users to enjoy EPUB ebooks and MP3 audiobooks on computers and mobile devices running Windows 8 and Windows RT.

Posted Nov 19, 2012

Pk4 Media Signs Newsy as Content Partner

Recognizing the importance of quality content to the success of video advertising, PK4 Media announced a deal to bring more content to its Bishop Video Platform. Video news service Newsy is PK4 Media's newest content partner, now feeding an average of 200 news videos per week to the Bishop content library.

Posted Nov 12, 2012

Curata Content Curation Software Arrives on iPhone, iPad and Android

Curata, Inc., a content curation company that enables marketers and publishers to find, organize, and share content, announced that a mobile app is available in the iTunes store for iPhone and iPad users, and the Android Market for Android users. The app enables Curata users to curate on-the-go. Curata expects the mobile app to expedite the curation process as busy marketers are now able to review and sift through content on a mobile device.

Posted Nov 06, 2012

Mirror Image Internet Announces Online Video Platform

Mirror Image Internet announced the availability of Publisher, a powerful online video publishing solution. The service is an all-inclusive video solution that combines the video streaming services with video on demand features available today.

Posted Oct 30, 2012

EBSCO Publishing Increases Spanish Content

EBSCO Publishing's recent agreement with content partner, Digitalia will enable Spanish content, serving a vast range of interest and needs, to be discoverable within EBSCO Discovery Service. Digitalia has thousands of ebooks from Spanish and Latin American publishing houses, as well as relevant Spanish journals.

Posted Oct 26, 2012

How Content Providers are Using Pinterest Creatively

Pinterest is a relatively new entrant to the social media market. As a virtual pinboard, the mission of the site is to "connect everyone in the world through the ‘things' they find interesting." The site offers some examples under the heading "What Can You Do With Pinterest?" that include: redecorating your home, planning a wedding, finding your style, saving your inspirations and saving your recipes. While these suggested uses are prevalent among the site's participants, other uses are springing up regularly as individuals and businesses find new, and increasingly practical, uses. Content providers are among them-using Pinterest to share information on the environment, events, jobs and more.

By Lin Grensing-Pophal - Posted Nov 14, 2012

Can Medium Change the Digital Publishing Paradigm?

First there was Blogger. Then there was Twitter. Now, somewhere in between those concepts is Medium, the ambitious new creation of co-founders Biz Stone and Evan Williams, who are responsible for all three social media online publishing tools.Launched recently by Williams' and Stone's Obvious Corp., Medium offers a fresh take on blogging by combining some of the best features already built into competitor sites such as Tumblr, Pinterest, reddit, and Zeen. Medium's design lets users collaborate on works consisting of words and/or images that are published on the site. After reading a work, users can provide feedback to the author, indicate if they liked it, and supplement it with additional content.

By Erik J. Martin - Posted Nov 12, 2012

Changing the Way Books Are Found, Acquired, and Published

Digital technology has broken down many barriers for new authors trying to break into the book publishing business. Ebooks and online publishing tools offer relatively easy and inexpensive ways to self-publish, and the internet provides a virtual platform from which to potentially grab the attention of a worldwide audience, including those seemingly elusive book editors and literary agents.

By Janet Spavlik - October 2012 Issue, Posted Oct 08, 2012

Rowling's Ebook Glitch a Cautionary Tale

Author J.K. Rowling knows how to cast a spell on readers with her enthralling stories. But she and her publisher probably wish they had a magic wand that could undo the troublesome technical defect in the faulty first run of the ebook version of her new novel, The Casual Vacancy.

By Erik J. Martin - Posted Oct 05, 2012

Promoting Your Ebook: The Importance of Knowing Your Audience

Word up to would-be writers, novelists, self-help scribes and long-form authors everywhere: Get ready to turn the page and make the jump from print to pixels. Because if you haven't transitioned to electronic publishing yet, you'll need to get up to speed fast and not only learn what it takes to make an ebook, but also how and where best to sell it.

By Erik J. Martin - Posted Jul 11, 2012

A Guide to Mobilizing Your Content: Which App Solution Is Right for You?

In an ideal world, all a publisher or media company would have to do to be successful is produce engaging content, and do it consistently. In reality, creating good content isn't enough anymore. As our lives become increasingly reliant on mobile technology, people expect fresh, compelling content, and they want to be able to access that content, anywhere, anytime, and on any device.The good news is that companies no longer need to be convinced about the importance of integrating mobile technologies, such as apps, into content delivery plans. "We're thankfully at a stage where we are no longer talking so much about experimentation," says Peggy Anne Salz, founder and chief analyst at MobileGroove. "We do not have the discussion point any longer of ‘Do I need to be mobile.' That discussion is gone. We are in a phase of execution."

By Eileen Mullan - April 2012 Issue, Posted Apr 16, 2012

Managing Costs in a Multi-Platform World

According to IDC (International Data Corp.), the number of U.S. users accessing the internet via mobile devices will exceed those using wireline devices, such as PCs, by 2015. The research firm cites the use of smartphones and enthusiastic adoption of tablets as the force behind this trend. These statistics have long been a source of excitement for publishers looking for new revenue streams, but with the explosion of platforms comes the pressure to be all things to all people. From iPhones to Android devices, from the Kindle Fire to the iPad, from mobile-optimized sites to custom-designed apps, publishers struggle to find the right balance between fiscal responsibility and being on their readers' platforms of choice.

January/February 2012 Issue, Posted Feb 08, 2012

Publishers Get Into the E-Singles Scene

In publishing, small is the new big. An increasing number of publishers are releasing e-singles -- short works published digitally on a variety of platforms -- to generate ancillary revenue, build brand equity, and reach new audiences. Among those joining the e-singles market are Hearst, Rodale, Princeton University Press, and as recently as last week, Penguin.

By Michelle Manafy - Posted Nov 21, 2011

Niche Publishers and Content: Information on a Silver Platter

On the surface, it might seem that meeting the needs of a niche audience provides very few opportunities for creativity. It stands to reason that the content demands of a niche audience are limited, because audience members only need content and services related to a specific subject matter or industry and nothing more. That assumption couldn't be further from the truth.

By Marji McClure - July/August 2011 Issue, Posted Jul 27, 2011

Finding Yourself at the Intersection of Location and Content

Consider the value if you could learn about the world around you based on where you are using the GPS capability in your smartphone. Imagine for a minute holding up your phone and having relevant content delivered to you based on your physical location at any given moment. There are complex and useful applications of the location dynamic beyond simply communicating "I'm here."

By Ron Miller - January/February 2011 Issue, Posted Feb 03, 2011

Redefining Reader Engagement in a Digital World

In the digital world, the idea of engagement has a very different meaning. Marketing is no longer a one-way street. Rather, marketers have learned to leverage social media to build two-way conversations in pursuit of that magic word: engagement. Scrolling marquees decorated with hashtags and @ symbols stream across our television screens, encouraging viewers to engage, luring us with the promise of sharing our shout-outs with the world. In the social networking age, companies continuously ask themselves: How do we reach these communities? How do we engage? How do we create valuable conversations?

Column/Dispatches from Digital Natives - By Erica Hartnett - Posted Jul 04, 2012

A Lesson in Content Delivery from Impelsys and BEA

BEA is great for a lot of things-finding out what new books are coming soon, reconnecting with old colleagues and friends, and maybe even snagging a bound galley or two. But what's also very cool is getting to see and find out more about the people and companies who work in different aspects of publishing, particularly the emerging technology fields. For a content creation person such as myself, it's fascinating to learn more about content delivery and the mechanics that go into it.

Column/Ebookworm - By Peggy Hageman - Posted Jun 14, 2012