digital publishing

Daylight Is New Platform for Discovering, Viewing, and Sharing Contemporary Art

Publishing entrepreneurs Taj Forer and Michael Itkoff, founders of the art photography publishing brand Daylight Books, have launched a subcompact digital publishing platform, Daylight.

DaylightApp_Brodie-EditionTogether with serial tech entrepreneurs Lee Buck and Peter Bourne, the founders of Daylight aim to bridge the gap between the world of fine art and a rapidly growing mainstream audience of art enthusiasts. Their goal for the platform is to make it easy to discover, be inspired by, and share the most compelling contemporary art of our time.

The founders describe Daylight as “the intersection between subcompact digital publishing, the timeless tradition of art as human storytelling, and a new generation of digitally enabled consumers.” They Daylight users to experience a truly immersive platform for art exploration and discovery. 

Regular editions feature high quality contemporary artwork accompanied by interviews or short essays. Daylight’s minimalist user-interface design and full-screen images allow users to pause in an elegant digital environment that can be compared to that of the world’s top museums and gallery spaces.

Daylight’s first series of curated editions highlight many of the rising stars of art and photography including 2013 Guggenheim Fellow and preeminent American photographer, Alec Soth.

Soth’s exclusive edition (Orlando) appears alongside editions from Cristina de Middel (The Afronauts), Jess Dugan (Every Breath We Drew), Roger Ballen (Lines, Markings and Drawings), Jacqueline Hassink (Arab Domains) and the “Polaroid Kidd” himself, Mike Brodie (A Period of Juvenile Prosperity).

“Daylight is bringing fresh, powerful content with high relevance to a whole new audience. The art has context and meaning, and the presentation in the app and online are beautiful. They’ve got true art credibility and a social community approach that make for an enormous growth combination” said Rob Solomon, Venture Partner at Accel Partners and former President & COO at Groupon.

“We believe the timeless tradition of art as storytelling is vital to the human experience,” said Taj Forer. “For years, my co-founder Michael Itkoff and I have sought to deepen Daylight Books readers’ connection to the world through innovative presentation of curated art and photography. However, print media’s limitations are mounting while digital audiences are growing. That said, most digital content is consumed like potato chips. With Daylight, we are providing digital audiences with the inspiring, compelling art content that they are hungry for. We strive to give audiences reason to take pause with the art, artists and moreover, join the conversation.”

LINKS

Daylight

About Daylight

 

Survey Shows Digital Publishing Has Become the Status Quo

The Alliance for Audited Media (AAM) has published the results of their 2012 Digital Publishing Survey. The AAM is a nonprofit organization that connects North America’s leading media companies, advertisers and ad agencies. Founded in 1914 as the Audit Bureau of Circulations, the AAM independently verifies print and digital circulation and sets standards for measuring and reporting the reach of print and digital media.

CAWAAMSurveyThe survey of 210 AAM member media companies shows that publishers have embraced tablets and smartphones as integral parts of their cross-platform publishing strategies. In AAM’s first digital-focused survey in 2009, only 51 percent of the respondents had a mobile presence. In the 2012 survey (conducted in October), this figure reached 90 percent, with the remaining 10 percent expecting to join suit within the next 12 months.

In 2012, the survey also asked about the profitability of digital efforts. Twenty-two percent of publisher respondents report that their smartphone and tablet apps/platforms are currently profitable. More than half expect these platforms to become profitable over the next two years.

Survey results also show that media companies are distributing content on multiple platforms, eager to get in front of readers on their device of choice. Apple products still dominate the market, with 85 percent of publishers having iPhone apps and 87 percent having iPad apps. But Kindle and Nook apps are growing. The number of publishers developing Kindle apps has grown two and a half times, up from 24 percent in 2011 to 67 percent in 2012. Nook apps have increased more than four times, from 14 percent in 2011 to 57 percent in 2012.

“Media companies know that delivering content whenever and wherever consumers want is key,” said Eric John, AAM’s vice president of digital services. “They know digital content, including browser-based editions and mobile apps, is no longer the wave of the future, but table stakes to continue reaching and growing digital readership.”

Key Survey Findings

Not only are media companies distributing content on multiple platforms, they are offering multiple apps on each device. On average, companies are producing 3.4 iPad and iPhone apps, 3 Kindle apps and 2.4 Nook apps.

  • Publishers are most likely to charge for content on the iPad (56 percent), followed by the iPhone at 42 percent, Kindle at 38 percent and Nook at 31 percent. But subscriptions are not the only revenue source. The majority of respondents agreed a dual revenue stream from advertising and subscriptions is necessary to make digital platforms profitable.
  • Even as the market matures, media companies are still testing and revising their strategies to best provide editorial and advertising content to their consumers. They are nearly split on using native apps designed for specific devices versus Web apps that function across devices. Seventy percent are publishing native apps, while 67 percent are publishing Web apps.
  • The impact of HTML5 as a new additional publishing technology is still undecided for most publishers. When asked to think about the next year, 41 percent said they plan to continue using native apps while 31 percent said they plan to try HTML5.
  • After years of allowing customers to access free online content, many media companies are charging for their website content. A number of newspapers — 48 percent — have a paywall to charge for some or all of their content. Combined percentages for newspapers, magazines and business publications show 41 percent currently use a paywall. Of those currently without a paywall, 44 percent plan to implement one in the next two years.
  • The most popular type of paywall is metered, where customers may access a predetermined number of articles before payment is required. Almost 40 percent use metered paywalls, while 17 percent use a hard paywall where payment is required to read any content. And 33 percent use a combination paywall that restricts access to premium content.
  • The million-dollar question is how publishers are monetizing mobile and how that revenue offsets print declines. Seventy-seven percent agreed mobile revenues must stem from both advertising and circulation, up from 52 percent in 2009. Fifty-four percent of respondents said mobile currently represents up to 9 percent of advertising revenue, and 56 percent said it represents up to 9 percent of circulation revenue.
  • Despite the promise of mobile publishing, survey respondents are pragmatic about their print publications. Less than 15 percent said they have plans to reduce their print publishing frequency and less than 3 percent think their publication will only be produced digitally in the next five years.

The complete survey summary is available on AAM’s website.

LINKS

Results from AAM’s 2012 Digital Publishing Survey

About the AAM

Upcoming Conferences for Digital Publishers and App Creators

If you want to learn how you can profit from digital publishing or app development, here are two conferences that might be helpful: Going Digital 2012 and the Media App Summit.

Going Digital 2012: The Digital Publishing Report Conference
November 8-9, 2012
Skytop Lodge Executive Conference Center; Skytop, Pennsylvania
Organized by The Joss Group

This conference is for anyone who wishes to publish content in a digital format. It doesn’t matter if you work for a traditional publishing company or not, this conference is for any organization that publishes short-form or long-form content, including e-books, magazines, catalogs, journals, or technical materials.

In a relaxed, yet focused learning environment, you can learn how to design and manage the digital-publishing process and maximize profit opportunities from digital publishing projects and businesses.

Conference organizer Molly Joss recognizes that “Publishers of all kinds are under pressure to understand and adopt digital technology. Print is not dead, but every publisher today must also consider digital.” She believes very little practical information and help is current available to help small- to mid-sized businesses make the most of digital publishing technologies. This is particularly true for companies and organizations whose main sources of income don’t come from traditional publishing.

Topics that will be discussed during the program include:

  • Nitty-gritty of How to E-Publish
  • Digital Rights and Copy Protection: options, priorities, and necessities
  • Workflows and Staffing Issues: what needs to change and what can stay the same
  • Distribution Options: newsstands, private servers, e-mail, and more
  • Making the Most of Digital Formats by Making Use of Audio and Video
  • Sales and Marketing Metrics

The keynoter on November 8 will be Bryan Yeager who leads InfoTrends’ digital marketing and media practice. He will talk about how emerging trends in short-form (magazine) digital publishing will affect all publishers.

On November 9, David Renard of MediaIdeas will talk about how publishers can take advantage of the possibilities in reader and tablet technology to improve their success in digital publishing.

The Joss Group, founded by Molly Joss, publishes The Digital Publishing Report, a monthly newsletter that talks about the technology, techniques, strategies, and plans publishers are using to develop their digital publishing efforts.

LINK

Going Digital 2012: The Digital Publishing Report Conference

Media App Summit
December 3, 2012
The New Yorker Hotel; New York, NY
Organized by Media Bistro

The conference unites book and magazine publishers, developers, digital content strategists, editors, authors, and entrepreneurs for an extensive look into the cutting-edge world of media app design, demographics, and distribution. Learn how to build apps within budget, make them discoverable, and monetize content across all media platforms.

Here are some of the topics and featured speakers:

New Distribution Models for eBooks and Apps
Evan Ratliff, co-founder and editor of Atavist , explores how to maximize the social media presence and cross-platform exposure of your app. Panelists will discuss some of the tools and strategies which are now available to market and publicize apps and ideas.

Maximizing Discoverability and Profitability in Book App Marketplaces
Matthew Cavnar, VP of business development at Vook , shares advice for making your app more discoverable in vast online destinations. Learn how to create eye-catching content, rise up the Top App lists, and promote your app in the right places.

App-Centered Outreach for Non-Profits and Institutions
Learn how non-profits are using mobile technology to build brand awareness and get the fund-raising message out, without breaking the bank.

Multi-Platform Publishing for Mobile News and Magazine Content
Hear how leaders behind successful magazine apps are setting up subscriptions, budgeting for the app, building a subscriber base, negotiating royalties, and managing app updates.

New Distribution Models for E-Books and Apps
This panel will discuss some of the tools, strategies, websites, and services that can help you market and publicize your app.

From Download to Domination: Engaging Mobile App Users with Analytics and Targeting
As users acquire more apps, the amount of time they spend with each one goes down. Learn ways to move beyond the download and acquire the right users, use engagement metrics, and re-market to your high-value users.

Exploring Apps and Educational Publishing
The marketplace of education apps is exploding. This panel will explore different aspects of the educational app field, including digital textbooks, app-based study guides, and flashcard-making tools.

Self-Publishing Across Multiple Platforms
Experts and best-selling self-published authors share tips for working with the Kindle Store, Apple iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords.

Case Study: Mobile Advertising
This panel will focus on how to use rich media mobile ads to engage users and drive conversions.

Media Bistro provides networking opportunities, career-development resources, and education to anyone who creates or works with content, or who is a non-creative professional working in a content/creative industry. That includes editors, writers, producers, graphic designers, book publishers, and others in industries including magazines, television, film, radio, newspapers, book publishing, online media, advertising, PR, and design.

LINK

Media Bistro Mobile App Summit