Plenty of readers would rather read the magazine on a screen. Some are abroad and fed up with waiting for the post. Some are working from home and the office copy is sitting on an empty desk. Some just prefer it. A digital edition gives them the same magazine, laid out exactly as it was printed, the day it's ready.
You already have the hard part: the print-ready PDF your designer sends to the printer. We turn that into a proper digital edition, host it, and get it to the right readers.
How it works
- You send the PDF. The same print-ready file that goes to your printer. If there are links, videos or a contents list you'd like added, send those too.
- We prepare the file. We check the pages, set the spreads, and make sure covers, inside covers and any inserts appear where they should.
- We build the edition. Using FlippingBook Publisher, we turn it into a page-turning edition that works in any modern browser on desktop, tablet and phone. Web addresses and email addresses in the ads and articles become clickable, and we add a navigable contents list so readers can jump to the feature they want.
- We publish it. The edition goes live with its own shareable link, ready to send to readers, put on your website or share on social media.
- We send it out. If we run your subscriptions, we send the link to your digital subscribers and record the issue against each of their records, the same way we would for a printed copy.
What your readers get
A FlippingBook edition looks and feels like the printed magazine. Pages turn, spreads sit side by side, and readers can zoom in on a chart or a small-print table. There's nothing to download and no app to install. They follow the link and start reading.
On a phone, the edition adapts to the smaller screen so readers aren't pinching and scrolling across a full A4 page. Search lets them find a name or a product across the whole issue. And because the editions stay online, your back issues become an archive readers can browse.
Something extra for advertisers
A digital edition is a second chance for every ad in the issue. Advertisers' web addresses become live links, so a reader who likes what they see can go straight to the website. Video can be added to a page where a still image doesn't do the job.
Those are things you can sell. A link in a digital edition can be tracked, which gives advertisers something more concrete than "it was in the magazine". If you're building a media pack, digital readership is one more figure to put in it, with its source shown.
Analytics you can use
FlippingBook gives you statistics on how each edition is read: how many people opened it, how long they spent, which pages they looked at and which links they clicked. We can pass those on after each issue, so your editorial and sales teams can see what readers actually turn to.
That's useful for planning the next issue. It's also useful when an advertiser asks how their page did.
Linked to your subscriptions
This is where using a bureau that also runs subscriptions pays off. Digital readers are just another type of subscriber in our systems. They're signed up, renewed and recorded like everyone else, and when an edition goes out, the send is logged against their record.
That means a reader can take print, digital or both, and your circulation reports show each properly. A reader who missed an issue can be sent it again without anyone hunting through old emails. And when your audit comes round, there's a record of who received each edition and when.
If your subscriptions run on Avio, digital editions fit into the same issue schedule and fulfilment as print. On Adeptis, your digital editions also appear on your public websites alongside the news, and digital subscribers are handled through subscriptions and renewals like any other.
Distribution, your way
Once an edition is live, the link can go anywhere:
- In an email to your digital subscribers, sent by us or by your own email platform.
- On your website, as a link or embedded in a page.
- In your e-newsletter, on social media, or in a sales email to a prospective advertiser.
- In a renewal reminder, as a reminder of what a reader's about to miss.
If some content should only go to paying subscribers, tell us how you want access to work and we'll set it up to match the way your subscriptions are sold.
Who does the work
The same small team that runs our circulation and subscriptions bureau. Julie Sherwood, our Circulation & Marketing Specialist, has spent years on circulation and marketing at Wilmington, VNU, Datateam and Quantum Publishing, and knows how to get a digital edition read rather than ignored. Kevin Venn, our Systems Manager, looks after the systems that publish and send each issue.
If you'd like to see an example edition, or talk about adding digital editions to your titles, get in touch. Meet the team if you'd like to know who you'll be dealing with.
Questions
What do you need from us?
The print-ready PDF of each issue, plus any links, videos or contents you want added. If your printer already has the final PDF, that's usually all we need.
Do readers need to download an app?
No. FlippingBook editions open in a web browser on a desktop, tablet or phone. Readers just follow the link.
Can we put the edition on our own website?
Yes. Each edition has its own shareable link, and it can be embedded in a page on your site. If your site runs on Adeptis, the editions list is built in.
Can digital readers count towards our circulation?
Digital copies can form part of your circulation figures if they're sent and recorded properly. We record who was sent each edition against their subscription, and we can talk through what your audit will need.
Can we have digital editions without using your bureau for subscriptions?
Yes. Plenty of publishers just want the editions made. We can also send you the links to distribute through your own email platform.