Printed media may be on its way out very soon. Nowadays, almost everyone has a cellphone in their pocket, and roughly half of these people read things from the screen. This is what digital publishing is all about. Although you may not think of it in this way, digital publishing is a method of sharing content that makes use of computer technology. It does not simply just refer to e-books or online magazines, though these are excellent examples, such as the one below created with Publuu’s magazine creator:
Publuu’s online magazine example:
View more online magazine examples
Isn’t it great? You don’t have to be a famous commercial publisher to create your own digital magazine and share it online. Just click the MAKE YOUR OWN button above and check how easy and fast it is to make an interactive magazine with realistic page-flipping effect.
Continue reading to find out what digital publishing is and how to create digital content in the age of apps and mass media.
What is digital publishing?
In general, digital publishing refers to the distribution of any content via digital channels – involving computers. Of course, “computers” can also refer to other digital devices such as cellphones, Smart TVs, and e-book readers. It does not have to involve the digitalization of print media; it could refer to Google Play mobile apps, World Wide Web sites such as blogs or wikis, memes, or online videos on YouTube. Most of the time, however, it refers to publishing any traditional content online.
A digital publisher is a person or company who creates digital media and distributes it online, whether for profit, to promote a brand or cause, to educate, or simply to share knowledge with the rest of the world. If you have a blog or even a Twitter handle, this makes you automatically a digital publisher. In many countries, computer games are almost entirely sold online – and digital publishing of software became a global standard. In fact, the United States of America still has a lot of hobby stores and physical game stores because the Internet infrastructure there is so poor that many users find it cheaper to buy a DVD with the game rather than use a digital publishing platform like Steam. Sometimes, though, digital publishing is more common than you think.
Most of the time, we’re referring to “digital publishers” as commercial publishers who create all sorts of social media content, e-books, digital magazines, online catalogs, apps with articles or other digital content. They can rely on Amazon’s Kindle eReader and Kindle Direct Publishing self-publishing platform or similar equivalents in other countires. Games, books, and apps available on platforms such as Steam or Google Play, as well as MP3 files available on iTunes or the Apple Store, are other examples. Podcasts are also an important aspect of digital publishing, because audio information is a growing segment of content on-line.
Why switch to digital publishing?
Print media is being phased out in the 21st century, after a long history. Print publications have become increasingly thinner over the last decade, as the print advertising revenue has plummeted. A lot of traditional media has gone online… with varying degrees of success. Nonetheless, the e-book market is expanding, and the barrier of entry for digital publishing is significantly lower.
As new generations become accustomed to digital technology, electronic and digital publishing are rapidly replacing the traditional print media. Old school newspapers and print publishers do not provide the instant access to knowledge and information that younger generations have come to take for granted. Thanks to online publishing, people can easily access breaking news as it happens, research information instantly, and view visual media.
These days, visual and video media now dominate the online landscape. Many of the most successful digital publishers understand how to effectively present their creative content using visual aids and infographics. Many doomsayers announce to the world that “young people don’t read,” which is not entirely correct. They might not read books or online magazines, but they absorb information in a manner that appears to be much more efficient for them. The real issue is, of course, how digital publishers can teach them to differentiate between quality content and fake news or fiction. And even then, young people appear to be more technologically savvy and adept at analyzing news than older generations.
