PaperC.com // We're eReading

The awaited iOS launch of Next Issue will sure drive a lot more people to use the unlimited reading offer: $10 per month for access to the magazines that are either published monthly or bi-monthly, and $15 per month for full access to weekly publications. Since we’re going to offer almost similar models for textbooks in a much wider range of some hundred or even thousand titles, I allow myself to pick the “W” out of SWOT and focus on the problems. (no need to be mention there are benefits, strength and good fortune!)

1. Limited Content

It sounds rude but we know it’s true: a flat rate is a flat rate when it is a flat rate and you will always find titles along the road that are not in the flat – so you pay extra while thinking “hey, why is this and that not in the flat”? Though famous publishers such as Conde Nast, Hearst and Time Inc. are in the boat, the average dentist has a wider variety than the digital newsstand with fewer than 40 popular titles.

There aren’t any niche titles. No independent magazines. Basically it is people, food and marriage – thanks a lot

Considering my (sure very specific) reading habits I have  more loyalty for certain bloggers, indies and aggregation channels than for any of the big magazines or even publishers –  I did not pay once for any of those titles and would suggest offering a variety of off-the-record-publications to get the (early stage!) offer some steps past the mainstream. If you’d subscribe for 3 to 5 of the magazines in the flat, you easily pay less than the 120$ Next Issue would cost you – so how likely are you to pay more for all those you do not need while lot of their content is available on the internet for free? All the “people, food and marriage” stuff is out there, no paywalls, no fees, so the problem stays: whats there to pay for, what makes you different? Niche titles, I am sure.

2. Underperforming Content 

Basically every digital newspaper or magazine you may read via Next Issue is a slightly pimped pdf that does not at all uses the full wide of opportunities coming with digital publishing. I’ve just recently written about what epub can do for you and assume, that, if you provide the same information I can find in any well prepared celeb-blog, you should at least add the same value I find in that very blog: additional twitter streams, fan page comments, links and pictures, a mouse-over cover flow… which directly leads to another issue:

3. Content Overload

As mentioned, I read a lot and I consume about 100 different sources on a daily basis of which most is for free. I may not be the average 28-year-old, not-too-engaged, not-too-specifically interested  digital reader but I am not likely to pay 10 or 15$ for magazines that are nice to have (waiting at the dentists) but basically only stuff up my pile of things to read. And, if I may take this into account, I don’t know anyone who would, not for todays offer.

Advice cot short: make it easy to contribute and get paid for Indies, think about formats that make sense and maybe consider a pay-as-you-go offer.