Magcast – My Preferred iPad and iPhone Newsstand Magazine App Builder
I have built quite a few iOS Newsstand applications and several weeks ago I released my own course showing you how you can build your own Newsstand App for your magazine without any ongoing costs.
The course has been received really well and it’s great to be in frequent contact with fellow magazine App builders. For a bit more background on why I chose to create the course take a look at the article I wrote for Udemy here (Special Discount Link Included).
One of the frequent questions I get asked is what software did I used to get started with my Magazine apps?
Update 2014: I recommend using using Amber’s platform here instead of Magcast.
Well the truth is I still use the very software I started using and that is the digital publishing Magcast. It’s been available a lot longer than my course and has been used to publish over 300 individual magazines.
Magcast is a goodt service and the support is okay too too (there is room for improvement). Not only do you get to build Magazine apps without any coding but baked into the platform is a whole host of marketing tools ranging from subscriber email capture forms, detailed analytics to advertisement plugins and laser targeted promotion tools that can be configured however you wish.
Probably the best piece of the platform though is the complete end to end HD video training course included that will take you from knowing absolutely nothing about publishing a magazine all the way through to getting your magazine published and how best to promote other services you offer to your subscribers.
So, there you have it. This is the software/service that I use and if you are serious about Magazine apps on the iOS Newsstand you definitely need to review the MagCast digital publishing platform to see if it’s the right fit for you and your business.
August 17, 2013 @ 11:57 am
Hi Pete, in my quest to find a nice software tool to publish interactive pdf’s (with sound and video) in the near future, I got in touch with Magcast : but it seems that is recently changed into digital publishing blueprint. At first glance I was really enthousiastic about the story that Ed Dale told in a couple of videos (I wasn’t impressed with the do-it-yourself videos that makes a less positive image of the company.. a shame). Searching on the web with Google as a friend … I noticed that there are con’s concerning magcast. Very costly and a tool that is too simple to produce professional digital magazines for newsstand. I’m waiting for the 19th of August .. that will be the day that Ed will release his “new” website (digital publishing blueprint). Very curious but I’m also aware of possible boobytraps with this way of marketing pitching that Ed is using. My intuition isn’t so positive anymore because of several things: very poor and amateuristic videos, too slow explanation of all the things concerning digital publishing, and still no information concerning their price setting. On the other hand, while searching the web, I’m glad that I have found your website!
Especially when you mentioned that you use “baker framework”. Is this software relatively easy to work with or does it require more than some basics of HTML5 ?
Best regards. Dimitri Stuer – WonderPixel Belgium
August 17, 2013 @ 1:21 pm
Hi Dimitri,
Thanks for getting in touch. I fully understand your concerns about Magcast. Like nearly all Newsstand magazine solutions it is fairly costly. Magcast is actually the first newsstand software I used to create magazines. I have used it for 2 magazines and have been using it over a year now and have to say it is pretty good.
I compared it to other products available at the time (tapedition etc…) and they all do pretty much the same thing.
But… it’s the ongoing costs that put so many people off.
Personally, I would love to find a solution that allows us to use interactive PDF’s but I haven’t come across anything within my price range.
Anyway, I new there must be a cheaper solution than Magcast and with a bit of research I came across the Baker Framework. Being open source mean no ongoing costs… yeh! But it isn’t anywhere near as fully featured as the paid services. Understandably so.
Baker is pretty easy to work with but there are pretty big holes in the documentation. Well, not holes exactly; it’s just doesn’t have any easy to understand step-by-step tutorials. It is a collaberation between techies! 🙂 I am a bit of a techie myself so I don’t mind poking a bit of fun and I’ve got to say, the main developers have done an excellent job and still do.
Baker is basically an app that displays html pages. So if you can convert each page of your magazine to an html page then it shouldn’t be too difficult at all. You can include any video, audio etc… just like any normal web page.
If you do struggle with converting PDF’s to html, then you could try using the tool I use to convert PDF files to Baker HTML files. I made it for my own use and I’m happy to share it. You can get it here: http://www.nichespin.com/speed-up-your-magazine-publishing-with-pubzie/
If you want to talk via Skype I’m more than happy to. It’s a lot easier to ask questions that way. My Skype ID is pete_m1
Hope this has helped.
Regards,
Pete
August 18, 2013 @ 2:27 pm
Hi Pete,
Like Dimitri I’m glad I found this page … clear evidence that the most valuable information doesn’t always appear on the first page of a Google search!
I’ve taken other Udemy courses and yours is real inviting especially with the discount. But I don’t have a Mac and as you indicate at Udemy it’s a bit better to take it that way.
My research also uncovered that the Magcast product launches tomorrow at a $2997 price tag. For that amount I could buy a Mac, take your course, and be good to go!
August 18, 2013 @ 8:23 pm
Hi Pete,
like the others I am glad to have found your site. I too was interested in Digital Marketing Blueprint but if it is that expensive and perhaps also ha monthly fees then fo rget it. How do I go about using a non Mac for your course and is the only cost the$99 app development fee plus hosting. Can I add video and audio in easily, I have found a good coding site and am hoping this would help.
Also can I have more than one magazine for the $99.Thanks.
August 19, 2013 @ 11:51 am
Hi Sue,
You can use a PC to develop the PDF and html files but you will need a Mac at some point. Apple insist that everyone who wants to develop any type of app must submit the app using a Mac computer. Also, anyone that wants to make use of the free tool I created for making the magazine files must use it on a Mac.
You don’t have to spend money buying a Mac though, you could use a service like this: http://www.macincloud.com/
As for costs, there are no actual costs for making the magazine app. It is all free. You can make as many magazines as you wish. The only costs you have to consider are the developer fees that Apple charge ($99 per year) and the costs for hosting your files on the internet somewhere. If you have a web hosting account you can use to store files, then you already have that covered.
For magazine content, you can add any audio and video you wish. As the magazine pages are just HTML pages, you are free to add any type of content you wish, just like any web page on the internet. If it works on the iPad/iPhone Safari browser it will work in the magazine.
Hope this helps.
Pete
August 19, 2013 @ 1:39 pm
Hi Pete
thanks for the reply. Can your system also do android magazines. At the moment we are told Apple Newsstand is where to be but I think android and kindle must also be considerd at some point.
I am not that computer savvy is your course pretty idiotproof. Thanks Sue.
August 19, 2013 @ 2:03 pm
Hi Sue,
The course is just focused on iOS only, not Android and Kindle. I fully agree that being on Android and Kindle is definitely worth it. Android devices out number Apple now so it has to be worth it.
The reason the course is Apple only is down to the app itself. It is written in an Apple only language. Take a look at http://bakerframework.com/ and you will see the app that is built in the course. I did try to make the course as easy as possible to follow and thankfully (for me) I haven’t had anyone say they cant follow the instructions.
I will point out that my course is geared around explaining how to use the Baker Framework. The code is not mine; it is all open source so anyone can go to the baker site and create a magazine app themselves without the need for my course. It’s definitely worth investigating this beforehand and I encourage you to take a look.
Take care,
Pete