Just months since launching its beta version, Texterity’s enhanced next generation user interface, the Coverleaf Reader, is on schedule. To date, Texterity has converted roughly 65 percent of targeted titles to the new reader, including titles across consumer, trade, niche, and association categories.

"Our team of Project Managers and Account Managers has been exceptional in facilitating the transition,” says Shannon Smith, Texterity’s director of account management.

Texterity is first serving those most eager to transition for promotional or business reasons, with the goal of having all clients converted by the end of 2010. “The majority will be done in the early part of 2010,” Smith clarifies. “However, we have some clients waiting in order to dovetail with a
new product launch or website redesign.”

Publishers and end users like the new look and ease of use, according to Smith. “We are hearing a lot of excitement especially around the new ad revenue opportunities available with the new reader and also the ability to integrate the reader into publishers' websites,” she adds. “One of the nicest features of the Coverleaf reader for us is that we now have added flexibility and options to work with clients in creating a digital edition that supports their specific goals."

For Stacy Atchison, publisher of Food Safety Magazine, speed is by far the best feature of the new Coverleaf Reader. “Next is the navigation panel,” she says. “While I have heard the term intuitive used for years to describe user interfaces, the Coverleaf interface defines intuitive. You don’t really know why it works so well, it just does. You instinctively know how to use it. Everything you need is right where you expect it to be.”

The way Food Safety knows it’s resonating with readers, though, is audience feedback. “In a recent conversation with our circulation fulfillment provider, she commented on how great we’re doing on digital subscriptions — better than other magazines,” says Atchison. “I credit that to the outstanding Texterity interface.”

Five years ago, when Response Magazine & Expo was part of the Advanstar stable of titles (it’s now owned by Questex Media Group), the magazine made the move to the Texterity platform. Even then, publisher John Yarrington thought that the product offerings were “a bit hipper, faster and slightly different from what people were using in the market,” he says. The same holds true for the functionality and features of the new Coverleaf Reader.

“When we saw the new reader in September, I asked our Texterity rep, ‘When can we have that?!’” says Yarrington.

As far as features, “our audience has found that having the table of contents readily available makes it much easier to navigate throughout the digital publication,” he adds. “When you add features like a nicer reader, it allows readers to more quickly get through parts of magazine that don’t quite interest them and get to what they want.”

The Coverleaf Reader features a panel of expandable and collapsible drawers, as well as thumbnail tabs that protrude. This functionality makes it easier for Response Magazine & Expo to send customers to particular stories, and determine which issue posted what articles. It’s also easy to sort back issue articles quickly and highlight whatever customers are looking for and get it to them very quickly. “Sharing magazine-specific stories has made our business better,” says Yarrington.

The search feature is also imperative to the title’s success. “If I want to find out how many times a company or topic comes up in a particular issue, I can find it fast,” says Yarrington. “From a selling standpoint, it’s great.”
For more information, call 508-804-3000 or 800-455-5450 or visit www.texterity.com/info-request/.