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If you own a smart phone or a media tablet like the iPad – you’d probably be very familiar with ‘apps’. With the press of a button you can download literally hundreds of thousands applications that can do anything from naming that tune you’re singing to offering advice to pregnant women.

Aside from the specific functions these apps perform, they also add value to the overall user experience, which is what attracts many consumers to smart phones and tablets in the first place.

For content producers, applications can act as a gateway in selling more titles to the tech-savvy. And there’s good reason why publishers should take apps seriously. Affordable phones with the app-friendly Android operating system have well and truly arrived on the scene. What’s more, it’s predicted by analysts IDC that the size of the Australian media tablet market could almost double in 2011 – so if you’re not thinking about apps now, maybe you should.

So where should a publisher start in pushing an application to the masses? Calendar got the inside word from a couple of publishers on what to consider when launching an app.

Macmillan Publishers Australia produces broad range of titles through several well established brands, and apps are a key focus of its digital strategy.  

So what are they doing with apps? Macmillan is currently promoting a range of applications for the Macquarie Dictionary, plus another focusing on local children’s author Andy Griffiths. In development are some text book apps aimed at the educational sector – one of the publisher’s core market segments.

Victoria Nash, Macmillan’s Digital Strategy Manager, holds that success in marketing an application begins with an honest appraisal of your content. ‘Do not do an app for the sake of it. Evaluate the real improvements that will be made to the content and any benefits the reader will receive,’ she advises.

It’s all about adding value. For example, the Macquarie Dictionary app has an interactive search feature that makes the content more accessible, while the multimedia functionality, interactivity and visual capabilities available on these devices give children’s and educational titles enormous potential.

Does the content change much when an app is released? According to Victoria the content offering is still largely the same but it’s the presentation and interactivity that create a new user experience. Depending on the subject matter, the ability to blend interactivity and different types of media into an app can be a huge advantage. ‘We exploit the technology available to the content’s advantage,’ she says.

Non-profit publishers are also giving apps a go. Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) provides a range of resources for teachers, and has just released two study guide apps for the iPad. Both applications depend on the device’s ability to mix film clips, text and other elements to give the content more depth.

For Peter Tapp, editor of ATOM Publications, the main objective was maximising the content’s appeal.

‘The apps have been designed in a way that makes the most of the iPad’s features. ATOM’s aim was to make the study guide applications not only informative but also fun and exciting, making the teacher’s job a little easier and increasing the content’s educational value.’

Is there any content not suitable for an app? Victoria feels that narrative fiction doesn’t lend itself well to the medium, so downloadable e-book formats are the preferred option for Macmillan.

The ATOM apps, which review the film Oranges and Sunshine and the documentary Kapyong, are the result of over a year of planning and development.  ‘The first task was to find a suitable developer – not only did we need someone with an interest in education, but also, as a non-profit association, one that we could afford,’ Peter says. 

Apps are definitely an investment and the overall scope of what your application is to achieve dictates how much you’re going to pay a developer. Victoria Nash recommends ‘starting simple and small, minimise large development expenditure and upgrade with new features over a period of time’.

Another factor is the divide between the two operating systems used by Apple and Android phones and media tablets. Both use different development languages so publishers need to consider the added cost of developing apps for all devices.

The popularity of the iPhone and iPad make Apple an attractive choice; and industry commentators are singing the praises of Android’s developer-friendly framework – so you’ll need to give careful consideration to whether you go with one system, the other or both.

ATOM will be sticking with the iPad for the time being until Android tablets become more common in classrooms. Macmillan on the other hand is planning to rollout a Macquarie Dictionary app for Android devices in the near future.

After all the hard work in getting an app off the ground, do they make money? At the moment, they don’t account for a significant amount of Macmillan’s revenue but the publisher sees this is an important growth area, especially in segments where use of digital content is more established.

For ATOM, the main priority is providing quality resources for teachers and students. The apps, which are available through iTunes, are currently available for free but if a paid model were to be adopted, the cost would be minimal.

In a market that’s relatively new and rapidly changing, how do you know you’re on the right track? Victoria believes you can get an indication by ‘doing your research before going ahead and then getting market feedback after release, as well as reviewing sales figures’.

What’s in store over the next few years could be anyone’s guess. There seems to be a growing school of thought that suggests authors should work in collaboration with publishers in developing apps – which could see a new type of product emerging. But as this new revenue stream continues to evolve and take shape, content is still as important as ever.

21 July 2011