What's new?

2014 was a pivotal year for technology, bringing the rise of the 'phablet', an increase in demand for wearable technology and dramatic changes in the way readers consume digital content. So what does this mean for the publishing industry in 2015? Here at Page Lizard, we've whipped out our crystal ball and have rounded up our Digital Publishing predictions for the next year.

"Mobile is now the new shop window and there isn't any disputing that." - Head of Brand Development for EMEA

The above statement is something I already knew. Did you? At Page Lizard we are constantly trying to tell people how important mobile is for your business. It's no lie your website, google ads, digital publications and everything in-between need to be optimised for mobile. Digital publishers especially seem to forget that there are more than one type of mobile device and nearly 60% of their readers will be on Android. We only expect to see this figure soar.

Despite being taught not to judge a book by its cover; when the metaphors are out the window, we all judge books by their covers. Book shops are full of novels and biographies with thousands of typography variants, surface textures and colours just asking us to pull them from the shelf and look inside.

Covers don't hold as much power over readers in the digital world (yet), they are barely seen at all and when they are they're not big enough to grab your attention and pull you in, we often turn to peer reviews and rating systems to act as our new cover. The failure to transition well to digital is not a flaw in covers as a concept, instead it's our own reluctance to re-write the rule book when new technologies arise that can be blamed for the down-grading of the cover.

As the nights draw in, most of us would rather be at home snuggled up with a glass of mulled wine and the latest episode of The Apprentice. What could tempt you out of those comfy Fair Isle jumpers more than a good Digital Publishing event? Here are our pick of the top 8 unmissable events this winter.

Even professionals read on mobile: two case studies

Last week I gave a talk to the Professional Publishers Association (PPA) conference in London about how to create and edit digital magazines for mobile readers.