Readz Launches Tablet-Specific Content Management and Publishing Platform

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly a quarter of all Americans own a tablet and 40% report reading a magazine or newspaper on this device. However, many publications are losing money and readers by relying on outdated "enhanced PDFs" – instead of optimizing content for tablet viewing, navigation and interaction.

Launching today, Readz is a new content management and publishing platform that makes high- quality tablet publications accessible for small- to medium-sized publishers, including media outlets and corporate marketing teams. Just as Wordpress made website creation more accessible, Readz provides tools to simplify and improve tablet design and publishing. With Readz, content creators can design, edit, publish and host interactive publications that feature tablet design best practices, while also incorporating interactive ads, multimedia and gestures native to the tablet-viewing experience.

"Web design can't be replicated on tablets. Reading an e-book or magazine on a laptop is a vastly different experience than reading on a tablet. With Readz, we've created a tool that gives anyone – even those with limited design or programming skills – the ability to easily and quickly publish tablet-specific content," explained Bart De Pelsmaeker, founder/CEO of Readz.

Readz keeps publishers in control of everything from design and layout to distribution. It was built for publishers who may lack the resources or technical skills to keep up with the shift to digital content consumption. Readz comes with several professionally-designed templates, some of which feature advertising options, equipping publishers with the tools needed to generate revenue from tablet subscribers. Publishers can use these themes to publish their content to tablets, adapt these themes or even create new ones through a "what you see is what you get" design tool.

The Readz platform works in a few simple steps:

1. Upload images and videos


2. Design and style articles


3. Create sections and assign articles to those sections

4. Create a cover

5. View and publish

The end result is an app that gives readers an interactive and full-touch reading experience. The app is downloaded in seconds and reads very much like a magazine. Readers can swipe back-and-forth through articles and summary pages, and also bookmark articles for future reading and search for text. The platform also easily adds in interactive elements and multimedia that cannot be incorporated in a traditional PDF format.

Readz is supported by Parana Management Corporation (led by Guido Van der Schueren), an investment firm with approximately $100m in assets, specializing in the graphics arts and media industries. Early Readz customers include the YOUnique personal branding newsletter and the Association of Media and Publishing's Signature Magazine, among others.

Located in Los Angeles, Readz was founded in 2012. Bart Pelsmaeker has extensive experience building software companies, and working in international markets, with a unique focus on the publishing industry.

Readz Features & Benefits

• A Better Reading Experience: Tablet optimization designed specifically for interactive reading 
on tablets with full HTML5 apps and smaller, faster downloads
• Power for Publishers: Build a distinct look and feel into tablet pages through customizable 
and re-usable layouts and designs
• Turnkey Solution: Platform is cloud-based and scalable to give users plenty of content "space" 
and expand with growing audience. There's also no per-seat fee and no app store approvals 
required
• Minimize Overhead Costs: No expensive software and training; printing, storing or shipping. 
Users can also create additional revenue streams with tablet content, selling directly to customers with no revenue splits

"While many people have been surprised by how quickly consumers have embraced tablets, publishers can't afford to be left behind," noted De Pelsmaeker. "Readz makes it simple for anyone to create reader-friendly, interactive, engaging content viewable on any tablet."

To learn more about Readz, visit the following links:

• Website: http://www.readz.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReadzTabletPublishing  
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReadzPublishing

About Readz 


A breakthrough in digital content creation, Readz tablet publishing offers a complete solution to transform magazines, newsletters, or other content into visually stunning tablet experiences. Readz allows content creators to build their own apps using the Readz interface. It's a platform complete with pre-made, customizable tablet templates and design tools, and there is no need for programming. Find Readz on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE Readz