Digital publishing vendor YUDU Media announced today that it has launched the first cross-platform self-publishing solution, enabling its YUDU Pro customers to create their own digital publications that are viewable on the web, iPad and iPhone via custom-built branded apps.  This is the first stage towards YUDU’s “publish once, view everywhere” approach, which represents a major breakthrough in digital publishing that will help publishers expand their reach into new content channels. Availability of self-publishing applications for all other major eReader and mobile devices will follow in the coming months.

A shortcoming of all eReader platforms, including Apple’s iPad, is their inability to process Flash, a multimedia platform commonly used for Web sites, digital magazines and other interactive media. Because Flash is the basis for the page-turning technology used by most digital publishing solutions, that meant that page-turning digital publications such as eMagazines, eCatalogs and many types of eBooks were difficult to port to these devices.  Publishers had two choices: format content separately for each individual mobile or eReader platform, or publish one standard mobile version that would simply stretch or contract to fit different screen sizes – resulting in poor image quality.

YUDU’s cross-platform solution utilizes fixed-page layouts as well as “rich view” capability, which means that content automatically reflows and adapts to fit the size of each device, resulting in a much higher quality reading experience. Beginning today, YUDU Pro customers can purchase branded iPad/iPhone apps built by YUDU. They then need only to upload their master .pdf file to YUDU to easily self-publish the highest quality web, iPhone and iPad publications. YUDU also offers a bureau service for those who don’t wish to self-publish.

A digital publishing platform that enables users to transform one source file into a format that’s readable via many channels would help exponentially expand the reach of digital content. "From the perspective of making money from digital content, publishers need to keep their focus on enriching content with meta-data and striving for one-source/many format publishing,” said David R. Guenette, Senior Analyst, The Gilbane Group, a division of Outsell, Inc.

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