Online magazines used to be all about PDFs. You’d download the PDF and either read it on your computer or try to print it out to read on paper. Both of those options were not the best experience, but it certainly beats waiting for a subscription magazine to come in the mail. PDFs are what we had so we dealt with them. I’ve noticed a change over the last few years as PDFs are abandoned in favor of more responsive designs. I’ve started seeing more and more flipbooks replacing older PDF magazines. In fact just the other day I got an email that an online journal that I read is now switching to a flipbook format. This was the impetus for me to finally find a flipbook maker and make my own flipbooks. I had some initial frustrations in finding the right kind of flipbook maker software, but thankfully, I found a solution in Yumpu Publishing. I’ll share a little about my journey and how I was able to make some great flipbooks. Hopefully, this will help you start creating great flipbooks of your own.
What I Love About Flipbooks
What I really appreciate about flipbooks is that they feature a responsive design. As more people started using phones and tablets, reading PDFs became more and more difficult. It’s not surprising because a good flipbook maker creates a flipbook that can be used in any browser. It’s called responsive design. This means a properly created flipbook looks great no matter where it’s being read. This brings up the next thing I appreciate about flipbooks. I really like the modern design. They look great. They give a look that matches other well-designed media. It seemingly integrates with the device it’s being used on. This also helps it build better interactions. It feels alive and readers can interact with what I create very easily. I like how it makes readers feel like they are a part of the magazine when reading.
Finding My Flipbook Maker
When I decided that I needed to find a flipbook maker, I decided to come up with some criteria that I would want in the software. I could evaluate each package to see how it ranked against my criteria. The most important criterion was my need to have a free or cheap solution. I didn’t want to have to pay a lot of money to make flipbooks. Most of the content I create is given away so I can’t afford to pay to give away information. Another criterion is that I need it to be easy to use. I don’t want to have to spend time trying to figure out how to make something work. I want the flipbook maker to work easily and quickly. I’d prefer it to be online, and I’d prefer the service to provide hosting for the finished flipbooks. I took a look at several different software packages and sites when looking for my flipbook maker. I was rather surprised by how many sites there were offering different flipbook-making services. They all seemed to be focused on converting PDFs to flipbooks. Some seemed easier than others and some seemed more expensive than others. The first one I came across when searching for flipbook makers was KviSoft. It seemed to have a lot of features but I didn’t know if I needed more than a couple of them. Frankly seeing the description made me doubt how easy to use it was. Another downside was seeing that it cost $97. I didn’t feel like that met any of my needs so I moved on. Next, I found Flip Book Creator. It seemed to be complicated. I couldn’t figure out if it was a paid piece of software or if it was online. It wasn’t clear, and their upload box didn’t inspire a lot of confidence. I was actually afraid that it might try to steal my magazine. I search several other sites and it felt like more of the same. It was getting quite frustrating for me because I didn’t want to pay a lot of money for the software, and I want something that was easy to use. Luckily, I finally came across Yumpu Publishing.
Simple Steps to a Flipbook
I found Yumpu Publishing to be very easy to use. It is a simple PDF to Flipbook maker. It’s all online. All you need to do is upload your PDF, and they do the rest. Best of all it’s free to get started with. Signing up for an account is very easy. You can signup using your Google, Facebook, or Twitter account or you can create your own account. Once you sign up, you can upload your PDF and let them do the conversion process. The conversion process is quick and painless. They let you make any tweaks that you need to make, and then it’s ready to be shared. I appreciate that the service creates flipbooks that are useable across a wide spectrum of devices. It’s HTML5 and can be used in any browser and this includes a mobile browser, including Android, iPhone, and IPad. The Flash version displays excellently on the desktop as well. The price truly is free. While there are multiple pricing levels, the free level fits most needs. It displays relevant ads in the flipbook. This actually makes a simple flipbook look even more professional. This is why I see the ad version as a plus. They provide free hosting for flipbooks so that you can easily share links to your magazines using Twitter, Facebook, and even email. After creating my first flipbook, I realized that I had waited too long to join the future of magazines. I love how the flipbooks look. I know that my magazines now have a professional look and feel to them. I know that I can better interact with my readers in a new and exciting way. Best of all, I have a flipbook maker that creates quality flipbooks viewable on every device. Thanks to Yumpu Publishing, I can leave Adobe PDFs behind and move to the future.
