Writers Digest going Zinio :(

[DBDigital]

Up until now, if you subscribed to Writers Digest directly, you got a PDF of the magazine sent to your email address (or rather a link to download it). The price is great ($9) vs the other platforms. However, 3 days ago I got a email saying they were pleased to announce Writers Digest has went Zinio. The next day, I got a email with a link to sign up with Zino so I could get my issue.

For those that don't know, Zinio is a terrible platform. It doesn't have the nice zoom ability that I had with the PDF version (at least with the browser version). And the tablet apps don't run on my tablet. Of course the worst part: DRM. The system is loaded with it. So you pay to "rent" the issues not actually own them. For a reference type content, that is unacceptable.

I contacted Writers Digest and they said there is no longer any option. If you get a subscription from them, it is the Zinio edition. Of course you can buy a single issue from the writers digest shop but and get the PDF (at least at the moment) but that is $6 a issue.

Does anyone know of a platform that still has the PDF? Nook I know does a odd method with a custom format that doesn't zoom that much as the PDF (and of course the DRM issue). How about Google or the Kindle versions?

[cromag]

I read Writers Digest online, via my local library and Flipster.

It's an odd arrangement. If I read at my computer using the browser I can download the issue as a PDF -- the actual option is to print one page or the entire magazine, but they deliver the PDF to your computer for local printing. I can't believe anyone actually wants to print out the entire magazine.

If you read on a tablet you can download entire issues for reading offline, but they are downloaded and stored in protected memory. That means I have to download it to my 7" tablet, since it requires at least Android 4.4. My 10" tablet makes for better reading, but I can't transfer it over. But if I download the PDF via the computer I can read it on any of my tablets.

Check with your library to see if they have access to Flipster.

[DBDigital]

Originally Posted by cromag

I read Writers Digest online, via my local library and Flipster.

It's an odd arrangement. If I read at my computer using the browser I can download the issue as a PDF -- the actual option is to print one page or the entire magazine, but they deliver the PDF to your computer for local printing. I can't believe anyone actually wants to print out the entire magazine.

If you read on a tablet you can download entire issues for reading offline, but they are downloaded and stored in protected memory. That means I have to download it to my 7" tablet, since it requires at least Android 4.4. My 10" tablet makes for better reading, but I can't transfer it over. But if I download the PDF via the computer I can read it on any of my tablets.

Check with your library to see if they have access to Flipster.

Interesting, when I tried the print option (I was hoping for that outcome) and it tried to print like any other document. I tried a PDF capture (I have "printer" that actually creates a PDF instead), and while that seemed to work, it is only one page. A real pain to grab each page, then recombine them into a proper PDF. But doable I suppose. Odd you don't have to.

I don't think they have Filpster, but I will check. But anyway I was hoping for a method to subscribe and get (and keep) the PDF version. And I thought (perhaps) Google or Kindle versions were better in this case. But I guess they are all the same now.