05 June 2008 – The release of YUDU Freedom, a service from YUDU Media that lets anyone publish documents online for free, is set to broaden appeal and outstrip market expectations for the digital publishing industry. In its report on the sector, Digital Magazine and Newspaper Editions: Growth, Trends and Best Practices, the Gilbane Group predicts that the number of digital newspapers and magazines will rise to more than 8,000 by 2009. However, in the first week of its release, YUDU Freedom produced more than 1,500 digital publications of all kinds such as e-Zines, e-Books, Corporate brochures, and newsletters, showing huge growth in the sector as a whole, for individuals as well as publishers. As of 30th May, the number stands at over 4000, outstripping industry marketplace figures and showing that the appetite for digital publishing is continuing to grow.

Even prior to the release of YUDU Freedom, there has been rapid growth in the digital publishing sector. According to the Gilbane Group’s paper, there has been a 247 per cent increase in the number of magazine and newspaper publications that have gone digital since 2005, with the official number recorded at 3,200. YUDU Freedom has created even greater demand, showing huge growth that outstrips industry figures.

YUDU Freedom creates digital publications from a PDF in seconds. So far, publishers in 130 countries have used the software. One in three publishers are based in the US and the UK, and the software has even created digital publications for users as far a field as Brazil and Kazakhstan. The most popular types of document published by YUDU Freedom are e-Zines, e-Books, corporate brochures, and newsletters. Other types of publications include reports, thesis, creative writing showcases, CVs and artwork portfolios.

The Gilbane Group report also claims that the number of publishers that offer a digital newspaper or magazine in addition to the traditional offline counterparts and website has increased by 277 per cent between 2005 and 2007. The Gilbane Group concludes in its paper that digital editions are best used in conjunction with a website, and that the two should be integrated and co-ordinated.

Richard Stephenson, Chairman, YUDU Media, comments: “As the report attests, the digital publishing sector is going through a period of enormous growth. When you factor in the amazing figures we’ve seen from YUDU Freedom in just over a month, it’s clear that digital is very popular choice for not only publishers but also individuals and readers.

“YUDU Freedom has surpassed our expectations and we are astonished by the broad demand across so many different disciplines. The fact that it’s free has broadened the appetite and made digital publishing accessible to everyone.”

YUDU Freedom was released on 10 April and is available from www.yudufreedom.com. The full Gilbane Group report can be accessed at www.gilbane.com.