HP gets into vanity publishing

With a new Web service called MagCloud, Hewlett-Packard hopes to make it easier and cheaper to crank out a magazine than running photocopies at the local copy shop.

Charging 20 cents a page, paid only when a customer orders a copy, H.P. dreams of turning MagCloud into vanity publishing’s equivalent of YouTube. The company, a leading maker of computers and printers, envisions people using their PCs to develop quick magazines commemorating their daughter’s volleyball season or chronicling the intricacies of the Arizona cactus business.

“There are so many of the nichey, maybe weird-at-first communities, that can use this,” said Andrew Bolwell, head of the MagCloud effort at Hewlett-Packard. ..

Yes, sometimes it pays to read foreign newspapers like the NY Times, even in Australia.

For companies looking to establish credibility in niche markets, offering a subscription or free copy of the company magazine is an incredible sales tool. Potential customers will admire the quality, and keep the magazine for its uniqueness and appearance.
Vanity publishing has been an effective, but little-known element in search engine marketing since the advent of lulu.com in Jan 2000.

Many other sites offer variations. Lulu still offers the widest range of services, although the services have become increasingly expensive. A fact that limits some of the feasibility for small businesses somewhat.
Having customers roaming the world with your company name and logo on a tshirt is still very effective. Just look at how many department stores and tech shops require their employees to wear a tshirt -usually with some witty saying- when working and on breaks.

HP's MagCloud will be less expensive than publishing through any of the vanity publishers now in service.

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