Back to school is here, and the 10th issue of Calameo Magazine too!
Browse our brand new issue all about colors:
This issue is dedicated to colors. Whether you’re a painter, or a marketing enthusiast, there’ s something for everyone in this issue of Calaméo Magazine. We’ve got some interesting color stats, a spotlight on blue, tips on how to create your brand identity and a special Spotify playlist (and much more)!
💡TIP: Missed a previous issue? No worries! Check out the full archive and browse through each issue.
We hope you enjoy this issue of Calameo Magazine! Tell us on Twitter (@Calaméo) what you think, and stay tuned for the next issue.
Here on the blog, we show the details of different features that make Calaméo work for you. From virtual libraries to custom viewer themes, we’ve highlighted plenty of ways to bring your digital publications to the next level. But one tool that we haven’t talked about is the Calaméo API and how to use it.
Today we’re taking on the subject of Calaméo’s API. We’ll look at what API is and in particular ways that it can help simplify your digital publishing needs.
Short for Application Programming Interface, an API is the set of protocols that allows a particular program to communicate with a different program. A main advantage of having programs communicate with each other via API is that it removes the need for people to intervene between them.
For example, your business may use software to manage the content of your digital publications and Calaméo to publish them online. By connecting your content management system to Calaméo’s API, you can avoid having to transfer files manually from your software to your Calaméo account for uploading. You can instead configure your software to publish to Calaméo directly.
💡 TIP: To make use of our API, you’ll need to roll up your sleeves and code. If you’re not already comfortable with software development, we recommend discussing your specific needs with a professional for best results.
As a PREMIUM or PLATINUM user, you can publish up to 10 documents every 15 minutes or make up to 10,000 requests per hour with our API.
The Calaméo API in practice
It’s easy to see that making smart use of API can be a real timesaver. However, seeing where to get started may not be quite as easy. You might want to use Calaméo’s API if:
You use your own software for managing content
You use your own software for managing subscribers
You use your own monetization system
You want to monetize your publications on Calaméo
One of our API’s most valuable uses for our publishers is to create a system for selling their digital publications. First, make Subscriber lists to control reader access to their publications. Then, link your publication’s subscriber protections to an external payment program. A simple development will let you collect revenue for individual publications, a series or a period of subscriber access.
How to set up API access
The first step is to be sure you have a Calaméo account! If you don’t yet, you can sign up here for free.
Next, create an API key and set its access to the external software you want to connect. This is where you’ll need to begin developing your own code.
Once your API key is configured, all you need to do is consult our list of the Calaméo API’s methods and decide what you need to get done. The exact configuration for publishing, managing subscribers and monetizing content will depend on the programs used by your business.
To sum it up: No matter what you wish to accomplish with your digital publications, Calaméo’s API can be a great resource.
For many businesses, showcasing digital publications on their own website is a great business solution. Clients can enjoy the convenient presentation and interactive features of catalogs, magazines and more all while browsing the brand’s site.
To help you take advantage of this powerful tool, we’ve created a complete guide to embedding your publications!
In today’s post, we will explain how your publications on Calaméo can be embedded in your website, blog or displayed in a Library widget.
We’ll start off with the basics: what is an embed? Simply put, an embedded publication will be displayed in a webpage outside of Calaméo. In this example from DARRAN Furniture‘s site, their catalog appears ready to read in our viewer:
You can embed any digital publication that you’ve created with Calaméo. Even private publications can be included in your website, as long as they have not been set to be visible only to your account.
Getting Started
In order to embed your publication, you’ll have to work with a bit of code. You can insert your publication into your blog, a website built with HTML or in a dedicated tab on your Facebook page.
Finding the code is easy. In the Publications tab of your account, mouse over the title you want to embed, click the arrow and select “Embed” from the drop-down menu. You can choose from HTML, WordPress or Joomla for your embed code, depending on the needs of your site.
💡TIP: Be sure you’ve installed the appropriate Calaméo plug-in before using WordPress or Joomla embed codes.
Hit the “Copy” button and you’re ready to go!
Virtual Library
The only thing better than embedding one of your digital publications on your business’s website is embedding a whole series for your audience to discover. We’ve covered the brand benefits of creating a Calaméo Library Widget before, and here’s a great example from Hachette:
Our tutorial video recaps how to customize your Library Widget and get the embed code. The best part? New publications are added to your Library Widget display on your website automatically, so you never have to update the code in order to update your readers.
In the next part of our Complete Guide to Embeds, we’ll be reviewing the options to ensure your publication looks exactly how you want it to on your website.
