Changelog
September 2024
Enhancement: Reader Horizontal Scroll Animation. We have added animation to the horizontal scroll in our Reader. Users can now experience a smooth and natural swipe motion when turning pages, available currently for EPUBs and soon for PDFs. Reader
Enhancement: Default Horizontal Scroll. The default view when opening the reader will now be in horizontal scroll with a single page, aligning with expected user behavior. Reader
August 2024
New feature: Publica Reader Desktop App. We have released a demo version of the Publica Reader app for Windows and MacOS. Please check the document with all the information. APP
Enhancement: Technical SEO Improvements. We have resolved issues that prevented search engines from indexing publication pages. Changes include:
- Updating the product page technology to be more SEO-friendly.
- Adding tags for better page discovery and improved page structure tags.
- Implementing Structured Data for enhanced recognition by search engines.
This change will help our pages appear in search results over the coming weeks. General
Enhancement: Product Page Redesign. We have redesigned the product page to enhance visual appeal and maintain a consistent aesthetic across future redesigns. General
Enhancement: Bookshop Bulk Adding. We now allow bulk addition of up to 5,000 publications from the marketplace to bookshops. Bookshop
Enhancement: Bookshop Plan Availability. The bookshop feature is now included in the full e-commerce plan. Bookshop
Enhancement: Bookshop Content Visibility. Hidden by default are content items unavailable in tenants' plans (e.g., content from PRH, Planeta LATAM, Planeta España, Bookwire), ensuring that only the most beneficial content is shown to sellers. Bookshop
Enhancement: Shared Content Management. For ONIX ingests, it's no longer necessary to add stores to share content. Permissions are now managed independently, offering more flexibility. Shared Content
Enhancement: Mercado Pago Subscription Logic Update. Updated how subscriptions are processed to eliminate previous mismatching issues, enhancing the user experience and reducing support workload. Payments
Enhancement: Improved Author Search. Enhanced search results for authors by adding flexibility and precision, including searches by narrator. The updated system allows for non-literal text searches and includes a scoring tool for super admins to adjust results based on feedback. General
Enhancement: SEO Optimization with Robots.txt. Added Robots.txt file to all stores to optimize crawler efficiency, directing them to the most important pages. General
July 2024
Enhancement: Share Content in Proxy Integration. Enabled content sharing within proxy integrations, improving the user experience for those readers. General
Enhancement: Marketplace Content Withdrawal. Allowed the withdrawal of purchased content from the marketplace, including shared content. See documentation. Bookshop
Enhancement: Toolbar Improvement. Enhanced toolbar positioning when selecting text and highlighted the AI icon to make it more prominent. Reader
Enhancement: Display Card Logos with Mercado Pago. Added credit card logos next to the Mercado Pago logo for all transactions using this gateway. Payments
Enhancement: Subscription Completion Screen. Added a screen with information to encourage users to return to the store after completing a subscription through Mercado Pago. Payments
Enhancement: Dynamic Gateways. We have implemented a major refactor in how gateways are assigned for processing payments for purchases and subscriptions. Previously, each tenant was assigned a specific gateway. Now, the gateway is assigned at the time of purchase considering the currency of the order. Payments
Enhancement: Tenants in Brazil can now sell outside of the country. Sales within Brazil will no longer incur additional taxes for transactions with foreign companies, as they will use "Stripe Brazil" for these transactions. Payments
Enhancement: New Mercado Pago SDK for subscriptions. Enhanced communication with Mercado Pago using proprietary technology for better autonomy and compatibility. Payments
New feature: Bookshop Permissions. We have introduced block lists and allow lists to restrict marketplace content access for specific tenants as requested by partners. Bookshop
New feature: Publications Export for Plan Administrators. Plan administrators, such as librarians, can now download publications with limited data according to their needs. General
Bugfix: EPUB Display Issue in App. Fixed an issue preventing correct display of certain EPUB files in the apps. APP
Bugfix: Previews in Shared Content. Fixed an issue allowing tenant admins with shared content (and marketplace content) to add or remove book previews. See documentation. Bookshop
Bugfix: Plan Statistics. Corrected plan statistics to display only the relevant data for each plan. General
Bugfix: Refund Error. Fixed an issue where refunds were processed but not reflected in the store, which could lead to multiple refunds for the same transaction. Now, refunds are correctly displayed. Payments
Deprecations: PayPal. We have deprecated PayPal due to its high maintenance cost and low transaction volume. This allows us to focus on our own gateways and improve deployment efficiency. Payments
Deprecation: Old Gateway Assignment System. Completed the removal of the old gateway assignment system. Payments
Documentation: Product Documentation. We have started adding product documentation. While still small, it will be expanded as we continue development. Access the documentation here. General
June 2024
Enhancement: We have enhanced the vertical scrolling experience by replacing continuous scroll with document scroll. This update ensures that users enjoy a smoother and more seamless reading experience. By eliminating interruptions caused by content loading, users can now navigate through documents effortlessly. Reader
New feature: We are adding a new tool in our toolbar to implement an artificial intelligence (AI) functionality to provide detailed explanations and extensions on highlights and pages selected by users within the reader. Reader
Bugfix: PIX in Brazil. Resolved issues with PIX payments in Brazil. Payments
Bugfix: Fixed a bug in some tenants preventing profile image uploads. General
Bugfix: Resolved an issue with bulk price updates for Mercado Pago subscriptions. Payments
May 2024
New Feature: Order API Type. Allows API users to assign reading permissions and declare the sale amount simultaneously, reflected in the sales report for better integration and cost transparency. API
New feature: Marketplace Publication Assignment. Although generally restricted, this feature is now available for specific cases as needed. Bookshop
New Feature: Billing Information. Adapted the configuration and collection of billing data, integrated with shipping data for physical books. Unified data collection for a smoother user experience. General
Enhancement: Mercado Pago Subscription Improvements. Addressed an issue where subscriptions with a trial period were not registered if the user didn't return to the store after purchase. Immediate notification of subscription cancellations. Payments
Enhancement: New Mercado Pago SDK for retail sales. Enhanced communication with Mercado Pago using proprietary technology for better autonomy and compatibility. Payments
Enhancement: Bookshop Improvements. Now available only for Growth and Enterprise plans (including Unlimited) using publica.la payments, with an option to add the feature to any tenant. Bookshop
Enhancement: More user-friendly dashboard for adding books from the marketplace to the inventory, with more publications per page and quantity indicators for each selection. Bookshop
Enhancement: Optimized Publication Search. Improved search functionality to better match user search intentions. General
April 2024
Enhancement: We have improved the contact form for publica.la support, making it easier for users to directly communicate with our support team to resolve any issues or inquiries more efficiently. APP
Enhancement: We have added a dialog box to the error modal generated in the Reader. These messages are now sent directly to support, enabling quicker and more effective problem resolution. Reader
Enhancement: We have added slides to the onboarding process on both the app and web platforms, explaining the different functionalities of the application: Offline Reading, Reading Tools, audiobook and podcast playback. Reader
Enhancement: User statistics by book can now be filtered by a custom date range, providing more detailed and specific analysis. General
New Feature: Publica.la Paper Management: Introduced management and administration features for physical books under publica.la Paper. Paper
New Feature: New Shopping Cart: A new shopping cart has been added specifically for cases involving at least one physical product, with options for home delivery or pickup at a delivery point as per store settings. General
New Feature: Shipping Note Section: Added a new section for admins to manage order statuses with automatic notifications for users. Paper
New Feature: Nova Marketplace Revenue Sharing: Added the ability in Nova to modify the percentages distributed in each sale of publications in the marketplace. Bookshop
New feature: We have added a new citation style to our tool: ISO 690. This style is widely used in various academic and professional fields, making it easier for our users to create references and citations according to international standards. Reader
New feature: We have implemented a limit on active sessions across both our mobile app and web platforms. APP
New feature: We have added encryption for the local database in our app. Now, the data structure that the app uses internally to store information retrieved from the backend (publications, downloads, and necessary internal app information) is encrypted. This significantly enhances the security of the data stored on users' devices. APP
New feature: We have enhanced the performance of ongoing downloads in our app. This optimization allows users to download content more quickly and efficiently, improving the overall user experience. APP
Bugfix: Marketplace Country Restrictions: Fixed an issue that restricted the ability to modify country restrictions for publications coming from the Marketplace. Bookshop
Bugfix: Fixed push notification sending when the app is closed. APP
Bugfix: Fixed error with users having only one publication. APP
March 2024
New feature: We have added a screenshot prevention feature to our app. This security measure protects sensitive content and enhances user privacy by preventing screenshots from being taken within the app. APP
Enhancement: Checkout Redesign: Redesigned the checkout process. Clicking the "Buy Now" button now adds the product to the cart and redirects the user directly to the cart page to complete the purchase. General
Enhancement: Cart Button Behavior: Updated the "Add to Cart" button so it adds the product to the cart without redirecting, allowing users to continue browsing. General
Enhancement: Mercado Pago Subscription Messages: Added two new messages for "pending subscriptions" to prevent duplicate orders. Payments
Bugfix: Ebook and Audiobook Reporting Issue: Fixed an issue where the report for some reading and listening to ebooks and audiobooks was not displaying. General
Bugfix: Bookshop Currency Issue: Resolved an issue where bookshop prices were not being respected in currencies other than USD. Bookshop
February 2024
New Feature: Printed Book Product Type: Introduced a new product type, the PRINTED BOOK, with specific characteristics (number of pages, binding type, dimensions, weight, etc.) and special rules (stock management, shipping required, and not visible in the reading app). Paper
Enhancement: Improved Upload Flow for Publications: Refactored the upload flow through the dashboard interface to accommodate PRINTED BOOKS and enhance the overall upload experience. General
Enhancement: Related Publications: the ability to link different formats of the same book, improving search and navigation experience centered around the book, regardless of the format. General
Enhancement: Publication Page Redesign: Updated the publication page layout for better information distribution, including a new section for related formats. General