iBooks Author is a brand new and completely free Mac app that lets you create your own multimedia books for the iPad. Just before we went to press, we had the chance to explore its features for the first time, and we’ve put together a full tour for you in MacUser Vol 28 No 3, on sale now.

See how you can set up a book and insert your own text and pictures in minutes; the slick interactive elements you can add using tools within the app; the limitation that for some users will prove iBooks’ fatal flaw; and the steps you need to complete before you can sell your iBooks. The new year is a great time to rethink your life, your work and everything in between – especially when the economy is circling the plughole. Our 18-page cover feature looks at all the major digital creative fields and explains, in the words of more than 30 established professionals, what skills you need to learn to succeed now and where to start getting them.
What changes will Apple make to its hardware range? Is the “Apple television” likely to become a reality, and if so, what will it look like? How will other technology giants fare in the coming year, and what new products will emerge? What developments will we see in the laws that govern our digital lives?

Don’t miss your chance to gaze into our crystal ball – and be sure to save the issue so you can laugh at us in 12 months’ time.