Powered by a $342,000 Kickstarter campaign, a “distraction-free” bit of writing technology, the Freewrite, looks a lot like your father’s typewriter. Read More
'Closing the last mile to the customer's doorstep': Ingram buys Aer.io
‘I’m committed for years to come’ If a startup acquisition in the publishing space has ever looked like a match made in digital heaven, the Ingram Content Group-Aer.io deal announced today is it. (Our news story on the acquisition by my colleague Philip Jones is here.) “Effectively, the team is staying together,” says founding c.e.o. Ron Martinez. No carpet strewn with… Read More
Story Terrace comes to the UK in June: 'Everyday people's' memoirs
‘Drinking a glass of wine on a terrace’ Editor’s Note: One of the newer publishing-related startups at London Book Fair this year was Story Terrace. Launched last November in The Netherlands, it’s planned for a UK rollout in June. Story Terrace’s business? It “consigns the life stories of everyday people to a compact book with… Read More
When envious eyes aren't smiling: #FutureChat recap
‘Beware blanket dismissal.’ All endeavors need innovators in this changing environment. #BabyBathwater Ron Martinez’ cautionary comments arrived on the #FutureChat hashtag after our weekly live session had closed on Friday. But his point is a good one. To put together his tweets in sequence; Empathize a moment. Innovators are Promethean: may bring a benefit, but… Read More
Is There an “Architecture of Collaboration” for Startups?
It’s hard to think that “you get around that” (problem of communication between publishers and startups) without developing an “architecture of collaboration,” an understood way of working together that allows for risk-and-regret absorption, for the distinctions of lingo, for decision-authority black holes, and for a better shared understanding of what each party counts valuable and needs to protect to move forward together. Read More