Betches' Aleen Kuperman on explaining new media to immigrant parents—and not wanting to write about 'The Bachelor' again

Aleen Kuperman is co-founder and CEO at Betches Media. The company has grown from a blog created in a dorm room at Cornell in 2011 to a sprawling media network including nine podcasts, New York Times-bestselling books and millions of Instagram followers. In this episode of the “Ad Block” podcast, Kuperman talks about growing up as the child of Russian immigrants who escaped the Soviet Union in 1988, a year before the Berlin Wall fell. In particular, it was a struggle to explicate what “Betches” was to her parents, who had always had high expectations for her future. “I had to explain to my parents, ‘I’m not going to medical school next year,’” she says. “I was terrified to have that conversation. They were like, ‘What’s a blog? How are you making money? What are you talking about?’” As with many new media startups, the business model evolved quickly, and as soon as she had gotten her parents on board, things would change. “They had just figured out Facebook, now they have to go learn Instagram,” Kuperman says. Tangible successes helped, like the book deal the team landed while still in college. “To my parents, that’s legit. A book, they understand.” Kuperman grew up hearing the stories of the family’s journey out of Russia, living in Vienna and Italy off the personal possessions they could sell before eventually being allowed into the U.S. and settling on Long Island. “Only now, I think back to all the things they instilled,” like her strong work ethic, she says. “It... Continue reading at 'Advertising Age'

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-18 09:01:00 UTC ]

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Australian author sees similar plot to his in trailer for new Danny Boyle film

The upcoming movie Yesterday bears resemblance to Nick Milligan’s novel EnormityWhen Nick Milligan decided to self-publish his speculative fiction novel, Enormity, he knew it was going to be a hard slog to find an audience. But seeing a similar plot play out in the trailer for Danny Boyle’s new... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Maggie O’Farrell signs with Walker for first children’s book

The Walker Books Group has acquired Maggie O’Farrell’s first children’s book deal in a global rights deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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International Prize for Arabic Fiction Shortlist Announcement

The shortlist for the 2019 International Prize for Arabic Fiction was announced today at the El-Hakawati Palestinian National Theatre in East Jerusalem. The IPAF - often referred to as the ‘Arabic Booker’ - is an annual literary prize for prose fiction, which encourages the readership of... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2019-02-05 16:33:45 UTC ]
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Macmillan Children’s wins five-way auction for Dougie Poynter’s non-fiction

Macmillan Children’s Books (MCB) has won the five-way auction for Dougie Poynter’s non-fiction in a two book deal.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Instagram eventually pulls a troll's post praising pipe bombs

Remember Milo Yiannapolous? The self-described provocateur who now lacks a job at Breitbart, a book deal with Simon & Schuster and a Twitter account can add one more deletion to the list: an Instagram post. Unlike Alex Jones, Yiannapolous has mai... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2018-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon Mayo and Jo Whiley to leave Radio 2 Drivetime show

Mayo to focus on book deal and 5 Live film show as Whiley moves to an evening slotSimon Mayo and Jo Whiley are to leave the BBC Radio 2 Drivetime show, as part of a shake-up at the UK’s most popular radio station.Mayo has hosted the show since 2010, but tensions are thought to have arisen after... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas snapped up by Quercus

Quercus has signed a book deal with Geraint Thomas, the winner of the 2018 Tour de France. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Catherine O’Flynn signs first children’s book deal

Catherine O’Flynn, whose novel What Was Lost won the first novel prize at the Costa Book Awards in 2008, has written a children’s book about two girls who want to be detectives. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book by rising Democratic star Kamala Harris coming in 2019

Sen. Kamala Harris of California, a rising star in the Democratic Party who is sometimes cited as a possible presidential contender in 2020, has a book deal. Penguin Press announced Tuesday that Harris' "The Truths We Hold: An American Journey" will come out Jan. 8. According to Penguin, Harris... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Unagented former teacher wins 'up-lit' book deal with Ebury

An unagented former primary school teacher-turned academic Jane O’Connor has signed a world rights deal with Ebury Press for her “quirky, charming” up-lit novel. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Librarian wins £10k Cheltenham Literature Festival First Novel competition

A Bristol librarian has won the inaugural Cheltenham Literature Festival First Novel competition with her “clever, pulsing story”, scooping a book deal with Borough Press. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Malala's father strikes memoir deals in multiple territories

Malala Yousafzai’s dad, Ziauddin Yousafzai, has signed a book deal with Penguin Random House UK imprint WH Allen. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Do You Know the 27 Different Types of Gen Zers?

When I took to Slack a couple weeks back and asked Ad Age Executive Editor Nat Ives the question posed in this column's headline, he started typing without missing a beat: "Lemme see ... social (media) climbers ... VYPs (very young professionals) ... bowl cuts ... glue sniffers ... Benjamin... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2018-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rachel Reeves MP inks women of Westminster book deal

I B Tauris has inked a second book deal from Labour MP Rachel Reeves, about the 100-year history of female MPs, to be published on International Women’s Day. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-01-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ben Miller strikes children’s book deal

Simon & Schuster Children’s UK has signed a two-book deal with actor and comedian Ben Miller. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In 2018, the video bubble will burst

Most publishers aren’t making money from their video content on Facebook, for starters. The post In 2018, the video bubble will burst appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Brexit will usher in a dark chapter for new British authors, warns publisher

Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury warns UK’s exclusive English rights across EU will end, with firms fighting US companies in an open marketThe next generation of British authors could struggle to land a book deal after Brexit, according to the publisher who launched Harry Potter writer JK... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wildfire lures Oswald from Penguin in four book deal

James Oswald, author of the Inspector McLean series, is to move from Penguin to Headline imprint Wildfire for his next four books. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Paralympian Adepitan signs children's book deal with Bonnier

Bonnier Publishing imprint Studio Press has acquired three illustrated children’s fiction titles from TV presenter and Paralympian, Ade Adepitan. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-11-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PRH Children's to explore 'bold women' from black history

Penguin Random House Children’s has acquired Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by debut author and illustrator Vashti Harrison as part of a two book deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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