Can Twitter co-founder take an 'evolutionary leap' into storytelling?

Collaborative publishing website Medium, which aims to reinvent the blog, secures first external investmentMedium, Twitter co-founder Ev Williams's online publishing venture, has no shortage of ambition – to reinvent the blog as a digital storytelling format and match the impact of the microblogging service, no less.Williams, who launched Medium in August 2012 with Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, has said their aim is "re-imagining publishing in an attempt to make an evolutionary leap" by building a new platform from scratch that would put an emphasis on ideas, stories and collaboration. To achieve this, however, the company will have to get over several hurdles, not least addressing the confusion over Medium's perceived strategy and business model, summed up by Reuters media commentator Jack Shafer, who describes it – while not lacking potential – as up to now being "a mystery wrapped up in a hashtag concealed by a catchy URL".This uncertainty has clearly not put off investors: Medium, which employs 50 full-time staff, announced last week that it had secured its first external investment, a $25m funding round led by Greylock Partners, with participation from Google Ventures and individual investors. Initial funding for the platform came from Williams's investment vehicle The Obvious Corporation.Perhaps this enthusiasm shouldn't be a surprise. As well as co-founding Twitter, Williams launched blog publishing service Blogger in 1999 and Medium is, ostensibly, similar – with... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Other Publishing stories related to: 'Can Twitter co-founder take an 'evolutionary leap' into storytelling?'


Twitter's Android and iOS app get updates; out on Kindle Fire now, Nook soon

The official Twitter app has just received an update on iOS and Android, bringing new features to both platforms, plus an "optimized" Ice Cream Sandwich experience as seen above. The app is also currently available on Amazon's Appstore for the Kindle Fire now, and the company says it will pop up... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With Connect, Getty Images Leaps Into The 21st Century

Getty Images is getting with the 21st century today.With its new Connect system, Getty is making it easier for web publishers and certain platforms like blogging tools to embed Getty's image products in their online publications than it may have been before. This is clever, definitely designed... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2012-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers need to expand digital backlist, says Bilbary founder

Publishers need to place a greater emphasis in getting their backlist titles published digitally... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #greater emphasis


'PW' Tops 200,000 Twitter Followers

Publishers Weekly now has more than 200,000 Twitter followers, passing that mark last week and as of today has more that 203,000 following the magazine via @PublishersWkly. Eileen Gardner, a self-professed pop culture junkie and aspiring author, was the 200,000th PW follower. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-10-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Editors Share Best Practices for Twitter

Twitter has become part of the daily routine for almost every editor, but are you using it as effectively as you can? Here, four very different editors offer their advice for engaging and growing readership via Twitter. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lord Sugar to hold Twitter book signing

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Wed, 28/09/2011 - 08:39 Pan Macmillan will be holding the world's first live Twitter book signing to launch Lord Alan Sugar's book The Way I See It: Rants, Revelations and Rules for Life. The signing will be held over www.lordsugar.tv at 1pm... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Editors Share Twitter Best Practices

Twitter has become part of the daily routine for almost every editor, but are you using it as effectively as you can? Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-09-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #daily routine


Leap in trade publishers' ebook production

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Wed, 21/09/2011 - 09:06 One in five publishers is now generating more than 10% of their revenues from ebooks, with Amazon slowly decreasing in importance even as the giant e-tailer's revenues from ebooks continue to grow. The numbers are revealed in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Twitter Rolling Out Analytics Tool

On Tuesday Twitter announced that it's launching a new analytics tool that will initially be available to a select group of partners as a pilot program, but will be made available to everyone in the "next few weeks." Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-09-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin leaps for the Jump Artist

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 02/09/2011 - 10:43 Penguin has acquired a prize-winning novel by Austin Ratner, called The Jump Artist, which recreates the true story of photographer Philip Halsman who took photographs of icons such as Marilyn Monroe, but was also wrongly... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media Decoder: Memoir of WikiLeaks Founder Is Tabled

A book deal that Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, signed only six months ago has fallen through, according the Guardian. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Good African Coffee founder to The Bodley Head

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 01/07/2011 - 11:09 The Bodley Head has acquired a non-fiction title about the developmental issues facing Africa, written by the founder of a Ugandan-based social enterprise that supplies processed coffees to the global market. Editor Kay... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Walker Books launches prize in tribute to late founder

Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Fri, 01/07/2011 - 09:00 Walker Books has launched an award for new illustration to help mark the 20th anniversary of the death of the company's founder, Sebastian Walker. The Sebastian Walker Award will be run in collaboration with the MA course in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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2011: Where the Imprints Rank on Twitter

It's been two years since PW took the first snapshot of the publishing world on Twitter. In May 2009 we looked at the followings 16 imprints and publishers had on the social networking site. At the time, a lot of imprints weren't even on Twitter, and we thought the word "twittering" was an... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bennett's Newsnight library defence becomes Twitter trend

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Wed, 25/05/2011 - 09:52 Author Alan Bennett trended on UK Twitter last night following a BBC2 Newsnight interview in which he reiterated his previously expressed view that closing libraries constitutes child abuse. Bennett told the programme that... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Storyteller

Scott Brick has narrated more than 500 books. Along the way, he's been feted (with 40 Earphones Awards, PW's own Listen Up Awards, and an Audie Award) and challenged (Scandinavian pronunciation). He shares his enthusiasm for the industry and lets us in on his preparation process (horror movies... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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London Book Fair 2011: An Evolutionary Phase

This year's London Book Fair is taking place at a time of unique change. The shift from the printed word to the downloaded text is accelerating; chains and standalone bookstores are closing down around the world; and the very future of the book "entity" is being challenged by commentators and... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Grace Dent to Leave Twitter for Faber/Guardian Books

Publication Date: Wed, 09/03/2011 - 14:40 Faber and Guardian Books have acquired a title by columnist and author Grace Dent about social networking phenomenon Twitter. Guardian Books publisher Lisa Darnell and Faber publishing director for non-fiction Julian Loose jointly acquired world rights... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin has best-ever year as Pearson profits leap

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 28/02/2011 - 09:42 Penguin UK had its best ever year in 2010 as parent company Pearson reported a profits increase of 21% to £857m. For the year ending 31st December, sales at Pearson were £5.66bn, up 10% on 2009. Sales at Penguin were... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Operating income leaps 40% for S&S worldwide

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Thu, 17/02/2011 - 09:30 Operating income at Simon & Schuster's global business leapt 39.5% in 2010, despite a slight decline in sales. For the 12 months ending 31st December, operating income at S&S was $64.6m (£40.1m). Revenue declined... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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