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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QAnon founder may have been identified thanks to machine learning

With help from machine learning software, computer scientists may have unmasked the identity of Q, the founder of the QAnon movement. In a sprawling report published on Saturday, The New York Times shared the findings of two independent teams of forensic linguists who claim they’ve identified... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-02-19 20:56:18 UTC ]
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Audible founder Don Katz to be honored by PEN America

The founder of Audible Inc., a leading force in the booming audiobook industry, will be honored in May at PEN America’s annual gala Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2022-02-18 15:03:22 UTC ]
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Storytel revenues up 20% in 2021 as company eyes more exclusive content

Swedish audio streaming company Storytel’s revenues for the last quarter of 2021 were up 20% on the previous year, in line with its forecast. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-11 18:19:04 UTC ]
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In ‘Mouth to Mouth,’ a Tom Ripley-like storyteller spins a mesmerizing yarn

Antoine Wilson's novel is loaded with fateful encounters, hidden agendas, shrouded identities, adulterous betrayals and brushes with death. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-01-11 11:00:18 UTC ]
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Sweden’s Storytel Cites a 20-Percent Gain in 2021 over 2020

Storytel reports good momentum for its audiobook and ebook streaming services in Poland, Russia, and Turkey—and less so in the Netherlands. The post Sweden’s Storytel Cites a 20-Percent Gain in 2021 over 2020 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-01-10 12:45:40 UTC ]
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New leadership team at The FLIP as co-founders step down

Cassie Rocks, Farzana Khan, Hannah Beeson, Omara Elling-Hwang (pictured) and Yanmin Zhuchen will take over the running of The FLIP (Female Leadership in Publishing) platform later this month. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-09 18:47:31 UTC ]
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How the Founder of Subway Book Review Spends Her Sundays

Uli Beutter Cohen likes to bake, read Tarot cards, call her mother in Germany and spend time with book lovers on the train. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-12-31 10:00:14 UTC ]
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Little A acquires 'powerful' memoir from Polari Prize founder Burston

Little A, the literary fiction and non-fiction imprint of Amazon Publishing, has acquired a "powerful" memoir by Paul Burston, founder of the Polari Prize, the UK’s first and largest LGBTQ+ book award. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-09 09:18:56 UTC ]
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Obituary: Big Apple Founder Luc H.M. Kwanten

Belgian scholar and the joint founder and executive director of the Big Apple Agency, Luc Kwanten,died November 22, at his home in Shanghai, China. He was 78. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-29 05:00:00 UTC ]
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News Of Donald Trump's MAGA Picture Book Gets Shredded On Twitter

“Our Journey Together" promises to capture “the greatness" of the Trump White House, but critics aren't convinced. Continue reading at HuffPost

[ HuffPost | 2021-11-20 12:07:31 UTC ]
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John Edgar Wideman’s Art of Storytelling

“Look for Me and I’ll Be Gone,” his latest collection, erodes the boundaries between fiction, memoir and essay. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-11-16 19:53:17 UTC ]
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Sweden's Storytel Buys Audiobooks.com

Storytel, the international audiobook streaming company, is buying Audiobooks.com from KKR, owner of RBMedia, for an undisclosed amount. This marks the fast-growing company's entry into the English-language audiobook market. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Storytel extends into English language market with $135m Audiobooks deal

Streaming company Storytel has signed a deal to acquire Audiobooks.com from owner KKR for $135m (£101m), extending its reach into English language audio market. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-12 01:57:18 UTC ]
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McLean wins £20k Kindle Storyteller Award

Thriller author Rachel McLean has won the £20,000 Kindle Storyteller Award for her novel The Corfe Castle Murders  after a "record number" of submissions.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-23 09:39:42 UTC ]
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Square Peg signs Dope Black Dads founder Harrison

Square Peg has acquired an "essential" guide to positive, life-affirming and joyful Black fatherhood from Marvyn Harrison, the founder of the international community and podcast Dope Black Dads. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-22 23:13:06 UTC ]
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Lost and Found in Translation: Storytelling and the Untranslatable, by Michał Rusinek

Essay Photo by Eileen Pan / Unsplash “Instead of a totalizing interpretation,” writes the author, translators should seek a dialogical one. “We have to leave space,” he writes, “for a story, an anecdote, a metaphorical footnote.” We all spend a... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2021-10-20 18:36:14 UTC ]
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Mary Kay Inc. Threatens Legal Action Over Release of Book about Company Founder

Executives at the cosmetic company Mary Kay Inc. have made repeated attempts in recent weeks to stop publication of a book about the company by Jennifer Bickel Cook, the long-time personal administrative assistant to founder Mary Kay Ash. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-10-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Macmillan Children's swoops for Dope Black Dads founder's debut

Macmillan Children’s Books has swooped in a two-book deal for the debut children’s title from Marvyn Harrison, founder of the Dope Black Dads community. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-13 23:41:32 UTC ]
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White Lion lands manifesto for misfits by Sink the Pink founder Fussell

White Lion has landed a manifesto for misfits by Glyn Fussell, founder of LGBTQ+ collective Sink the Pink. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-11 23:43:00 UTC ]
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Shortlist revealed for £20k Kindle Storyteller Award

Romance, crime and science fiction novels are among the five shortlisted books for the £20,000 Kindle Storyteller Award, which this year received a record number of submissions.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-29 00:11:05 UTC ]
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