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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Midas founders Williams and Mulliken to retire from roles

Midas PR founders Steven Williams and Tony Mulliken are retiring from their executive roles at the end of the year, 30 years after setting up the agency, with Jason Bartholomew becoming sole chief executive officer. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-15 23:04:32 UTC ]
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Verb Agency Founders Want More Black Talent to Get a ‘Seat at the Table’

When industry veterans Yadira Harrison and Shannon Simpson Jones founded Verb, a brand consultancy/experiential agency hybrid, in 2018, they combined talents to offer clients expertise for mainstream and multicultural campaigns. In two years, the co-founders have overseen creative campaigns and... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2020-06-12 18:35:15 UTC ]
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Indie bookstore Tattered Cover thinks speaking out is “a slippery slope.” Twitter does not agree.

On Saturday, Denver’s beloved independent bookstore Tattered Cover released a statement “about recent events,” asserting their support for Black Lives Matter, but also defending their silence and explaining that to align the bookstore with any “public debate” is a “slippery slope.” Bookstore... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-06-08 13:56:08 UTC ]
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Fifty authors share thoughts on power of storytelling for Janklow & Nesbit

More than 50 Janklow & Nesbit authors have contributed pieces to a project on the importance of storytelling in response to the Covid-19 outbreak. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-03 01:56:10 UTC ]
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In an age of cancellations and quarantine, people are turning to Twitter for connections — and premium content

Each year around this time, digital publishers and tech platforms announce their content plans for the year ahead. These annual upfront and NewFronts pitches are a bid to partner with agencies and advertisers to reassemble audiences across the ever-changing video landscape. That process will... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2020-05-28 01:23:59 UTC ]
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Lockdown is 'opportunity for systemic change', says Jhalak Prize founder

Sunny Singh, the co-founder of the Jhalak Prize, has said lockdown caused by the pandemic is an opportunity to reassess equality in the industry. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-27 11:18:23 UTC ]
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Audible Charts: My Sh*t Therapist leaps to top spot

Michelle Thomas' My Sh*t Therapist (Lagom) has risen to the top of the weekly Audible top 10 for the week ending 19th April, defeating the previous week's number one, Michelle Obama's Becoming (Penguin). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-21 19:07:27 UTC ]
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Los Angeles Times Book Prizes Revealed on Twitter

As the country shelters in place during the COVID-19 crisis, the Los Angeles Times unveiled the winners of its 40th Annual Book Prizes on Twitter this morning, among them Marlon James, Ilya Kaminsky, and Ben Lerner. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Weight Watchers founder Jean Nidetch was a ‘well-fluencer’ long before those existed. One writer is giving the trailblazer her due.

Marisa Meltzer discusses her new book, “This Is Big: How the Founder of Weight Watchers Changed the World — and Me.” Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-04-15 13:55:39 UTC ]
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Jason Reynolds asked his Twitter followers if they needed groceries. A flood of requests sparked an outpouring of generosity.

“It’s been a reminder that people are inherently good,” the best-selling author said. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-04-03 20:34:59 UTC ]
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Ruling the roost: Chicken House co-founders toast 20 years in business

The maverick, ‘free-range’ kids’ list has been behind a number of breakout authors and series since its inception in 2000—and has no plans to alter its approach any time soon... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-26 23:01:42 UTC ]
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Lynda La Plante | 'Bonnier have really encouraged me to get online, to go on Twitter and try new things'

Lynda La Plante's next novel for Bonnier UK sees the beloved crime writer set to reach new readers after the recent 'Widows' rework Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-12 16:52:09 UTC ]
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Twitter, Meredith Are Latest NewFronts Participants Moving to Digital-Only Presentations

Just two weeks ago, the International Advertising Bureau had deemed this year's Digital Content NewFronts the "new NewFronts." Indeed, the 2020 slate is going to be very different--just not the way the IAB had initially intended. The spread of the novel coronavirus, which the World Health... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2020-03-11 20:24:39 UTC ]
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Obituary: Lucky Spool Media Founder Susanne Woods, Dies at 47

Susanne Woods, founder and publisher of needle and sewing crafts publisher Lucky Spool Media, died February 19, 2020, of complications from metastatic breast cancer. She was 47. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Sponsored Content Needs More Than Good Storytelling, It Needs a Good Story

Sponsored content doesn’t have to be an oxymoron. As publishers and marketers double down on their commitment to providing deeper branded experiences, instead of traditional advertising, the rules of the road are becoming clearer on both sides. And more so than just four or five years ago;... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2020-03-05 17:34:24 UTC ]
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Oprah’s Book Club drops My Dark Vanessa as a pick because of Twitter controversy.

After the massive blowback from its selection of American Dirt—a book about the migrant experience widely denounced for having very little connection to the migrant experience (or to Mexico, where the book is set)—it makes sense that Oprah’s Book Club would make future selections more... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-05 17:20:51 UTC ]
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S&S to publish Reebok founder's 'remarkable' memoir

Simon & Schuster has snapped up Reebok founder Joe Foster’s memoir, aptly titled Shoemaker. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-05 04:41:37 UTC ]
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Unbound launches memoir from Coppafeel! founder Kris Hallenga

Unbound has launched memoir How to Glitter a Turd from Coppafeel! founder Kris Hallenga. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-25 23:24:09 UTC ]
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Haynes pays tribute to founder John H Haynes with new biography

Haynes Publishing is paying tribute to its late founder John H Haynes with a new biography in April.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-18 10:43:07 UTC ]
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Sphere pre-empts second book from Twitter comedian James Felton

Sphere will publish Sunburn: The Unofficial History of Britain’s Biggest Selling Newspaper in 99 Headlines by Twitter comedian James Felton.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-13 19:55:30 UTC ]
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