Column: It's Hard Out There For a Publisher

Conventional wisdom says that entrepreneurs who start a Web-based business will do so with VC money. Read enough stories of Internet ventures that enjoy lucrative exits in the millions (in some cases billions) of dollars, and it’s easy to assume that the only path to success is to begin by securing deals with investors who are far less interested in helping a start-up build a substantial brand as they are in realizing a return as quickly as possible.  Bootstrapping simply isn’t sexy anymore. But for many start-up publishers, bootstrapping is a way of life, and VC money isn’t an option. According to angel investor David S. Rose, the success rate of entrepreneurs who chase down VC or angel funding is about 1 in 500.  Of the rest, some will give up, leaving a persistent majority to build their businesses from behind the financial eight ball.  For online publishers, this can be a particularly daunting task. Let’s forget any money needed for technology build-outs (off-the-shelf CMS products can keep these costs to a minimum), and the development of content. The generation of revenue alone can create too high a hurdle to overcome. A VC-backed online publisher can take the time to build a large organic audience; a bootstrapping one doesn’t have that same luxury. The basics of how the online ad industry is structured and how marketers think about it has a lot to do with this. Even with digital spend growing, online advertising is viewed by many marketing directors as a second... Continue reading at 'AdWeek'

[ AdWeek | 2013-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #large numbers #missed opportunity

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Column: It's Hard Out There For a Publisher'


Column: It's Hard Out There For a Publisher

Conventional wisdom says that entrepreneurs who start a Web-based business will do so with VC money. Read enough stories of Internet ventures that enjoy lucrative exits in the millions (in some cases billions) of dollars, and it’s easy to assume that the only path to success is to begin by... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2013-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #large numbers #missed opportunity


Faber triumphs in ‘hard-fought’ five-publisher auction for historian’s debut

Faber & Faber triumphed in a "hard-fought" five-way auction to publish historian Edward Shawcross’s debut book. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-20 16:32:54 UTC ]
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An Exclusive New Column Series: Richard Charkin on the Vocabulary of Publishing

If "unputdownable" means "putdownable" and "educational publishing" is "anything that's not trade publishing," what does "quality" mean in an insider's lexicon of the book industry? Ask Richard Charkin. The post An Exclusive New Column Series: Richard Charkin on the Vocabulary of Publishing... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-06-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Entertainment and lifestyle publishers thrive even as interest in hard news spikes

With politics commanding so much attention, it is reasonable to expect that publishers that don’t focus on hard news could see a drop in traffic. But data indicates that non-hard-news publishers haven’t suffered from political news’s rise in popularity. Sources told Digiday that soft news has... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Are small publishers doing all the hard work for the big ones?

These days, it is minimally staffed and funded firms who invest in new authors. The giants avoid such risk, only picking the writers once their names are madePaul McVeigh and Kirsty Logan are authors you may have heard of. Both of their debuts were published by Salt, an independent publisher.... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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‘Caught between a rock and a hard place’: Publishers confess their biggest concerns

Top publishers from across Europe gathered in Nice, France this week to thrash out what their biggest challenges are, and how to address them. Publishing to platforms remains a clear concern, and publishing execs spoke to us anonymously about what they fear most. Some confessed shock that the... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Palazzo to publish collection of Charles Saatchi's columns

Palazzo Editions is to publish Holy Cow!, an illustrated collection of the best of Charles Saatchi’s "hugely popular" columns for the London Evening Standard next month. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Berkshire Eagle Publishes, Defends a Racist Column

The venerable Berkshire Eagle of Pittsfield, founded in the 1890s and winner of the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing, recently published a racist column by a “conservative activist” named Steven Nikitas. After outraged re ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Unbound to publish Briggs’ The Oldie columns

Unbound is publishing a collection of Raymond Briggs’ writing and illustrations from The Oldie magazine. Notes from the Sofa is a collection of a decade’s worth of articles and illustrations and traces Briggs’ life from growing up to growing old. Subjects include being evacuated during the war,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Copyright Changes Hit Canadian Publishers Hard

When the Canadian Copyright Modernization Act was passed in 2012, publishing associations were happy with certain aspects of the legislation, including its antipiracy measures. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC's James Harding to newspaper publishers: let's work together

Corporation's news executive seeks local journalism deal with press owners, saying differences have been 'overdone'James Harding, the BBC's director of news and current affairs, opened a conference on local journalism today by arguing that the differences between the corporation and newspaper... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ukrainian Book Publishing Fears Hard Times Ahead

Ukraine's new government is considering withdrawing support for the publishing industry and eliminating tax and other benefits for publishers to save cash. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Century to publish Skinner's Times columns

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 17/06/2011 - 10:52 Century has acquired world rights to a book by comedian Frank Skinner, set to feature columns selected from those he has published in the Times newspaper in the past two years, plus some fresh and previously unseen... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Challenge board: Publishers speak out during the Digiday Publishing Summit

During this spring’s Digiday Publishing Summit in Vail, Colorado, publishers filled the challenge board with a whole host of issues that ranged from traffic troubles to AI anxiety. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2024-04-08 04:01:00 UTC ]
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U.K. Publishing Spotlight: Jessica Kingsley's Strategy for LGBTQ Publishing

An editor explains how publishing LGBTQ books poses unique opportunities and challenges when books are published on both sides of the Atlantic. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-23 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Arcadia Publishing Acquires Belt Publishing

Arcadia's purchase of the Cleveland-based house gives the publisher of books about local history and interest a larger footprint in the Midwest. Belt founder Anne Trubek will continue to head the publisher. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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UK Publishers Open a ‘Work in Publishing’ Campaign

The United Kingdom's Publishers Association has opened its annual week of promotion for careers in publishing. The post UK Publishers Open a ‘Work in Publishing’ Campaign appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-11-20 16:42:27 UTC ]
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Former Marvel Publisher John Nee Unveils New Multiplatform Publishing Venture

Pan-Universal Galactic Worldwide, a new publisher of books, comics, games, and other media from Wildstorm cofounder and longtime comics veteran John Nee, is getting ready for a 2024 debut after four years of preparations. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Media Briefing: Publishers say a cookie-less future remains murky, overheard at the Digiday Publishing Summit

Publishers who attended the Digiday Publishing Summit opened up about their top challenges, concerns and curiosities during closed-door, anonymous town hall meetings. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2023-09-21 04:01:00 UTC ]
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Turner Publishing Buys Three Imprints from Mango Publishing

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
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