Medium Just Laid Off 50 Employees and Shut Down Offices in New York and D.C.

Medium founder and CEO Ev Williams disclosed today in a blog post that his four-and-a-half-year-old company is eliminating 50 jobs and shutting down offices in New York and Washington, D.C. In a philosophical letter to the public, he recounted how his team's ultimate goals had gotten off course thanks to the monetization model known as advertising.  "We set out to build a better publishing platform—one that allowed anyone to offer their stories and ideas to the world and that helped the great ones rise to the top," Williams wrote. "In 2016, we made big investments in teams and technology aimed at attracting and migrating commercial publishers to Medium. And in order to get these publishers paid, we built out and started selling our first ad products. This strategy worked in terms of driving growth, as well as improving the volume and consistency of great content." While it appears Medium is doing away with its sponsored posts ads product, he wrote that 2016 was his company's best year in terms of key metrics. For instance, published posts jumped roughly 300 percent year over year, and monthly visitors reportedly reached 60 million in December, representing a 140 percent year-over-year increase. Medium, a digital storytelling platform, has even attracted scores of public figures—most notably President Barack Obama—to get their messages out.  Meanwhile, publishers of all sizes have been able to try to make money off their Medium stories, which have been sponsored in... Continue reading at 'AdWeek'

[ AdWeek | 2017-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #generate revenue

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Lightning strikes 50:50 deals

A new publishing model has launched, offering authors a 50% share of revenue on book sales.  Lightning Books, the fiction imprint of the newly created Eyestorm Media, operates a co-publishing model. It was founded by Eye Books owner Dan Hiscocks, a former director of the Independent Publishers’... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing model #offering authors #50% share #book sales #lightning books #fiction imprint #independent publishers #publishing industry


Multiple arrests, 19 charges laid in $22.5M Pearson gold heist

Peel police say a joint task force investigating a multimillion-dollar gold heist at Pearson airport last year has arrested multiple people, laid 19 related charges and interrupted a "large quantity of firearms" intended for import into Canada in connection with the case. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2024-04-17 11:01:09 UTC ]
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Women's Media Group Celebrates 50 Years

More than 200 members of the Women's Media Group celebrated its 50th anniversary at a March 25 gala at the New-York Historical Society. Marie Dutton Brown, Mary McAveney, We Need Diverse Books, and the Brooklyn Public Library were among the night's honorees. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Small Press Distribution Shuts Down

The closure of SPD, one of the last independent distributors remaining in the United States, is the latest blow to small presses looking for options to get their titles into bookstores and other accounts. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Sports Illustrated’s Employees Are Told Print Edition Will Close in May

Its operators made a newsroom announcement, but the outcome is uncertain since the owner has signaled it wants the magazine to endure. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-03-14 21:44:26 UTC ]
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U.K. Publishing Spotlight: DK Celebrates 50 Years

The British illustrated reference publisher continues to reinvent itself a half-century on—and has used the milestone of the anniversary as catalyst for examining new opportunities. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-23 05:00:00 UTC ]
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4 New Books on the Many Faces of New York City

Histories of reluctant mayors, edgy newspapers, and scandalous divorces, plus a book of moving conversations with New Yorkers speaking near-dead languages, remind us of the sheer breadth of stories available in the Five Boroughs. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
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No charges laid after man in 'state of crisis' tries to open door mid-flight on Air Canada plane: police

Police said the passenger attempted to open a door, which can't be done at cruising altitude. He was restrained by Air Canada employees during the flight as part of their safety protocols and met with officers once the plane landed at Pearson International Airport shortly after 3 p.m. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2024-01-21 22:50:31 UTC ]
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Wild Rumpus Bookstore Ownership Transferred to Four Employees

Collette Morgan, owner of the Minneapolis children's bookstore that she and her then-husband opened in 1992, has transferred its ownership to four of the store's eight employees. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-19 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Audible reportedly lays off over 100 employees

If you thought Big Tech’s dreadful year of layoffs would be confined to 2023, you’re (sadly) mistaken. Audible laid off around five percent of its employees on Thursday, which Variety reports is “just over 100 staffers.” The cuts in the audiobook division are part of parent company Amazon’s most... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-01-11 22:00:11 UTC ]
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Former Knopf Associate Publicity Director Michelle Somers Dies at 50

Somers, who died in her Brooklyn home this past August, worked on Justice Sonia Sotomayor's memoir, two novels by Toni Morrison, and Martin Sherwin and Kai Bird's Pulitzer-winning biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer in her 13-year tenure at Knopf. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-11 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Following a Successful 2023, B&N Aims to Open 50 Stores in 2024

Barnes & Noble followed up sales increases in 2022 with more gains in 2023 and CEO James Daunt said the bookseller is "entering a period of significant growth." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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At PRH, CEO Nihar Malaviya Sets Employee Priorities for 2024

Improving psychological safety, clarity around corporate strategy, and more attention on professional development are the three areas of focus Penguin Random House will prioritize over the two years, according to a memo from global CEO Nihar Malaviya. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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AI: Copyright Challenges Now Include a New York Times Lawsuit

The newly launched lawsuit of OpenAI and Microsoft by The New York Times parallels legal actions from the book publishing industry. The post AI: Copyright Challenges Now Include a New York Times Lawsuit appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-01-04 19:59:05 UTC ]
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'New York Times' Sues OpenAI, Microsoft for Copyright Infringement

The suit, said to be the first AI-related action filed by a major American media company, alleges that AI services from both multibillion dollar companies are businesses “built on mass copyright infringement,” with potentially massive implications for the future of journalism. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-27 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Here's how to move your subscriptions off Google Podcasts before it shuts down

Earlier this year, Google announced it would shut down its standalone podcast app in 2024. Since then, the company has started moving podcasts into YouTube and its companion app YouTube Music. As a way to ease the transition, Google will be rolling out a migration tool for its current podcast... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-12-07 19:40:39 UTC ]
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What Not To Say to Bookstore Employees

Let's unpack the psyche behind the shelf. Here are a few things to avoid saying to bookstore employees — from a former bookseller. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-11-30 11:31:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bookstore employees #bookstore