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 ]
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BookCon, the literary fanfest, will become a part of New York Comic Con 2016 in October; held during the 4 days of NYCC at a separate event space nearby and offer access to fans as part of their NYCC badge. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-06-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Investigation Discovery channel has been taking notes on Comic Con. The marketing convention held at the Jacob Javits Center every fall allows comic book fans from around the world a chance to... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2016-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For magazine publishers looking to recoup lost print dollars, live events are becoming increasingly important as independent revenue streams. Over the past several years, titles like Cosmopolitan, Sports Illustrated and Essence (to name a few) have joined live event veterans like The Atlantic... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2016-05-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Independent academic and trade publisher Boydell & Brewer has relaunched as an employee-ownership trust after 45 years in private ownership. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The winner of the "newly evolved" Man Booker International Prize 2016 is The Vegetarian by South Korean author Han Kang, translated by Deborah Smith (Portobello Books). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Feel-good publisher Little Things has built an audience of 50 million users a month thanks to Facebook -- and it's profitable. CEO Joe Speiser joined the Digiday Podcast to discuss how the publisher grew out of its roots as a pet-food retailer, why he's not too worried about being overly reliant... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2016-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Three publishing experts from different areas of the industry reported on the growth and challenges found in the religion book market during a panel hosted by the BIGNY. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The nearly 40-year-old publisher notified employees today that it's going out of business, citing the "rapid ascendance of digital media." The post Harris Publications is Shutting Down appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2016-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A guide to connecting with the spirit world, a memoir on the struggles that come with being a medium, and a book of lessons learned from those on the other side are coming this summer. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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China has shut down Apple's online book and movie services as it imposes strict rules governing what can be published on the net. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2016-04-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon has struck a major deal with the New York City public school district to provide ebooks to its students. The deal is reported to be worth $30 million. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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I Interviewed Miles about his role heading up York Literature Festival and how he sees the festival expanding. He also has some great advice for those looking for a job in books. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ev Williams on feedback loops, giving a home to publishers, and finding critical mass Ev Williams is not a fan of the increasingly homogenised media he currently sees, with its emphasis on feeding the great, gaping maw of platforms like Twitter and Facebook too often producing what he describes... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Entertainment Weekly makes several additions, Elizabeth Gilbert joins O, The Oprah Magazine, and more... The post Andrew Sullivan Joins New York Media: People on the Move | 4.6.16 appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2016-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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We asked publishing pros at yesterday's Digiday Publishing Summit for their scout's-honor stance on how they're pitching native, who's buying, and more. Here's what they said in 5 charts. Sponsor content by Nativo. The post Infographic: 50 percent of publishers recruit editors to create native... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2016-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A video showing a Huntington Beach police officer playing a game of hopscotch with an 11-year-old homeless girl is capturing hearts online. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> The short video was posted on the Huntington Beach Police Department Facebook page and shows Officer Zach... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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One woman died and four police officers were injured after an apartment caught fire in Clovis, Calif., early Friday, authorities said. The blaze broke out just before 2 a.m. near the woman’s bedroom, said Clovis’ deputy fire chief John Binafki. See more of our top stories on Facebook >>... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The concept of micropayments for news is gaining appeal as publishers face a new threat to their ad revenue with the rise of ad blocking. On March 23, the concept will get a big endorsement when vendor Blendle launches in beta in the U.S. with big-name publishers including The New York Times,... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2016-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Last August, the New York Times published a long investigation into Amazon’s draconian white-collar office environment. The article, by Jodi Kantor and David Streitfeld, painted a picture of a miserable office: people put on probation after they got sick, a working mother backstabbed via an... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2016-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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