By Leslee Moore
In the 19th century, books were issued piecemeal in weekly publications and discussed while readers waited for the next installment. This type of dissemination is the essence of what a new publishing company, The Pigeonhole, is trying to bring to the digital age. The Pigeonhole is a publishing platform that offers the charm of this antiquated business model to the computer, tablet, or mobile screen, and claims to be the "future of reading." Its business model is intriguing and simplistic.
Launched just this month, The Pigeonhole features works broken up into weekly installments--or “staves,” a nod to Charles Dickens, who used the term to describe the installments of A Christmas Carol in weekly print publications. Readers can subscribe to a book and submit to the leisurely reading pace set for them by the publisher. Each week, The Pigeonhole makes a new stave from the book available. After the reader gets the last stave, The Pigeonhole will offer the entire e-book on Amazon or directly on its website, so readers can access their purchased book via the publisher's app.
If all goes well, The Pigeonhole’s format could be a launchpad for numerous publishing houses employing the same business model. For readers who like an active community while they read, this is a perfect concept. Each stave comes with various related media, such as “author interviews, photo galleries or soundtracks” (Page). Like much in the world today, reading is an increasingly social activity, and The Pigeonhole offers an accessible platform for social bookworms.
One aspect of the website that sets The Pigeonhole apart from its competitors is the fact that they actively seek writers who have a keen interest in engaging with their readers and the platform. This business model cuts down the barrier between author and reader. Authors are able and encouraged to discuss their books with their readers.
More than 600 people subscribed to a beta project tested before the publisher's launch, showing a keen interest in this type of service. And, with four books offered now in installments, this press is off to an ambitious start. Whether or not the The Pigeonhole really is, as it claims, the “coolest book club on the internet,” there's no doubt that this innovative publishing model is one that will catch the interest of both publishers and readers alike.
Articles:
http://www.mhpbooks.com/literary-startup-pigeonhole-will-offer-a-serial-publishing-model/
http://www.thebookseller.com/news/serial-fans-flock-pigeonhole
In the 19th century, books were issued piecemeal in weekly publications and discussed while readers waited for the next installment. This type of dissemination is the essence of what a new publishing company, The Pigeonhole, is trying to bring to the digital age. The Pigeonhole is a publishing platform that offers the charm of this antiquated business model to the computer, tablet, or mobile screen, and claims to be the "future of reading." Its business model is intriguing and simplistic.
Launched just this month, The Pigeonhole features works broken up into weekly installments--or “staves,” a nod to Charles Dickens, who used the term to describe the installments of A Christmas Carol in weekly print publications. Readers can subscribe to a book and submit to the leisurely reading pace set for them by the publisher. Each week, The Pigeonhole makes a new stave from the book available. After the reader gets the last stave, The Pigeonhole will offer the entire e-book on Amazon or directly on its website, so readers can access their purchased book via the publisher's app.
If all goes well, The Pigeonhole’s format could be a launchpad for numerous publishing houses employing the same business model. For readers who like an active community while they read, this is a perfect concept. Each stave comes with various related media, such as “author interviews, photo galleries or soundtracks” (Page). Like much in the world today, reading is an increasingly social activity, and The Pigeonhole offers an accessible platform for social bookworms.
One aspect of the website that sets The Pigeonhole apart from its competitors is the fact that they actively seek writers who have a keen interest in engaging with their readers and the platform. This business model cuts down the barrier between author and reader. Authors are able and encouraged to discuss their books with their readers.
More than 600 people subscribed to a beta project tested before the publisher's launch, showing a keen interest in this type of service. And, with four books offered now in installments, this press is off to an ambitious start. Whether or not the The Pigeonhole really is, as it claims, the “coolest book club on the internet,” there's no doubt that this innovative publishing model is one that will catch the interest of both publishers and readers alike.
Articles:
http://www.mhpbooks.com/literary-startup-pigeonhole-will-offer-a-serial-publishing-model/
http://www.thebookseller.com/news/serial-fans-flock-pigeonhole