Pronoun (publishing platform)
| Parent company | Macmillan Publishers |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Vook |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Headquarters location | New York City |
| Official website |
www |
Pronoun is a New York-based company that provides free book publishing, marketing, and analytics services to authors. Pronoun was launched in 2015.[1]
Founded as Vook, the company was renamed Pronoun following acquisitions of publishing analytics platform Booklr and short-form ebook publisher Byliner.[2] In May 2016, Pronoun was acquired by Macmillan Publishers.[3]
Vook
Pronoun was preceded by Vook, a digital book publisher that combined text, video, links to the internet and social media into singular applications available both online and as mobile applications.[4] Vook was founded by serial Internet entrepreneur Bradley Inman and was announced in April 2009.[5]
Vook was launched October 1, 2009 with four debut titles, published in partnership with Atria, an imprint of Simon & Schuster: Promises, a romance by Jude Deveraux; The 90 Second Fitness Solution, a fitness book by Pete Cerqua; Embassy, a thriller by Richard Doetsch; and Return to Beauty, a health book by Narine Nikogosian.[6]
In January 2010 Vook raised $2.5 million in seed financing from a group of prominent Silicon Valley and New York investors including Ron Conway, Michael Maples and Kenneth Lerer.[7] In December 2010, Vook raised $5.25 million in Series A financing.[8] Investors in this round included VantagePoint Venture Partners and FLOODGATE.[8][9]
In 2010, Vook, in partnership with NBC Universal and Perseus Books, launched JFK: 50 Days, an interactive eBook, and the Video Guide series of eBooks, among other apps and eBooks. In 2011, Vook launched several new series of titles, including TextVook (animated eBooks and apps on academic subjects) and Brief Histories (historical overviews of popular subjects enhanced with video and text), in partnership with Charles River Editors.[10] Vook partnered with ABC News to create several enhanced eBooks, including A Modern Fairy Tale: William, Kate, and Three Generations of Royal Love, TARGET: Bin Laden – The Life and Death of Public Enemy Number One, and The Amanda Knox Story.
In 2012, Vook launched a platform for ebook creation and publishing. The platform includes management of multiple titles, a WYSIWYG editor, metadata, media management, and push button publishing to multiple ebook stores.[11] Vook acquired Byliner, a digital imprint, in 2014.[12]
In 2015, Vook was renamed Pronoun, a self-publishing and analytics platform for authors.[13]
References
- ↑ https://techcrunch.com/2015/10/03/pronoun-a-self-publishing-platform-for-authors-is-ready-to-serve-humanity/
- ↑ http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2015/vook-to-relaunch-as-free-self-publishing-platform-pronoun/
- ↑ http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/70484-macmillan-acquires-pronoun-formerly-known-as-vook.html
- ↑ Rich, Motoko (September 30, 2009). "Curling Up With Hybrid Books, Videos Included". The New York Times.
- ↑ Stone, Brad (April 4, 2009). "Is This the Future of the Digital Book?". The New York Times.
- ↑ Plesser, Andy (September 30, 2009). "Video: Simon & Schuster Authors on "Game-Changing" Platform for Digital Book/Video Hybrid with a new "Vook"". The Huffington Post.
- ↑ Vook, an E-Book Start-Up, Raises $2.5 Million
- 1 2 Vook Funding
- ↑ Digital Publisher Vook Closes $5.25 Million Financing
- ↑ http://www.charlesrivereditors.com
- ↑ http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/content-and-e-books/article/51217-vook-launches-e-book-creation-and-publishing-platform.html
- ↑ http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/content-and-e-books/article/63976-vook-acquires-byliner.html
- ↑ Reid, Calvin (2015-05-19). "Vook Pivots, Becomes Self-Pub Platform Pronoun". Publisher's Weekly. Retrieved 1 September 2015.