Jon Krakauer

Byliner and Atavist, two publishers that focus on e-singles (digital longform journalism), are experimenting with online subscriptions. While the programs are still in early stages, they could serve as models for other publishers who want to try the same thing.
Byliner Plus

The San Francisco-based Byliner publishes fiction and nonfiction e-singles it calls “Byliner Originals,” from authors like Margaret Atwood, Amy Tan and Jon Krakauer. It sells them through ebook retailers like Kindle, Nook and Apple, usually for $1.99 or $2.99.

Editors of four of the most interesting and innovative digital publishers sat down with L.A. Times book critic David L. Ulin Saturday to discuss how they do what they do, and why.

The players, in alphabetical order:

The Atavist. Launched in January 2011, The Atavist was one of the first iPad-native apps to tell robust nonfiction stories that fully exploited the possibilities of the tablet, such as audio, video, an interactive time line and animations.

(PRESS RELEASE) SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 7, 2011—Amy Tan's new story Rules for Virgins - the first fiction she has published in six years -  marks the debut of Byliner Fiction, the digital publisher that, since its launch last spring, has published a series of bestselling nonfiction Byliner Originals from Jon Krakauer, Ann Patchett, Taylor Branch, William Vollmann, Mark Bittman, and other distinguished and breakthrough authors.

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