Hachette Book Group, Penguin Group (USA), and Simon & Schuster have announced a new digital platform connecting book lovers with favorite books and authors. Bookish—to be run by digital media veteran Paulo Lemgruber—will feature original content and tools on a dedicated website as well as across a range of websites owned by partner AOL Huffington Post Media Group. AOL will also provide advertising sales support for the venture.
According to a press release, the site is designed to answer the question "What should I read next?" for both casual and dedicated readers. Titles will be available to purchase in both print and digital formats through the site and partner retailers. Exclusive content will include author- and topic-based promotions and social platforms enhanced by AOL's community engagement tools and hyperlocal sites.
"Bookish enjoys the support of significant, established players in the publishing and online space. Nobody is more intimately familiar with the multitude of elements that make a book appealing than its publisher," Lemgruber, a veteran of digital initiatives at Comcast and Reed Elsevier, said. "In addition to working with Hachette Book Group, Penguin Group (USA) and Simon & Schuster, we look forward to working with the entire publishing and book-selling community to make Bookish an exciting destination that will delight readers. We are also thrilled to work closely with AOL Huffington Post Media Group to tap into its groundbreaking ability to start real-time conversations around content and partnering with AOL on our advertising sales effort."
Bookish, which will be editorially independent from its three sponsoring book publishers, will be managed by Editor-in-Chief Charlie Rogers, former editor-in-chief of digital media at NBC Universal, and Chief Technology Officer Andy Parsons, previously CTO for Outside magazine.
"We've assembled an incredibly entrepreneurial and dynamic team at Bookish that embraces the most cutting-edge trends in publishing and technology," says Lemgruber. "With our team's startup expertise and credentials, as well as our ability to leverage the knowledge of publishers, retailers and authors, Bookish is innately positioned to fuel people's passion for books."
- Places:
- USA