Launched in 2015, Serial Box publishes serialized stories produced by teams of writers in written and audio form. Subscribers pay week by week or in advance for a whole season of 10 to 13 episodes. Last week, the company announced it was rebranding as Realm and will begin releasing some shows for free as ad-supported podcasts in addition to the subscription option. Nicholas Quah at Hot Pod reports (subscription required) that Serial Box co-founder Molly Barton believes podcast monetization has evolved to a point where they’re more comfortable putting their shows out for wider distribution. The startup has so far raised $11.3 million from investors. Learn more.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
