Books are like babies. They take time to conceive, develop and eventually stand on their own.
According to The New York Times, a star of the print media business–now deep into her first big digital project–thinks she can speed the incubation process up considerably.
In a joint venture with Perseus Books Group, The Daily Beast is forming a new imprint, Beast Books, that will focus on publishing timely titles by Daily Beast writers — first as e-books, and then as paperbacks on a much shorter schedule than traditional books.
“There is a real window of interest when people want to know something,†Ms. Brown said. “And that window slams shut pretty quickly in the media cycle.â€
Perseus is paying The Daily Beast a five-figure management advance to cover the costs of editing and designing the books, and Perseus will distribute the titles through its existing sales force. The writers will receive low five-figure advances from Perseus, then split profits from the sale of both the e-books and paperbacks with Perseus and The Daily Beast.
The imprint’s first book, scheduled to be published as an e-book in December and a paperback in January, is “Attack of the Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe Is Hijacking America,†by John P. Avlon.