Not a self-publisher, far from a traditional publisher

Jesse Potash on how he's approaching the publishing model differently with Pubslush Press.

This post is part of the TOC podcast series, which we’ll be featuring here on Radar in the coming months. You can also subscribe to the free TOC podcast through iTunes.


Pubslush Press has been described as “a Kickstarter for books.” That’s a fair comparison to some extent, but as the company’s founder Jesse Potash (@PUBSLUSH) points out, there already is a Kickstarter out there, and they already offer some book projects. Pubslush isn’t simply some new self-publishing option — they’re approaching the model differently and are taking some bold steps to help eradicate global illiteracy. Key points from the full video interview (below) include:

  • Crowd-funding versus non-profit publishing: In the Kickstarter model, the funding can be used at the author’s discretion, but with Pubslush, the funding is primarily used in “the first stage” of the publishing process. [Discussed at the 1:00 mark.]
  • Traditional editors are welcome: Pubslush not only allows editors to come in and extend offers to Pubslush authors, they actually encourage it. [Discussed at 2:19.]
  • Authors are never charged a dime … ever: They’re not really a self-publisher, and they’re far from a traditional publisher — Pubslush simply falls somewhere in between the two. [Discussed at 3:10.]
  • Pubslush is all about discovery: Despite the large number of titles published every year, Pubslush can help solve the discoverability problem. [Discussed at 3:47.]
  • Community reviews are one of the features that make Pubslush special: The role is to “review, share and fund.” [Discussed at 6:10.]
  • Linking publishing with literacy: For every book they sell, they donate another one to a child in need. How awesome is that? [Discussed at 11:30.]

You can view the entire interview in the following video.

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