Net Minds Launches Disruptive Team Publishing Platform to Offer Alternative to Traditional and Self-Publishing

Designed to Allow Authors to Publish Smarter -
Nolan Bushnell, Founder of Atari, to Release Net Mind’s First Published Book in March

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Net Minds, a new publishing platform co-founded by ex-Yahoo executive and New York Times Best Selling author, Tim Sanders, launched today at the Tools of Change Conference, offering authors and the entire publishing development process a smarter alternative to both traditional and ‘self’ publishing methods.

“Net Minds provided me with the support, the structure and the tools I needed to get my book to market within a year from conception, instead of the two to four years it typically takes in the traditional publishing route”

The publishing industry has been in turmoil since Amazon hit the Web back in the 90’s. Distribution, self-publishing, Kindles, eBooks, iPad, the Web, have all changed the discovery and consumption of books. But how books are produced, supported and published has remained largely unchanged.

Before Net Minds, the publishing process was fraught with inefficiencies that impact authors through shrinking advances, unfair royalty rates, multi-year publishing processes, and increasing expectations to market and promote their own books. Also, publishing talents that edit, package and promote books are suffering from diminishing job security, increasing workload and, for freelancers, lower fees.

Net Minds’ crowd-powered service gives authors rights, project autonomy and team building tools that make the publishing process transparent and effective. Instead of acquiring authors’ rights and giving them only 20 percent of the pie and little flexibility in choosing their team, title or release date, Net Minds flips the publishing industry model. Future releases will add collaboration tools for all parts of the publishing process, from project work to crowd sourced book proposals.

Net Minds has built a software platform that allows authors to find any member of the publishing value chain, such as editors, designers, publicists, etc., selecting potential collaborators through a discovery system that includes ratings and commentary on a professional’s work. These teammates are invited into, or can request to join a project, offered traditional transactional and non-traditional compensation options, like percentages of the book’s financial performance, and the community then produces the book.

“Every new book should be organized and run like a new startup,” said Tim Sanders, CEO of Net Minds. “Take a great idea, build a talented team to help, make deals, develop the product, launch it, and get paid. Net Minds makes that ‘book-startup’ possible, helping to produce great books that readers will find and love.”

The Net Minds marketplace is designed to help people with complementary talents and affinities form engaged teams, which will utilize the Net Minds collaboration tools to produce great books. For publishing talents from editorial to design to promotion, Net Minds offers recognition for their work as well as the opportunity to make both active and passive income and develop their reputation. Instead of the current buyer/service provider environment, Net Minds provides a technology platform for people with complementary talents and vision to meet and easily complete deals to create great things.

“Net Minds provided me with the support, the structure and the tools I needed to get my book to market within a year from conception, instead of the two to four years it typically takes in the traditional publishing route,” said Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari and author of Net Minds’ first book to be published, Finding the Next Steve Jobs. “The Net Minds platform puts the writer in control, allowing me to build the team I want while giving the appropriate rewards, rights and royalties to make it worthwhile for all involved.”

About Net Minds

Net Minds empowers authors to publish smarter through a platform and community of publishing professionals. The Net Minds marketplace is designed to help people with complementary talents and affinities form engaged teams, which will utilize the Net Minds collaboration tools to produce great books. This data and review driven platform will create a meritocracy, where great work is rewarded, credited and discovered. At Net Minds, we aim to reinvent the publishing process, making it efficient and fair.

Net Minds is based in Pasadena, California, and more information can be found at www.netminds.com.