Generative AI has completely changed the way we write, or even writing at all. Now, startups want to become the next chapter in that story: AI protagonists replacing the role of publisher.
Spines is a self-publishing platform that claims to be able to do all the work for publishers faster and cheaper because it is powered by artificial intelligence. That task list includes editing the text, offering suggestions to improve it, and giving users honest predictions about who will read their published work. Provides cover design and layout options. Distribute your finished product in e-book or print-on-demand format.
Spines' pitch is that what would take traditional publishers six to 18 months can now be completed in two to three weeks.
CEO and co-founder Yehuda Niv said, “Our innovation is in the production process.”
The Miami-headquartered, Israeli-born startup says it has published more than 1,700 books since its founding in 2021 and is currently growing revenue at a rate of 1,000%. Popular titles include the autobiography of ex-convict and cult figure Fries Johnson. A children's book written by a man who was shot as a teenager and is now rebuilding his life in a wheelchair. A motivational guide for women.
Spines has no plans to take on any writing duties at this time, but there are many others already working on it.
Now, Spines has raised $16 million in Series A funding to take its efforts to include audiobooks to the next level.
Zeev Ventures — the venture firm founded by Oren Zeev — is leading Spins' Series A, with participation from previous backers Aleph, M-Fund, and LionTree. Prior to this, Spines raised a $6.5 million seed round in April 2024. The startup did not disclose its valuation.
Spines is the brainchild of Niv, who co-founded the business with Lev David (CMO), Niv Ovdat (COO) and Nir Kenner (CTO). The photo above and second from the left is Niv.
Niv said he first considered a career in publishing while still an electrical engineering student at Ben-Gurion University. He said he had written a manuscript but decided the process of planning and publishing it was too difficult.
So, after graduating from university, he decided to stick with his ideas and founded his own publishing company, Niv Books. This was his first attempt at introducing more technology into the book-making process. Using a faster process but involving people, Niv Books eventually published 1,200 titles a year. This included Niv's own Silent Thunder, available only in Hebrew, as well as numerous bestsellers.
That's when Niv thought about the incredible success and seemingly limitless capabilities of generative AI and came up with the idea for an all-AI publisher.
The concept was initially incubated at Niv Books.
“But I quickly realized that this might be better than anything Niv Books had ever been able to do,” he said. “The opportunity is huge. The technology is so advanced that we needed to raise money from top investors. This is an American company, not an Israeli company. It's a different approach.”
So he formed a corporation in Delaware and began building his startup.
Knibb claimed that after the boom in business and visibility he received from his seed round in April, 12 different “top-tier” US VCs came knocking on his door. It ended up being four very serious approaches to Oren Ziv, who was advising Niv.
Mr. Zeev, who was once a major investor in audiobook startup Audible, which Amazon eventually acquired, offered to lead the investment himself instead and received a check for $10 million.
“In 2003, long before Audible became popular, I saw the untapped potential of audiobooks,” he said in a statement. “Today, I see Spine as having the same transformative power to reshape the book publishing industry.”
There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of digital and self-publishing companies on the market today. Frighteningly, these include the likes of Amazon, but we're also seeing efforts to more directly compete with Spines by using AI to speed up the publishing process. These include publishing.com's Publishing.ai, the imaginatively titled AI Book Publisher, and Blurb, not to mention publishing efforts from online writing giants like Wattpad and Inkitt.
Niv believes that Spines is different, at least for now. That's because the full publishing experience can still cost “tens of thousands of dollars” and there's no guarantee you'll get a book deal. Of course, with Spines you're paying for the service yourself, so there's a deal.
Nibb said Spines production plans start at about $1,200 and can go up to $5,000 depending on the number of services the author requests. Users are provided with cover illustration options, but more options can increase costs. The team also includes professionals, Knibb said.
There are also monthly streaming memberships that start at $19/month and go up to $49/month depending on where you want to stream. Royalties on sales are split equally among everyone, with the author receiving 70% and Spine receiving 30%. Nibb said this is a significant improvement over other publishers, which typically give 10% to 20% of sales to authors. Finally, there is an administration fee, which also varies depending on the services provided.
For those who don't like the idea of fully AI-powered publishing, there are more expensive options that involve humans. We also have a team of customer success agents. Not to be confused with literary agents. These individuals spend an average of about a month training in the ins and outs of publishing at Spine.
Not everything is in the spine, but it seems relatively transparent.
For example, we don't know what AI will be integrated into the process or how the IP will be used over time. Niv acknowledged that Spines is not building all of its AI from scratch. Like many companies today, we focus on customizing what we already have to suit our purposes. However, he declined to say which third-party services the startup uses. Following up further, a spokesperson called the information the startup's “secret sauce.”
Also, this AI startup doesn't seem to provide authors with much insight and analysis into what actually works and what doesn't in terms of content. The company refused to answer my question about the most popular genres, instead pointing me to the fact that they have identified 16,000 different genres that the story could fit into, and that all of them have potential. I did. “Nothing obvious,” Niv said.
It's natural to wonder if Spine is simply an exercise in efficiency, or if it brings a new dimension to the world of literature. By removing all the problems, a new written language may emerge. Like other creative endeavors, it is unclear whether publishing has ever been so clearly defined. But in the meantime, Spines will be a greenlit author whose AI will bring more books into the world.