Spines raises $16 million Series A to transform the publishing industry with AI
By making publishing faster, cheaper, and more accessible, Spines aims to publish 8,000 titles annually by 2025 and redefine the author experience.
Israeli startup Spines, which has developed a platform for publishing books using artificial intelligence, has successfully completed a $16 million Series A funding round. The round was led by Zeev Ventures, with participation from existing investors Aleph, M-Fund, LionTree, and angel investors of the likes of Sharin Fisher Dibrov, bringing the company’s total investment since its inception to $22.5 million.
Full list of Israeli high-tech funding rounds in 2024
The Spines platform streamlines all stages of book production, distribution, and promotion, catering to print, electronic, and audiobook editions. The process takes less than three weeks from receiving the text to publishing the book, compared to the current industry average of 6–18 months, and reduces costs by over 50%. Authors on the platform can approve AI-generated proposals at every stage and, if desired, opt for human intervention by professionals affiliated with Spines.
Spines’ technology performs text editing, proofreading, and cover design, with the cover tailored to the book's content and the categories recommended by the platform’s algorithms. The system creates over 70 different versions for each book to optimize compatibility with more than 100 distribution channels that Spines collaborates with. Upon release, the platform automates the book's distribution across these channels and optimizes its metadata to improve search visibility for target audiences. Additionally, Spines manages authors’ royalties across distribution channels.
Founded in 2021, Spines was established by Yehuda Niv, CEO, Lev David, CMO, Niv Ovdat, COO, Nir Kenner, CTO. Yehuda Niv is also the founder of Niv Publishing, which he started in 2013. Within a decade, Niv Publishing became the largest publishing house in Israel, producing 1,200 new printed and digital books annually—about 15% of the Israeli book market.
Spines has achieved remarkable growth, with a 1,000% increase in year-over-year revenue. The company expects to publish over 2,000 titles by the end of 2024, up from 400 in 2023, and aims to reach 8,000 titles by 2025. Currently, Spines employs over 80 people across Miami, Israel, Europe, and Argentina. The new investment will be used to expand the workforce, enhance the platform’s advertising capabilities, improve production processes, and introduce innovative features to promote books more effectively.
Related articles:
“With Spines’ innovative tools, authors no longer need to navigate the complexities of the book publishing process,” said Yehuda Niv, Spines’ CEO and Founder. “Instead, they can focus on what they do best—crafting exceptional stories—while Spines takes care of the rest. No more months upon months of tedious publishing tasks: with Spines’ publishing platform, a professional state-of-the-art book is published within a fraction of the time and cost, essentially leveling the playing field for all others”.
