Jaded Ibis’ business model is based in systems theory – like in biology. It works best for me (perhaps because I have an educational basis in environmental science) to think of that in an ecological sense, in that everything within a system, down to the smallest organism, is inextricably linked to everything else. If one organism shifts, thrives or dies, it affects all others. In the same way, Jaded Ibis’ business model relies heavily on social media and inter-connectivity to thrive. Not many publishing companies tie social media and a focus on community among its authors/artists into their business plan, let alone make it a lynch-pin.
Jaded Ibis is very clear about this necessity for inter-connectivity with authors and artists wishing to publish with them. In Jaded Ibis’ words:
Book publishing, large and small, has become a tenuous web, unable to remain economically or culturally feasible without full cooperation of everyone involved. The amount of funds, time and talent expended to bring out just one book is tremendous; thus, threads that do not contribute to the whole must be snipped so as to not impede with the success of the system’s parts. Our goal is to teach you that actively participating in our network exponentially expands the reach of your own project and career, consequently benefiting you, other Jaded Ibis writers, artists and musicians, and the company and culture, in general. To this end, we expect our writers and artists to work closely and cooperate with Jaded Ibis publisher and editors, and show support of other Jaded Ibis authors, artists and musicians. We also expect them to comprehend and care how book publishing can be much more than just a business, academic requirement, or self-promotion.
To continue the inter-connectivity impetus, Jaded Ibis, as mentioned in previous posts, always integrates writing with other media, be it music, art, video or other multimedia. The mission is to make other artists more aware of literature, and literary people more aware of other types of art. Jaded Ibis is intent on making publishing into an art form, and making sure artists co-mingle and lift each other up.
From Jaded Ibis’ website, a visualization of how social networking increases awareness, with Debra Di Blasi, Publisher in Chief, as an outer-contributor:
The social media web, From JadedIbisProductions.com
I find Jaded Ibis’ business model intriguing. The integration of social media, and an insistence that every author reach out to his or her network and self-promote while also promoting other authors on the label, will bouy this publisher in these changing times. As book-publishing itself shifts from being a business of scarcity to one of over-abundance, amplification and discoverability have become incredibly important. Instead of one voice (Jaded Ibis’), there are dozens (Jaded Ibis and its authors and artists). And each voice is an advocate for all instead of just for itself, and those voices stretch beyond traditional readership. It’s an unselfish, personal, innovative approach, one that should be integrated into more publishers’ missions and business plans if they expect to create strong brand-loyalty, and to survive.
Read up!:
Jaded Ibis’ Business Plan: http://jadedibisproductions.com/innovation/
Exploration in Digital Publishing Innovations 
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