Literati (book club)

Literati is an Austin-based children's book club and subscription service. The company sends monthly boxes to subscribers, with books organized by age and reading level. Literati was co-founded in 2016 by CEO Jessica Ewing.

Literati
Type of businessChildren's Book Club, subscription service
HeadquartersAustin, Texas, United States
CEOJessica Ewing
URLwww.literati.com
LaunchedDecember 2016 (2016-12)

History

Literati is an Austin-based children's book club and subscription service.[1] It launched at the end of 2016.[2] For a recurring membership fee, Literati sends a box of five books to subscribers every month.[3] Boxes are organized by age for children from newborn to age 12.[4]

In February 2018, Literati launched a donation service that allows families to send back books they no longer need. The donated books are sent to shelters, foster care homes, and under-served youth organizations. Literati has partnered with organizations like BookSpring and The Women's Storybook Project.

In October 2019, Literati raised $12 million in a Series A round of funding.[5] In January 2021, the company raised $40 million in a Series B round of funding.[6]

In 2020, Literati gave away thousands of books during the COVID-19 pandemic.[7][8] The company partnered with different local and national organizations to make the donations. The first week of the donations, books were handed to parents as they came to AISD schools to pick up free curbside meals for their children.[9]

Luminary Book Clubs

In August 2020, Literati started a line of celebrity book clubs for adult readers curated by “Luminaries” — authors and intellectuals. The initial Literati Luminaries include Richard Branson, Susan Orlean, Malala Yousafzai, Stephen Curry, and the Joseph Campbell Foundation.[10][11]

Great Minds Edition

In November 2018, Literati featured a “Great Minds” edition [12][13] featuring public figures such as Sheryl Sandberg, Melinda Gates, Sundar Pichai, Amy Tan, B. J. Novak, Anjali Forber-Pratt, Steven Pinker, and Maria Popova.[14]

References
  1. Segran, Elizabeth (2018-11-19). "Melinda Gates, B. J. Novak, Sundar Pichai, and more share the children's books that shaped them". Fast Company. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  2. Inc, Care com (2017-03-16). "New Book Box For Kids Is A Parent's Dream Come True". Care.com. Retrieved 2020-04-09. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  3. "This Children's Book Club Is the Rare Subscription Service That Doesn't Suck". Fatherly. 2018-02-06. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  4. Hawkins, Lori. "Austin's Literati lands $12M to grow its subscription service for kids' books". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  5. "Literati Raises $12 Million Series A to Boost Subscription Book Club for Kids - EdSurge News". EdSurge. 2019-10-25. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  6. McGrath, Maggie. "An Exclusive Look At Book Club Service Literati's New Chapter: A $40 Million Series B". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
  7. "Austin company gives away kids books at AISD meal pickup spots". KXAN.com. 2020-03-24. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  8. "Literati to donate thousands of books to kids during school shutdown". FOX 7 Austin. 2020-03-20. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  9. "Austin company gives away kids books at AISD meal pickup spots". KXAN.com. 2020-03-24. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  10. Felton, Lena. "Malala Yousafzai just graduated. Now she wants you to join her feminist book club". The Lily. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  11. Nicolaou, Elena (2020-08-19). "Literati Just Launched Five New Celebrity Book Clubs". Oprah Magazine. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  12. Gutterman, Annabel. "The 3 Books Melinda Gates Thinks All Kids Should Read". Time. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  13. King, Rachel. "A Children's Book Club Is Launching a Holiday Series With Picks Made by Amy Tan, Sheryl Sandberg, and Sundar Pichai". Fortune. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  14. Segran, Elizabeth. "Melinda Gates, B. J. Novak, and Sundar Pichai, featuring the children's books that shaped them". FastCompany. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.