Reread AI-powered platform that helps authors write bestselling books
Please introduce yourself and your startup Reread to our readers!
My name is Oliver, and along with my co-founders Priyen and Mohamed, we created Reread, an AI-powered platform that helps authors write bestselling books.
Having deconstructed thousands of bestselling books, our algorithms have learnt the secrets to making a blockbuster novel. As a result we can provide authors with in-depth reports on ways they can improve their work and give the actionable feedback needed to make meaningful changes. We support authors through multiple iterations on their manuscripts, giving them visibility on the impact their changes have had.
Whether someone is new to writing or a seasoned professional, we can help them.
How did you get the idea of Reread?
As a published author and experienced writer, Mohamed has personally experienced the pains of inexperienced editors, expensive service options and unstructured feedback. Determined to find a solution, we came together as a team and decided to dive deeper. We spent time with writers, editors and publishers, trying to identify and understand specific drivers to these issues. Our research proved it to be a rampant problem across the industry and we knew that technology would be needed to solve it at scale – Reread was born.
Why did you decide to start with Reread?
All three of us have the drive to be independent and want to work for ourselves, I’d imagine that’s common across all startup founders. Reread itself came from a deeper desire. We shared the belief that we want to inspire action in authors to be the best that they could be. To us, there’s an opportunity for technology to democratise the publishing world which has been dominated by traditional and elitist groups for so many years! This cause unifies us beyond being just co-founders working on an idea, and certainly helps motivate us when things get hard.
What is the vision behind Reread?
The vision is to become AI-powered publishers as that’s where we know we can have the largest impact. The road to getting there involves building trust with a highly connected community of authors by providing them with quality services they need to pursue their dreams.
How difficult was the start and which challenges you had to overcome?
We’re still very much at the start, and we can 100% confirm that, as everyone says, it’s very difficult. For us, the hardest part has been blocking out the noise. As founders of a startup, we need to have a crystal-clear focus and we’re fortunate enough to be a team which is capable of reinforcing each other’s focus and direction.
Who is your target audience?
Our target audience is independent authors, a rapidly growing segment of users (17% CAGR) who have very little support. The support that is out there is designed to work with the traditional approach to authoring a book and is really not fit for purpose. It’s been really interesting to us the different personas we’ve identified and how they interact with our product. Who’d have thought authors would be the most suspicious bunch of people you’d ever met?
What is the USP of your startup?
We believe our data focused approach is our USP, it will revolutionize an industry that for too long has pushed independent authors aside and disregarded technology. Early feedback indicates authors find our approach of baselining their work against bestselling authors to be incredibly useful and more aligned with their goals of turning their passion into a career.
Can you describe your typical workday?
As a team we’re early starters, I personally like to get in the office by 7am, by which time I’ve already caught up with my other co-founders by Teams on anything that’s occurred overnight – it’s usually an update on user stats! I then work through my ClickUp tasks for the day, rewarding myself with cups of coffee as I complete my tasks. I find the morning to be my most productive time of the day probably because it’s the quietest (we’re in an office with a bunch of other startups, quiet time is a rarity).
Unless we have a meeting as a team we pretty much get on with our own thing until lunch, when without failure we get together to eat and discuss business. Most of my meetings tend to be in the afternoon, it gives me a chance to prepare for them and be in the right mindset, this is particularly important for investor meetings which I seem to have a lot these days! After work my priority is to go to the gym and destress, I’ll then follow this by dinner, finish up any bits of work and then sleep!
Where do you see yourself and your startup Reread in five years?
In five years time we expect to be an established presence in the publishing space, generating revenue from multiple sources but more importantly being trusted by writers as the go-to place for all their writing needs. For this it means expanding beyond our current scope of fiction books and looking broader at all forms of writing and how we can create a platform that gives writers the tools and data they need to be successful.
What 3 tips would you give to founders?
Be bold. Opportunities won’t present themselves to you, the flood gates won’t open, you won’t find a wave to ride. You have to be bold and create opportunities, generate the flood of customers, be the cause of the wave.
Build Structure. A business is only as good as it’s foundations, it may seem like a waste of time, but will be invaluable as something to stand back on in the times when you are sinking more than swimming.
Network network network! Business is all about people, the bigger your network the more you can leverage that. Investors, advisors, employees – it’s all made a lot easier by networking.
Thank you Oliver Rodwell for the Interview
Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.
