Riot New Media Group

What Riot New Media Group does

Riot New Media Group, Inc. is a privately held digital media company founded in 2011 by Jeff O'Neal and Clinton Kabler, headquartered in Portland, Oregon. The company operates Book Riot, described as the largest independent editorial book site in North America, and adjacent brands Panels.net and Bookrageous. Its core product is a multi-format content platform — articles, four podcasts (All the Books!, All the (More) Books, The Book Riot Podcast, Zero to Well-Read), two newsletters (Latine Lit, Zero to Well-Read), and a personal reading-list tool at mytbr.co — that serves general-interest book readers and niche literary communities, with an editorial mission centered on amplifying marginalized voices and challenging book censorship.

The business operates three revenue streams. The first is direct-to-consumer subscription products: Book Riot All Access, Tailored Book Recommendations, and the Book Riot New Release Index, sold on annual auto-renewing terms to individuals and group accounts for organizations. The second is programmatic digital advertising via an extensive ad-tech stack including Google (DoubleClick), Criteo, Taboola, The Trade Desk, MediaMath, OpenX, RTB House, and others. The third is affiliate marketing through Affiliate Window, Amazon Associates, Skimlinks, Partnerize, and PartnerStack. Go-to-market is community-led: editorial content, contributor submissions, social channels (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube), podcasts, newsletters, and industry speaking engagements drive top-of-funnel audience acquisition that is monetized through these three streams.

The leadership team of approximately 16 people spans editorial (Senior Editor, Managing Editor, Editors), operations (COO, Director of Business Operations, Operations roles), content and sales (Executive Director of Content, Director of Sales, Chief of Staff), and technology (Executive Director of Technology). Notable editorial credibility includes Senior Editor Kelly Jensen's awards: Library Journal Mover & Shaker (2024), Publishers Weekly Person of the Year (2022), Chicago Tribune Chicagoan of the Year (2022), National Coalition Against Censorship Free Speech Hero (2015), and two commendations from the American Association of School Librarians. The company is bootstrapped by appearances (no funding rounds disclosed), with payment processing delegated to Stripe and PayPal.

Name

Riot New Media Group

Legal name

Riot New Media Group, Inc.

Website

https://riotnewmedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Riot New Media Group operates Book Riot, the largest independent editorial book site in North America, serving book readers through articles, podcasts, newsletters, and subscription services while monetizing via subscriptions, programmatic advertising, and affiliate marketing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Book Media

NAICS

All Other Publishers (513199), Other Publishers (51319)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction) (MPAJAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

E-book Subscription & Bundling Services (MPAJAMAB)

Keywords

• Online book community
• Book review platform
• Literary podcast network
• Book recommendation subscription
• Digital book media

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription Services: Recurring subscription revenue from Book Riot All Access, Tailored Book Recommendations, and Book Riot New Release Index. Subscriptions operate on fixed-term renewals with automatic billing. Group subscription accounts available for enterprise/organizational use.
2. Affiliate Marketing: Earns income from affiliate fees through multiple programs: Affiliate Window (Digital Window Limited), Amazon Associates, Skimlinks, Partnerize, and PartnerStack. Revenue generated when users purchase products linked from their content.
3. Digital Advertising: Generates advertising revenue through display ads, targeted advertising using cookies, pixels, and web beacons. Works with third-party ad networks including Google (DoubleClick), Facebook, Criteo, Taboola, TheTradeDesk, and others. Uses programmatic advertising to serve relevant ads to their audience.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Riot New Media Group operates Book Riot, the largest independent editorial book site in North America, delivering multi-format book content (articles, reviews, podcasts, newsletters) to readers. It monetizes this audience through three subscription services — Book Riot All Access, Tailored Book Recommendations, and Book Riot New Release Index — sold directly to consumers and via group accounts to organizations, alongside advertising and affiliate commissions.

Product overview

Riot New Media Group operates a portfolio of book-focused media properties centered around Book Riot, the largest independent editorial book site in North America. The company offers a multi-product platform comprising content websites (Book Riot, My TBR), premium subscription services (Book Riot All Access, Book Riot New Release Index, Tailored Book Recommendations), podcasts (All the Books!, All the (More) Books, The Book Riot Podcast), newsletters (Zero to Well-Read, Latine Lit Newsletter), and community features. The core revenue model combines advertising, affiliate marketing, and subscription services, with content creation from both professional staff and community contributors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• All the Books!: Weekly podcast hosted by Vanessa Diaz, Book Riot's Managing Editor
• All the (More) Books
• Zero to Well-Read
• Latine Lit
• All Access

Products and services

• Book Riot The flagship editorial website of Riot New Media Group, featuring book reviews, lists, literary commentary, podcasts, and a community of readers across multiple genre categories.
• Book Riot All Access Premium subscription tier offering curated book recommendations, exclusive content, and enhanced features for paying members on annual auto-renewal plans.
• Book Riot New Release Index Subscription service providing tracking and insights on new book releases for readers who want to stay current with forthcoming titles.
• Tailored Book Recommendations Personalized book recommendation subscription service included as part of Book Riot's subscription offerings.
• My TBR Companion web property that lets readers manage and track their personal reading (To Be Read) lists as part of the Book Riot ecosystem.
• All the Books! Podcast Weekly book discussion and recommendation podcast hosted by Vanessa Diaz and other contributors, covering new releases and literary topics.
• All the (More) Books Podcast Podcast companion to All the Books!, providing additional book coverage and discussions.
• The Book Riot Podcast Main Book Riot podcast covering book news, publishing-industry updates, and broader literary discussions.
• Zero to Well-Read Newsletter and podcast co-hosted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky, helping readers discover new books; newsletter launched 2026.
• Latine Lit Newsletter Email newsletter focused on Latine literature, launched in 2025 by Vanessa Diaz to serve a specific audience segment within Book Riot's reader community.
• Bookrageous Literary community co-founded by Rebecca Joines Schinsky featuring book discussions and content as part of Riot New Media Group's content-driven communities.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration26 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Digital Window Limited (Affiliate Window)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerRiot New Media Group participates in the Digital Window Limited Affiliate Window Program, an affiliate advertising program. The company earns advertising fees by advertising and linking to products and services represented through the program, at no additional cost to consumers.
• AmazoncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRiot New Media Group operates as an Amazon Associate (affiliate), earning from qualifying purchases made through affiliate links on their platforms. This is a primary revenue-generating affiliate partnership.
• SkimlinkscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRiot New Media Group participates in the Skimlinks Affiliate Network, an affiliate advertising program designed to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products and services through their content platforms.
• PartnerizecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRiot New Media Group participates in the Partnerize Affiliate Network, earning advertising fees through affiliate links to products and services represented in the Partnerize network.
• PartnerStackcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRiot New Media Group participates in the PartnerStack Affiliate Network, earning advertising fees through affiliate marketing relationships facilitated by the PartnerStack platform.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BookBrowse: Online book discovery and review service with curated recommendations, reading guides, and a subscriber-supported model. Comparable to Book Riot's editorial recommendation and subscription offerings for avid readers.
• She Reads: Online book community focused on women readers, featuring reviews, recommendations, and curated newsletters. Comparable independent editorial book community with subscription and newsletter monetization.
• The Millions: Long-running online magazine about books, with a focus on literary culture, reviews, and essays. Closely comparable independent editorial book site targeting passionate readers and writers.
• Literary Hub: Daily literary website featuring book news, reviews, excerpts, and author interviews. Directly comparable as an editorial book-media outlet targeting the same engaged reader audience with overlapping content formats (articles, newsletters).

Emerging players

• NetGalley: Platform providing readers early access to forthcoming titles in exchange for reviews. Comparable as book-discovery infrastructure serving engaged readers, though more transactional and publisher-facing than Book Riot's editorial model.
• LibraryThing: Social cataloging and book community site for cataloging, reviewing, and discovering books. Comparable to My TBR's reading-list management functionality and book-community engagement.
• Open Letters Review: Independent literary magazine and review site with reviews, essays, and a podcast. Comparable editorial-format book media with subscription support.

Broad incumbents

• Book of the Month: Subscription book club service that curates monthly selections for members. Comparable subscription model for book discovery and community, though with a stronger commerce / curation focus than editorial content.
• Publishers Weekly: Established trade news publication covering the book publishing industry. Comparable editorial book media, but at much larger scale and targeting industry professionals rather than consumers.
• Goodreads: Amazon-owned social reading platform with user reviews, reading lists, and book recommendations. Overlaps in book discovery and community, but operates at massive scale and with a transactional/retail orientation rather than editorial.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bookriot
• Xx.com/riotnewmedia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Riot New Media Group