Ex-HarperCollins chief Friedman joins Inkitt

Former HarperCollins global c.e.o. Jane Friedman has joined Inkitt as an advisor and shareholder.

Inkitt, which claims to have the world’s first bestseller-predicting algorithm, aims to discover hidden talents from all around the world and turn them into globally successful authors.

More than 100,000 authors upload their manuscripts to the platform and 3.5 million readers can read them for free. The best stories are selected based on reader engagement and published on sister reading app Galatea.

Friedman left HarperCollins in 2008 to found start-up Open Road Integrated Media. An announcement from Inkitt said: “Playing an integral role on Inkitt’s advisory board, Jane will bring expertise gleaned from her years leading HarperCollins publishers, as well as previous board roles at the Association of American Publishers and Yale University Press.

“Jane’s guidance will ultimately help to build a powerful hybrid publishing model, where cutting-edge technology builds on insights and experience from the world of traditional publishing.”