Inkitt operates a self-publishing app where authors post stories and uses AI and data-science-driven A/B testing to identify and refine the most engaging works for distribution via its Galatea app. The company reports 33 million users, dozens of bestsellers, and says it ranks as the No. 11 bestselling publisher globally. Revenues have doubled in the last year, the company says it is almost profitable, and a TV series based on a Galatea book generated $500,000 in revenue. Future plans include using AI to draft stories from human treatments, personalize fiction for individual readers, and expand into games, audiobooks and more video content — with some production eventually generated by AI. Inkitt experiments with multiple LLMs and tools (OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral) and uses DeepL, ElevenLabs and Leonardo for translations, audio and cover art while building customizations around them. The platform emphasizes short, mobile-friendly chapters, interactive effects and data-backed editorial changes (titles, arcs, cliffhangers) to increase engagement and publishing success. Inkitt runs a free platform where anyone can write and publish stories; its data-science algorithms analyze reader engagement to decide which works to convert into longer, paid titles on its Galatea app. The company emphasizes algorithmic curation and A/B testing to act as an automated editor rather than relying on humans for selection. Inkitt reports roughly 7 million readers and a community of 300,000 writers, while Galatea has a run rate of over $38 million. The startup is investing in building out its algorithms and technology, hiring, and expanding further into the North American market. It is also exploring additional formats and extensions such as audio, APIs/SDKs for partners, and longer-term multimedia ambitions including film, TV, merchandising and games. Inkitt positions itself as aiming to be a broader multimedia storytelling company where platform data informs content decisions. Inkitt operates a crowdsourced publishing marketplace that connects readers and writers and sources high-performing stories from its user base (1.6 million readers, 110,000 writers, ~350,000 uploaded stories). Its flagship product, Galatea, reformats selected works into short, paragraph-sized "mini-episodes" with immersive effects (sound, haptics, swipe navigation) designed for mobile attention spans. The company reports a Galatea run-rate of $6 million, thousands of daily installs across its apps, and claims examples of strong author economics (one seller, The Millennium Wolves, generated $1 million in sales in its first six months). Inkitt says the average writer on Galatea earns 30–50x more than on Amazon and offers flexible publishing terms that do not lock authors in. Near-term product plans include adding 10 new languages and more data science to improve reader-story matching; longer-term ambitions encompass audio, TV, games, film and other franchise extensions. The company is also discussing partnerships with traditional publishers to bring existing works to its format. Inkitt is a Berlin-based startup that combines an online writing and reading community with a data-driven publishing house. Users post manuscripts and get feedback via forums and a beta readers section where the app has over a million readers. Inkitt analyses reader behaviour and engagement metrics (time spent reading, repeat sessions) to identify manuscripts likely to become best sellers. When metrics indicate a hit, the company offers authors publishing deals covering ebooks, print, audiobooks, movie rights, and merchandise. To date Inkitt has published 24 books, 22 of which became Amazon best sellers, which the company cites as evidence of its predictive model. The company recently raised $3.9M in pre-Series A funding.

Total raised

$116M

Funding rounds

4

Latest round

Series C

Latest activity

Feb 2024