There are thousands of publishers creating valuable content on the open web. They're producing original insights, covering important topics, and building strong followings. But many don't participate in the formal publishing economy where major publishing houses have direct relationships with tech platforms and research libraries.
How does this great content actually reach professional researchers and AI platforms? How do independent voices get into the professional information environments where established publishers already have a presence?
This is the voice gap. And it's exactly the problem Newstex was built to solve.
We represent those content creators. We facilitate communication between the tech platforms that wish to license content and the independent publishers who create it.
Why independent publishers get left out
The reality is straightforward. Many independent creators don't have access to tech companies. They may not even know who to talk to in order to get their content placed in AI applications or professional research platforms.
On one side, you have major publishing houses with established relationships. On the other, big tech platforms and research libraries. In between, there are many, many more voices that readers and researchers are actually interested in. Independent publishers are producing content with diverse perspectives that traditional sources aren't covering, but that content doesn't always make its way into the systems where it could have the most impact.
That's where an organization like Newstex is necessary. We represent those content creators. We facilitate communication between the tech platforms that wish to license content and the independent publishers who create it.
Working as a network node
I think of what Newstex does as operating within a network. We make it possible to connect two sides of the marketplace. We're a node that specifically connects open web content to AI platforms and professional research environments.
There are other nodes in this network too. Some connect printed works to AI-based applications. But our focus is on independent publishers on the open web, the voices that exist outside the traditional publishing structure.
The challenge is this: There are many wonderful sources of insight, news, and commentary on the open web. The question is whether that content is reaching the right people. Yes, there are search engines. But there are also other research environments that are more controlled, more curated. Those are the places where professionals go to find reliable, relevant information. And that's where independent publishers should be represented.
So as an independent creator, your content may appear alongside the New York Times in someone's search results. Because the content you're producing is also relevant and valuable, and maybe it provides a different perspective that traditional sources aren't covering.
The concrete process
Here's how it actually works. We take content that has been published on a website, typically via an RSS feed. An RSS feed is like a special URL that provides access strictly to the content on a website, without the advertising or other elements around it.
We're focused on finding the best quality content and diverse voices covering topics in business and technology. We curate for independent publishers who are publishing on the open web and probably have their own strong following, but who haven't made their way into these professional platforms.
Once we identify quality sources, we standardize the content into consistent formats and deliver it into professional research libraries. For example, we place content in London Stock Exchange Group's Workplace platform, which is a research tool for people trading stocks. We also work with ProQuest and Cengage Gale to serve academic markets. These platforms are focused on content from established, well-known publishing houses, but they also want to include diverse perspectives being published online. They just don't know where to look.
That's what Newstex does. We're out there curating these open web sources, standardizing the content, and delivering it into these platforms. So as an independent creator, your content may appear alongside the New York Times in someone's search results. Because the content you're producing is also relevant and valuable, and maybe it provides a different perspective that traditional sources aren't covering.
At the end of the day, we're trying to bring more diversity and healthy perspectives into the information environment
Flexible participation and real benefits
We've designed our approach to be flexible. Publishers can choose their level of participation. If you're not interested in everything we offer, you can calibrate and customize your agreement. And you can change it over time as your situation evolves.
Beyond compensation, we push for supplemental benefits too, like data sharing. We work to get usage data from AI applications about what type of content was used and where. This helps content creators get a sense of what seems to be working, what doesn't, and what kind of content might be desirable in the future. It's a sharing of not just economic benefits, but also insights that help shape a publisher's future editorial goals.
Publishers can choose their level of participation. If you're not interested in everything we offer, you can calibrate and customize your agreement.
Why this matters
At the end of the day, we're trying to bring more diversity and healthy perspectives into the information environment. People actually read this content, and it should be more widely circulated. That's the impact we're working to make.
If you're an independent publisher creating quality content, or if you're a platform looking to include original sources and to strengthen your content offering, reach out to us. It's all about the connections we make.
Michael Ellis is President of Newstex.
About the author,
Michael Ellis
