Matthew Lynn: Journalist and Author Turned Publishing Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurship and Leadership

In this podcast, Matthew talks about his late entry into entrepreneurship, taking advantage of opportunities that emerged as Kindle offered a new way to distribute books. In his career as a journalist with well known business publications he enjoyed talking to entrepreneurs, even having his editor turn down his pitch to interview Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Starting a business was something he had always been open to, but journalism came first until quite late in life. He shares how his initial idea of publishing short-form books from well-known authors pivoted into the bigger opportunity of publishing back catalogues. Matthew describes how and why larger publishers missed the boat due to conservative pricing and a feeling that ebooks might just "go away." He discusses the importance of a "problem-solving mindset," persistence, and being ready to hustle. We learn what being a fiction author has in common with being an entrepreneur, and how crucial it is to handle and manage rejection. Matthew also delves into his path to an exit, the loyalty he felt to his authors and staff, and the challenges of management and leadership. He particularly highlights the learning process of dealing with the fact that the founder is often more motivated than the people they hire.

Links relevant to the interview.

Matthew’s books Death Force series

Lume Books

Joffe Books - acquired by Lume Books

Matthew’s Bio

• Daily Telegraph - columnist - 2013-2024
• Money Week - columnist - 2008-2024
• Bloomberg - columnist - 1999-2012
• The Sunday Times - Reporter and columnist - 1992-2000
• Business magazine - reported - 1988-1991
• Asiaweek, Hong Kong - 1986-1988
• Financial Adviser magazine - 1985-1986
• Founder - Lume Books - 2013- 2023

Author

• Death Force - Hodder Headline - 2010
• Fireforce - Hodder Headline - 2011
• Shadow Force - Hodder Headline - 2012
• Ice Force - Hodder Headline - 2013
• Insecurity - Random House - 1997
• The Watchmen - Random House - 1999

Education:

• Balliol College, Oxford. Politics, Philosophy & Economics.

Richard Lucas’s TEDx talk on Opportunity Readiness and on Why everyone should embrace rejection

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