• Insights
    • Exclusive Insights
    • Podcast
    • Articles
      • Advertising & Sales
      • Audience Development
      • Content Strategy
      • Digital Analytics
      • Digital Publishing
      • Monetization
      • SEO
      • Social Media
      • Technology
    • Top Tools & Reviews
    • Features
  • Education
    • Publisher SEO Course
  • Solutions
    • SEO for Publishers
    • Content Strategy Services
    • Brand Partner Solutions
  • Community
    • Slack Channel
    • Office Hours
    • Newsletter
  • About
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Editorial Policy
sodp logo
Search
Close this search box.
    SODP logo
    Login
    • Insights
      • Exclusive Insights
      • Podcast
      • Articles
        • Advertising & Sales
        • Audience Development
        • Content Strategy
        • Digital Analytics
        • Digital Publishing
        • Monetization
        • SEO
        • Social Media
        • Technology
      • Top Tools & Reviews
      • Features
        • Podcasts
        • Articles
        • Top Tools & Reviews
        • Features
        • Opinion
        • Advertising & Sales
        • Audience Development
        • Content Strategy
        • Digital Analytics
        • Digital Publishing
        • Insights
        • Monetization
        • SEO
        • Social Media
        • Technology
    • Education
      • Publisher SEO Course
        • Publisher SEO Course New
    • Solutions
      • SEO for Publishers
      • Content Strategy Services
      • Brand Partner Solutions
        • SEO For Publishers
        • Content Strategy Support
        • Brand Partner Solutions
    • Community
      • Slack Channel
      • Office Hours
      • Newsletter
        • Slack Channel
        • Office Hours
        • Newsletter
    • About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Editorial Policy
        • About Us
        • Contact Us
        • Editorial Policy
    placeholder
    State of Digital Publishing Logo
    Home ▸ Features ▸ Jason Sizemore – Apex Publications

    Jason Sizemore – Apex Publications

    • Vahe Arabian Vahe Arabian
    October 30, 2017
    Fact checked by Vahe Arabian
    Vahe Arabian

    Founder and Editor in Chief of State of Digital Publishing. My vision is to provide digital publishing and media professionals a platform to collaborate and promote their efforts, my passion is to uncover talent and… Read more

    Edited by Vahe Arabian
    Vahe Arabian

    Founder and Editor in Chief of State of Digital Publishing. My vision is to provide digital publishing and media professionals a platform to collaborate and promote their efforts, my passion is to uncover talent and…Read more

    Bookmark (0)

    Please login to bookmark

    Jason Sizemore
    Vahe Arabian

    Founder and Editor in Chief of State of Digital Publishing. My vision is to provide digital publishing and media professionals a platform to collaborate and...Read more

    Raised in the Appalachian hills of southeastern Kentucky, Jason Sizemore is a three-time Hugo Award-nominated editor, a writer, and operates the science fiction, fantasy, and horror press Apex Publications. He is the author of the collection of dark science fiction and horror shorts Irredeemable and the tell-all creative nonfiction For Exposure: The Life and Times of a Small Press Publisher. He currently lives in Lexington, KY. For more information visit ApexBookCompany.com.

     

    WHAT LED YOU TO START WORKING IN DIGITAL/MEDIA PUBLISHING?

    Apex Publications actually started as a print-only quarterly periodical (named Apex Science Fiction & Horror Digest) with major distribution via Ingram. After a few years, I grew disillusioned with the traditional distribution system and decided to move the zine to online only (under the name Apex Magazine).

    This occurred right as the eBook revolution hit the publishing business, meaning our timing was spot on. The digital side of Apex (we now do books along with the zine) brings in nearly 75% of our annual revenue.

     

    WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?

    I imagine it’s quite boring. I work from home, so my day is filled with a mix of Apex work, household chores, and entertaining Pumpkin the Cat.

    In general, email begins my work day. It’s an hourlong ordeal. I do the accounting books. Then I meet with my two editors via online messaging to set the day’s direction. I check to make sure nothing has blown up on social media.

    After all that, I finally do the fun stuff like editing and publishing!

     

    WHAT’S YOUR WORK SETUP LOOK LIKE?

    My team uses a combination of Google Talk and Slack for group communication. Dropbox and Google Drive for business documents.

    I spend my day with my nose in Photoshop, InDesign, Excel, WordPress, Vellum, and Firefox.

     

    WHAT DO YOU DO OR GO TO GET INSPIRED?

    Being a publisher, it should come as no surprise that I read when I need to open the creative well.

    When I need to turn it all off, I play horror-flavored video games such as Outlast, Resident Evil, and Dead Space.

     

    WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PIECE OF WRITING OR QUOTE?

    “Ours is not to reason why. Our is just to do and die.” — Alfred Lord Tennyson

     

    WHAT IS THE PASSIONATE PROBLEM YOU ARE TACKLING AT THE MOMENT?

    Growing pains! The company has doubled in size in the past year, and I’m finding that scaling our resources is a challenge both financially and logistically. It’s a nice problem, for sure.

     

    IS THERE A PRODUCT, SOLUTION, OR TOOL THAT YOU THINK IS A GOOD MATCH FOR YOUR DIGITAL PUBLISHING EFFORTS?

    Vellum has saved the company an incredible amount of time by simplifying the process of creating eBooks. For fiction, our primary product, Vellum is perfect.

     

    ANY ADVICE FOR AMBITIOUS DIGITAL PUBLISHING AND MEDIA PROFESSIONALS JUST STARTING OUT?

    Too many of them don’t have a basic grasp of business management principles. You’ll need to know basic accounting, business law, and copyright law.

    You also need to have an understanding of social media culture. It’s a great medium for digital publishers to use, but it is a minefield if you’re not careful and considerate.

    Related Posts

    • Jason Falls
      Jason Falls
    • Medium Grows With The New Publication
      Medium Grows With New Publications And Content
    • Jason black
      Jason Black
    • Jason Bade Coverart
      The State of Digital Publishing CRM With Jason Bade - S2 EP 12

    Subscribe to receive a recap of our top stories in digital media.

    SODP logo

    State of Digital Publishing is creating a new publication and community for digital media and publishing professionals, in new media and technology.

    • About us
    • Contact us
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy policy
    • Sitemap
    • Newsletter
    • Publisher SEO course
    • Become a member
    • Slack community
    • SEO for publishers
    • Content strategy support
    • Partner with us
    • Podcast
    • SEO Office Hours
    • Editorial Office Hours
    Facebook Twitter Slack Linkedin

    STATE OF DIGITAL PUBLISHING – COPYRIGHT 2023

    PUBLISHERS, THESE 20+ TOOLS WILL SUPERCHARGE YOUR GROWTH

    Subscribe to our newsletter and receive the ultimate list of smart technologies and free resources to boost your publisher SEO and content efforts.

    Join 3,000+ publishers around the world and get exclusive tips and resources delivered to your inbox.

    Being a part of the SODP Community has made a real impact on my problem-solving at work. From bouncing off paywalls solution ideas to thinking about an SEO strategy for my paywall, it’s the most value-adding professional community I’m a part of.

    Yvette Dimiri, Head of Growth, Stears

    PUBLISHERS, THESE 20+ TOOLS WILL SUPERCHARGE YOUR GROWTH

    Subscribe to our newsletter and receive the ultimate list of smart technologies and free resources to boost your publisher SEO and content efforts.

    Join 3,000+ publishers around the world and get exclusive tips and resources delivered to your inbox.

    Being a part of the SODP Community has made a real impact on my problem-solving at work. From bouncing off paywalls solution ideas to thinking about an SEO strategy for my paywall, it’s the most value-adding professional community I’m a part of.

    Yvette Dimiri, Head of Growth, Stears