Microsoft has unveiled 8080 Books, a new publishing imprint aiming to revolutionise the industry with a significantly accelerated production process compared to traditional publishing houses. Named after a seminal Intel microprocessor, the imprint will focus on titles within technology, science, and business, promising a faster route from manuscript to market.
A company statement highlights the imprint's core mission: to expedite the publishing lifecycle, dramatically reducing the time between final manuscript and book release. Microsoft acknowledges the technological advancements across numerous sectors, contrasting this with the comparatively slow pace of traditional book publishing. While acknowledging the potential for the rapid dissemination of less-than-rigorous work, 8080 Books aims to find a balance between speed and quality, ensuring the timely publication of significant ideas and arguments.
The imprint's inaugural publication, *No Prize for Pessimism*, is already available. Authored by Sam Schillace, Microsoft's Deputy Chief Technology Officer, the book explores the importance of optimism in technological product development. A second title, *Platform Mindset*, penned by former Microsoft Technical Fellow and Corporate Vice President, Marcus Fontoura, is scheduled for release later this year.
8080 Books anticipates a significant readership and authorship base encompassing current, former, and future Microsoft employees ("Microsofties"), alongside customers, researchers, and policymakers. However, the imprint also actively seeks to showcase external talent, specifically expressing interest in both emerging and unconventional writers and thinkers. At present, however, unsolicited manuscripts are not being accepted.
Beyond new works, 8080 Books plans to reissue significant, out-of-print books that remain relevant to contemporary audiences. The imprint's initial thematic focus will encompass technology and the future, business process and productivity, and societal priorities within law, ethics, and policy.
The imprint intends to leverage technology to both accelerate and democratise the publishing process. A rigorous editorial process will be implemented, prioritising the rapid identification of meritorious ideas and arguments. This will involve comprehensive manuscript development support, internal and external peer review, and the adherence to stringent standards of style and substance. 8080 Books will cover the costs associated with employing publishing professionals, with any remaining revenue donated to non-profit organisations via Microsoft Philanthropies.
This launch follows the recent announcement of a collaboration between Microsoft and HarperCollins. This agreement involves using selected HarperCollins non-fiction titles, with authors' permission, to train an AI model. This development underscores Microsoftâs significant investment in the intersection of technology and publishing. 8080 Books represents a bold step towards reimagining the publishing landscape, promising a potentially transformative approach to the creation and dissemination of knowledge. Whether it will truly achieve its ambitious goals remains to be seen, but its launch certainly marks a significant development within the publishing world.
