Inside Bindery Books with CEO Matt Kaye (Podcast)

Go behind the scenes with Bindery Books to discover their innovative publishing process, where tastemakers reshape how diverse books are made and sold.

In this week’s episode, we sit down with Matt Kaye, cofounder and CEO of Bindery Books, to explore how his multifaceted career—from traditional publishing to Amazon to Patreon—shaped a bold new model for the book world.

Matt shares how the company identifies and empowers their carefully selected Tastemakers who curate, acquire, and co-develop books, offering listeners a rare, inside look at how these partnerships work from manuscript to marketing. Discover how the company tackles its small business challenges and the heartwarming pride that infuses many of its published works, including a project that’s even captured the attention of celebrities.

In this enlightening conversation, we discuss:

From Publishing to Patreon: Matt Kaye shares his unique publishing background and how he merged the best of all his past work experiences in tech and publishing to inspire Bindery’s distinctive hybrid model that leverages influencers into the role of tastemakers.
The Tastemaker Model: Discover how Bindery curates its diverse lineup of Tastemakers, their roles in involving fans in the publishing process, and the commissions available for each book sale.
A New Author Experience: Matt discusses why writers are thriving under this partnership model, from fairer royalties to hands-on creative collaboration and nimble, audience-first publicity cycles.

Meet Matt Kaye

Matt started his career as a book marketer in publishing (Avalon, Wiley, FSG). After earning a Columbia Business School MBA, he joined the Amazon Books team, where he held several tech roles, including VP of Growth at the seed-stage startup Inkshares, Head of Growth and Engagement at Trulia, and, most recently, Head of Product, Design, and Research at Patreon. Matt now serves as cofounder and CEO of Bindery Books.

BONUS BOOK LIST: Instead of our usual companion list, I’m pointing you directly to Bindery Books this week as a thank you for their participation on today’s show! Browse their catalog of offerings and meet the incredible tastemakers shaping each story.