Innovation
Venture Capital in a Decentralized World
Interesting take from @lazerow on how @SuperRare transferred ownership and governance to its community.
Netflix and Video Games
A deep dive on Netflix and Video Games from @ballmatthew: Why does Netflix want to enter gaming (beyond the money)? Why now? Can it succeed? What makes the category so uniquely challenging for the streaming giant?
This is how Facebook’s Project Aria AR glasses work — www.protocol.com
Newly published regulatory documents offer a first close look at Facebook’s research AR glasses prototype, code-named Gemini. #AR
Technology
Microsoft is killing its Office app on Chromebooks
www.engadget.com
Microsoft is pulling support for its Office app for Android on Chrome OS.
Messenger celebrates its 10th anniversary with new features and a plan to become the ‘connective tissue’ for real-time experiences — techcrunch.com
Facebook testing audio and video calls within the Facebook app messaging experience so people can make and receive calls regardless of which app they’re using. Plus birthday gifting via Facebook Pay, contact sharing, poll games, and word effects. #Facebook
TikTok to let users shop through app with Shopify deal
TikTok users will soon be able to buy stuff directly through the short videos on the app — something they had only been able to do through ads until now. Shopify said that businesses will be able to add a shopping tab to their TikTok profiles to create a “mini-storefront” that links directly to their online store for checkout. #ecommerce
Twitter is testing a newsletter subscription button on profile pages
www.theverge.com
Twitter is testing a feature to let writers on its Revue newsletter platform collect subscribers directly from their Twitter profiles. The feature can be enabled by any Revue user starting today, but the subscribe button is only being shown to select users on Android and the web to start.
YouTube Creators Were Paid $30 Billion by Alphabet
www.barrons.com
Alphabet unit YouTube said it has paid $30 billion over the last three years to its creators of content.
As it faces more scrutiny, Apple will reduce App Store fees if publishers provide Apple News content
News publishers in Apple News will be eligible to reduce Apple’s cut of first-year in-app subscriptions from 30% to 15%. #Apple #NewsBusiness
Apple Avoids Another Legal Fight With App Developers
It also will create a $100 million fund to pay them. A judge’s decision in a higher-profile fight with Epic Games, a leading video game maker, is still pending. #Apple
‘More dynamic, loyalty driven communities:’ What comes next for publishers on the blockchain
Some updates for publishing NFT + blockchain initiatives: Time w Cool Cat collectible NFTs, publishers w currency coins
Course Hero Acquires CliffsNotes
Publishing & Media
Macmillan Learning Launches Employee-Created Program to Recruit Diverse Talent — www.publishersweekly.com
A new paid externship program aims to entice students from underrepresented groups to consider a career in educational publishing.
Advance copies of Sally Rooney’s unpublished book sold for hundreds of dollars
www.theguardian.com
Uncorrected proofs of upcoming novels have been selling for large sums on eBay and Depop — despite the practice being banned by publishers
Milkweed Editions Announces Disability-Focused Literary Series
www.publishersweekly.com
Minnesota-based independent publisher Milkweed Editions will launch a series of books centered on neurodivergence and what the publisher calls “different ways of languaging” next year.
Follett Said to Seek Sale
lunch.publishersmarketplace.com
B&N Rides a Wave of Positive Trends
www.publishersweekly.com
Helped by a wave of positive trends, sales of the country’s largest physical bookstore retailer are higher than two years ago.
Vox Buys Online Magazine Punch from Penguin Random House As Companion to Eater
Politico sells to German publishing giant Axel Springer in deal worth about $1 billion
www.cnbc.com
The acquisition grows the publishing group’s portfolio further, adding to its ownership of Insider and Morning Brew.
ESPN Explores Sports-Betting Deal Worth at Least $3 Billion
The sports-media giant has held talks to license its brand to sportsbooks including Caesars Entertainment and DraftKings.
The Pulitzer Board awards a citation and $100K to Afghan journalists at risk
HT @nytimes The Pulitzer Prize board issued a special citation on Friday for Afghan journalists, some of whom worked alongside Western news organizations, and announced a grant of $100,000 to provide emergency relief for the journalists and their families.
Shifting a Newsroom Toward Antiracism
RT @michellemanafy “Shifting a newsroom toward antiracism has less to do with ensuring that individual journalists are not personally racist than it does with interrogating the influence of structural racism on newsroom systems and processes.”
How The New York Times does live coverage, which allows journalists to share the news as they learn it — www.nytimes.com
When readers need information immediately, teams of journalists collaborate to tell a single unfolding story.
Forbes To Become Public Company Through Business Combination With Special Purpose Acquisition Company Magnum Opus
The fall of the SPAC market has digital media companies in disagreement about best path forward
HT @mediagazer Penske Media calls SPACs “an investor fad” as sources say it rejected eight SPAC approaches; Bustle is still pursuing a SPAC deal and Vox is considering one
NBCUniversal Wants to Build New Measurement With Nielsen Under Watch
variety.com
NBCUniversal is looking to build an independent measurement system while Nielsen, the current media arbiter, is under industry scrutiny
Writers notes: the record label remixing novels into music
HT @publishingtrend Fiction has been adapted into popular films and TV for years — but now there is growing interest in bespoke scores for novels
The 100 Best YA Books of All Time
time.com
With a panel of celebrated authors, TIME presents the most compelling, enlightening and influential YA books of all time, dating back to the 1800s
An Unofficial Ranking of Publishing Colophons
Colophons started out as short statements providing a book’s publication info — details like where and who and when. via @lithub
Comic Books Don’t Count As Reading & Other Lies People Tell You — bookriot.com
A school librarian discusses some of the ways his students interact with comics and how he’s seen them grow over the past year.
The Most Translated Books From Every Country in the World — bookriot.com
These maps show the books translated into the most languages from every country in the world, a great way to start reading in translation! Via @bookriot
‘Hot vaxxed summer’ fizzled, but ‘hot books fall’ might work
Resources & Opportunities
Applications Open for Kundiman’s Fall Workshop Sponsored by Penguin Random House — global.penguinrandomhouse.com
Walter Grants for Refugee/Migrant Writers, Muslim Writers, and Trans Writers
RT @writerscenter Did you know @diversebooks has 3 new grants this year? They’re offering grants specifically for #refugee and #migrantwriters, #Muslim writers, and #trans writers. Please share this awesome opportunity! Deadline to apply is August 31st. #WalterGrants
RT @latinxpitch Not Latinx but want to support #LatinxPitch? Join us for our #PrepLatinxPitch event on 9/1, give feedback on pitches & help our participants make their pitches shine. @KIDLIT411 @ChildrensBookAc@diversebooks @PBChat1
An Annual Twitter Pitching Event.
RT @DVpit_ #dvpit is returning!! Please join us October 25 and 26, 8am-8pm et! For more information, visit us at http://dvpit.com
Five Years of Shining a Light on Black Brilliance
HT @jbakernyc It’s the 5th anniversary of the @wellreadblkgirl festival. The annual literary celebration will bring together Black women writers & readers for a full day of panels, workshops, and editor roundtables. Tix are available on a sliding scale, for now. #WRBGFest
RT @LatinxBookBingo We are excited to share that the 4th round of #Latinxbookbingo is taking place from September 15 to October 15th 2021. It’s being hosted by Sofia @sofiainbookland and Paola @Guerrerawrand the goal is to read books written by Latinx authors in celebration of Latinx Heritage Month
FirstBook 2021–2022 Culture, Diversity, & Inclusion Calendar for Teachers
MT @FirstBook Introducing our new 2021–2022 Culture, Diversity, & Inclusion Calendar! Each month, find a suggested day to celebrate, recommended resources, activity suggestions, and more.
Romance for Haiti Auction — www.32auctions.com
Books/Galleys for Hospital
RT @RJ_Raskin Publishing friends, the hospital I volunteer at has a little library and we bring books to patients. We’re always running low. If anyone has any books or galleys they’re trying to get rid of and they’d like to donate them to the hospital, let me know!
CNN is hiring 200 journalists for CNN+. Here’s what the network is looking for.
www.poynter.org
The hiring surge for CNN’s new streaming subscription service is the largest since CNN began in 1980.
NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre
HT @JulieBlattberg MT @MadeinNY We invite NYC storytellers to apply for #NYCWomensFund for the opportunity to bring their films, docs, TV shows, music projects, and theater productions by, for, or about women to life on screen and stage.
Udacity Announces the STEM Forward with Women Virtual Conference— www.udacity.com
Join us for the free, 100% virtual conference on Sep 23, 2021 from 9 am — 12:30 pm (PT)/ 12:00 pm — 3:30 pm (ET).
Free WMG event 9/15 12pm ET: How to Use Influencer Marketing to Drive Awareness & Sales
During this FREE 1-hour webinar, you’ll learn:
- How to effectively leverage influencers to drive impact for your brand/business.
- A how-to guide to ensure influencer marketing campaign success.
- How to Measure Campaign Success & deliver ROI.
@WMG_NYC @shespeaking #marketing #media #InfluencerMarketing