Technology • Innovation • Publishing — Issue #197
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Innovation
The Web3 Movement’s Quest to Build a ‘Can’t Be Evil’ Internet
The new movement wants to free us from Big Tech and exploitative capitalism — using only the blockchain, game theory, and code. What could possibly go wrong?
Technology
Beyond the Metaverse, NFT Art is Physically Coming to Life in the Real World — www.coindesk.com
At a bright two floor physical exhibition at a gallery in Soho New York, SuperRare is bringing NFTs into the real world. Across town at the Frieze Art Fair, NFT pioneer Kevin McCoy shares what it took for digital-native artists to play in the traditional art market and his outlook for the future of the metaverse. Doreen Wang reports. #NFTs
How BuzzFeed Found Success in Livestream Shopping
TikTok to launch LIVE creator subscriptions this week — TechCrunch
TikTok LIVE subscriptions is a new program that allows creators to generate recurring revenue via payments from their top fans. It offers subscribers a range of perks including subscriber-only chat, custom emotes, badges and more.
Mark Zuckerberg Is Blowing Up Instagram to Try and Catch TikTok
The CEO of Meta Platforms needs Reels — his short-form video feature — to fund his metaverse.
Google’s Ad-Tech Stack Faces Antitrust Scrutiny From All Sides
Pinterest acquires AI-powered shopping startup The Yes, co-founded by former Stitch Fix exec
Shutterstock Continues Acquisition Spree with Splash News Deal
Walmart expands its drone-delivery service to reach 4 million households
www.cnbc.com
The big-box retailer has been testing how drone deliveries could drive e-commerce growth and turn stores into a way to outmatch Amazon on speed.
Amazon Aims to Sublet, End Warehouse Leases as Online Sales Cool
Amazon, stuck with too much warehouse capacity now that the surge in pandemic-era shopping has faded, is looking to sublet at least 10 million square feet of space
Amazon’s Plan to Take the Kindle Off the Chinese Market
“We remain committed to our customers in China,” an Amazon spokesperson says, although Kindle sales will end June 30, 2023, and apps will stop downloading a year later.
Publishing & Media
How Amazon surrendered in its war on bookshops
www.newstatesman.com
The e-commerce giant has increased its prices, while the number of independent booksellers continues to rise.
How to Track & Monitor Your Amazon Product Page: 9 Things We Learned from Tracking 150k Books for 3 Years on Amazon
HT @victoriastrauss There are things here to help publishers and self-publishers, incl. info on how sales rank correlates to units sold. 45% of Amazon book sales go to third-party sellers.
AP Stylebook adds inclusive storytelling chapter with updates on covering race, gender, sexual orientation and more
RT @michellemanafy AP Stylebook updates include a new chapter on inclusive storytelling, which includes updates on covering disabilities; race; gender, sex and sexual orientation; and religion. The chapter also provides advice on overcoming biases
Authors Guild Applauds Passage of New York’s Freelance Isn’t Free Act — The Authors Guild — www.authorsguild.org
The Authors Guild applauds the passage of the Freelance Isn’t Free Act (S8369/A9368) in New York State. This legislation provides essential protections for all freelance workers across the state, including authors, freelance writers, and journalists, as well as any freelancer who works with an entity based in New York.
The War’s Toll on Ukrainian Publishers
Detention of Publisher, Bookseller in Belarus
The International Publishers Association, the Federation of European Publishers and the European and International Booksellers Federation have strongly condemned the detention of Belarussian publisher and bookseller Andrey Yanushkevich and his associate Nasta Karnatska for selling copies of George Orwell’s 1984. They were reportedly detained after they opened a general bookstore in Minsk and continued to sell copies of the novel, which was banned, along with other publications, on May 19.
Readmagine 2022: Publishing Faces Its Future in Madrid
www.publishersweekly.com
The Readmagine publishing conference in Madrid discussed several dynamic issues facing the industry, from the challenge of increasing inclusivity to reducing the book business’s environmental impact and more.
EPUB 3.3 is here! — epubsecrets.com
HT @LauraB7 EPUB 3.3 is an update to the EPUB specification. Find out here what that means for your development work by @wendy_a_reid.
U.S. Copyright Office Announces Study to Evaluate the Current Electronic Deposit and Best Edition Rules
HT @paulkbiba
Book banning in the US: These are the authors of color who censors are trying to silence — www.cnn.com
RT @PENamerica “Authors of color say they’re writing books they wish they’d had growing up.” Those stories are being banned, challenged, and removed from classrooms and libraries across the country.
Kid Lit Authors Send Letter to Congress to Speak Out Against Book Banning
www.slj.com
The letter, signed by 1,300 children’s and YA authors and read into the record at a congressional hearing, spoke of the harm to kids from book censorship.
Virginia Legal Action Threatens the Freedom to Read: Coalition Statement
RT @ncacensorship This legal action could profoundly limit the availability of books in Virginia. Prohibiting the sale of books cannot be tolerated under the First Amendment.
SLJ Controversial Books Survey 2022
RT @sljournal School librarians: Please take a few minutes to fill out our anonymous controversial books and collection development survey.
Amid Uvalde’s Heartbreak, Authors Gather to Support Teachers — www.publishersweekly.com
Reeling from the mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Tex., literacy specialist Kylene Beers emailed four friends to help process the devastating situation, and they swiftly coordinated a free panel in support of heartbroken teachers.
Anti-Racism Booklist + Book Drive for Buffalo, NY
RT @Dolen A Buffalo, NY survivor and his mother have started this anti-racism booklist and book drive for kids. You can even donate if you’d like. Love this. Shout-out to Zawadi Books and Alice, Ever After Books.
What is a “Classic?” Educator’s Guide Now Available
penguinrandomhousesecondaryeducation.com
MT @PRHSecondaryEd NOW AVAILABLE from @PenguinClassics and @DisruptTexts: the “What is a ‘Classic?’“ educator’s guide written by @triciaebarvia and @juliaerin80. The guide explores the implications when a text is bestowed the label of “classic.” #teamPRH
For 50 years, Alexander’s been having terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days — www.npr.org
Judith Viorst’s best-selling kids’ book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day was published 50 years ago. At 91, Viorst reflects on the book’s legacy with the real Alexander.
The Freadom Festival, a book festival focused on Black literature, will make its debut in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday, June 18.
A literary celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s record-breaking reign — www.bbc.co.uk
Discover 70 novels from the Commonwealth written during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. There are discussion guides for reading groups available for each of the seven decades.
PEN Presents: a new program to support sample translations
MT @englishpen We’re thrilled to announce PEN Presents, a programme to support sample translations following research into underrepresentation in translated literature. #PENPresents will fund the work of translating samples & promote new translations to publishers.
Gardners owner Little Group buys Baker & Taylor UK
www.thebookseller.com
The Little Group, the parent company of global wholesaler Gardners alongside firms including Browns Books and the Hive website, has bought wholesaler Baker & Taylor UK for an undisclosed sum.
Baseball Team Opens ‘World’s Smallest Bookstore’
The Return of (Some) Comics Festivals — www.publishersweekly.com
Small independent comics conventions are beginning to return to in-person events after being on hold for two years. But many of these much-loved shows may not be able to return.
How Does That Work Exactly? Adapting Comics to Audiobooks: A Talk with Nick Martorelli — afuse8production.slj.com
How on earth do you turn a graphic novel into an audiobook? We sit down with Penguin Random House Audio’s executive producer Nick Martorelli to get to the bottom of this tricky conundrum. #teamPRH
PRH UK donates entire audiobook library to charity Calibre Audio
Penguin Random House UK has donated its entire audio back catalogue to Calibre Audio, a charity providing a free-for-life audiobook service to anyone who has a disability that makes reading print difficult. #teamPRH
A new Latino media group is buying up — and shaking up — Spanish-language radio
MT @sabrod123 This is big news. “Univision is selling many of its Spanish-language radio stations — including Miami’s ultraconservative Radio Mambi — to a group led by Democrats.” Stations are located in 10 of biggest Latino markets including: Miami, NY, LA, Chicago.
What journalists need to know about product thinking in 2022
HT @michellemanafy The user experience of your digital services and platforms matters if you want readers to stick around. Learn how to build audience feedback into your news products
Announcing Leap, ICFJ’s news innovation lab
MT @michellemanafy ICFJ has developed Leap, an innovation lab to give newsrooms across the world the space to explore challenges. @ICFJ wants ease the risk and costs that inhibit innovation, especially for small and mid-sized independent news organizations.
Vox Media is working on identifying the titles, newsletters and franchises that are primed for the addition of shopping content. — digiday.com
Online Publishers’ Affiliate Revenues Are Flagging
This is due to declining traffic, dwindling consumer purchasing power, 2 key changes to the Google algorithm, and supply-chain kinks
Forbes, Chronicler of Wealthy and Powerful, Will Scrap Plan to Go Public via SPAC
www.nytimes.com
The century-old business magazine had aimed to go public through a blank-check company based in Hong Kong but changed course after the market flipped.
Creem magazine, Detroit-born rock bible, makes big return with digital archive, print edition — www.freep.com
More than three decades after the demise of the cheeky, Detroit-bred rock publication, Creem is back with an ambitious print and digital effort.
Crooked Media Brews More Than Just Podcasts With New Branded Coffee Line — www.adweek.com
The roasts are based on its most popular series, What a Day. #BrandExtensions
Resources & Opportunities
Are you an entrepreneur, intrepreneur, or dream of starting a biz? Sign up for this virtual event on 6/8 1pm ET to hear Success Stories to Grow Your Biz & Make $$$. Free for @WMG_NYC members, $15 for non-members. With powerhouse women: @NOWaccountLara, @LorinePendleton, @cabotventures, and Terrez Thompson
Women’s Media Group Scholarship Committee 101 with Nevin Mays
RT @WMG_NYC Curious about our scholarship, fellowship, & mentorship programs? Join WMG Scholars Committee Chair Nevin Mays on 6/13 to learn about our diverse initiatives to support the future female media leaders — and join a discussion of what we might do next!
Pride Month | The New York Public Library
RT @nypl Celebrate #PrideMonth with NYPL! Explore book recommendations, free events, and more.
The Bronx Book Festival 2022 Free 6/9–6/12
MT @bronxisreading The 5th Annual Bronx Book Festival is fast approaching and we cannot wait to see you all there! Check to see some of the amazing keynote speakers who will be in attendance, and click the link to RSVP and see the full festival line up!
Freedom Dreams: Free Juneteenth-Inspired Professional Learning for NYC Educators
MT @PRHSecondaryEd Thursday, 6/9 from 9am to 3pm ET @nhannahjones, the creator of The 1619 Project, will be at the @SchomburgCenter for Chancellor’s Day. The event is meant to share resources to support teaching inspired by the Juneteenth Holiday. #teamPRH
Crush your 2022 reading goals with Read Receipts
MT @penguinrandom Sign up for #ReadReceipts to receive text reminders to get back into reading. #teamPRH
Free Computation + Journalism Conference
MT @datajournalism Here’s another great event to keep an eye on. The @BrownInstitute is hosting the Computation+Journalism 2022 Conference from June 9–11. Check out the program and meet with top journalists and researchers. #datajournalism
Apprenticeship — Feminist Press — www.feministpress.org
MT @FeministPress Looking for a fall gig where you can learn more about feminist publishing? We’re currently hiring for our remote + paid apprenticeship program! Deadline to apply is July 1.
Authors Council | Everytown Support Fund
Hey publishing peeps: Did you know that @Everytown has an Everytown Authors Council, which is open to authors, illustrators, editors, agents, + others in the literary community? If you’re interested, DM me and let me know your preferred email address and I’ll put you in contact w the Authors Council. Thanks!!
PEN America, the Online News Association, and the International Women’s Media Foundation have teamed up to create step-by-step videos and hands-on workshops to help you defend yourself against online abuse.
RT @farai Looking to learn how to defend yourself from hacking & doxing online? This June & July, grab your phones & laptops and sign up for #DigitalSafetySnacks, a series of bite-sized hands-on videos & workshops from @ONA, @IWMF, & @PENamerica!
LitUp Fellowship w Reese’s Book Club Deadline Extended
MT @diversebooks Good news, writers! The deadline for the #LitUp Fellowship with @ReesesBookClub has been extended to June 30! If selected, you’ll participate in an all-expenses paid writers retreat and workshop your manuscript with bestselling authors.
#PITBLK Publishing Professional Support
MT @_Pitch_Blaque Authors/agents/editors! We are busy sliding into DMs and Inboxes to ask for your support in helping us amplify Black writers with #PitBLK. If we haven’t gotten to you yet & you want to engage, please complete our industry professional Google form.
COVID & Flu Trends in your area
MT @MarkLevineNYC There’s unfortunately still no way to officially report the results of your covid home tests in NYC. But now you can report results and symptoms (for flu too) and see trends in your area, at http://outbreaksnearme.org. Crowdsourcing project by epidemiologists at @BostonChildrens.
PSA for anyone w a Canon printer that suddenly won’t stay on:
1) Turn off your router,
2) change the DNS setup manually to 000–000–000–001.
All fixed, you can turn your router back on.
