Technology • Innovation • Publishing — Issue #145

automates a growing array of coding tasks, from auto-completing segments of code & fine-tuning algorithms to searching source code & locating bugs #AI

Thanks to Merriam-Webster, you can now own the NFT of the definition of “NFT” — www.multivu.com 
Merriam-Webster today announced it is auctioning the NFT (non-fungible token) of its definition of “NFT.”

CryptoPunks NFTs sell at Christie’s for $16.9 million — www.theverge.com

Nine CryptoPunks from Larva Labs sold at a Christie’s auction. It’s among the largest NFT purchases to date. CryptoPunks are among the earliest NFTs, consisting of 10,000 algorithmically generated pixel-art portraits. via @Verge #NFTs

NFT Platform Bitski Levels Up With $19 Million Investment From Serena Williams And Jay-Z — www.forbes.com 
Sports, hip-hop and digital art have collided with Jay-Z and Serena WIlliams investing in Bitski, an NFT marketplace that aims to simplify creating, buying, and selling non-fungible tokens. With NFT sales up 55% since 2020 from $250 million to $389 million, just how lucrative is the industry?

Walmart announces plans to purchase virtual fitting room company Zeekit — www.zdnet.com 
The Israeli company has created a virtual fitting room platform designed to make shopping easier.

Amazon blocked 10 billion listings in counterfeit crackdown — apnews.com

RT @petermccarthy Scale and ML. #Amazon blocked 10 billion listings in counterfeit crackdown.

New AI ‘Deep Nostalgia’ brings old photos, including very old ones, to life — www.theverge.com

ICYMI HT @neilperkin Deep Nostalgia can take photos from any camera and create a life-like animation. The AI program uses pre-recorded driver videos of facial movements and applies the one that works best for the still photo in question, so you can take photos of deceased loved ones and see them in “action.” #AI

Springer Nature advances its machine-generated tools and offers new book format (AI-based lit overview)

www.eurekalert.org

HT @BISG #AI

Technology

AT&T in talks with Discovery to combine media assets to better compete with entertainment giants like Disney and Netflix

www.axios.com

MT @sarafischer

— Both have new general entertainment streaming services, neither are massive

— Both have sports assets, Discovery’s mostly abroad and ATT’s in the US

— ATT has a news network and a movie studio

Biden signs executive order to strengthen US cyber security

www.ft.com

MT @DCNorg Move comes after several high-profile hacks, including attack on crucial fuel pipeline

Can Apple change ads? — www.ben-evans.com

RT @benedictevans Apple won and then lost music, failed TV, won games massively, and makes $25bn a year in rent from iOS. Now it’s looking at advertising — so can it do to that what it did to music?

Amazon launches miniTV, an ad-supported free video streaming service that is available within the Amazon shopping app in India

techcrunch.com

Amazon Shipping

ship.amazon.co.uk

MT @benedictevans Somehow I had no idea that Amazon was now doing deliveries for other websites where the consumer and product never touched Amazon.

Twitter Blue Subscription Service has Undo Send, Collections

twitter.com

MT @wongmjane Twitter is calling their upcoming Subscription Service “Twitter Blue,” priced at $2.99/month for now, including paid features like undo tweets, collections.

Facebook takes on Nextdoor with Neighborhoods tool — www.cnet.com

The social network is testing the feature in Canada and four US cities first. #Facebook

Instagram will let people list their pronouns on their profiles — www.theverge.com 
Instagram is allowing users in a few countries to define their pronouns on their profiles. This can be publicly accessible or made only available to people who follow them.

Clubhouse will make its Android app available worldwide in a week — www.engadget.com 
Clubhouse now expects its Android app to be available worldwide within a week after limiting it to US beta testers.

Attorneys general from over 40 states urge Facebook to cancel plans for Instagram for kids — www.cbsnews.com 
Attorneys general from 44 states and territories are calling on Facebook to abandon its plans to create a version of Instagram for children under 13.

Inside NBCU’s Bid to Become a Shopping Powerhouse — wwd.com

Comcast Readies Shopping Powerhouse — NBCUniversal aims to turn passive viewers into active shoppers with its newly unveiled One Platform Commerce initiative. #ecommerce

Pinterest to test livestreamed events this month with 21 creators — techcrunch.com

Pinterest is expanding into live events. The company is planning to host a three-day virtual event that will feature livestreamed sessions from top creators, including big names like Jonathan Van Ness and Rebecca Minkoff, among others. The virtual event will run inside the Pinterest app from May 24th through May 26th.

Publishing’s Problem is not a Tech Problem

thefutureofpublishing.com

Via @ThadMcIlroy

Media & Publishing

YouTube Will Spend $100 Million To Lure Away Influencers From TikTok

www.forbes.com

HT @chrisbrogan YouTube will pay out the cash over 2021 and 2022 to creators who publish Shorts, its answer to TikTok.

BuzzFeed in Talks to Acquire Complex Networks

www.theinformation.com

Digital media companies pump the brakes on their rush to go public as SPAC market cools

www.cnbc.com

ICYMI Vice, Bustle Hit the Brakes on Drive to Go Public — BuzzFeed may be the only significant digital media company to go public with a SPAC partner this year, executives said. #MediaBiz

Bustle Digital Group formally rebrands as BDG ahead of anticipated IPO

www.axios.com

(In a curious contradiction to the above story.) The new logo and name will roll out Tuesday.

Vice Media joins streaming gold rush in new bid for profitability

www.ft.com

Vice Media has launched a free online channel on Roku in the US, describing itself as “a gigantic TV production company.”

Funny or Die Sold to Momento Latino Founder

www.hollywoodreporter.com

MT @michellemanafy Designer, philanthropist and former Democratic National Committee finance chair Henry R. Muñoz III has acquired Funny or Die. Via @thr

U.K. Arms of Condé Nast, Hearst Plan Hundreds of Layoffs in Post-COVID-19 Restructure

wwd.com 
The U.K. arms of Condé Nast and Hearst are tightening operations, and thinking more globally, with hundreds of jobs said to be at risk.

Hearst has sold the US edition of Marie Claire to the British publisher Future, the publisher of the magazine’s UK edition — www.nytimes.com

ICYMI #magazines

Why Hearst’s digital-native food brand Delish is getting into print — digiday.com

After creating cookbooks and bookazines, Delish will launch a quarterly print magazine to build out its membership offering.

Meredith Debuts ‘Paw Print,’ Print Magazine For Pet Owners

www.mediapost.com

Here’s how Bloomberg Media plans to turn a popular podcast into paying subscribers

www.niemanlab.org

Bloomberg has launched a suite of subscriber-only content — including a weekly newsletter and daily blog — aimed at the three-quarters of Odd Lots listeners who are not yet subscribed. #Podcast

IAB: Podcast Advertising To Surpass $1B This Year

www.mediapost.com

via @IAB @KLmarketdaily

Spotify acquires exclusive rights to Dax Shepard’s podcast “Armchair Expert”

www.axios.com 
It’s the latest in a long line of exclusive podcast deals Spotify has inked to bolster its podcast ambitions.

Slate is selling audiobooks that you can listen to through your podcast app — www.theverge.com 
Slate is selling audiobooks that can be enjoyed through various podcasting apps. The company is partnering with Penguin-Random House, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, and Hachette to sell the books.

HarperCollins Completes Purchase of HMH Trade 
The second largest trade publisher in the U.S. has completed its acquisition of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media, for $349 million.

Kakao Buys Radish Fiction App, Tapas Storytelling App for $950 Million

variety.com 
South Korea’s Kakao Entertainment is buying fiction app Radish for $440 million and short-form media firm Tapas for $510 million.

Elliott Buys Paper Source Out of Bankruptcy, to be Run by BN CEO James Daunt

lunch.publishersmarketplace.com

Elliott Investment Management announced an agreement to acquire the assets and operations of bankrupt stationery retailer Paper Source for approximately $91.5 million…. Elliott says in the announcement that Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt will have oversight over Paper Source as well. They say Paper Source and BN “are highly complementary, with shared product ranges and a common commitment to excellent customer service. While the businesses will continue to operate independently, considerable opportunities exist for mutually beneficial retail partnerships.”

RBmedia Acquires McGraw Hill Professional Audiobook Publishing Business

rbmediaglobal.com

RBmedia to also publish new McGraw Hill business audiobook titles as part of an exclusive, long-term agreement.

The Rise of Virtual Foreign Author Tours

www.publishersweekly.com 
The shift to virtual author events during the pandemic has prompted booksellers and publishers to put together events for overseas authors who would not traditionally tour the U.S.

These Amazon Category Hacks Will Boost Your Book Sales

davidgaughran.com

HT @inkbitspixels via @DavidGaughran #Amazon #BookMarketing

17 Instagram Book Promotion Ideas from Publishers

insights.bookbub.com

HT @inkbitspixels #Instagram #BookMarketing

Pandemic Survey Finds NYC Writers, Lit Organizations Face Economic Loss  
A new survey examining the impact of the pandemic on New York City’s literary community found that 75% of the city’s literary organizations reported some financial loss over the last year, with some organizations reporting losses as high as $100,000.

Carmen Maria Machado: Banning My Book Won’t Protect Your Child — www.nytimes.com

You can’t recognize what you’ve never been taught to see….My memoir could teach teenagers how to exit an abusive relationship. So why don’t some parents want their children to read it?

The LeVar Burton Book Club is launching with three great picks — ew.com 
Former Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton tells EW about his new book club and his journey as a lover of literature.

Stacey Abrams’ New Novel While Justice Sleeps Set to be Adapted for TV Series — thegrapevine.theroot.com

#teamPRH

The Obsessive Scholar Who Rescued Iceland’s Ancient Literary Legacy— lithub.com

Staff of Baltimore Sun, other Tribune newspapers rallied on Saturday to ‘save local news’

baltimorefishbowl.com

Staff of Baltimore Sun, other Tribune newspapers rallied on Saturday to ‘save local news’ — demanding their parent company not sell to Alden Global Capital. #newspapers

Music Inc: Why song rights sales are booming — www.dw.com

From Bob Dylan to Shakira and now the Red Hot Chili Peppers, many music superstars are selling their song catalogs for hundred-odd-million sums. What’s behind the megadeals? #copyright #MusicBiz

National Endowment for Arts Announces Second Round of Grants for FY 2021 — www.arts.gov

MT @NEAarts Today we’re excited to announce a second round of @NEAarts grants for FY 2021! More than $88 Million will be distributed to organizations in all states and jurisdictions.

Phylicia Rashad appointed Dean of Fine Arts at Howard University — www.cnn.com 
Howard University announced Wednesday that alunma Phylicia Rashad has been appointed dean of the recently reestablished College of Fine Arts.

Resources & Opportunities

#BooksForHope #BooksForHopeIndia — twitter.com

MT @nandinibajpai Over $54,000 raised!! #BooksForHope#BooksForHopeIndia Thanks to all the authors, editors, agents, and publishing industry professionals for donating generously and everyone who boosted and bid! The conditions in India remain dire. Please continue to support efforts to help!

#PitMad 6/3 — pitchwars.org

MT @brendadrake Get ready! The next #PitMad is Thursday June 3 from 8AM to 8PM hosted by @PitchWars #amwriting #amquerying #amediting#WritingCommunity

Pitch An Agent! 📚 Bookish Shark Tank

twitter.com

RT @WeAre_ALit Want to pitch an agent live on Clubhouse? Here’s your chance! “Pitch An Agent! “ Bookish Shark Tank” with @carlywatters@ceciliaclyra@claire_m_harris@msmariavicente, and Publishing Professionals. Tuesday, May 25 at 11:00 AM CDT on @clubhouse!

Gallery First Novel Contest Page

www.simonandschuster.com

MT @GalleryBooks Announcing BOOKS LIKE US: First Novel Contest! Spearheaded by Gallery’s BIPOC staff, our mission is to facilitate accessibility to underrepresented writers by amplifying voices that represent us, by publishing BOOKS LIKE US.

Mellon, Flamboyan Foundations Launch Fellowship for Puerto Rican Writers

www.publishersweekly.com

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Flamboyan Foundation’s Arts Fund have jointly established the Letras Boricuas Fellowship for Puerto Rican writers. 30 fellowships will come with an unrestricted $25K grant

Mary Beard to fund classics students from under-represented groups

www.theguardian.com 
Academic and broadcaster will give £80,000 to support two students at Cambridge as parting retirement gift

Lit Fest 2021 — www.lighthousewriters.org

MT @wordisdiversity Registration is now open for this year’s #LitFest! Lit Fest offers seminars, workshops, panels, and happy hours for writers from virtually everywhere this year.

SLJ Picture Book Palooza — www.slj.com

MT @sljournal Join us July 15 for our very first SLJ Picture Book Palooza, an all-day, free virtual celebration of authors and artists dedicated to the visual dance and extraordinary craft of picture books!

NYU Tandon Future Labs Next Round

futurelabs.nyc

HT @nycmedialab Attn. founders:The Data Future Lab at NYU Tandon is accepting applications for Next Round, a 2-yr incubator program for Seed to Series A startups. NYU resources, eligibility for START-UP NY tax-free status, subsidized office space, and more.

Consumer Reports Digital Lab Fellows

action.consumerreports.org

HT @nycmedialab Consumers Reports 2021–22 Digital Lab Fellows program. Deadline 5/21. Paid, non-resident opportunity to uncover and address emerging consumer harms in the digital world. Fellows receive a generous stipend + access to CR labs, reporters, and more.

NPR Diverse Sources Database

training.npr.org

RT @michellemanafy Love this from @NPR Diverse Sources Database to help everyone find experts from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in the media.

Virtual Digital NY Summit — www.cityandstateny.com

HT @nycmedialab Free City & State’s Digital New York Summit 5/18 NY’s info leaders from govt + industry discussion/presentations w innovative ideas being used to improve the delivery of services to both citizens and government agencies

Latest vaccination freebie in NYC: Show your vax card at @shakeshack and get a free side of fries with your order.

twitter.com

RT @MarkLevineNYC

Last Chance — Sign up today for FREE movie screening and Q&A 5/20— www.womensmediagroup.org

Come for the FREE screening, stay for the exclusive Q&A — Join @WMG_NYC on 5/20 from 6–8pm ET as we stream the meet-cute Hallmark film “Love to the Rescue” written by WMG member @sarahemontana+ Q&A after the movie. All are welcome! Sign up today!!