Innovation
Twitter, Instagram may be integrating NFT auctions into their platforms
Superplastic’s ‘Synthetic Celebrities’ Janky And Guggimon Join NFT Push With Christie’s Help
Seems a bit bizarre: Superplastic’s ‘Synthetic Celebrities’ Janky And Guggimon Join Christie’s to launch a fake botched heist that creates thousands of NFTs
NFT Marketplace Jambb Launches with the World’s First Live NFT Comedy Special: Non-Fungible Jokin’
Non-Fungible Jokin’ — they’re selling the jokes or parts of a live comedy performance as NFTs
Technology
In the Future, You Won’t Own Any Gadgets
gizmodo.com
When you buy a device that requires proprietary software to run, the money you hand over is an entry fee, nothing more.
Pentagon cancels disputed JEDI cloud contract with Microsoft
The Pentagon canceled a disputed cloud-computing contract with Microsoft that could eventually have been worth $10 billion. It will instead pursue a deal with both Microsoft and Amazon and possibly other cloud service providers.
States bring a new antitrust suit against Google over its mobile app store
www.cnbc.com
This is the fourth antitrust lawsuit U.S. government enforcers have filed against Google in the last year.
Amazon may be planning a third-party marketplace for media and ad tech vendors that offer services to publishers
HT @mediagazer
Roblox partners with Sony Music to connect artists with money-making activities in the metaverse
Facebook is trialling a new topic-based ad option which puts an emphasis back on contextual advertising
HT @neilperkin
TikTok Is Testing Letting You Pay For A Video From Creators
Shoutouts will let you pay for a custom video from creators, like Cameo, but it is only currently available in select regions.
Publishing & Media
NPD Details Big Changes in Children’s Publishing
HT @glecharles A lot of insights from Kristen McLean at @npdbooks, including
• “Manga went from a passionate niche category to something mainstream. This in my opinion is one of the few true white spaces in publishing,” as manga is expanding the comics audience by bringing in brand-new readers.
• Board books unit sales rose 19% year to date in 2021, a pace of growth that is one and a half times the rest of the kids’ print market (which is up 11% collectively). “There’s lots of competition from new and small presses with well-priced lookalikes taking share,” McLean cautioned. “It’s a supercompetitive part of the market. There are a lot of quick and nimble publishers muscling in on the space.”
• “An evergreen strategy is essentially investing in backlist that will keep selling.”
High Costs, Services Disruptions Plague Book Biz Supply Chain
www.publishersweekly.com
Truck driver shortages, widespread port congestion, and skyrocketing container costs are among the biggest challenges facing the book industry supply chain for the rest of the year and into 2022, panelists on a July 6 BISG webinar looking at freight and shipping issues agreed.
Amazon, Publishers Seek to Delay Discovery in E-book Price-Fixing Case
www.publishersweekly.com
In a filing this week, Amazon and the Big Five publishers said the plaintiffs’ claims of an e-book price-fixing conspiracy are implausible.
Can bookshops survive in the era of Amazon?
Interview with James Daunt, of Waterstones and Barnes & Noble.
100 Literary Jeopardy Clues from Real Episodes of Jeopardy!
It’s officially time to socialize again. But maybe . . . you’ve forgotten how? Here’s one way to break the ice/pass the time/celebrate your vaccinations with your book-reading friends: organize a day of literary Jeopardy!. (You can also just play by yourself, right here, right now.) To facilitate, I combed through this insane archive of every game of Jeopardy! ever played (YEP) and picked out 100 literary questions of varying difficulties.
Reese Witherspoon’s Media Company, Hello Sunshine, Is Exploring a Sale — www.wsj.com
Hello Sunshine, the media company founded by actress and entrepreneur Reese Witherspoon whose titles include the hit HBO drama “Big Little Lies,” is exploring a sale.
With Acquistion Complete, HarperCollins to Change Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Library E-book Terms
In a notice sent to library customers via their vendors, e-book titles from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt will soon be available via a 26-lend metered access model, a change from its previous perpetual access terms.
Why do so few men read books by women?
www.theguardian.com
No matter if it is Austen or Atwood, the Brontës or Booker winners, data shows men are reluctant to read women — and this has real world implications
A Glowing Shrine to the Printed Word — www.nytimes.com
A mighty wall of books impresses in the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library, a transformed branch of the NY Public Library that bursts with new services and technology.
Baker & Taylor to Offer ‘Diversity Analysis’ Tool for Library Collections
www.publishersweekly.com
Powered by the wholesaler’s collectionHQ technology, Baker & Taylor’s “Diversity Analysis” tool will help identify opportunities for libraries to evaluate their collections against industry-accepted diversity subjects.
Books for Africa Opens New Atlanta Warehouse — www.publishersweekly.com
Books for Africa, a charity that ships donated books from the United States to schools and students in Africa, opened a new warehouse in Atlanta on June 26.
Email Newsletters Are a New Literary Genre
www.thecut.com
The financial promise of email newsletters has enticed so many writers to launch so many micropublications that they have, in turn, created a new literary style. It’s the ultimate form for a moment where writers feel pressure to advertise themselves.
The Information is launching its first standalone publication
Magazine publishers’ hidden treasure trove: Digital back issues
Publicis Media launches the Once & For All Coalition, a multi-year effort aimed at getting advertisers to invest in minority-owned media
Amazon Prime & IMDb TV Ink Multi-Year Licensing Deal With Universal
HT @edmundlee Amazon agreed to pay $1 billion for exclusive rights to NBC Universal films after they play in theaters for a shortish pay window (10 months) across probably 3 years. This, after agreeing to pay $8 billion for MGM.
Peacock to stream new Universal films like Jurassic World within 4 months of theaters
www.cnet.com
Movies like Jurassic World: Dominion and Minions: The Rise of Gru will stream on Peacock with a subscription costing as little as $5 a month — or, possibly, free. Then, they’ll head to Prime Video.
Resources & Opportunities
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!
Top Five Must-Haves for Accessible Publishing Workflows
Translation Prizes
MT @Soc_of_Authors The TA First Translation Prize is open for entries until 8/1, with the £2,000 prize shared between translator and editor. #TranslationPrizes
IDA+XRM Media Incubator
RT @DocFilmmakersSA The IDA+XRM Media Incubator supports short vérité documentary films from around the globe, with an emphasis on emerging filmmakers and new perspectives. Application Period: July 5 — August 2, 2021.
Eric Carle’s World of Wildlife at the Bronx Zoo
Beloved books by legendary children’s author Eric Carle come to life at the Bronx Zoo this summer with live performances, music, games, and other activities. #teamPRH