Allow some time for scrolling this week — a lot here! Hope you find it useful!!
Innovation
Apple Studying Potential of AirPods as Health Device
HT @ShiraOvide Earbuds could be offered as hearing aids and include an in-ear thermometer and posture warnings. By @RolfeWinkler
The next big thing in podcasts is talking back
ICYMI “Interactive Podcast” sounds to me a bit like “Social Audio” -> Spotify, Amazon, and other companies are looking for ways to make audio programming more interactive. They’re trying polls, Q&As, and comment sections to make listeners stick around.
Goodbye campaign buttons, hello NFTs: Democrats turn to internet phenomenon to raise money — www.cnn.com
Via @CNNPolitics.
ViacomCBS to Sell NFTs Based on Nickelodeon and Paramount Content
Paris fashion-tech startups on luring luxury: fashion “Shazam” to virtual try-on
Paris’ status as a hub for fashion-forward tech start-ups is building. Conglomerate-backed accelerators such as LVMH’s La Maison des Startups, are helping build connections. Via @VogueBusiness
Metaverse! Metaverse? Metaverse!!
Per @benedictevans There must be new forms of entertainment, new kinds of screens, and new ways to break down and recombine ideas of what ‘games,’ ‘media,’ and ‘software’ mean and how they relate to identity, self-expression and popular culture. #metaverse
Strategy is Future Competitive Advantage
Profound and clear essay by @rishad.
Technology
Amazon Now Ships With Just an Email or Phone Number
HT @BISG Amazon U.S. Prime members can send items to people without their address. Using the app, “add gift receipt for easy returns” + type in recipient’s email or mobile #. The recipient can accept or exchange for Amazon gift card — without the letting sender know. #Amazon
Amazon copied products and rigged search results to promote its own brands, documents show
A trove of Amazon documents reveals how the company ran a campaign in India of creating knockoff goods and manipulating search results to boost its own products. Via @SpecialReports #Amazon
The rise of VR and the metaverse could pose unique risks to children.
An important read: There is no better time than the present to make sure emerging VR technologies are safe, responsive, inclusive, and human-centered. Via @slate. #VR
Facebook unveils new controls for kids using its platforms
Instagram planning features to prompt teens to take a break,“nudging” teens if they are repeatedly looking at the same content that’s not conducive to their well-being, + new controls for adults of teens on to supervise what their teens are doing online.
Google Chrome adds a new ‘Follow’ feature for RSS updates on Android
It allows users to receive RSS updates from followed websites. Via @goodereader
LinkedIn to End Service in China, Citing ‘Challenging’ Environment
MT @michellemanafy LinkedIn to offer a new app focused solely on job postings. which will not have social networking features such as sharing posts and commenting.
Apple’s privacy changes create windfall for its own advertising business
By @PatrickMcGee_.
Dutch watchdog finds Apple app store payment rules anti-competitive
The Dutch antitrust authority has found that Apple’s rules requiring software developers to use its in-app payment system are anti-competitive and ordered it to make changes, in the latest regulatory setback for the iPhone maker.
Snapchat Went Down 10/13 — Latest In String Of Tech Outages
F12 isn’t hacking: Missouri governor threatens to prosecute local journalist for finding exposed state data
A journalist faces charges for viewing a website’s source code. Via @techcrunch. #journalism
TikTok’s ‘Messy’ NFT Gambit Is Spooking Its Biggest Artists — www.rollingstone.com
One-time TikTok rival Byte relaunches as Clash, an app for video creators and their top fans — techcrunch.com
MT @mediagazer Short-form video app Clash, which bought Byte in January, relaunches as a place for creators to monetize their top fans from bigger platforms like TikTok. By @sarahintampa.
How YouTube Makes Sure Its Hitmakers Don’t Stumble — www.wsj.com
YouTube ad revenues are projected to exceed $29B this year. YouTube now has around 1000 employees dedicated to guiding the platform’s top creators. Each partner manager deals with 10–20 creators. #YouTube
Canva is getting into video — techcrunch.com
RT @TheTiltNews Canva has launched a video-editing suite. Similar to its DIY graphic design software, its new video services make it easier to join the video world without expertise, from creating clips to adding audio tracks, and more.
The Largely Untold Story Of How One Guy In California Keeps The World’s Computers Running On The Right Time Zone. (Well, Sort Of)
HT @nycmedialab Fascinating. By Daniel Rosehill in @OZM
Media & Publishing
Pan Mac to acknowledge translators on covers as campaign support soars
Pan Macmillan has announced translators will be acknowledged “on the book cover and all promotion materials” for all new publications and reprints from this week, in the wake of calls for publishers to credit the profession for their work. Via @thebookseller
OverDrive Acquires TeachingBooks.net
lunch.publishersmarketplace.com
OverDrive Education has acquired TeachingBooks.net, which provides supplemental materials to K-12 schools “to enrich how a book is taught in the classroom,” currently licensed to over 55K schools and libraries around the world.
Row House’s 40/40 Contract Pays $40,000 Advance Against 40 Percent of Profits
‘Levers being pulled that are unseen’: Measurement errors inside Amazon’s OSP program setting publishers on edge
How to Put Together a Digital Marketing Plan for your Book
RT @miralsattar I don’t care who you are, or how many Twitter followers you have. *You* absolutely *must* put together a digital marketing plan for your book. #bookmarketing #selfpublishing
PA’s Publishing Declares initiative pledges to tackle the trade’s sustainability issues
MT @thebookseller @PublishersAssoc has launched a new pledge that invites publishers to set sustainability targets across their operations and supply chains, with 30 publishers signing the Publishing Declares pledge (£).
PRH first publisher to reveal disability, sexual orientation and socio-economic pay gaps
MT @thebookseller Penguin Random House has become the first UK publisher to share its pay gaps for disability, sexuality and socio-economic background, alongside those for gender and ethnicity, with the biggest disparity seen in the disability pay gap. #teamPRH
‘Disability Drives Innovation’
HT @LauraB7 Audiobooks are an example of a technology developed by or for people with disabilities that has helped all of us.
A Bookstore in a Bus in the Bronx — www.curbed.com
HT @PublishersWkly via @Curbed Readers are now boarding at Bronx Bound Books, a mobile bookstore that recently debuted in the borough. Latanya Devaughn, its founder, talks about what went into transforming a used shuttle bus into a bookstore.
Solange has launched a community library of rare books and art by Black creators. — lithub.com
Cool resource alert: Variety has reported that Solange, through her Saint Heron studio, is launching a community library of “esteemed and valuable” books by Black creators. Readers can borrow any book from the collection of rare, author-inscribed and out-of-print literary works to up to 45 days, free of charge in the U.S.
State of Publishing in Canada
MT @BookNet_Canada The sixth edition of BookNet Canada’s State of Publishing industry study is newly expanded to provide a more comprehensive overview of the Canadian English-language publishing landscape.
Missing Apostrophe in Facebook Post May Cost a Man in Defamation Case
RT @JulieBlattberg Punctuation matters -> An Australian man claimed a real estate agent did not pay its “employees” retirement funds. The lack of a punctuation mark may cost him thousands.
Starbucks and Netflix partner for series tied to Netflix’s book club — www.marketwatch.com
RT @JLDelbourgo Netflix is creating a Netflix Book Club, highlighting titles that will be adapted to Netflix films and TV series. In a partnership with Starbucks, the club will launch a social media series, But Have You Read the Book?, to run on Netflix’s YouTube and Facebook channels.
Reese’s Book Club Partners with Havenly.com On Reading Room Products and Designs
Paul Simon Reveals New Music Project in Upcoming Audiobook From Malcolm Gladwell — variety.com
RT @PublishersLunch Malcolm Gladwell Co-Interviews and Publishes Through Pushkin A Five-Hour Original Audiobook with Paul Simon
Coming Full Circle: LIT Videobooks Releases Adaptations of Six Business Books
New Booky Call smartphone app connects readers with books
HT @miralsattar via @sandrabeckwith
What It Would Take to Disrupt the Publishing Industry — www.publishersweekly.com
Disrupting the publishing industry would require a systemwide reset, writes Brooke Warner, the publisher of She Writes Press and SparkPress.
Christmas books: Buy presents today to beat paper shortage publishers warn
HT @BISG Books have joined fuel, vinyl and turkeys as the latest commodity facing a supply chain squeeze. #SupplyChain
Supply Chain Disruptions Plague Book Publishing, Impact Libraries
Unprecedented challenges including high shipping costs, skyrocketing paper fees, and labor issues wreak havoc on book publishing schedules. #SchoolLibraryJournal
‘It’s Not Sustainable’: What America’s Port Crisis Looks Like Up Close
An enduring traffic jam at the Port of Savannah reveals why the chaos in global shipping is likely to persist. #SupplyChain
When will supply chains be back to normal? And how did things get so bad?
There Is Not Enough Paper In America For Comic Books Right Now
HT @BISG. Via @bleedingcool #ComicBooks #SupplyChain
He Read All 27,000 Marvel Comic Books and Lived to Tell the Tale
RT @nytimesbooks After reading all 27,000 Marvel comics, Douglas Wolk makes a convincing argument that the Marvel formula, what you might call its Super Soldier serum, is monsters + romance + superheroes + topicality.
Facebook launches an ‘Audio’ hub in the US for podcasts, live audio and short-form clips — techcrunch.com
RT @mediagazer Facebook adds an Audio hub to its app in the US, featuring podcasts, Live Audio Rooms, and short-form audio, and rolls out Live Audio Rooms globally. By @sarahintampa
Twitter launches Spark audio creator program to boost Spaces
RT @michellemanafy Twitter announced the launch of a new creator program for Spaces on Tuesday. Anyone who gets accepted into the Spark program is expected to run an audio room two times a week for the three month period. They’ll be compensated $2,500 a month
The New York Times wants to create a new destination for its growing lineup of podcasts and other audio products
‘New York Times Audio’ will feature stories from the Times and others in bid to create new destination for listeners. By @gerryfsmith via @business#Audio #podcasting
Meredith’s Stunning Reversal — And What It Means
ESPN and Fox bet on sports wagering. Will they go all in?
ESPN, Fox and other networks are ramping up their sports betting efforts. #media #SportsBetting
Axios has made $1M in revenue from its eight-month-old software licensing business
Axios HQ is a software-as-a-service business designed to teach companies how to write in their trademarked editorial style of “Smart Brevity” for internal communications. After just 8 months, it earned >$1M in software licensing + $2M from professional services. Via @digiday.
How publishers can engage and convert casual readers
The demand for trustworthy information during the pandemic drove record subscriptions growth for many publishers. 128 news publishers across the world gained an average of 58% new subscribers in a year.
Inside Alden Global Capital, the secretive hedge fund that’s gutting local newspapers across the country — and could be coming to your town next.
By @mckaycoppins via @TheAtlantic.
The Metric Media network runs more than 1,200 local news sites. Here are some of the non-profits funding them.
MT @CJR Until now, little was known about the finances or partners of Metric Media, a network that runs over 1,200 local news sites. A new investigation by the @TowCenter examines the network’s financial ties and the non-profits funding them.
These competitors joined forces to allow readers to use a single login across their news sites
HT @BoSacks via @NiemanLab. #NewsBusiness
The Atlantic wants to hire newsletter writers — and it wants their subscribers, too
Via @voxdotcom
Sinclair, Scripps, Nexstar: Local TV Giants Are Coming for CNN’s Ad Dollars
RT @DCNorg Making a play for brand advertising dollars, three local TV giants have launched or recently rebooted news programming geared toward a national audience, seeking to carve out a piece of a pie long dominated by broadcast and cable news outlets. Via @thr
U.K. Broadcasters Close Ranks in Battle With Streaming Giants
BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and ViacomCBS Inc.’s Channel 5 are building a shared service that would better promote their streaming brands. The work is being loosely organized through the company Digital UK, owned by the BBC, ITV and Channel 4. Via @BloombergQuint
The Business Model for Community Tokens (for Content Creators)
Web 3.0 isn’t building audiences on platforms or owned channels. It’s about community tokens, and creators and fans building together, per @JoePulizzi via @TheTiltNews #Web3 #contentbusiness #startup
The creator economy is failing to spread the wealth
The creator economy is failing to spread the wealth: Vast majority of earners on Twitch made <$120 this yr so far. Top 1% of podcast earners make the vast majority of podcast ad revenue. #CreatorEconomy
Netflix to Sell ‘Squid Game’ Goods, Other Products on Walmart Site
The Netflix Hub on Walmart’s website is the first online storefront that the streaming company has created with a national retailer. Via @WSJ#BrandExtensions
Resources & Opportunities
Last Chance — Sign up for FREE Virtual WMG event 10/20
Join @WMG_NYC for this important discussion. Learn how to be a better ally + how to heal from racial trauma in the workplace. W @MindaHarts& @mbrianaepler in convo w @jkhoey @WMG_NYC. FREE for all. 10/20 7–8pm ET #DEI #DiversityandInclusion #antiracism
Spook It Up with Women of the Haunt Industry
MT @WMG_NYC Do you love Halloween? Join us for a FREE fun how-to with celeb makeup artist Stacia Gorsuch on 10/26 at 6pm ET! Chat with @JanKnuth2 owner of a professional haunted house & LaNelle Freeman co-owner Texas Haunters Convention. @jkhoey @CandiWords.
Pillow-Cat Books Opens in NYC’s East Village — “the first animal themed bookshop in New York”
Free Webinar 10/18 — www.authorsguild.org
RT @AuthorsGuild DON’T FORGET to register for our first Bootcamp webinar on the different paths to publication hosted by @JaneFriedmanwith @gannonme, @vivianwmlee, Howard Yoon, @atrubek, and Judy Hottensen. Monday 10/18, 7PM ET / 4PM PT
Free Webinar 11/3 — www.authorsguild.org
MT @AuthorsGuild How aware are authors, or many, of the specifics of what it takes to make a book, let alone the stages an editor has to go through to pursue a title? @jbakernyc will go in-depth on the often cloudy and misunderstood acquisitions process.
JNA Presents: Publishing Job Search Advice Hour
Free webinar 10/21.
Reaching the Incarcerated: What the Industry Can Do to Support Readers in Detention
Kudos to @JulieBlattberg for putting together this free event from @BISG.
The Power and Swag of Homecoming on Black Campuses — www.nytimes.com
Join The NY Times on Oct. 20 7pm for a virtual event exploring the legacy and traditions of historically Black colleges and universities with @nhannahjones, @guidetoglo, @christineaplatt and more for #BlackHistory
WNDB Mentorships
MT @diversebooks The WNDB Mentorship Program is open for applications through October 31! There are 16 mentorships for picture books, middle grade, YA, and illustration.
An Annual Twitter Pitching Event. — www.dvpit.com
RT @marcelalandres #DVpit: pitch event for un-agented creators of marginalized communities, 10/26 8AM — 8PM ET for adult fiction/nonfiction and for artists & illustrators using #DVart @DVpit_
Call for Speakers — www.publishinguniversity.org
RT @bookpubnw Have book publishing insight to share? @ibpa is looking for #PubU2022 speaker proposals focusing on key aspects of the business of publishing. Deadline 10/31. Learn more and submit today!
Cool job alert: SFWA is Hiring a Nebula Conference Manager — www.sfwa.org
HT @sfwa If you, or anyone you know has a background in onsite/hybrid conference planning for writers and publishing industry professionals, please direct them to this link.
Thomson Reuters is launching a $100 million venture capital fund to invest in early stage companies in sectors including media.
MacDowell Drops Reference Requirement, Restructures Application Deadlines
RT @PublishersLunch Macdowell Experiments with Eliminating Reference Letters “To Increase Equity and Access in Our Culture” The next application deadline will be February 10, 2022, for residencies during the period September of 2022 through February of 2023.
Industry Insider Event: Understanding Trends in the U.S. Kids’ Book Market — ABPA Online
MT @ABPAbooks This event is free for members and $10 for non-members. Email office@abpaonline.org to get your ticket.
The Incubator for Arts and Culture Leaders of Color in Tri-State Area 2022
MT @nyfacurrent The Incubator for Arts and Culture Leaders of Color in the Tri-State Area (CT, NJ, NY from outside of NYC) is a free program that will provide leadership training & community support for up to 18 arts administrators from Jan-June 2022.
NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship — NYFA
MT @nyfacurrent Award opportunity alert! NY artists working in Architecture/Environmental Structures/Design, Choreography, Music/Sound, Photography, and Playwriting/Screenwriting have until January 26 to apply for a $7,000 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship. @NYSCArts
I Will Vote — iwillvote.com
Be a voter. Find everything you need to vote in your state’s next election.