Innovation
Walmart is quietly preparing to enter the metaverse
Walmart appears to be venturing into the metaverse with plans to create its own cryptocurrency and collection of NFTs. #NFTs
Nas is offering the streaming rights to select songs in his catalog as NFTs — www.fastcompany.com
Nas partnered with music rights startup Royal (which is backed by venture capital fund Andreessen Horowitz) on the venture. Together, the two plan to launch tokens that will split 50% of the streaming rights (and streaming royalties) for the songs “Ultra Black,” the lead single off of the 2021 album King’s Disease, and “Rare,” from the follow-up King’s Disease II.
Ralph Lauren’s Olympic jackets automatically adapt to athletes’ body temp— www.fastcompany.com
The material in Ralph Lauren’s jackets reacts to athletes’ body temperatures, keeping them warm regardless of outdoor conditions.
Colin Jost and Pete Davidson Bought a Staten Island Ferry
Colin Jost and Pete Davidson bought a decommissioned Staten Island Ferry, along with The Stand comedy-club co-owner Paul Italia. They plan to turn it into a live entertainment space and event venue with comedy, art, and food
Ambient.ai aims to provide AI-powered building security, minus bias and privacy pitfalls
Technology
“The deal that will change the industry forever”: Analysts on Microsoft’s Activision acquisition — www.gamesindustry.biz
HT @glecharles Experts break down the biggest implications from the record-breaking $68.7 billion deal
Google is building an AR headset
Google is building its own AR headset called Project Iris with the goal of shipping it in 2024. The device could see Google go up against Meta and Apple in the coming metaverse wars. #AR
Instagram Creators Can Charge for Subscriptions Under New Test Service
Instagram is launching trials of a U.S. subscription service that enables creators to charge users for exclusive content, as social-media companies battle to attract individuals who can drive traffic to their platforms.
TikTok Is Testing Paid Subscriptions
Bloomberg and Twitter team on data-driven crypto content
Bloomberg Media will begin curating exclusive crypto-focused content on Twitter in its latest partnership with the company. The partnership seeks to provide clarity in a space fraught with misinformation. #media #partnerships
Amazon to open its first in-person clothing store in LA. What we know about the new Amazon Style.
The store is in The Americana at Brand, a Los Angeles, California mall. As shoppers walk through the store, they use the Amazon shopping app to scan an item’s QR code and can add the item to a physical fitting room to try on or directly to the pickup counter #Amazon
Amazon halts plan to ban Visa credit cards in UK
Amazon abandons its plan to ban customers from using UK-issued Visa credit cards, says both companies are working towards a “potential solution” to their ongoing dispute.
Publishing & Media
Schools face pressure to purge books as banning skyrockets
www.axios.com
School districts from Pennsylvania to Wyoming are bowing to pressure from some conservative groups to review — then purge from public school libraries — books about LGBTQ issues and people of color.
Librarians Fight Back Against Efforts to Ban Books in Schools — www.edweek.org
Book defenders have employed a variety of strategies, including petition drives, protests, and direct pressure on school board members.
Mom creates bookstore on wheels to share magic of reading with the Bronx— www.goodmorningamerica.com
Manhattan has over 70 brick-and-mortar bookstores, but the Bronx only has one. Latanya Devaughn’s genius invention of ‘Bronx Bound Books’ brings a bookstore to every block, even if just for a day.
Sourcebooks Partners with Ebony Magazine Publishing on New Venture
Literati Acquires Follett Book Fairs — www.slj.com
The new Literati Book Fairs will begin in select states this spring.
Starbucks to Give Out 1M eBooks of Netflix Book Club Title
lunch.publishersmarketplace.com
As part of its partnership with the Netflix Book Club, Starbucks will give away a million free ebooks of Sweet Magnolias: Feels like Family by Sherryl Woods, the February book club pick. (The second season of the Sweet Magnolias series begins streaming February 4.)
Hachette UK buys premium notebook and diary publisher Paperblanks
www.thebookseller.com
Hachette UK has bought Paperblanks, described as the world’s second largest publisher of premium notebooks, journals and diaries, as part of its strategy to expand its portfolio of adjunct businesses.
Nielsen Book is to be renamed Nielsen BookData and new branding introduced following changes at its parent company.
Announcing the 2022 Walter Award Winners and Honorees! — diversebooks.org
MT @diversebooks WNDB is excited to announce the 2022 Walter Award winners and honorees, along with the seventh annual awards ceremony and symposium! The two-part event will be held on Friday, March 11, 2022.
15 new books to read immediately
New Must-Read Comics for Adults — www.nypl.org
RT @nypl NYPL’s expert librarians and staff selected 50 top comics published in 2021. Whether you’re a first-time comics reader or a die-hard fan, you’ll find something to love!
The Best Ebook Subscription Services for Every Kind of Reader — www.wired.com
HT @paulkbiba
Publishers are Increasing Accessibility to Content
Recent signs suggest publishers are increasing their efforts to help people with disabilities access their content. Via @BillKasdorf.
The Sentences That Create Us
MT @PENamerica With support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, we will be donating 75,000 copies of THE SENTENCES THAT CREATE US to prison libraries, as well as higher education & creative writing programs working with justice-involved communities.
Trade relieved but cautious as government delays decision on UK copyright changes
The UK decided not to change copyright exhaustion laws for the time being following a consultation that considered a weakening of copyright rules used for exporting books around the world. #copyright
Missingham launches directory matching publishing professionals with authors in the UK — www.thebookseller.com
Sam Missingham has launched Services For Authors, a directory of freelances and businesses offering publishing assistance to authors. @samatlounge
BA Launches Learning & Development Project
The Booksellers Association of the UK & Ireland has launched a learning and development project for booksellers called BA Learning, its first formal learning and development offering in more than 20 years.
Creative Access celebrates 10-year anniversary with new website and brand in the UK
‘Sports Illustrated Weekly’: New Podcast From Sports Illustrated And iHeartMedia Launches
“Sports Illustrated Weekly” will be is the first of a slate of eight podcast co-productions born out of a deal with iHeartMedia. #podcasting #magazines
YouTube Shuts Down Original Content Group
HT @michellemanafy YouTube is winding down its original productions team, after more than 6 years, and plans to fund only content from its Black Voices and YouTube Kids funds.
China builds its own movie empire — www.axios.com
China surpassed the U.S. as the world’s largest theatrical market in 2020 and 2021.
Mapping a Fragmenting Publishing Industry
HT @BoSacks Media is fragmenting, as each media company — indeed, each media brand — finds its own business model.
The Arena Group is buying Parade and plans up-listing to New York Stock Exchange
Arena Group, formerly Maven, will buy AMG/Parade, owner of Parade magazine, for $16M and expects to report $180M in revenue for 2021, 60% from subscriptions. By @sarafischer.
Philanthropists investing over $20 million to launch new independent nonprofit news operation in Houston
“We want to meaningfully augment local news in the city. We’re not trying to replace it, but to provide supplement coverage.”
Chicago Public Media will acquire the Chicago Sun-Times
www.wbez.org
The deal was approved by the non-profit board of directors and is expected to close Jan. 31. It will create a new journalistic powerhouse in Chicago and a potential national model.
RocaNews raises $4.4 million to bring games to news — www.axios.com
RocaNews, which delivers news via Instagram, raises a $4.4M seed and acquires River News, an app that provides news stories via a TikTok-like video feed.
Spotify’s market share dropped from 33% to 31% — www.midiaresearch.com
Research finds the base of global music subscribers grew to 523.9M by the end of Q2 2021, up 26.4% YoY
Resources & Opportunities
Disability in Publishing Agent Database
RT @Sarah_Nicolas Agent friends: If you’re interested in representing authors who have disabilities (including ND, CI & more), you can be listed on @DisabilityinPub’s agent directory!
MT @Sourcebooks Applications are now being accepted for our Spring 2022 #BIPOC #Editorial Training Program!
The 2022 Editorial Fellowship at A Public Space
RT @APublicSpace APPLY! APPLY! APPLY! Interested in a career in publishing? Applications are open for the 2022 Editorial Fellowship at A Public Space.
Sonoma County Writers Camp BIPOC Writer Fellowship
MT @agentsavant There’s a full scholarship for a female or non-binary BIPOC writer for the upcoming Sonoma County Writers Camp March 2022 virtual session. Deadline to apply is Jan. 26. Please consider applying or spreading the word!
BINC Opens Denver Publishing Institute Scholarship Application Process
Scholarships to the 2022 Children’s Institute
HT @ABAbook Applications for scholarships to the 10th annual Children’s Institute in Phoenix, AZ, are open until Feb. 9th.
Emergency Fund for Diverse Creatives in Publishing
MT @diversebooks Applications open! We updated our eligibility criteria for the Emergency Fund for Diverse Creatives so that even more diverse creatives (including authors with a forthcoming book) and publishing professionals — including freelancers and interns — can apply.
Worldwide Plays Festival for 6–18 year olds
MT @WritopiaLab Submissions to our 2022 #Plays Festival are open! Our theme is “Out of this World.” #Youngwriters, please take a setting outside your day-to-day life. Fly high into your imagination and dive deep into your soul! 8-page submissions are due March 1st.
Emerging Voices Fellowship — PEN America — pen.org
RT @marcelalandres PEN America’s Emerging Voices Fellowships for writers of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry from communities that are traditionally underrepresented in the publishing world, application deadline January 3 @PENamerica
Artists at Risk Connection
RT @PENamerica Are you an organization defending the rights of cultural professionals or artists? Artists at Risk Connection (@atriskartists) is dedicated to connecting artists with the services they need to navigate challenging circumstances. Join their network: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/join
Adobe Design Circle Scholarships
RT @AdobeGenCreate Adobe believes that everyone should have the opportunity to learn and express themselves, regardless of their backgrounds. Apply for the Design Circle scholarship and a chance to receive up to $25,000/year.
Free virtual bootcamp for new ventures by women 50+ in NYC
RT @Ventureneer Join me for @nyc_sbs @FastTrac New Venture Women 50+ starting 1/25. Join guests @jmlynn7 –@CELArator, @NinaKaufman-Ask the Business Lawyer, Ramona Cedeno- @FiBrickFinance, @maishawalker–@messagemedium. It’s a free virtual bootcamp. Sign up today! http://nyc.gov/fasttrac
Resource guide on small business grants
RT @ManhattanCofC NEED A GRANT? Our Chamber released a resource guide on small business grants available now. You can also make a FREE appointment with our Grant Specialist to receive help applying for grants.
Monthly book talks with PRH authors on Quilt Social Audio App
Are you interested in what the future of book publishing holds? I am too! Can’t wait to hear Alexandra Alter and @mariskreizman in conversation at this virtual @WMG_NYC event! It’s 1/26 at 6pm ET $15 for the public, FREE for members.
There are an estimated 56% more job openings in branded content versus traditional journalism. Come learn how to do it and how to get hired. 2/1 7pm ET. FREE virtual event for WMG members, $10 non-members.
Novelist/poet/blogger Dale M. Kushner, and marketing veteran Bridget Marmion, share the process, tasks, benefits and challenges of connecting a writer with readers today. FREE virtual event 3/18 7pm ET.
If you’re involved in the media industry, you likely have routine encounters with legal issues — from the negotiation of all sorts of agreements (publishing, ghost writing, content licensing and distribution, app development), to issues relating to copyright and the First Amendment. Come hear how to navigate it all in this virtual event. 3/28 at noon ET. FREE, WMG members only