Innovation
Snapchat Brings Catalogues to AR Shopping Lenses — wwd.com
Snap’s latest launch may be one of its biggest for AR shopping, as product catalogues meet augmented reality on the platform. #Snap
Nike Brings Virtual Nikeland/Roblox Experience to NYC Store — wwd.com
Some elements of the metaverse exist today, but we’re a ways off from seeing its full potential — or even knowing precisely what it is. How will the metaverse evolve in the next few years? #Metaverse
How Discord became the “Soho House of Web 3.0”
www.voguebusiness.com
The invite-only social media platform has become a way to create hype and find audiences for NFT projects. It’s the latest gateway for brands including Adidas and Gucci to enter the metaverse.
Team USA’s luge sleds are 3D printed — www.axios.com
The 3D printing partnership began ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. “In a sport timed to the fraction of a second, small tweaks to the sled design can mean the difference between winning and losing.” #3Dprinting
Technology
Hermes swings its handbag at digital artist in NFT copyright row — www.thedrum.com
MT @michellemanafy For real: the biggest thing in NFTs right now is a complete lack of understanding of copyright — French fashion house Hermes is suing a digital artist for reproducing its in-demand Birkin handbags as a non-fungible token (NFT). #copyright
Booming NFT art market plagued by ‘mind-blowing’ fraud — news.trust.org
As the NFT market explodes into a $25 billion industry, artists worry that lax oversight is leading to a digital art world flooded with fakes. #NFTs
Is a Netflix Version of Fortnite Coming Soon?
RT @michellemanafy Two months after launching mobile games to all of its members, Netflix is looking to double down on gaming: The company told investors Thursday that it wants to expand its portfolio of games “across both casual and core gaming genres.”
Substack plans to launch a native video player to attract new creators
www.axios.com
The move comes as Big Tech platforms muscle in on the creator economy.
Instagram rolls out a new profile banner to display users’ upcoming live streams
Coming soon: Nutrition labels, but for your internet service
MT @michellemanafy The Federal Communications Commission voted to move forward with a plan that would require broadband internet providers to display the new labels at the point of sale in the interest of transparency.
Google relents: Legacy G Suite users will be able to migrate to free accounts
Last week, Google essentially told free GSuite users “pay up or lose your account.” Following a huge outcry, it’s now offering users a no-cost option to migrate their data.
The SAT Will Go Completely Digital by 2024
The SAT will go completely digital by 2024 in the U.S. and be shortened from three hours to two hours, the College Board said. Students will take the college admissions exam on laptops or tablets at testing centers.
Synthetic Voices Want to Take Over Audiobooks
As computer-generated voices become more sophisticated, the number of audiobooks — including from Amazon, Microsoft, and Google — is set to explode. #AI #audiobooks
Publishing & Media
Newsletter Touts Book Material for Development
lunch.publishersmarketplace.com
Former THR books editor Andy Lewis is writing a weekly column for start-up The Ankler that touts some forthcoming releases still available for film/TV options. Called the Optionist, he writes, “Every Friday, I’ll present un-optioned material from books, magazines, news articles, podcasts, games and graphic novels that I think deserve a look.”
Demand for TV rights ‘never been higher’ as streaming services ramp up content
HT @BISG More books are currently being optioned for film and TV series due to an explosion of demand from streaming services, with Netflix telling The Bookseller the chance of a book being adapted has “never been higher”.
HT @miralsattar. By @DavidGaughran
How TikTok Helped Fuel The Best-Selling Year For Print Books — www.forbes.com
The U.S. print book market was up 9% in 2021 — and TikTok, usually associated with fueling commercial success in the music industry, has “definitely been a factor,” analysts say.
Art Spiegelman’s Pulitzer Prize-Winning Graphic Novel ‘Maus’ Banned by McMinn County School Board in Tennessee — www.thedailybeast.com
The board cited the inclusion of the words “God Damn” and drawings of “naked pictures” in “Maus,” though the pictures are of mice.
Mukilteo School District votes to remove ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ from required reading
Mukilteo schools removed the Pulitzer-prize winning novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” from its required reading list. It’s among many classic pieces of literature that schools across the country are choosing to omit from their curriculum.
LGBTQ+ Books Quietly Pulled From Washington State Middle School
bookriot.com
The school’s principal demanded “sexually explicit material” be removed and revoked purchasing power from the librarian and staff.
Majority of teachers want more diverse syllabus texts, Lit in Colour research shows
The majority of teachers want more diverse and representative texts to be incorporated into the English syllabus according to new research released by Pearson, ahead of the publisher’s launch of the second year of the Lit in Colour Pioneers programme with Penguin Random House (PRH). #teamPRH
EmpathyLab launches new collections featuring 60 books — www.thebookseller.com
EmpathyLab, an organization that aims to build children’s empathy, literacy and social activism through literature, launches new collections featuring 60 books for readers aged four to 16.
Our Most Anticipated 2022 Latinx Books (So Far!) — latinxinpublishing.com
We asked the Latinx in Publishing board and volunteers to tell us some of their most anticipated Latinx books releasing this year, and they delivered! Here’s the list of 47 titles, spanning genres and reading levels, to keep on your radar.
Entire Shipments of Cookbooks Lost at Sea After Container Ship Hit By Storm
Stormy weather rocked a container ship carrying upcoming cookbooks by some well-known chefs and food writers. #teamPRH
UK Tries TV Show Search for Cookbook Author
lunch.publishersmarketplace.com
Starting January 31, the UK’s Channel 4 will air a seven-episode TV series called The Great Cook Book Challenge with Jamie Oliver. Following a series of cooking challenges among 18 chefs, one winner will get a cookbook publishing deal with Penguin UK Michael Joseph. #teamPRH
Amazon Buys Rights to the popular true crime podcast “My Favorite Murder.” — www.bloomberg.com
Amazon has been lining up a few of these network deals, where it controls ad inventory & uses the 1-week window to entice more people to make Amazon Music their main podcasting app
PhotoVogue becomes Global
PhotoVogue will be open to submissions of videos, digital art and illustrations. They will also promote Open Calls by theme or for specific regions of the world that will be evaluated by Condé Nast staff worldwide. #photography
Future of Journalism
“I’ve been an advocate for an E-ZPass for news — micro-charges per page — which would allow people to read what they want.”
Gannett to Sell Off More Local Newspapers
CherryRoad Media has agreed to buy several Gannett-owned newspapers in communities across Texas and Oklahoma
Resources & Opportunities
— pen.org
MT @AmandaSarasien A friendly reminder that the final round of applications for the @PENamerica Translator-Editor Meet & Greet closes Mon, 1/31. Emerging translators, don’t miss this opportunity to connect with industry-recognized editors in a fun, informal, virtual space!
Golden Bookmark Sweepstakes — woobox.com
Enter for the chance to win free books for life from Bookshop.org! #GoldenBookmark
Festival of Urgent Reinventions — thefour.live
The Festival of Urgent Reinventions is a free two-day virtual event 2/3–2/4. Part conference and part competition, the festival will feature prominent speakers discussing the world’s most critical systemic issues and attendees creating their solutions.
MT @nyccwomen #opportunity “Comcast RISE has provided more than $60 million in grants, marketing and technology services to more than 6,700 small business owned by people of color — including Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, and Asian Americans.” #woc #Entrepreneur
PlowNYC — NYC tool to see how recently any street has been plowed — plownyc.cityofnewyork.us
There are an estimated 56% more job openings in branded content versus traditional journalism. Come learn how to find a job or writing opportunity, what the work entails, and where the industry is headed at this virtual @WMG_NYCevent on 2/1 at 7pm ET. $10 for non-members. FREE for members. LAST CHANCE to register.
SO EXCITED! @WMG_NYC is proud to present these inspiring, kick-ass women who have started their own publishing companies/grew their biz, incl @draccah, Cindy Spiegel, @lavaille, & Jennifer Goldstein. Virtual event on 3/1 at 6pm ET. $15 for non-members, FREE for members.