Innovation
Instacart’s new ‘Shoppable Recipes’ feature lets creators link shopping lists to their TikTok videos — techcrunch.com
Instacart announced today that it’s rolling out a new “Shoppable Recipes” feature to launch new product integrations with TikTok and Hearst, which owns brands like Delish and Country Living. Starting today, select food creators on TikTok can start using the Shoppable Recipes feature in their videos through an integration powered by TikTok Jump, the short-form video app’s third-party integration tool. #Instacart #TikTok
Technology
Mark Zuckerberg confirms NFTs are coming to Instagram
Speaking at SXSW, Mark Zuckerberg confirmed that digital collectibles would be arriving on Instagram “in the near term.” #Instagram
TIME Studios to Create Series Based on NFT Collection — worldscreen.com
TIME Studios is partnering with Wil Lee to create an original series based on his NFT collection the littles. #NFTs
Bored Ape Yacht Club creator buys CryptoPunks and Meebits
ICYMI Yuga Labs, creators of Bored Ape Yacht Club, have purchased CryptoPunks and Meebits from Larva Labs, which means they now control three of the most valuable NFT collections on the market. The company plans to open IP and commercialization rights to all NFT holders.
TikTok Becomes Cannes Film Festival’s Official Partner
TikTok has become the official partner of the Cannes Film Festival — a tie-up promising to connect to 1 billion digital users.
Amazon used a sneaky tactic to make it harder to quit Prime and cancellations dropped 14%, according to leaked data
HT @publishingtrend Amazon intentionally drew out the process of canceling a Prime membership with layers of confirmations and prompts, internal documents show. #Amazon
Media & Publising
Amazon Opens Ads to Traditionally Published Authors
newshelves.com
Amazon expands ads for authors program to include traditionally published authors.
PEN America Index of Educational Gag Orders
PRH Creates Banned Books Resources Hub
The smallest library in Maine is stocking its shelves with banned books.
The American Booksellers Association ended their policies regarding free expression & the 1st Amendment
Supporting free expression should not automatically mean having to tolerate intolerance. #DEI
Editorial Resignations At Big Houses Spark Reckoning
lunch.publishersmarketplace.com
ICYMI Multiple resignations from the editorial departments at two big houses caused an online reckoning. Four editors, Angeline Rodriguez and Hillary Sames at Orbit, Erin Siu at Macmillan Children’s, and Molly McGhee at Tor all announced their resignations, leading to a discussion about the workload of junior and mid-level employees and the difficulty of advancement across the industry.
Book the Vote: Writer/Bookseller/Librarian Collaboration to Register Voters
Writers for Democratic Action launching Book the Vote, w aim to register more voters, esp. in battleground states, before Nov. In bookstores + libraries, nonpartisan voter registration tables will be set up w writers + local voter registration groups.
Hachette UK ethnicity and gender pay gaps decrease but diversity in publishing roles ‘low’
The ethnicity pay gap at Hachette UK, including those who work in distribution, has reduced by 17% since 2019, the company’s latest ethnicity pay report has revealed, however representation across publishing roles and senior management remains “very low.”
Adeola launches campaign to make picture books accessible to blind children — www.thebookseller.com
Award-winning children’s illustrator and writer Dapo Adeola has launched a fundraising campaign to adapt his books Look Up! by Nathan Byron and We’re Going to Find the Monster by Malorie Blackman (Puffin) into accessible versions for blind children.
Ukraine Update: Ukrainians Publish in Poland, Lithuania; StreetLib Offers Help
www.publishersweekly.com
Several prominent Ukrainian publishers have begun printing titles in Poland and Lithuania, and the Ukrainian Book Institute is looking for additional partners to help publish books from smaller presses. StreetLib, the Italian digital production and distribution company, is offering its services for free to Ukrainian publishers and writers.
Freedom Libraries aim to transform prisons
#LiteraryMarchMadness 2022: Book-to-Film Adaptation Edition from NYPL— www.nypl.org
This year some of your favorite book-to-film adaptations will go head to head against each other in a variety of genres! #LiteraryMarchMadness
Marie Claire US is creating a digital shopping site after the brand’s UK counterpart made > $10M in sales in 6 months
The Marie Claire Edit shopping site is coming to the U.S., with an exclusive two-month deal with Nordstrom. #BrandExtensions #ecommerce
How media startups can launch minimal viable products
simonowens.substack.com
Sometimes it’s best to test the waters before you introduce your publication to the wider public.
New Narratives
RT @rishad The world of media and narrative has changed dramatically in the past 3 years. Here is a short sampling of how significant these changes are as seen through the prism of the war on Ukraine. Puck, Substack, Twitter Tik Tok, Podcasts, Web 3.0 & You Tube.
The Booming Business of Kids’ Podcasting: “It Has Absolutely Exploded” — www.hollywoodreporter.com
MT @simonowens Many podcast networks are rushing to develop kids shows because parents are eager to have child-friendly programming to listen to in the car.
Netflix to Make Five New Dr. Seuss Animated Shows
The streaming giant has acquired the rights to develop titles including “Horton Hears a Who!” and “Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose,” as it bulks up in children’s entertainment. #TeamPRH
Gannett goes on a massive spree of closing and merging weekly newspapers
HT @michellemanafy Gannett is closing at least 19 print weekly newspapers serving at least 26 communities in Eastern Massachusetts, according to notices posted on those papers’ websites. In addition, nine weeklies are being merged into four. “Local newspapers aren’t dying. They’re dead,” wrote Greg Reibman, president of the Charles River Regional Chamber and a former journalist and a former journalist at Gannett’s predecessor company, GateHouse Media.
Resources & Opportunities
Watch the Show, Grab the Book: The Impact of Streaming on Reprints and Beyond
Panelists include METTE NORKJAER (BOOM! Studios); ANGELA SILVER (Penguin Random House); and DAVID F. WALKER (award-winning comic book writer, filmmaker, journalist, and educator). Moderated by PUJA TELIKICHERLA (American Psychiatric Association Publishing). @nybookforum panel 3/23 7pm ET on YouTube.
Coming March 29: ‘All About Blockchain’ from Germany’s Bookwire — publishingperspectives.com
‘A closer exchange between blockchain and publishing experts,’ Bookwire’s ‘All About Blockchain’ is open for registration.
Emergency Fund for Diverse Creatives and Educators
MT @diversebooks Applications open! We updated our eligibility criteria for the Emergency Fund so that more diverse creatives, publishing professionals — including freelancers and interns — and now also K-12 educators can apply.
Margins Bookselling Month Oct 2022
MT @mmalonz_o Dear marginalized booksellers, get ready y’all. @wordisdiversity is working on bookseller programming that centers US. If you want to be invited, please sign up here https://buff.ly/3taqV0T Dear allies, please share widely.
Graphic Design Rates master sheet
RT @Em_Bers hey! i know freelancers are constantly trying to find info about fellow designers’ rates — it’s really tough information to find for a lot of reasons. i made this spreadsheet for designers to add their rates anonymously so we can all get paid fairly!
2022 PEN World Voices Festival — pen.org