Technology • Innovation • Publishing — Issue #154

Innovation

How Does One Navigate Change?

rishad.substack.com

RT @rishad Change Sucks. Irrelevance Worse. Keys to navigating change :

1. Companies change only if people do

2. Embrace Tech. Upgrade Talent

3. Hire for 6 C’s (Cognition, Creativity, Curiosity, Collaboration, Communication, Convincing)

4. Cure Inner Dinosaur Disease

DAO, The Web 3.0 Business Model, Will Be Everywhere in 2022 — www.thetilt.com

DAOs (decentralized autonomous organizations) are picking up steam as a business model of choice. Here’s what it might mean for content businesses. via @thetiltnews

Mark Zuckerberg is betting Facebook’s future on the metaverse

www.theverge.com 
The Facebook CEO talks to Casey Newton about why he is putting his company’s resources toward the “metaverse,” a future that imagines an internet that combines physical, augmented, and virtual realities.

Infinity Revenue, Infinity Possibilities — www.notboring.co

Axie Infinity is a Pokémon-like game built on Ethereum blockchain in which people buy digital pets as NFTs, and breed, battle, & trade them.T hey generate revenue w a 4.25% fee when players buy/sell, plus breeding fees. It is expected to make $153M in July alone.Via @packyM

Technology

YouTube adds money-making feature to attract creators — www.reuters.com

Fans can purchase Super Thanks at four price points, from $2 to $50 #YouTube #CreatorEconomy

YouTube to pilot test shopping from livestreams with select creators — techcrunch.com

BuzzFeed Looks to Become Digital Version of QVC

digiday.com

BuzzFeed is the latest media company to start experimenting with livestream shopping as the next big opportunity to maximize its ecommerce business. #ecommerce

HBO Max Offering Free Pilots Via Snap Mini

www.nexttv.com

Free episodes can be watched with friends #Snap #HBO

TikTok IRL

www.forbes.com

MT @TheTiltNews In the UK, TikTok is opening a pop-up shop this week. “Shoppers” can use the “set” to create videos and pay a nominal fee to learn from successful TikTok influencers. via @Forbes h/t @precioussxx#TheTilt: IRL still matters in learning and marketing. #contententrepreneur

Tumblr launches monthly subscription tool Post Plus, allowing content creators to charge followers a fee to access content. — www.cnet.com 
Creators can charge $4, $6 or $10 a month for exclusive content.

Publishing & Media

Graphic Novels Show Monster Sales Growth — velocityofcontentpodcast.com

HT @LibraryPassNews Graphic novels made up almost 20% of adult fiction unit sales in the first half of 2021, compared to 9.3% last year. Unit sales soared 178.5% in the first six month of this year. With 16.2 million copies sold, graphic novels are now the second-largest adult fiction subcategory.

Winnie-the-Pooh goes to Harrods in new authorised AA Milne prequel

www.theguardian.com 
Once There Was a Bear by Jane Riordan and Mark Burgess will channel the original books’ voice and pictorial style using details from Christopher Robin’s real life

Byju’s acquires reading platform Epic for $500 million in US expansion push

techcrunch.com

Byju’s said on Wednesday it has acquired California-headquartered reading platform Epic for $500 million, the latest in a series of moves from India’s most valuable startup as it deepens its footprint in the U.S. market.

Substack makes first major podcast investment

www.axios.com

Substack is funding the launch of a new podcast network called Booksmart Studios, its first financial investment in podcasting. #podcasting

How publishers can address the identity crisis

whatsnewinpublishing.com

Cookie deprecation, privacy regulation and Apple’s decision to make its iOS ad identifier opt-in, creates one of the biggest disruptions to web publishers’ advertising models in a generation.

Elle Teams Up With Verishop for Custom Beauty Collection

wwd.com

Elle is teaming up with Verishop, a shopping platform founded by a veteran of Snap, with a beauty collection and streamed events. #magazines

Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter’s company is teaming with Modern Luxury Media to launch Edition, a luxe multimedia platform.

hypebeast.com

CNN to hire hundreds of journalists for new streaming service CNN+

www.axios.com 
CNN+ will launch in the first quarter of 2022.

TV Networks Call for Nielsen Ratings to Lose Accreditation

variety.com

TV Networks Want to Yank Nielsen Accreditation for undercounting TV viewers during the pandemic #TV

Hey, Alexa! I Want That iHeartMedia FM To Play This Song!

www.rbr.com

A new interactive feature from iHeartMedia allows radio listeners to make song requests and dedications via Amazon’s Alexa. #Voice

Amazon just launched a new $25 subscription service that sends you a new ‘golden era’ vinyl record every month — www.businessinsider.com

Amazon launched its newest subscription service, the Vinyl of the Month Club, which delivers handpicked “golden era” records to your door. #music

Bustle publisher BDG Media is buying Some Spider Studios, the digital-media company behind parenting site Scary Mommy and Fatherly

www.wsj.com

The all-stock deal for the owner of parenting websites Scary Mommy and Fatherly values the publisher at about $150 million. #media

Each Hollywood Studio’s Theatrical Window Approach: A Guide — www.indiewire.com 
Studios used to play by the same rules. Now each seems to have its own strategy for handling windows and home platforms. A guide — for now.

Resources & Opportunities

Book Submissions | Tin House

tinhouse.com

MT @Tin_House No agent? No published book? Our editors can’t wait to hear from you! Our inaugural book submissions period will take place 9/4–9/5! Learn more about what we are looking for and how to submit your work:

Writing Contests from Lee & Low Books

www.leeandlow.com

MT @LEEandLOW DEADLINE EXTENDED — The deadline for Lee & Low’s annual writing contests is now August 15! But don’t wait too long to get those manuscripts in. #NewVoicesAward: picture books. #NewVisionsAward: middle grade, YA, and graphic novels. Spread the word!

JAWS Discounted Membership

www.betterunite.com

RT @womenjournos 2020, 2021 journalism grads who identify as a woman (cis or trans) or non-binary! JAWS wants to gift you a discounted one-year membership plus access to both the 2020 CAMP on Demand content and this year’s Conference And Mentoring Program.

Bring Your Baggage and Your Favorite Beverage: Happy Hour with Author Helen Ellis

www.womensmediagroup.org