Technology • Innovation • Publishing - Issue #176

HT @Personanondata Some good food for thought on digital transformation #digitaltransformation

HT @benedictevans Last month Apple sued NSO (the company behind Pegasus spyware), for making, selling and operating highly sophisticated hacks for anyone who could pay. Now Facebook has published a report about NSO and six other companies, and said that it notified 50k people who were targeted. ‘Big tech’ can’t stop Iran or India from wanting to hack dissidents, but it is trying to change the financial, reputational and career consequences for the hackers-for-hire companies, employees and perhaps investors.

Failure in northern Virginia data center affected Slack, Epic Games among others.

The open web is being evaluated for ways it can give content creators independence from massive tech platforms. By @sarafischer.

HT @davewiner Amazon, Penguin Random House and authors including Lee Child and John Grisham have been awarded $7.8m following an eBook piracy lawsuit.

HT @draccah Some Texas residents are asking for greater say in what titles appear on public library shelves.

My work is among 850 inclusive titles a Texas lawmaker wants out of school libraries – 62% are LGBTQ+, says author Juno Dawson

Feature-length Fiction Stretches the Medium

The publishing universe stands poised for another year of radical transformation

Media executives anonymously predicted 2022’s industry-shifting events, including Bob Iger coming back as Disney CEO and Shari Redstone selling ViacomCBS.

MT @michellemanafy Investment firm GSV is working on a bid to buy Forbes Media at a $620 million valuation as an alternative to Forbes’ announced SPAC merger, Axios has learned. By @sarafischer and @imkialikethecar.

Gannett has teamed with TicketSmarter to provide tickets for sporting events, concerts and theater performances.

The pandemic has made some of us rethink career choices and priorities. Are you thinking of making a change? Do you want to put your dream job description out there in the universe and get some help finding the contacts to make it happen? Come bounce ideas off of your WMG peers, who represent a very wide range of media professionals eager to share concrete advice and lend a hand, a shoulder, or whatever you might need to take your next step. This is a FREE, confidential, members-only virtual event. @WMG_NYC

Is one of your new year’s resolutions to finally start (or finish) your book? There’s tons of advice out there on how you “should” do it. But quite often, the advice doesn’t free up creativity; it constricts it. Join us for a fun evening that’s part discussion and part book launch with WMG member Terri Trespicio, author of Unfollow Your Passion: How to Create a Life that Matters to You (Atria Books, December 2021), and Richelle Fredson, founder of Purposeful Platforms and former head of publicity at Hay House. Come discover a fresh and nonlinear approach to crafting, sharing, and promoting your work. FREE virtual event for all! 1/19 7pm EST.

We’re excited to welcome Alexandra Alter, publishing reporter for The New York Times, and Maris Kreizman, essayist, critic and host of The Maris Review on Lit Hub, for a far-ranging discussion on the seismic shifts in how we’re discovering, buying and consuming books and what the future holds for authors, publishers, retailers and readers. FREE virtual event for WMG Members, $15 for non-members. 1/26 6-7:30pm ET.

There are an estimated 56% more job openings in branded content versus traditional journalism. That’s why we see an uptick in journalists and editors wondering how to break into this kind of content creation. Another truth: creating content for brands can be fascinating and even fun—as either a gig or a career. In this session, we’ll cover: How to find a job or writing opportunity; what the work entails; and where the industry is headed. FREE virtual event for members, $10 for non-members. 2/1 7pm ET.