Alexa, What Have Publishers Learned About Working With Smart Speakers?

Smart speakers such as the Amazon Echo, Google Home and Apple HomePod are close to becoming ubiquitous consumer products. They are now in nearly 50 million homes and a number of publishers have recognized their potential for some time. Now, there is growing roster of publishers that are getting a crash course in developing engaging content that can take full advantage of a nascent platform that’s wholly unique in media. They're not for podcasting Arguably one of the most ambitious projects in the space over the past year has been Hearst’s twice daily “My Beauty Chat” on Alexa. It’s already launching a second, substantially revised version. “The data we saw coming back from users indicated people were really engaging with the daily tips,” Chris Papaleo, Hearst's executive director of emerging technology, tells Folio:. Among the findings: users were willing to drill deep into the daily tips. Instead of offering a random tip when queried, this iteration of the service lets users choose among skin, makeup and other categories and opting into ever more tips in a given session. A key learning here is that smart speakers need to be seen principally as a service medium and that when the content is useful and relevant, users are willing to thoroughly engage with it. But just as important was Hearst’s deeper understanding on the importance of the context of smart speaker consumption. “In a living room or kitchen it is difficult to listen to long-form content,” says Papaleo. Even... Continue reading at 'Folio Magazine'

[ Folio Magazine | 2018-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]

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Time Warner Considering Spinning Off Part Of Its Publishing Arm: Report

According to Fortune, the media giant is meeting with a reps from Meredith--but nothing's been confirmed. Could Time Warner be following in the steps of News Corp. and considering spinning off its publishing division? According to a report by Fortune (a Time Inc. publication), the media... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2013-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lobster at work on Rosie Project

Penguin is raising awareness of a forthcoming fiction launch today (14th February), encouraging... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Attracting Publishing Programming Talent on the Cheap

Jennifer 8 Lee needed programming help to launch her publishing startup Plympton, but she didn’t have the cash. So what did she do? She got creative. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Osprey: A Fan-Friendly Publisher

Every day, publishing is finding new ways to connect books to readers, but few traditional publishers give as much control to their audience as Osprey Publishing, a U.K.–based military history publisher. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Solutions launches self-publishing in India

Penguin-owned Author Solutions Inc (ASI) has opened a self-publishing imprint called Partridge in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Twitter's Publishing Offspring, Medium, Tries Out Commenting

Biz Stone's and Ev Williams's fledgling online publishing platform takes a few more social steps toward maturity. Medium, from the same minds that brought us Twitter, is already a new kind of online publishing platform...and now it's trying out a novel commenting system for published pieces:... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2013-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers look to grow e-only lists

Digital royalty rates on ebook only lists are beginning to rise, as publishers look to grow... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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February’s Starred BlueInk Reviews of Self-published Books

This months reviews of top self-published books features a witty novel about a coupon-clipping mother and her stoic daughter, and a memoir of life on the island of Malta, among several other appealing reads. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers need to directly monetise content to sustain editorial

Just as the TV industry has developed to directly monetise content through interactive services, product placement and sponsored programmes, online publishers need to explore innovations that use more than just the space around the content, says Vibrant Media's Fiona Salmon. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2013-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple adds Breakout Books to the iBookstore to spotlight the self-published

As glad as we are that digital bookstores let authors skip the usual gatekeepers, that doesn't help much if they can't get noticed. Apple is giving those self-publishing writers more of a chance to shine with the launch of a permanent Breakout Books section in the US iBookstore. The section... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is Licensing an Opportunity for Self-publishers and Start-ups?

Today, perhaps the most ambitious and aggressive community in publishing is self-publishing. How practical is it for a self-publisher to pursue licensing deals? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Exam change 'pressurises education publishers'

Education secretary Michael Gove's announcement of changes to the A-Level exam system has... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google backs French digital publishing innovation initiative with €60 million incentive

Google's long had a contentious relationship with France. But it seems the Mountain View-based company has come up with a way to squash that problem: by throwing money at it. Taking to the company's official blog today, Chairman Eric Schmidt announced the creation of a €60 million Digital... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How Fiction Doesn’t Work

It is no surprise to see aphorism alive and thriving in our current celebrity climate. The forgotten, it may be assumed, never said anything interesting, whereas choice words of the famous live forever at cocktail parties and in book reviews. To carry a portfolio of pithy quotations is to... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2013-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Should Publishers Open Bookstore Cafes? They Are in Korea

In what's become a trend, Korean publishers are opening popular bookstore cafes. Should more Western publishers follow suit or is bookselling no longer part of their DNA? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishing Gains Support At Kickstarter

Last year was a big one for publishing on Kickstarter. The Web site is the most popular crowdfunding online destination, with 1,666 projects successfully funded in the publishing category, and a total of $11,057,252 pledged. In addition, $8,482,598 was raised for comics, which are listed as a... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Get the F*ck to Work: How Adam Mansbach Followed Up His Mega Successful Kids’ Book

After creating a pop culture phenomenon with a profane children’s book, Go The F*ck To Sleep, Adam Mansbach is back with Rage is Back. Here, he talks about using the momentum of success while writing a brand new chapter. How do you follow up a giant fucking phenomenon? If you’re Adam... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2013-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New scorecard lets libraries give feedback on ebook offerings from publishers

The American Library Association has created a scorecard that asks library workers to grade publishers on the way that they are offering ebooks for lending. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Husain urges publishers: 'act now to keep bookshops'

The c.e.o. of Foyles has called for publishers and suppliers to support bookshops with better... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Publisher’s Anxiety at the Electronic Book

Despite the advances in digital books and storytelling technology, Penguin executive Jeff Gomez says that publishers have so far focused on the wrong things. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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