Google launches Offerwall
The feature allows websites to give readers a variety of ways to access content—such as watching ads, making a micropayment, and more.
New imprint: Medill Books
Agate Publishing has partnered with Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism to publish reported, short-length nonfiction books.
New imprint: Bite Books
HarperCollins has partnered with Fox Entertainment on a food imprint, Bite Books, an extension of Fox’s brand Bite.
New imprint at Penguin: Berkeley XO
The adult-YA crossover imprint will publish fiction only, combining talent from Penguin’s Berkley and Penguin Young Readers imprints.
New agency: Jackson Literary
Michelle Jackson (formerly at LCS Literary Services) has launched her own agency, with Sobi-Dee Burbano joining.
A high-profile scandal involving a bestselling memoir
Every so often, the public is reminded that memoirs are not journalistic works and aren’t fact-checked by their publishers.
Anthropic files for appeal in the AI copyright case
The appeal cites the other AI case, the one against Meta, where a judge ruled that training on pirated works might be considered fair.
Romantasy’s Dominance of the Bestseller Lists Has Only Just Begun
In the Kindle Top 100 bestsellers year to date, 61 percent of titles are romance—and everything else is likely to include romantic elements.
I Won a Writing Award. Does It Matter?
Even awards that offer only bragging rights, but no prize money, can telegraph something important: your work matters to readers.
What Does It Mean to Write and Publish a Viral Article?
What happens when thousands or millions of people read your work? There will be those that love it, hate it, and everything in between.
Plot, Character, or Situation: Your Story’s Entry Point Determines Next Steps
Knowing which facet most drives the story you want to tell can help you determine next steps and avoid the most common manuscript missteps.
New AI fiction translation service: GlobeScribe
GlobeScribe is an AI-powered service that translates fiction from English into multiple languages for a flat rate of $100 per language.
New nonprofit UK publisher: Extraordinary Books
The publisher will share profits with authors 50-50, but only after costs are recouped.
Book sales update: down 1 percent for the year
Adult fiction sales were up by 1 percent, nonfiction sales fell about 3 percent, and religious books are up by 16 percent.
Top 10 bestselling books of 2025 so far
In the lead: The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins, with more than 1.7 million copies sold, one of only two nonfiction books on the list.
Radish is closing at the end of this year
Ten years ago there was market enthusiasm and interest in mobile reading, but that market has cooled considerably.
Class action lawsuit against Amazon’s Audible is still moving ahead
A federal judge ruled that Amazon must face a lawsuit that accuses them of monopolizing the retail market for audiobooks.
How AI Is Already Changing Book Discoverability
We talked with three experts about how much book publishers or authors should be concerned about AI overtaking conventional search.
Bottom Line June 2025 Bestseller Lists
Three distinctive monthly bestseller lists: top 50 hidden gems, top 50 self-published ebooks, and top 50 self-published print books.
Using a Workshop Experience Inventory When Workshops Go Wrong
If a workshop ever left you feeling defeated, reflecting on it in a systematic way will get you back to writing sooner and with more confidence.
After My Second Book Died on Submission, I Took These 4 Crucial Steps
The publishing road is full of potholes and detours, even if you get a book deal. That’s why it’s important to find joy in the writing itself.
What Isn’t Said Still Screams: Writing Subtext in Horror Fiction
Emerging writers often focus on plot and action—both essential!—but the true pulse of horror comes from what festers just beneath the surface.
Links of Interest: July 2, 2025
The latest in traditional publishing, bookselling, culture & politics, fiction reading & literary fiction, and AI.
New UK publisher: Firefinch
The new independent publisher will begin releasing titles in summer 2026. The effort is led by former executives from Bonnier Books UK.