Links of Interest: Jan. 14, 2026

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Traditional Publishing

  • With Baker & Taylor gone, others compete for library business. Vendors filling the void “include Amazon Business, Barnes & Noble, Bookazine, Brodart, Follett Content, Ingram Library Services, Junior Library Guild, Libraria, Mackin, Midwest Library Service, and others.” One librarian says that the shaking-out process (to determine who ultimately takes a big share of the library business) is likely to last a couple years. Read Nathalie op de Beeck at Publishers Weekly.

Trends

  • A bad year for difficult literature? A Big Five editor laments that literature with a capital L had a difficult year “spiritually and financially.” Read Sean deLone at Dear Head of Mine.
  • UK literary agent predicts what’s next for kids’ books. Traditional and evergreen stories will be popular, and there will be gamification in children’s publishing as publishers try to keep books exciting and desirable. Read Vicki Willden-Lebrecht at The Bookseller.
  • Bestselling author starts romance subscription box service. Bridgerton author Julia Quinn is starting a subscription service that will publish limited edition hardcovers of historical romances that she curates. Quinn is using Kickstarter for the project. Read Carly Tagen-Dye at People.

Legal

  • Given all the AI lawsuits, authors should consider getting rights reverted when possible. The landmark Anthropic settlement that will pay out about $3,000 per title may be just the first of more settlements to come. If you can get your rights reverted, you should, in order to avoid splitting the award with your publisher. Read Michael Capobianco at Writer Beware.
  • Sage sends new email to authors regarding the Anthropic settlement. Last year, Sage sent their authors a letter telling them to claim 10 percent of settlement proceeds for their titles (which means 90 percent for Sage). After pushback from the Textbook & Academic Authors Association, Sage has agreed to inform authors that split is not correct. Read Jim Milliot at Publishers Weekly.

Audio

  • Why don’t publishers always invest in audiobook editions? In short: It’s too expensive. Learn about costs versus sales from an independent nonfiction publisher (who isn’t willing to use AI for narration). Read Ken Whyte at SHuSH.

AI

  • AI translation may help keep up with reader demand for manga. For years, translation has not kept up with demand from manga readership, leading to piracy. To address the problem, a Japanese cultural agency is using AI tools to help in partnership with universities, vocational schools, and industry groups. Read Erin L. Cox at Publishing Perspectives.
  • Library app Libby faces backlash for allowing AI-generated content in its collection. On Bluesky, they wrote, “Libby’s role is to support choice by ensuring options are available and empowering libraries to serve their patrons. We don’t exclude titles created with AI tools from the catalog, we ask that publishers self-identify AI content.” Read the thread and policy.

Culture & Politics

  • Queer books for children face a chilly market. Agents and publishers are quoted in this piece at The Hill, saying it’s more difficult to place and sell LGBTQ books, especially in the children’s and YA market, because libraries and schools are less likely to take them. On the bright side, a bookseller says interest in and sales of such titles have been steady. Read Surina Venkat.
  • Katie Couric has started a book club at Substack. The first selection is The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. Visit.