Links of Interest: Jan. 28, 2026

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Traditional Publishing

  • Why did The Correspondent by Virginia Evans become a breakout hit? Author Leigh Stein offers a working theory of novel marketing based on the age of women readers. Read at Attention Economy.
  • Why does a book rank as a number-one NYT bestseller when it’s clearly not the bestselling book of the week? Publicist Kathleen Schmidt analyzes three bestseller lists (NYT, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly) to show how a number-one bestseller isn’t really number one at all. Read at Publishing Confidential.
  • An author describes the long, convoluted path to publication. The story starts in 2003 and involves a range of agents and editors. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen an author more patient or determined. Read Helen DeWitt.
  • Canadians consume less of their own literature than any of their peers. Canadian publisher Kenneth Whyte looks at why Canadian-owned publishers control so little of the domestic market. Read at SHuSH.

Media

  • Ads always win. After months of speculation, OpenAI recently announced that the free and cheaper subscriber tiers will have ads in their feed. Meanwhile, Google says it has no plans to put ads in Gemini. I promise you ads are coming to Gemini eventually, just as they came to Substack, Amazon Prime, etc. Read Brian Morrissey at The Rebooting.
  • Substack launches TV. I don’t really have a take on this, since Substack seems to be trying anything and everything in search of itself (or revenue), but here’s what media analyst Simon Owens writes: “This seems like a waste of time for Substack. While the platform has done a relatively good job of getting its users to upload more video and even attracted some video-first creators, most of what I’ve seen is unpolished and wouldn’t really stand out in the highly competitive OTT environment. I get that every social media platform has looked at YouTube’s success on connected TVs and wants to get in on the action, but I think Substack would be much better off investing its limited resources into growing its web and mobile footprint. Once it’s conquered those two environments, then it can turn its attention to the streaming wars.” Read the Substack announcement.
  • Where to find great publishing Substacks: Publisher Doug Seibold offers an excellent roundup and is nice enough to mention me, even though this newsletter is not on Substack. Read.

AI

  • AI models are being taught not to write like AI. We all knew this was coming, right? AI detection tools will always have to race hard to keep up. Read Benj Edwards at Ars Technica.
  • Ingram and Pearson back AI licensing company. Cashmere.io is an AI startup that promises to “bridge premium publishing and generative AI.” It will help publishers facilitate AI licensing deals. Read the press release.
  • Comic-Con bans AI art after artist pushback. It was allowed before, but anti-AI sentiment is growing among artists. Read Matthew Gault at 404 Media.

Culture & Politics

  • Minneapolis bookstores and the ICE protests: Independent booksellers throughout the state were active participants in the unfolding events. Read at Shelf Awareness. Sales have surged for one bookseller after a photo of him walking in a cloud of teargas went viral. Read Nick Lunemann at CBS News.
  • Why is autofiction popular in Scandinavia? In answering this question, the article helpfully describes what makes autofiction autofiction. Read Linnea Gradin at Asymptote.
  • The intersection of science fiction and fantasy and porn. It’s a fascinating history, illuminated through an interview with Earl Kemp. Read Jason Sanford at Genre Grapevine.