Audiobook sales continue to grow
Audiobook sales revenue increased 13 percent in 2024 versus the prior year, according to the Audio Publishers Association Sales Survey.
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HarperCollins UK and HQ launch new literary fiction imprint
It “aims to reimagine what literary fiction can achieve, publishing novels that resonate across generations, transcend genres, and break convention.”
New agent at FinePrint Literary
Lauren Khan has joined FinePrint Literary Management and will open to queries soon.
Links of interest: June 4, 2025
The latest in bankruptcies, trends, marketing & promotion, AI, and libraries.
Court rules that library-book decisions are “government speech”
The court found that “a library’s collection decisions are government speech and therefore not subject to Free Speech challenge.”
New Simon & Schuster children’s imprint: Sarah Barley Books
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers has announced a new imprint, Sarah Barley Books, which will publish YA and middle-grade fiction.
Bindery Books: A Case Study in Combining Traditional Industry Marketing & Influencer Strength to Launch Debut Novels
The startup publisher partners with influencers to breakout new authors, combining traditional marketing with influencer-driven promotion.
There’s now a bestseller list for Black authors
BLK Bestsellers is a new monthly resource from the African American Literature Book Club for identifying bestselling books.
The curious case of fabricated book blurbs
They are inevitably blamed on “marketing errors,” which are becoming a new, sad fact of AI-driven marketing.
What Defines Acceptable AI Use for Writers?
Nearly half of authors now use AI in their creative process—including writing, research, and marketing—even if they don’t admit it publicly.
Amazon KDP decreases royalty rates for print books priced under $9.99
As one expert observes: if this change helps Amazon’s bottom line, perhaps they won’t need to increase prices across the board.
AI-generated summer reading list distributed with some national newspapers
Social media exploded this week when readers posted pictures of a summer reading guide recommending nonexistent titles by real authors.
Book Sales Update: May, 21, 2025
The latest sales report from the AAP shows a book sales increase of 1 percent for the first quarter of 2025 compared to last year.
UK production company launches book division
Somesuch plans to publish six or seven titles per year starting this summer.
Cosmo partners with Sourcebooks on new imprint
They say they will be working with both “debut authors and those with established fandoms,” starting with romance.
Links of Interest: May 21, 2025
The latest in culture & politics, trends, traditional publishing, audiobook distribution, subscription services, AI, and libraries.
Authors Guild files class-action lawsuit against the National Endowment for the Humanities
In early April, the NEH terminated grants already approved and in-progress in order to repurpose funds for President Trump’s agenda.
Audible opens the door wide to AI audiobooks
Audible will offer AI production technology to select publishers, first for narration and later for translated narration.
New publisher: Putman Publishing
Doug Putman, owner of music retailer HMV UK, is launching a publishing company. The first imprint will publish music and pop culture books.
New agent: Howland Literary
Ashlee MacCallum has joined as a junior agent at Howland Literary. Previously she was an intern at Triada US.
Not dead yet! HarperVia launches small-format paperback imprint
Despite the decline of mass-market paperbacks, HarperVia is launching a line of pocket-sized paperbacks under the Nomad Editions imprint.
Links of Interest: May 14, 2025
The latest in traditional publishing, audiobooks, AI, and newsletters.
8th Note Press Doesn’t Make Good Use of the TikTok Platform
The press launched by ByteDance hasn’t yet had a national bestseller or viral hit within the BookTok community.
Library of Congress becomes political battleground
After President Trump fired the Librarian of Congress and head of the US Copyright Office, Congress has decided to step in and push back.
US Copyright Office says outputs of AI models could lead to market dilution
The latest report says that certain uses of AI models may affect the market for copyrighted work, going beyond fair use boundaries.
Horror on the Rise: A Slew of New Imprints Accelerates Genre Growth
Horror is experiencing a boom like it hasn’t seen since the 1980s.
NEA grants canceled by Trump administration; NEA senior officials resign
NEA grant recipients started receiving emails that their grants were terminated or withdrawn effective May 31, 2025.
About New York magazine starting a Substack
More often, businesses are starting a Substack on the side to push discoverability of their offerings outside of the Substack ecosystem.
Kindle app on iOS devices now has Get Book button
It’s now easier for Kindle users and other app users to pay for subscriptions and services while using Apple devices.
On the List: Heat of the Everflame by Penn Cole
Heat of the Everflame is the third novel in Cole’s debut four-part series, with book four yet to release.
Maria Popova of The Marginalian is starting Marginalian Editions
The longtime essayist and literary commentator is partnering with independent bookstore McNally Jackson to launch Marginalian Editions.
Working class writers initiative in the UK
The Bee has been established in response to what its founders see as the “class crisis in the UK writing industries.”
New agent at SteelWorks Literary
Julie Romeis Sanders was previously an editor at Bloomsbury Children’s.
New Simon & Schuster UK award for unpublished authors of color
Entrants must be a resident of Great Britain and be able to qualify themselves as coming from a minority ethnic background.
Authors Equity partners with German new adult romance imprint
Starting this fall, Authors Equity will bring a number of bestselling LYX Books to North American readers on an expedited schedule.
Links of Interest: May 7, 2025
The latest in AI, traditional publishing, culture & politics, bookselling, and trends.
Amazon Advantage customers are being migrated to Amazon Vendor Central
Amazon is migrating all Advantage vendors to Amazon Vendor Central to manage their business, starting on May 12, 2025.
MTV for Romance Readers: An Interview with the Founder of Love on Demand
One of the company’s core offerings to start will be in-person interviews with authors and fans at romance conventions.
NetGalley review copies will soon be available on Kobo
NetGalley members will be able to send NetGalley EPUB files to Kobo e-readers or to the Kobo app, no side-loading required.
New UK publisher focuses on male authors
They seek work that addresses “overlooked” issues, such as fatherhood, masculinity, working-class male experience, and sex and relationships.
AALA announces their own conference this September
It is geared not for authors but for agents and editors focused on career development.
New agent at Aevitas US
Rachel Anne Cantor has joined as an agent. She was previously the vice president of digital at Harper’s Magazine.
New agents at Wave Literary
Bethany Saltman and Jessica Larios-Zarate have joined Wave Literary, a full-service literary agency.
New Adult Book Prize in the UK
The Bookseller has announced a new award for the fiction category of new adult, which focuses on the transitional years after young adulthood.
Book Industry Study Group launches Find a Rightsholder
The new tool at the BISG website helps locate contacts for rights and permissions. It is free for everyone.
Links of Interest: April 30, 2025
The latest in marketing & promotion, bookselling, culture & politics, AI, and more.
How moves by the Trump administration might affect publishers
Anne Trubek of Belt Publishing has an insightful article discussing what we might see unfold for four categories of publisher.