OpenAI hits back at the New York Times
The Times filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against OpenAI earlier this month, and now OpenAI has publicly responded on its blog.
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Understanding Hollywood Terminology and How Book-to-Film Deals Happen
Media rights representatives, literary managers, and scouts—oh my!
On the List: The Cowboy’s Christmas Compromise by Jill Kemerer
Kemerer is a multi-published author of Christian romance novels with Harlequin Love Inspired who’s sold over a half million books worldwide.
Paw Prints expands into middle grade
The children’s book imprint launched by Baker & Taylor in 2022, will expand into the middle-grade market this fall.
New agent alert: Howland Literary
Sánchez is seeking literary and upmarket adult fiction as well as cookbooks of Latin-American and Caribbean cuisine.
Los Angeles Public Library acquires publisher
In December, the LAPL, the fifth-largest public library system in the United States, announced its acquisition of Angel City Press.
Tor.com rebrands and relaunches its online magazine
On Jan. 23, the Tor.com online magazine will rebrand to Reactor.
The Ekus Group joins Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency
Ekus is a cookbook-focused literary agency, founded in 1982. Naggar established her agency in 1978.
On the List: To Kill a Shadow by Katherine Quinn
To Kill a Shadow is Quinn’s fourth novel, following the Azantian Trilogy.
Skyhorse acquires Regnery
Conservative publisher Regnery has become a home to authors that the Big Five publishers don’t want or have otherwise dropped.
Hachette launches website for direct-to-consumer sales
The initiative was announced by outgoing CEO Michael Pietsch as part of his annual letter to authors.
New York Times sues OpenAI and Microsoft
This New York Times lawsuit was largely expected after licensing talks broke down with OpenAI last year.
What’s entering the public domain in the United States this year?
On Jan. 1, 2024, a new set of copyrighted works from 1928—and sound recordings from 1923—entered the public domain.
Victory so far in the Penguin Random House lawsuit against Iowa
PRH sued Iowa over its new book-banning legislation on the basis it violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution.
Germany’s Buchreport shuts down
Buchreport is the German equivalent to Publishers Weekly magazine in the United States.
Book sales update: 2023 performance
Circana BookScan reports that adult fiction in the US market saw its best holiday sales (for print) in five years.
What to Watch for in 2024
2024 promises to test—and perhaps widen—a number of publishing boundaries.
IMHO: Spotify Earnings for Authors Aren’t Bad (Yet)
A reality check on inconsistent, incomplete, and misleading commentary.
Penguin Random House acquires Hay House
The publisher was founded by Louise Hay in 1984 and has a backlist of 1,500 titles.
Author loses agent and publisher due to bad behavior on Goodreads
Debut novelist Cait Corrain admitted last week to creating numerous Goodreads accounts for the purposes of giving one-star reviews.
Book sales update: December 20, 2023
Poetry is experiencing its biggest sales year ever in the UK, according to figures from Nielsen.
Atelier Éditions launches a children’s book imprint
The Los Angeles–based publisher, established about eight years ago, has announced a children’s imprint, Atelier Enfants.
New publisher: Green City Books
The independent “genre agnostic” publisher, based in Bend, Oregon, will offer six to 12 titles per year, both fiction and nonfiction.
New agent alert: Greyhound Literary (UK)
Salma Begum has joined as an agent; she was formerly an editor at Bonnier Books UK.
Summit Books imprint relaunches at Simon & Schuster
Summit Books first existed from 1976 to 1991 and published authors such as Elie Wiesel, James Baldwin, and Oliver Sacks.
Links of Interest: December 20, 2023
The latest in traditional publishing, libraries, AI, TikTok, and Amazon.
On the List: Abducted at Christmas by Rhonda Starnes
Abducted at Christmas is Starnes’s fifth novel and the third to reach the Publishers Weekly bestseller list.
Top 10 Clicked Links in 2023
Each issue of Hot Sheet contains dozens of links, and it’s always instructive for me to see what topics and perspectives drive clicks.
The latest author lawsuit against AI
A new lawsuit has been filed by nonfiction author Julian Sancton against OpenAI and Microsoft on behalf of other nonfiction authors.
Top audiobook publisher Podium gets into print retail distribution
In 2021, audiobook publisher Podium expanded into ebooks, and just recently it announced print retail services for its stable of authors.
Smashwords store now reporting to USA Today bestseller list
The Smashwords store recently began submitting sales data to USA Today’s bestseller list.
Digital Book World 2024 postponed
Their site says “A public announcement will follow early in 2024 on the future of this important industry gathering.”
Book sales update: December 6, 2023
According to Circana BookScan, print book sales are down 3 percent versus 2022—a stronger-than-expected performance for this year so far.
Amazon Trend Report: Reader Interest Shifts Toward Fantasy Romance
Readers seek out dark romance and fantasy romance more than paranormal.
The Shake-Up at Penguin Random House
Is it the changing of the guard or the changing of publishing culture—and what do such changes mean to authors?
On the List: Triplets under the Tree by Melissa Senate
Senate has written over 40 novels. Her 2001 debut, See Jane Date, was made into a TV movie and still runs on Hallmark Channel and Lifetime.
New agent at Aevitas
Donya Dickerson, formerly associate publisher at McGraw-Hill, has become an agent at Aevitas.
New imprint at University Press of Kentucky
Screen Door Press will publish “thought-provoking books featuring…diverse views from throughout the Black diaspora.”
A new book prize from Yale
The Yale Review and Yale University Press are launching the Yale Nonfiction Book Prize, a biennial international prize for nonfiction.
New agent at New Leaf
Matt Belford has joined as an agent after working as an editor at Random House Worlds. He is primarily looking for nonfiction.
Links of Interest: December 6, 2023
The latest in traditional publishing, bookselling, trends, AI, marketing, and culture & politics.
Links of Interest: November 22, 2023
The latest in traditional publishing, trends, audiobooks, bookselling, Amazon, culture & politics, and marketing & promotion.
Copyright lawsuit against AI faces predictable headwinds
The lawsuit brought against AI large-language models by Sarah Silverman and others has seen a portion of its claims dismissed by the judge.
NaNoWriMo closes online forums due to concerns about moderation
Controversy broke out last week when reports emerged that young writers in particular were unhappy with forum moderation.
Update on that Fadel whitepaper on AI use by publishers
Fadel quietly revised their white paper after our reporting. No longer will you find any mention of PRH using AI for acquisitions.
Book sales update: November 22, 2023
Financial results are in for the first nine months of 2023 for Hachette, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster.
20Booksto50k: Direct Sales and AI Take Center Stage
The 20Books conference will also change hands and undergo a rebrand in the US.