On the List: Mailman by Stephen Starring Grant
The author credits the memoir’s success to three key partnerships: book clubs, indie booksellers, and libraries.
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How Publishers Can Support Collaborative Author Marketing
How publishers foster collaborative author marketing by building equitable communities, facilitating long-term relationships, and helping authors promote each other for shared, lasting success
When does using someone else’s research become an adaptation?
A historian and author posted an open letter expressing her disappointment about a graphic novel that appears to draw heavily from her book.
New study: audiobook listeners willing to try AI multi-cast narration; rate it favorably
The study was performed by Edison Research, a leader in audio market research, and commissioned by Spoken, an AI audiobook production company.
Publishers file lawsuit against Google for AI training
Google used access to digital copies of books via Google Books, the Google Play bookstore, and Google Scholar to train its Gemini model.
Links of Interest: July 15, 2026
There’s yet another long and predictable story on the death of reading, plus other news in culture & politics and AI.
Sibling Rivalry Press returns
The queer poetry publisher started in 2010 with Ocean Vuong’s chapbook and went on hiatus in 2021. Now it’s back.
How Indie Authors Can Sell Direct to Bookstores: Beventi Wholesale
Beventi has become a clearinghouse for signed copies, special editions, and limited runs that cannot otherwise be obtained.
Book sales update: print sales nearly flat versus 2025
Adult fiction grew 5.7 percent, while adult nonfiction fell 5.8 percent. Self-help had the biggest decline of all, about 24 percent
How a publisher’s giveaway became market research
Chicken Soup for the Soul changed their spine design after a recent merchandise giveaway crowdsourced how their books were being displayed.
Fanfiction sites reveal plenty of AI-assisted writing, to community dismay
A user discovered that writing copied and pasted from Claude into Archive of Our Own retains code that points to some level of AI involvement.
How Librarians Actually Choose Indie Books and Why Metadata Matters
Opportunities for smaller publishers and savvy indie authors are greater than they’ve ever been—but success requires understanding how libraries work, where the gaps are, and how to fill them.
On the List: Valley of the Moms by Hannah Selinger
Hannah Selinger is a James Beard Award–nominated lifestyle writer and mother of two. Valley of the Moms is her first work of fiction.
New horror-inspired imprint at Insight Editions
Insight Editions is starting a line of horror-inspired books in collaboration with filmmaker Eli Roth and his media company The Horror Section.
Kindle Direct Publishing extends 70 percent royalty on ebooks from $9.99 price point to $12.99
As of July 7, the 70 percent royalty rate can be earned for all ebooks priced up to $12.99. The prior royalty rate for books priced over $9.99 was 35 percent.
Publishers Lunch reports decline in six-figure nonfiction deals during second quarter 2026
Analyst Michael Cader reports some of this decline is driven by Penguin Random House and HarperCollins pulling back on deals.
Links of Interest: July 8, 2026
The latest in book sales, book marketing, culture & politics, and AI.
Atria (Simon & Schuster) is relaunching Pocket Books
Pocket Books is a mass-market imprint that will be returning to publish romance, romantic thrillers, and horror.
Sourcebooks launches Kwame Alexander Books
Kwame Alexander Books will publish picture books, middle grade, young adult, and adult titles by Alexander as well as other authors.
Reese Witherspoon’s company partners with Hachette on “analog-inspired” Sunnie
A press release says they will focus on “analog-inspired products that empower Gen Z to digitally detox.”
Links of Interest: July 1, 2026
The latest in traditional publishing, self-publishing, marketing & promotion, culture & politics, and AI.
How Do You Effectively Co-Author a Fiction Project?
Given the solitary nature of the writing profession, collaboration can be an appealing option for writers who trust one another and have a common goal.
Memoirist Sarah Wynn-Williams files lawsuit against Meta
Meta argued that former employee violated a non-disparagement contract she signed after getting fired from Facebook in 2017.
Atticus Works: new backlist publisher
A music publisher that acquires and sells the catalogs of musicians has launched Atticus Works to buy and repackage backlist titles.
New agency: Renegade Literary
Former Ayesha Pande Literary agent Annie Hwang has launched Renegade Literary. representing literary fiction as well as established poets.
The Problems Publishing Still Hasn’t Solved—and Why They Persist: An Exit Interview with Brian O’Leary
The outgoing executive director of the Book Industry Study Group joined me to discuss ongoing issues affecting the industry.
On the List: Cat on a Hot Tin Woof by Spencer Quinn
Spencer Quinn is the pen name of Peter Abrahams, author of many novels including the bestselling Chet and Bernie mystery series.
Indie bookstore launches book review publication
Boston bookstore Porter Square Books has launched a book review newsletter, the Porter Square Review of Books.
New agency: Hell Fire Books
The agency will focus on music titles, film, literary biography, art and design, photography, graphic novels, and other areas of pop culture.
Substack getting ready to roll out sponsorships for “bestselling” newsletters
Authors with at least 100 paid subscribers can opt in, and Substack can automatically insert the ad into a newsletter when it’s sent out.
The New Yorker launches a book recommendation newsletter
A rotating group of writers and editors at the New Yorker will suggest the best books available now and coming soon.
New agent at Katie Reed Literary
Rebecca Lommers has joined as a junior agent. She’s currently accepting YA and adult fiction and middle-grade across multiple genres.
Bestselling nonfiction author believes AI has devastated his book sales
Tim Ferriss believes authors and publishers will need to leverage and focus on experiences rather than information in order to thrive.
PRH relaunches Texas Monthly Press
The imprint previously ran from the 1970s through the early 1990s and is associated with the magazine by the same name.
US audiobook sales increased 9 percent last year
The fastest-growing genres were humor, general fiction, and children’s/YA.
Book sales update: UK sales grew in 2025
Fiction sales were up 8 percent, children’s titles up 7 percent, and nonfiction declined 3 percent.
2026 US Book Show coverage
The PW reports on the data-driven publisher, raising readers, from SEO to GEO, reading is social, and the book-to-screen pipeline.
Optimizing for AI, Not Search: How Publishers & Authors Must Adapt
For continued discoverability, Amazon product pages should be optimized to describe books in a way conducive to AI’s understanding.
On the List: Burn the Kingdom Down by Addie Thorley
The journalism graduate decided “hard news” didn’t contain nearly enough magic and kissing, so she flung herself into the land of fiction.
New agent at Bright Agency
Michael Joosten has joined as an agent in Bright’s US office, building a list of author-illustrator talent in the children’s market.
New agent at Darhansoff & Verrill Literary Agents
Jenny Lewis has joined Darhansoff & Verrill Literary Agents; she was previously at Norton.
New UK publisher: Vignette Editions
Vignette has been founded by UK author and broadcaster Liz Fraser, specializing in travel writing, short stories, and memoir.
Baker Publishing Group launches children’s imprint
The large US Christian publisher has announced Seed & Sparrow, an imprint for picture books and board books for ages newborn to eight.
Tor launches Clocktower Publishing
The partnership with a game company will release a series of works set in the world of the popular party game Blood on the Clocktower.
Penguin launches new children’s publishing program, Tinker
It will publish board and picture books “built for play” for readers ages newborn to 10.
Kogan Page (UK) launches new business series
The business book publisher is launching the Works in Progress series, a series of handbooks for people in the early stage of their careers.
Links of Interest: June 10, 2026
The latest in media, traditional publishing, AI, and culture & politics.