AGP Executive Report

Global Bookselling & Distribution: Sharjah Book Authority chair Sheikha Bodour announced the 5th Booksellers Conference for Sep 19-20, bringing booksellers, distributors and e-commerce players from 98 countries to tackle supply chains and the digital shift. Murakami Midnight Launch: Haruki Murakami’s “The Tale of KAHO” hit Japan at midnight with fans lining up; it’s his first full-length novel in three years and his first with a lone woman protagonist, with Shinchosha citing a 250,000-copy first print run. Copyright & Piracy Alarm: After Netflix’s “The Polygamist” surge, copyright groups warn that readers are finding the book via widely shared pirated PDFs and urge people to stop sharing illegal copies. AI vs Authorship: Murakami pushed back on AI writing, saying his process is “completely different,” while separate coverage highlights how AI detection and “humanizing” tools are fueling new classroom headaches and workarounds. Industry Deals & Rights: Nine signed a one-year pilot to let Microsoft Copilot use content from major Australian mastheads, aiming for attribution and new revenue. Publishing & Community: UK indie Buddyhood is building an impact-led children’s catalogue and is shortlisted for the Independent Publishing Awards.

AI Writing Backlash: The fight over AI detection is getting uglier as schools and users clash with “humanizer” tools that rewrite text to dodge flags, plus tactics like deliberate typos and simulated typing patterns. Publishing Industry Watch: Scholastic set its Q4 and fiscal 2026 earnings release for July 23, with a conference call the same day. Book Culture & Community: Edmonton author Helen Metella is touring Alberta with a dementia-focused picture book for adults, while romance readers in Raleigh keep finding a home at Bright Side Books & Wine. Global Publishing Events: Sharjah’s Bodour Al Qasimi announced the fifth Sharjah Booksellers Conference for Sept. 19–20, and China’s Jiangsu Book Fair opened in Suzhou with major in-person and online programming. Rights, Safety, and Accountability: A Lancaster Country Day lawsuit targets the tech behind AI tools used to create and share abusive images of minors, pushing accountability beyond the students. War’s Impact on Print: Ukrainian publisher BookChef says a Russian attack destroyed about 800,000 books at a central warehouse. New Releases & Buzz: Fans lined up for Haruki Murakami’s midnight launch of “The Tale of KAHO,” and horror readers got a midyear roundup of the best horror books of 2026 so far.

Women in Publishing: PublisHer launched PublisHer Studio, a free eight-week global online learning program (applications July 1–Aug 1; cohort starts Oct 5) aimed at building leadership, interpersonal skills, and career confidence for women navigating AI and a fast-changing publishing market. Library E-Book Costs: Rhode Island passed companion legislation to curb “metered access” e-book licensing practices that can block core library operations like interlibrary loans and collection building, with other states needed for full impact. Publishing Contracts in the Spotlight: Russell Brand reached a confidential deal to settle a £220,000 claim from Pan Macmillan over “wasted expenditure” after he failed to deliver two self-help books under a 2021 contract. Rights Market Watch: Chinese editors are reportedly becoming more selective as domestic publishing confidence rises, shaping how international rights deals get made. Book Culture & Community: A Museum of Coastal Carolina Sandbar Lecture series returns Tuesdays in July, including a Pirate Week talk and other regional history and coastal ecosystem sessions. Publishing Tech & Access: A new debate is heating up around digital reading and physical media as Sony moves toward PS5 digital-only, adding pressure to preserve books and games in accessible formats.

Arts & Academics: The American Academy of Arts & Sciences elected retired English professor Myung Mi Kim to its 2026 class, honoring her experimental poetry and “event of language” approach. Publishing & Rights: A new promotional event in Türkiye spotlighted the fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, underscoring state-to-state publishing ties. Book Trade & Access: Libraries Connected secured £65,770 from Arts Council England to improve how public libraries and independent publishers work together on e-books. Graphic History: Historian Rick Atkinson’s Revolutionary War trilogy is being adapted into graphic novels by Ten Speed, bringing Lexington, Concord, Quebec, and Boston to the panel page. AI & Litigation: A new push compares the coming legal fight over AI chatbots to the Big Tobacco playbook, arguing courts may become the battleground. Education & Reading Culture: Malaysia’s RM100 MADANI Book Voucher Programme 2026 is rolling out to help students buy reference books and keep reading habits alive. Publishing Careers: PublisHer opened applications for PublisHer Studio, an eight-week, free online program for women building publishing skills and networks. Poetry & Community: A Cebu street poet is turning conversations into keepsake “letters for gentle strangers,” using print as a bridge back to people.

Rare-Book Market: A first edition of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights (with Agnes Grey) sold at Christie’s London for £1,206,500, setting a new auction record for the author and for 19th-century literature by a woman. Education & Culture Wars: Texas’ State Board of Education voted to require Bible passages in public schools from kindergarten through 12th grade, with the board expanding its reading list and districts set to adopt it starting in the 2027-2028 window. Publishing Industry Moves: DK named Page Edmunds president of its US division as the publisher targets continued growth in its biggest market. Rights, AI & Creators: Australian authors and musicians urged the government to resist AI copyright carve-outs after renewed pressure tied to training-data access. Book Buying Basics: A practical guide breaks down how used-book condition grades work online and what to check before buying. Comics & Market Watch: A new forecast projects the comic book market reaching $31.2B by 2034, driven by digital access and mobile platforms. Memoir Spotlight: Hannah Richell’s memoir An Ocean and a Day revisits the 2014 drowning of her husband through diary-sourced writing.

Sales & Politics: Simon & Schuster says Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan’s Regime Change has sold 300,000+ copies in its debut week, with more printings on the way—another sign readers still want Trump reporting. Publishing Industry: UK book trade bodies are urging the government to seek an urgent EU exemption from new €3 customs duties on small parcels, warning the tariff will hit smaller publishers hardest. Library Tech: OverDrive’s Libby is rolling out AI content filters so readers can opt out of AI-generated books, AI-narrated audiobooks, machine translation, and AI art. Open Access Policy: Yale approved a new author-rights approach letting faculty keep copyright while granting Yale a nonexclusive license for online posting on EliScholar. Accessibility in Books: Author Ann Cunningham’s “Flip-pics” method won a Louis Braille Touch of Genius Prize, aiming to help blind readers understand complex images in layered tactile form. Pop Culture Publishing: IDW says Star Trek’s biggest relaunch in years is due in three months, with a new comic series tied to the franchise’s 60th anniversary. Faith Publishing: Penguin Random House is launching its first UK Christian imprint, Ebury Vine, with commissioning editor Charisa Gunasekera leading the push.

Supreme Court & Publishing: New financial disclosures show several justices earned more than $2 million combined from book advances and royalties in 2025, with Ketanji Brown Jackson reporting a $1.18 million Penguin Random House advance and Sonia Sotomayor listing children’s-book royalties plus free concert tickets tied to Bad Bunny’s label. Children’s Books Under Fire: A UK report launched in the House of Lords argues children’s publishing has been “hollowed out” by ideology, warning that trans-themed narratives are crowding out diversity of thought and harming kids. Censorship Clash: Idaho’s House Bill 666 would criminalize librarians when minors access “harmful” materials, with critics saying the vague standard invites censorship of LGBTQ-inclusive titles. Rights, Libraries & Free Speech: Italy’s Paper First says it will skip a Rome book fair after organizers required exhibitors to sign an anti-fascist “political purity” declaration. Book Market Moments: Christie’s London will auction a rare first edition of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights in a three-volume set, with estimates reaching into the low seven figures. Indie/Global Publishing: Pushkin Press acquired Stefan Zweig’s full literary estate, while Sharjah hosted UNESCO World Book Capital delegates to share strategies for strengthening reading culture.

Supreme Court Income Watch: Four justices disclosed more than $2M in book payments in 2025, plus lucrative teaching income and even concert tickets tied to Bad Bunny’s label—fresh scrutiny for the court’s financial disclosures. AI Plagiarism Flood: Apple Books is reportedly awash with AI-generated “clones” that reuse real book covers and titles, sometimes selling AI-made summaries as standalone books. Bestseller Buzz: Jill Biden’s memoir briefly hit No. 1 on the NYT list, then dropped fast, reigniting debate over whether bulk orders—not readers—drove the debut. Publishing & Tech Tools: VitalSource’s Bookshelf+ won an EdTech Breakthrough Award for AI-powered study features, while Wix’s Base44 announced its own large language model aimed at non-technical creators. Literary Community Loss: Canada mourns author Gail Bowen, credited with putting Saskatchewan on the national crime-fiction map through her Jonane Kilbourn mysteries. Books in the Real World: A UK charity Bookbanks expands inside food banks, using free books to support wellbeing and reading access. Censorship & Schooling: Texas approved a mandatory public-school reading list that includes Bible selections, reviving First Amendment fights. Russia LGBTQ Crackdown: A Russian court jailed an LGBT nightclub owner and staff under the country’s “LGBT movement” ban. Book Culture Events: Annecy animation awards highlighted “Paper Trail” and other winners, while a new Mysuru Literature Festival edition set for July 4-5 promises major author talks and book releases.

ALA Conference Buzz: Printed Word Reviews drew big crowds at ALA with back-to-back author signings, spotlighting bilingual children’s titles and award-winning voices. Publishing Launch: Apricity Publishing brought Prashant Agarwal’s personal-finance bestseller CLIFF to India, pitching a visual, behavior-first approach to longer lives and shorter careers. Translation & Access: Mehdi Khawaja discussed translating Akhtar Mohiuddin’s Kashmiri novel Jahanmuk Panun Panun Naar, highlighting how language barriers and limited mainstream publishing keep much Kashmiri literature underread. Literary Events: The Seoul International Book Fair wrapped with an estimated 150,000 attendees and celebrity signings, while Thailand’s Chiang Mai Book Fair returns with 210+ booths and family programming. Book Trade & Community: Ohio’s Mahoning Valley Book Bazaar is set for Nov. 7, aiming to bring authors and genre-focused vendors together in one day. Indigenous Memoir Recognition: Elder Robert Cree’s The Many Names of Robert Cree won silver at the Independent Publisher Book Awards, adding to earlier wins and nominations. Censorship Watch: A Việt Nam book ban case shows how universities and publishers can be pressured to report and recall titles tied to contested history.

Independent Publishing Awards: Elder Robert Cree’s memoir The Many Names of Robert Cree won silver at the 2026 Independent Publisher Book Awards, adding to recent Alberta and Axiom honors as it chronicles residential school survival and reconciliation. Indie Bookshops: Wellington’s Willis Street is getting a romance-book boost with XO Book Co opening now and Aurelia Books slated for July, joining Unity Books to turn the strip into a booklover hub. Religious Publishing Scrutiny: Malaysia’s JAKIM urged publishers to vet religious books with Quranic and hadis content more carefully after controversy over inaccuracies in a religious title. Kolkata Book Fair Politics: A new publishers’ group, Bangiya Grantha Shilpa Parishad, has sparked fresh speculation over who will run the Kolkata International Book Fair, challenging the long-running guild’s dominance. Book-to-World Culture: A new Mary Jane: Face It, Tiger #1 variant imagines Spider-Man’s icon in isekai-style anime art, showing how comic publishing keeps borrowing from fandom trends. Literary Prizes (Belarus): The Angelus longlist added 14 Central and Eastern European titles, including Serhiy Zhadan’s Arabesques and Yulia Ilyukha’s My Women. Memoir & Media Clash: Trump attacked Maggie Haberman’s bombshell memoir Regime Change on Truth Social, fueling another high-profile publishing-and-politics moment.

Religious Publishing Scrutiny: Malaysia’s JAKIM urged the National Book Council to push publishers to vet religious books carefully, after controversy over alleged inaccuracies in a Quranic/ḥadith-quoting title, with calls for qualified Islamic-study reviewers and author accountability. Backlist Books Go Viral: A 1983 children’s title, “The Weighty Word Book,” is surging again after a TikTok video, driving unusual reorders and prompting UNM Press to juggle multiple print vendors to meet demand. Memoir Meets the Algorithm: UK songwriter KT Tunstall said a publisher’s question about her TikTok fan reach made her “want to barf,” even as she moves ahead with a memoir. Thrillers & Literary Buzz: Freida McFadden’s “The Divorce” gets a rave for its fast, twisty psychological setup; and Helen Hegener’s “The Iditarod Trail” digs into the sled-dog route’s history beyond the usual serum-to-Nome story. Publishing Policy & Access: Nigeria’s ANA rejected a reported ₦2,000-per-page assessment fee, warning it would threaten intellectual freedom and literacy. Tech Shifts Reading: Amazon rolled out Kindle AI features like spoiler-free recaps and an “Ask this Book” assistant, nudging readers toward newer devices.

Religious Publishing Scrutiny: Malaysia’s religious affairs minister Dr Zulkifli Hasan urged authors and publishers of Islamic books to tighten accuracy and originality after concerns over errors in Quranic quotations sparked calls for withdrawal, with monitoring efforts set to ramp up. School Reading Culture Wars: A roundup spotlights U.S. elementary schools using LGBTQ-themed and gender/sexuality-focused materials, raising fresh debate after a Supreme Court ruling affirmed parents’ opt-out rights. Comics Crossover Buzz: DC’s Absolute Batman continues to ripple through pop culture, with fans pointing to a Ben 10 variant cover that appears to pay tribute to the Batman look. AI + Copyright in Court: A major copyright fight over training AI on copyrighted recordings moves toward a July ruling in the Sony Music v. Suno case, while Hagens Berman joins independent-artist lawsuits seeking broader artist recovery. Kindle’s New AI Reading Tools: Amazon is rolling out Kindle AI features like spoiler-free recaps and an “Ask this Book” assistant, but availability is limited to newer devices and iOS for now. Local Books & Events: A Belgrade library invites the public to an evening with Montana poet laureate Allen Morris Jones, while a Wilkes-Barre author marked a milestone with his 400th book.

Translation & cultural diplomacy: Cambridge University Press is publishing Ben-Gurion researcher Galit Nimrod’s ethnographic look at Florida’s “golden agers” in The Villages, while Navdeep Suri argues translators carry more than language skills—worldview and lived experience shape what gets published. New English-language access: Monthly Review Press released Rafael Barrett’s Paraguayan Sorrow in English (translated by William Costa), bringing a 1910 voice on labor exploitation to new readers. Publishing education goes digital: At Beijing’s book fair, China’s publishing educators framed AI as “human-centered” support for readers and editors, not replacement for people. AI authorship controversy: Hachette withdrew the UK edition of a TikTok-hit horror novel after claims that most of it was AI-written, reigniting the debate over originality and detection. Books, faith, and writers: Pope Leo XIV met Pulitzer-winning authors at the Vatican, calling reading and writing acts of truth and empathy. Kids’ history & summer reading: New titles for young readers include American history picks and veteran-focused picture books aimed at summer classrooms and families. Local literary life: Festivals and libraries kept busy—Barrow’s BookTastic drew 1,700 pupils, and a youth poet laureate program in Sarasota County targets ages 13–19.

Summer Reading Picks: A new roundup leans into the season’s vibe, pairing Proust’s In Search of Lost Time with staff and writer recommendations for beach-and-backyard reading. Memoir & Identity in Focus: Angeline Boulley’s Ojibwe-rooted rise is spotlighted, while Julia Alvarez reflects on aging, mortality, and why poetry keeps pulling her back. Publishing & Culture Watch: Publishers Weekly highlights “essential” American literature, and there’s fresh buzz around Meg Cabot’s Princess Diaries graphic novel and the film’s next chapter. Indie Games & Pop Culture Tie-Ins: July indie releases get a spotlight, and DC animation news points to an “Absolute Batman” series as a potential new animated universe. Industry/Tech Pressure: Apple’s price hikes push readers toward refurbished devices, and Meta faces a lawsuit tied to a whistleblower memoir. Book Trade/Community: Libraries’ long arc gets attention in a 250-years feature, alongside local events and reading initiatives.

Irish Literature Honors: Prof Claire Connolly won the Robert Rhodes Prize for her Cambridge University Press monograph Irish Romanticism: A Literary History, praised for its wide-ranging, tightly argued reappraisal of Irish Romanticism’s political and cultural impact. New Fiction Spotlight: Kimberly McCreight’s Someone Else’s Husband blends a deadly love triangle with an expedition climb up Mount Kilimanjaro, drawing on her own experience of the “seven summits” challenge. Tech & Publishing Rights Clash: Sarah Wynn-Williams, author of Careless People, sued Meta after an arbitration order effectively silenced her, alleging the gag was enforced through an invalid agreement and duress. LGBTQ+ Memoir Collection: Coming Out Together returns as an e-book, compiling personal coming-out memoirs and aiming to make LGBTQ+ stories more accessible. Comics & Events: ARC Contemporary Comics Festival lands in Peckham (11–12 July) with 100+ exhibitors and free entry, while Otley Bookfest is set for Nov 27–29 with themed discussions, panels, and music. Publishing Market Watch (France): France’s new book sales dipped in 2025, while school textbook sales rose, according to the SNE. Pop Culture Adaptation: Cornell University Press releases Fire and Freedom: The American Revolution in New York, reframing the Revolution through overlooked local stories as the U.S. 250th anniversary nears.

Publishing & Prizes: Canadian journalist Lyse Doucet won the 2026 Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prizes, taking nonfiction for The Finest Hotel in Kabul, a history told through the Inter-Continental Kabul—also earning the Women’s Prize for Nonfiction. Church Publishing: Pope Leo XIV’s new Cornerstone (PRH UK) book Freedom Under Grace will publish never-before-seen writings from his years in the Augustinian order, with US/UK rights secured by Image Books and Cornerstone. History on the Page: Cornell University Press releases Fire and Freedom: The American Revolution in New York, reframing the Revolution through overlooked events like the Great Fire of 1776. Gun Law Meets Publishing: A Virginia court temporarily blocks enforcement of Abigail Spanberger’s semi-auto “assault weapons” ban, a reminder that policy fights quickly spill into legal and public discourse. AI in Editorial Work: APS journal editors weigh how much disclosure is needed when AI tools shape manuscripts, balancing accessibility with concerns about generic, unoriginal output. Book Trade & Rights: Massachusetts lawmakers advanced a bill to protect libraries from book bans, giving librarians primary authority and setting review procedures for challenges. Pop Culture Adaptations: Scholastic and Legendary announced a live-action Magic School Bus film starring Elizabeth Banks as Ms. Frizzle. Comics Market: An Absolute Batman sketch cover by Dan Quintana sold for $18,500 on Whatnot, underscoring the collectible heat around DC’s Absolute line. War & Memoir Publishing: A Hiroshima survivor memoir tied to John Hersey’s Hiroshima reporting is set for book publication and film adaptation.