AGP Executive Report

Publishing & Politics: A federal lawsuit challenges Dallas County’s jail rule banning mailed physical books, arguing it blocks Prison Legal News and violates free speech and due process. Literary Culture: The 8th Philadelphia Latin American Book Fair filled the Kimmel Center with Latino authors, kids’ activities, and panels across Spanish, English, and Spanglish. Poetry Goes Viral: A new wave of poets is using short-form social media to reach readers via reels and recitations, turning poems into shareable “personal conversation” moments. International Publishing: The 35th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair opens with 95-country participation, a Balkan guest-of-honour focus, and major programming for writers and publishers. Books in Translation: Lost Horse Press is preparing a major bilingual English-language collection of Ukrainian dissident poet Vasyl Stus, positioning it as the most substantial selection for US readers. Community Cookbooks: Up River’s 25-year wait ends with a new community cookbook, built from hundreds of recipes and supporting local mission projects.

Publishing & Politics: A new wave of scrutiny hits media and publishing as Trump’s team leans on federal power and legal pressure, including a $15B defamation fight tied to a 2024 book, while UK PM Andy Burnham backs moves to curb SLAPP lawsuits aimed at silencing journalists and whistleblowers. Children’s Books & Accessibility: Gruffalo Granny launches with day-one audio-tactile access for visually impaired pupils in Inverness, showing how major publishers can build inclusive launches from the start. Book Fairs & Rights: Abu Dhabi’s National Media Authority joins ADIBF to support licensing and accreditation, while Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre opens 2026 “Spotlight on Rights” grants to fund translation and digital/audio conversion. Global Publishing Events: Qatar takes guest-of-honor status at Costa Rica’s reading festival, and Sofia’s Book Alley lines up author signings plus a reader meet with Goncourt winner Jean-Baptiste Andrea. Film-to-Book/Publishing Crossover: India’s Oscar submission miss for Hanuman Ansh is blamed on a small team and missed deadlines, even as the film pushes Telugu dubbing and broader reach. Industry Watch: OUP updates AI disclosure guidance after survey findings on under-disclosed AI use, as publishers debate licensing and the future of writing. Comics Sales: Spawn ’77 #1 and Transformers #36 top the weekend comics bestseller chart, led by Image’s strong showing.

Publishing Under Pressure: Penguin Random House India backed away from Joe Sacco’s graphic reportage The Once and Future Riot and also pulled Sonia Gandhi’s memoir Belonging, but HarperCollins India stepped in to secure the rights and keep the original release date—another reminder that self-censorship is shaping what readers can access. Books in the Crosshairs: Florida reported nearly 600 books removed from public schools in 2025-26, with Clay and Escambia counties driving most of the removals amid ongoing First Amendment fights. Culture as a Target: A new dispatch from Ukraine’s cultural capital Lviv describes a “cultural crisis” as journalists and literature workers are killed and heritage sites hit. AI and Authorship Debate: BookTok creators say AI accusations can trigger instant backlash and career damage, while publishers and agencies are still figuring out how to respond. Student Textbook Costs: StanBooks at Stanislaus State is moving to an opt-out deadline (Sept. 16), with charges folded into tuition unless students opt out. Literary Loss: Experimental poet and scholar Rachel Blau DuPlessis died at 84. New Fiction Buzz: Jill Lepore’s The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State and B Jeyamohan’s translated novel White Elephant spotlight technology’s promises—and the human cost behind “progress.”

Publishing & AI Policy: Oxford University Press updated AI-use guidelines after concerns that disclosure is “measurably” too low, while broader debate keeps heating up around licensing and who controls the narrative. New Imprints & Rights: JK Rowling’s agent Neil Blair launched High Line Publishing Studio, positioning it as a home for Jewish and Israeli books amid boycott pressure; meanwhile, Antidote Books was also announced as a censorship-resistant imprint. Books to Watch: Scholastic Graphix acquired world rights to Vivian Truong’s middle-grade graphic novel Super Shy (set for autumn 2029). Royal & Memoir Buzz: Earl Spencer shared an emotional note ahead of Swan Song: Diana My Sister (22 Sept), promising “many revelations.” International Prizes: Dnipro: Biography of a Great City in the Steppe won the 2026 Encounter Prize. Community & Literacy: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library expansion in Canada gets a Flashback spotlight, and local book-fair programming continues to push reading culture. Piracy Crackdown: Jaranwala police raided bookshops and arrested two owners over allegedly pirated books.

Publishing & Media Business: Daily Times Nigeria is rolling out “Daily Times 2.0” as it closes its first century, aiming to reshape Nigeria’s global image through a refreshed media ecosystem. Global Book Markets: Russia’s Moscow International Book Fair is boosting Chinese titles, with publishers like Eksmo reporting strong demand for China-set stories among younger readers. Kids & Community Reading: University of Alaska Press published “A Bright Light of Hope,” a grade-school Elizabeth Peratrovich story; meanwhile Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library continues expanding, with local partners highlighting literacy’s family-first impact. Publishing Industry & AI: A new report says self-published books now outnumber traditional titles as AI and TikTok reshape discovery and production. Rights, Scams & Author Safety: Authors are warning about impersonation scams targeting writers, while another major thread has authors pushing back on publishers/agents’ claims tied to an Anthropic copyright settlement. Book-to-Screen & Adaptations: Paramount+ released the trailer for “Avatar: Seven Havens,” with a Book 1 rollout starting Oct. 9. Literary Events & Awards: The NYC Big Book Award recognized Gerald Everett Jones’ “Jonathan’s Journal” as a Distinguished Favorite, and the New York Festivals Radio Awards opened entries for 2027.

Local News Publishing That’s Growing: Oregon’s Active Media is doubling down on monthly, free local papers and magazines—printed, mailed, and supported by advertisers—pushing back on the digital-only trend. Children’s Books With a Mission: Iowa From the Sky is being distributed to Burlington fifth-graders, using a goldfinch narrator in rhyming couplets to teach geography beyond corn-and-pigs. Award-Winning Children’s Publishing: Peppertree Press’ Izzy, An Octopus Tale won the NYC Big Book Award in the Children’s Educational category. Memoir With a Twist: Tears for Fears’ Roland Orzabal’s Welcome to Your Life blends rock memoir with astrology, framing it as the engine of his story. Physical Media Pushback: A new column argues Gen Z’s analog turn is a fight over ownership—especially as e-books often come with licensing limits. Publishing Industry Business: Pelham Ledger expands specialized royalty and production accounting for publishers and creatives. Book Industry Recognition: NYC Festivals Radio Awards 2027 entries are open, adding new podcast categories.

AI & Translation: A Chinese literature student used an AI tool to produce a near-instant Mandarin version of Haruki Murakami’s latest novel, undercutting the usual long wait for official translations. Publishing Crime: South Korea prosecutors indicted an author and a publisher head over an alleged bulk-buying scheme of 1,631 copies to game a bookstore bestseller list. Memoir Spotlight: David Archuleta promoted his NYT-bestselling memoir about losing faith and finding himself, while Toronto’s Rick Campanelli tied his bestseller rise to a gambling addiction confession. Local Books & Censorship: Boise Public Library rejected a bid to remove the children’s picture book “Princess Pete,” defending age-appropriate content amid gender-norm controversy. Literary Prizes: Victoria, B.C. named nine finalists across its book, children’s, and poetry prizes, with winners set for Nov. 14. Book-to-Stage: “Water for Elephants” heads to Hollywood Pantages and Segerstrom, bringing Sara Gruen’s bestseller to Broadway-style touring. Media Business: A report says publishers are spending hundreds of millions monthly buying search traffic as organic referrals erode. Rights & IP: Authors push back on claims tied to the Anthropic settlement, arguing publishers and agents want a cut.

AI & Publishing Business: A new report says self-published books now outnumber traditional titles in the US by more than 5-to-1, as AI and TikTok reshape discovery and sales. Search & Discoverability: A UCLA Anderson Review piece warns “zero-click” Google behavior is cutting web traffic for publishers, with AI summaries increasingly replacing clicks. Rights & Settlements: Authors are pushing back on a $1.5 billion Anthropic copyright settlement, while Meta agreed to a child-safety deal up to $18B that forces stricter controls for minors. Industry Access: Cashmere and IOP Publishing are partnering to license trusted science content for AI inference use. Book Culture & Adaptations: Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies gets a graphic novel retelling; horror and dark romance keep spreading via screen-to-page and BookTok buzz. Publishing Events: Abu Dhabi’s book fair adds fee waivers and more networking for publishers; Princeton opens an exhibition on the art and evolution of Japanese illustrated publishing. Pop Culture Tie-Ins: A limited-edition Alex Van Halen book will include a never-before-heard 1974 demo; Dolly Parton is getting a 28-page tribute comic.

Publishing & Culture: Pope Francis’ final book, “Hope, Unfailing,” lands in English this fall (Nov. 24) with reflections on hope amid war, tech upheaval, and social uncertainty. Local Book Life: Ithaca is Books Festival returns Sept. 12–13, bringing authors, publishers, and events downtown. Comics & Pop Culture Publishing: Lulu Press is seeing a surprise surge in interest in old, forgotten comic strips, while Skybound/Image Comics preview “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero/Tomb Raider” variant covers ahead of an Oct. 7 comic-shop release. Manga & Translation: “She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man” manga ends with Volume 16 shipping Oct. 29; “Shadow of the Sun” becomes the first Gulf novel translated into Greek. Books & Society: Scholastic is using 9/11-era storytelling to help educators teach today’s kids about the attacks. Publishing Industry Watch: Duke University will remove public access to C. W. Howell’s dissertation after a fabricated quote controversy. War on Books: Russia’s strikes on Ukrainian printing presses have destroyed millions of books and textbooks.

Publishing Leadership: Bloomsbury founder Nigel Newton will shift to executive chairman as part of a five-year succession plan, with a new CEO targeted within two years—another big signal of how major houses are preparing for an AI-led future. Reading Culture: A new take on the “reading is dying” debate argues that literacy is changing, driven by BookTok/BookTube communities, audiobook growth, and bookstores evolving into event spaces. Book Industry & Rights: Authors and agents are pushing back over claims tied to Anthropic’s $1.5 billion copyright settlement, raising fresh questions about who gets what in AI-era publishing. Freedom to Read: Florida Senate candidate Angie Nixon’s bookstore move is framed as a direct response to book-banning efforts. New Releases & Events: Xulon Press announced multiple faith-focused releases (including a Sukkah daily guide and a homelessness memoir), while local festival and library stories—from a shepherdess author at Scotland’s St Duthac festival to a Panbazar police-station library in India—show books finding unexpected spaces. Awards & Debuts: Devon Spier and Szilvia S. Jennings earned NYC Big Book Award “distinguished favorite” nods, and Sudbury’s Elizabeth Urso readies her debut thriller “Hail Mary.”

Genre Fiction Spotlight: A new $20,000 Andrew Pyper Prize for Genre Fiction will be run through the Writers’ Trust of Canada, backing horror, thriller and speculative writers for seven years, with eligibility set for authors who’ve published at least three books; the launch lines up with Pyper’s final novel, Driven. Publishing & Culture: Asia News Network released an e-book, Inside Asia’s Hidden Heritage Treasures, aiming to move beyond geopolitics and spotlight UNESCO sites and cultural threads. Manuscripts & Scholarship: A new volume highlights the Qurʾān of al-Zaʿfarānī, described as the earliest complete dated Qurʾānic manuscript with a full Persian translation (1151 CE). Rights & AI: Kenya’s Copyright Tribunal says AI-generated works need demonstrable human creative intervention to qualify for copyright protection. Comic Retail Reality Check: One comic-store owner argues in-store gaming is getting squeezed by unreliable distribution, pushing stores toward a more comic-led future. Book Events: Sofia’s 14th Book Alley opens through Sept. 13, with reading-focused programming and a “Library in Slippers” intergenerational initiative. Industry Dispute Watch: Authors say publishers and agents are making claims on shares from the Anthropic $1.5 billion copyright settlement.

Copyright Fight: Authors say publishers and agents are trying to claim extra money from Anthropic’s $1.5B copyright settlement, even when rights have reverted—raising fresh questions about how the $3,000-per-pirated-title payout is being handled. Publishing & Rights in India: HarperCollins is set to publish Sonia Gandhi’s memoir Belonging in India on Nov. 10 after a Penguin deal row, turning a legal dispute into a major imprint decision. Book-to-Screen Push: Sharjah’s SACC launched the Book2Screen Challenge, inviting Arab publishers to pitch Arabic novels, graphic novels, and children’s books for animation adaptations. International Literary Spotlight: Seoul is turning public book spaces into autumn “sanctuaries” with author talks and rare art editions, while Korea’s “K-Book Week” in Paris aims to convert European interest into rights deals. New Releases & Events: Petra Hůlová’s The Long Version lands as a feminist, polarizing novel; and Dublin Book Festival marks its 20th anniversary with major Irish literary names and talks.

Anthropic AI payout fight: Authors say publishers are staking claims on their share of Anthropic’s $1.5B copyright settlement, including cases where rights allegedly reverted years ago—sparking a new scramble over who gets what. Sonia Gandhi memoir publishing row: HarperCollins is set to publish Sonia Gandhi’s “Belonging” in India after a Penguin deal dispute, keeping the spotlight on how publishers handle high-stakes political books. AI and publishing pressure: The settlement fight lands amid broader backlash over “AI slop” and fair-use arguments, with writers and rights-holders pushing back on who benefits from AI training. Rare books as investments: A surge in first editions and historic titles is drawing collectors and celebrities, as physical books gain “tangible” value in a digital age. Library comics push: Piedmont Regional Library System launches Comics Plus, letting cardholders read thousands of comics and manga instantly with no holds. K-Book Week in Paris: South Korea brings Korean picture books and fiction to France for 140 years of ties, aiming for rights sales and co-publishing. Japan distribution squeeze: Rising costs and trucking rules threaten Japan’s book distribution system, raising fears for bookstore survival. Nigeria anti-piracy raid: The Nigerian Copyright Commission seizes pirated books worth about N7 million in Abuja, targeting unauthorized reproduction and sales. Comics retail street-date warning: DC and Lunar Distribution warn shops not to sell or display Batman Day items before Sept. 19. Reading habit campaign: Singapore’s ReadSG movement urges 15 minutes of daily reading with tracking and virtual rewards. Comics-to-manga crossover: Skybound and Image Comics’ Energon Universe adds manga variant covers for Transformers and more, blending mainstream comics with Japanese art styles.

AI & Copyright Fight: Authors and publishers are clashing over who owns rights in the $1.5B Anthropic settlement, as the settlement administrator flags competing claims—raising fears that messy records could cut creators out of payouts. Publishing Industry & Policy: Singapore’s ReadSG launches a five-year push to get people reading 15 minutes a day, with tracking and rewards via CrowdTask SG, plus a monthly “Get It Now” Libby release. Book Trade & Retail Rules: DC Comics and Lunar Distribution warn shops not to sell or display Batman Day 2026 items before Sept. 19, or risk losing access to future event shipments. Children’s Books & Inclusion: Kenya’s banned classic Matigari returns as a Kikuyu musical, while a new children’s picture book tackles caste through story and emotion rather than a lecture. Global Reading Trends: China’s literature is drawing growing interest in Russia at the Moscow International Book Fair, with publishers betting on translated titles and pop-culture spillover. Legal/Media Culture: A Penguin Sonia Gandhi memoir deal follows claims of pressure on publishers, as India’s publishing politics stay in the spotlight.

Publishing Politics: Indian Congress leader Sachin Pilot alleged pressure on Penguin to stop publishing Sonia Gandhi’s biography, while HarperCollins India stepped in to release “Belonging” on Nov 10—turning a publisher dispute into a freedom-to-publish flashpoint. Children’s Books & Social Issues: Duckbill’s BLUE uses story and illustration to let kids encounter caste without turning it into a lecture, arguing that art can express what adults avoid explaining. Book Fairs & Community Reading: Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab inaugurated “Kitabon Ka Jahan” at restored Empress Market, and Chelmsford’s Use Your Voice Indie Book Fair branded itself anti-generative-AI to protect human connection in publishing. Rights & Piracy Crackdown: Nigeria’s Copyright Commission seized pirated books worth about N7m in Abuja, targeting unauthorized reproductions. New Releases & Literary Life: “Paper Man: Chasing the Truth in the Mississippi Delta” brings Jim Abbott’s decades of reporting and anti-racism work to bookstores; Robin Morgan, feminist icon and former child star, died at 85. Global Publishing Notes: BookWalker marks 10 years with Kodansha via major manga promos, while a rare Quran manuscript attributed to Imam Ali drew attention at the Baghdad Book Fair.

Publishing & Deals: BookWalker marks 10 years with Kodansha using a Sept. 4–14 global promo: buy volume 1, get volume 2 free on select series, plus catalog-wide 20% Coin Back and bonus digital wallpapers. Children’s Books & Events: Pasadena Conservatory of Music pairs Emmy Kastner’s “All the Ice Cream in the Land” with musical storytime at Vroman’s on Sept. 5. Book Industry Legal/Business: Sparkle Pop (Ad Populum) objects to a Diamond Comic Distributors bankruptcy settlement plan, escalating disputes and setting a court hearing for Oct. 6. India Publishing Politics: HarperCollins India will publish Sonia Gandhi’s memoir “Belonging” on Nov. 10 after Penguin Random House India withdrew amid a dispute over edits; Congress and BJP trade blame. AI & Publishing: A new lawsuit by the Seattle Times and Newsday targets Microsoft and OpenAI over alleged unauthorized use of journalistic content to train AI. Book Culture on Social: BookTok mid-year buzz highlights 4th Estate’s “Yesteryear,” with controversy fueling discussion. Comics Sales: “Batman #13” tops Wednesday-to-weekend bestseller charts, with DC dominating the top 10.