Recent content by AgentPete

Today's Book News Friday, 14th November, 2025 Webtoon Posts $11 Million Q3 Loss Webtoon Entertainment, which owns Wattpad, reported that third‑quarter revenue rose 8.7% year‑on‑year to $378 million, but higher costs for marketing, personnel and content pushed the company to a net loss of $11.1...

Globe Pequot Adds Another Publisher Globe Pequot Publishing Group acquired nearly all titles from Tucson‑based Rio Nuevo Publishers, known for books on Southwestern arts, crafts, cooking, history and architecture. The purchase, which includes a children’s imprint, turns Rio Nuevo into a Globe...

And, I think, there’s a bit of blurring the boundaries between Machine Learning (ML) and Large language Models (LLMs). Machine Learning has been with us for a while now and can be useful in specific circumstances (I’m thinking about diagnoses etc). Machine Learning focuses on algorithms that...

Well exactly. But a peek into some of the disturbing notions now being openly discussed by the technocracy does suggest that PJ is right: their “democracy is dead” meme will easily morph into the new feudalism. Young people are increasingly dissatisfied with democracy and probably won’t fight...

Today's Book News Wednesday, 12th November, 2025 New and Forthcoming Academic Religion Books Publishers preview forthcoming academic religion titles ahead of the American Academy of Religion and Society of Biblical Literature meeting, highlighting books on theology, activism and accessible...

Delighted to give everyone a sneak peak into a recent Huddle... What makes Gone With the Wind so emotionally powerful — even when it evokes longing for a world we’d never want to return to? In this week’s Huddle, I was pleased to lead a lively, provocative discussion on nostalgia: how writers...

Today's Book News Tuesday, 11th November, 2025 Beach Reads: PW Talks with Chad Leonard An interview with Vero Beach Book Center owner Chad Leonard where he discusses taking over his family’s bookstore, the importance of loyal staff and community support, and his passion for hosting author...

I agree! But… this is a strategy by stealth, which has to raise serious suspicions. And I have zero – absolutely zilch – idea of how society would look post-AGI. Does anyone, in fact? The most obvious issue being, what do we do with the millions of recently de-jobbed? We’re getting into some...

Today's Book News Saturday, 8th November, 2025 University Presses Continue Their Missions University presses remain committed to their missions despite financial pressures and political headwinds. Leaders said they are navigating funding cuts and market challenges while preserving scholarly...

Today's Book News Friday, 7th November, 2025 Authors Guild Webinar Talks Self‑Publishing, Conglomeration An Authors Guild webinar featuring author Mike Castleman and CEO Mary Rasenberger warned that digital self‑publishing has created an oversupply of books, with about 2.5 million titles...

For those people who follow the wacky world of AI business, the perennial conundrum is – how are these hucksters ever going to turn a profit? Much has been written, by far wiser heads than mine, concerning the dire prospects of any AI industry ever making a positive return on the gargantuan...

Sadly, Collins have fallen for the hype. “Vibe coding” simply means code that’s created (by AI) following prompts from non-programmers. What could possibly go wrong…? :)

Today's Book News Thursday, 6th November, 2025 (I've broadened out the scope of sources we cover, to include more self-publishing and more educational publishing - hope this is useful to you) Another 'Best Bookstore' Will Open, Part of a Downtown San Francisco Revival San Francisco booksellers...

I had a subscription to Office 365, which I’ve just cancelled – thinking that although I wouldn’t receive updates, I’d still be able to use it. Turns out, you can’t. You don’t pay – Microsoft hobbles your software, i.e. makes it unusable. This is not going to drive me back into their arms...

Religion Book Deals: November 5, 2025 Publishers Weekly lists several noteworthy religious book deals, including a two‑book picture‑book pact for pastor Mark Batterson and his daughter, InterVarsity Press acquiring art historian Matthew J. Milliner’s “Mere Iconography” to help readers navigate...