DAILY SUMMARY:
A busy weekend for publishing sees Hodder launch its new Midnight romance list while Pearson's mixed results tell the age-old tale of rising revenues and falling profits. Profile Books founder Andrew Franklin announces his retirement just as Elliott Investment advances IPO plans for Barnes & Noble and Waterstones. In sadder news, sci-fi titan Dan Simmons dies at 77. Meanwhile, the mass market paperback shuffles off to join the dodo, and Amazon kills its Book Club, presumably hoping nobody notices amid the Goodreads migration.
Publishing Industry News
Publishers Weekly reports this week's book deals, including Little, Brown landing Chad Harbach's follow-up to The Art of Fielding, and Real Housewives star Heather Gay making her literary debut.
The first two releases from Sarah Barley Books have launched in recent weeks, and both have hit bestseller lists, signalling an auspicious start for the new imprint announced last year.
The Astral Library and Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter, both new to the hardcover fiction list, lean into cosy vibes, while YA author Rachel Griffin delivers her own dose of magic with The Sun and the Starmaker.
Italian publisher Feltrinelli has expanded into Latin America, opening in Montevideo as part of its slow but steady international expansion strategy.
Hodder & Stoughton has unveiled a new romance list called Midnight, which will form part of Hodder Fiction, offering intimate, sensual, cosy, and alluring stories for every reader.
Pearson's full year results show turnover rose 4% to GBP 3,577m, though profits fell to GBP 507m from GBP 541m in 2024. The company reported significant progress embedding AI across its platform.
Alongside its annual results, Pearson has appointed Simon Robson as its new chief financial officer.
Puffin has announced promotions including Anthea Townsend and Kelly Hurst, as Felicity Alexander joins the editorial team.
Andrew Franklin, founder of Profile Books, is set to retire as the independent publisher celebrates its 30th anniversary.
Independent booksellers have expressed frustration after a World Book Day title went out of stock for them while Amazon continued selling the book without the usual World Book Day tokens.
TV presenter Andrea McLean has signed a book deal with DK RED in which she confesses the failures that once filled her with shame and the lessons they taught her about finding resilience.
Transworld has acquired Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard by Sarah Ann Macklin at auction, a title described as showing how our performance-obsessed wellness culture has affected everyday health.
Pan Macmillan has signed The Showgirl and the Prince by Ruthie Henshall, telling how a chorus girl from Bromley navigated a hidden relationship with Prince Edward.
The MeetCute Romance Book Festival and Kate Nash Literary Agency are launching a new competition for writers of romance fiction, with the winner receiving literary representation.
The Bookbanks charity is expanding, opening three new locations within UK food banks to provide free books to communities in need.
Dublin City Council has announced the 20 novels longlisted for the 2026 Dublin Literary Award, with Sally Rooney and Niamh Ni Mhaoleoin among the nominees in the 31st year of the international prize.
Publishing Perspectives reports that the shortlist for the European Union Prize for Literature has been announced, celebrating works that bring remarkable writing to readers across borders.
Ahead of the London Book Fair, this month's rights roundup from Publishing Perspectives features two fascinating novels, a children's book, and an invitation to share pre-fair deals.
Elliott Investment Management is advancing its IPO plans for the Barnes & Noble and Waterstones bookstore chains, according to a report from The New Publishing Standard.
The Irish Times reports that three Irish writers have landed major book deals, marking a strong period for Irish authors in the international publishing market.
Amazon has announced that the Amazon Book Club will be discontinued on 1 March 2026, with all user data to be deleted. Amazon is directing users to switch to Goodreads.
In Australian publishing news, Kathy Lette's The Sisterhood Rules has entered the Australian charts, as reported by Books+Publishing.
Self-Publishing & Independent Publishing News
Self-Publishing Advice's weekly news roundup covers the phasing out of the mass market paperback format and the milestone of podcast listenership overtaking traditional talk radio in the US.
Japan's manga market has contracted as falling print sales have outpaced gains from digital editions, presenting challenges for manga publishers globally.
The New Publishing Standard examines the implications of Kedoo's digital-first content model for children's publishing and the opportunities it may create.
Academic & Scholarly Publishing
The Scholarly Kitchen publishes a guest post examining the journey toward sustainability in academic publishing and the progress made so far.
Audiobook News
Audiobook publisher Bolinda has cast actors Zach Barack and Jordan Renzo to narrate the audiobook for Piper at the Gates of Dusk, the first title in Patrick Ness's new trilogy.
The New Publishing Standard analyses the implications for publishers as podcast listenership overtakes traditional radio, a shift with potential consequences for audiobook marketing and discovery.
Notable Book News & Book Reviews
American science fiction and horror novelist Dan Simmons, known for the Hugo Award-winning Hyperion and the bestselling historical novel The Terror, has died at the age of 77.
The New York Times reviews Christina Applegate's new memoir, You With the Sad Eyes, which finds the TV star facing childhood trauma and reflecting on the limits imposed by illness in writing described as funny, furious and profane.
M.L. Stedman's new novel A Far-Flung Life is reviewed in the New York Times, where the beauty and breadth of the Australian setting stand in counterpoint to the horrors of the human lives playing out within it.
The New York Times reviews Jazmine Ulloa's El Paso, which paints the author's hometown as a microcosm for the broader American experience.
The New York Times mystery fiction columnist rounds up the best new mystery and crime novels of the month.
Marian Mitchell Donahue's Backstitch is reviewed by the New York Times, exploring two sisters reckoning with the complex legacy of their mother's artistic life.
The Guardian covers Christina Applegate's memoir about her life with MS, in which the actress confronts her diagnosis and its impact on her career and personal life.
The Guardian examines the legacy of 19th-century French novelist George Sand, celebrating her visionary and unconventional literary life.
The BBC reports on a valuable book at the centre of the Small Prophets plot, examining the significance and value of the rare text.
The BBC reports that a popular cosy crime book series is being developed for television, adding to the growing trend of literary adaptations in the crime genre.
The New York Times reviews James Cahill's Violet Hour, an immersive art-world novel that combines the art scene with a murder mystery.
The New York Times reviews Maria Stepanova's Disappearing Act, a novella of displacement and reinvention in which a writer disillusioned with her homeland finds new life elsewhere.
Horror author Stephen Graham Jones shares his favourite slasher books in a personal selection for the New York Times.
The Guardian profiles Asako Yuzuki, whose novel Butter has become an international sensation, as the author reflects on identity, food, and challenging conventions of Japanese femininity.
The Irish Independent previews the best crime novels and thrillers coming in March, featuring selections from Henrietta McKervey and other authors.
The Guardian compiles recommendations from writers and readers about the books they most enjoyed during February.
The Guardian explores new writing that re-examines the historical figure of Cleopatra beyond the familiar stereotypes.
Sally Rooney and Graham Norton have topped the list of the most borrowed novels from Irish libraries, according to new figures reported by the Irish Independent.
