Daily Book News Monday, 5th January 2026
DAILY SUMMARY:
The weekend’s book news included publishers firing human translators in favour of AI, Indian book fairs rang up crores in sales and a festival partnered with a bookstore. TikTok’s BookTok won a reprieve as the app’s future was secured. Meanwhile, inspiration struck via comas and bears, poets and pranksters served up reviews, translators championed Chinese literature, and we bid farewell to Holocaust educator Eva Schloss and media critic Richard Pollak.
Publishing Industry News
One World bought Ibram X. Kendi’s “Chain of Ideas” on the spread of Great Replacement theory, Summit pre‑empted Emma Donoghue’s dystopian pigeon‑narrated novel “Blaze,” and Dell secured a two‑book deal for Lilly Lu’s supernatural sapphic romance “Death Wish.” Atria pre‑empted Elizabeth Wellington Rollins’s debut about three generations of Italian‑American women, while other deals saw Thomas Schlesser’s fable “The Gardener’s Cat” and two books by Casey Stegman snapped up.
With wholesaler Baker & Taylor gone, libraries are scrambling to find suppliers. Vendors such as Amazon Business, Barnes & Noble, Ingram Library Services, Follett, Bookazine and others are boosting infrastructure, hiring staff and launching new ordering systems to capture the lucrative market.
Harlequin, owned by HarperCollins, has fired most of its human translators and now uses Fluent Planet’s artificial‑intelligence software to produce draft translations that freelance translators polish. The cost‑cutting move follows similar experiments by other publishers and complements Amazon’s expanded AI‑powered translation service for indie authors.
The Khanapara Book Fair in Assam recorded ₹2 crore in sales in its first five days and is on track to reach ₹5.6 crore by the end of its 14‑day run. With 130 stalls, the fair’s biggest sellers are children’s titles and biographies of singer Zubeen Garg, and organisers plan to translate Assamese works into English to broaden their reach.
This look back at the Agartala Book Fair notes that 2022 drew 300,000 visitors and $240,000 in sales, rising to around ₹1.47 crore by 2024. The fair has steadily added stalls and new regional titles, and its growth — despite the absence of Bangladeshi publishers due to political tensions — positions it as a barometer for Northeast India’s publishing health.
The PragatiE Vichaar Literature Festival has chosen OM Book Shop as its official bookstore partner. The partnership promises curated selections for children, young adults and general readers, enhancing the festival experience and expanding its reach beyond the event itself.
Self-Publishing & Independent Publishing News
ByteDance will sell TikTok’s US arm to a consortium led by Oracle, ensuring the popular app — and BookTok — remain available to authors and readers. The article notes that algorithms will matter more than follower counts in 2026, urging indie authors to adapt to shorter clips and shifting social‑media rules.
Academic & Scholarly Publishing
Notable Book News & Book Reviews
The Washington Post previews 19 eagerly anticipated titles for 2026, from new novels by George Saunders, Tayari Jones and M.L. Stedman to memoirs by journalists Kelly McEvers and Ana María Spagna. The list offers readers a glimpse of the year’s forthcoming literary landscape.
Reviewing Trina Moyles’s memoir “Black Bear,” the Post notes how the author’s time living among bears deepened her understanding of grief and human–animal coexistence. The book also explores her fraught relationship with her brother and the ecological lessons she learned from sharing space with the animals.
The Post revisits overlooked 2025 titles, including Andrew Ross Sorkin’s history “1929” on the Wall Street crash, Natan Last’s chronicle of crossword puzzles and John Lingan’s biography of drummer Phil Collins. This catch‑up list urges readers not to miss notable histories, biographies and novels from last year.
Former lawyer Patrick Charnley recounts how vivid hallucinations during a prolonged coma became the seed for a novel. His near‑death experience propelled him out of corporate life and into fiction, illustrating the strange paths that lead to creativity.
Novelist Elizabeth McCracken tells aspiring authors to ditch rigid advice such as “write what you know.” She argues that a first line should deliver pleasure and warns against starting with clichéd scenes, offering witty encouragement to would‑be novelists.
A poetry roundup singles out Sean O’Brien’s collection “The Bonfire Party” for its varied forms and themes, praising the author’s ability to chronicle contemporary life. Other notable collections also get brief nods, making this a handy guide for poetry lovers.
In a books‑of‑my‑life interview, novelist Andrew Miller recalls how reading D.H. Lawrence’s “The Rainbow” made him want to write. He shares eclectic influences, from Willa Cather to contemporary authors, revealing the books that shaped him.
The Guardian praises Grace Murray’s debut novel “Blank Canvas,” in which an art student lies about her father’s death to obtain an extension. Reviewers applaud its satirical portrayal of university life and the author’s energetic, witty prose.
Cartoonist Tom Gauld pokes fun at ambitious reading resolutions, depicting the gap between bookish plans and reality in a whimsical illustration. His playful drawing provides a light‑hearted start to the year.
In his column on translated fiction, Rónán Hession champions new releases such as Solvej Balle’s time‑loop novel “On the Calculation of Volume.” He argues that contemporary Chinese literature offers some of the most exciting writing today and encourages readers to explore a broad range of voices.
Eva Schloss, who survived Auschwitz and later became Anne Frank’s posthumous stepsister, has died aged 96. She co‑founded the Anne Frank Trust UK and spent decades educating young people about the Holocaust; King Charles III expressed sadness at her passing and praised her dedication.
Journalist Richard Pollak, who co‑founded the satirical media‑criticism magazine *More* and later authored a critical biography of psychoanalyst Bruno Bettelheim, has died at 91. His career blended sharp‑eyed reporting with penetrating biographical work.
Lit Hub’s daily roundup links to pieces on the year’s most anticipated poetry collections, upcoming science fiction and fantasy releases, and cultural essays about climate activism and organised crime. The digest offers a buffet of literary news and recommendations to kick off 2026.
