Publishing News Daily Book News Saturday, 3rd January 2026(!)

[AgentPete]

DAILY SUMMARY:

The first weekend of 2026 finds publishing at a crossroads: AI is quietly replacing human translators, book fairs and festivals are opening their doors, and retailers are busy flogging colourful new devices. I'm including stories below from 29th Dec to today, 3rd Jan..

Publishing Industry News​

HarperCollins replaces its romance translators with AI​

Harlequin, the romance imprint of HarperCollins, laid off its in‑house French translators and is now using Fluent Planet’s AI tools to translate its English‑language romances for the French market, signalling a wider shift toward machine translation across the publishing industry. The move follows similar experiments by other publishers and could accelerate the pace of international rights deals..

Doha International Book Fair opens 2026 registration​

Qatar’s Ministry of Culture opened registration for the 35th Doha International Book Fair, which will run 14–23 May 2026 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center. Organisers highlighted record numbers at the 2025 fair—522 publishers from 43 countries and 166,000 titles—and said the 2026 edition will embrace digital registration, rights negotiations and the theme “From Engraving to Writing”.

Publishing’s defining conversations of 2025 hint at 2026 priorities​

Publishing Perspectives’ year‑end roundup notes that audio reached maturity in 2025, while AI moved from hype to practical applications. The article highlights emerging issues—intellectual‑property battles, translation rights and the importance of live events—that will shape industry strategy in 2026.

Predictions: what lies ahead for the book trade in 2026?​

A Bookseller panel predicts that the UK’s National Year of Reading, the mainstreaming of AI and the continued boom in audio will dominate the trade in 2026, while romantasy, escapism and book‑to‑film adaptations will excite readers. The panel urges publishers to balance innovation with caution as they navigate shifting consumer tastes.

Self-Publishing & Independent Publishing News​

PVLF picks OM Book Shop as official bookstore partner​

India’s PragatiE Vichaar Literature Festival (PVLF) announced OM Book Shop as its official 2026 bookstore partner, promising curated selections for children, young adults and seasoned readers. Festival organisers said the partnership will foster conversation and deliver bespoke reading experiences at the January event.

PVLF hands out mental‑health journals to every attendee​

PVLF partnered with Niyogi Books and wellness platform Solhapp to gift every festival attendee a mental‑health journal encouraging mindfulness and self‑expression. Organisers said the initiative underscores the idea that stories live beyond books and aims to make the event a haven for introspection.

Academic & Scholarly Publishing​

Barnes & Noble Education closes fiscal 2025 with improved results​

Barnes & Noble Education finally filed its delayed fiscal‑2025 10‑K, reporting that revenue rose 2.7 % to $1.61 billion and net losses narrowed to $52.1 million. The collegiate bookstore operator said it expects double‑digit sales growth in fiscal 2026 thanks to textbook price increases and the recovery of its wholesale business.

Notable Book News & Book Reviews​

Dreaming of writing your novel this year? Rip up all the rules!​

Novelist Elizabeth McCracken urges would‑be writers to ditch generic openings (“It was June, and the sun was out”) and embrace idiosyncratic, disorienting first lines. She argues that the duty of fiction is to surprise and defy convention, not to offer cosy familiarity.

Fan fiction is real literature, whatever the snobs say​

Guardian columnist Urooj Ashfaq defends fan fiction as democratic and reparative, noting that readers reinvent their favourite stories to fix unsatisfying canon and give side characters a voice. She argues that snobbish dismissals ignore the creativity and community behind this messy, derivative but deeply loved form.

19 books we’re looking forward to in 2026​

The Washington Post highlights its most anticipated titles of 2026, including George Saunders’s novel “Vigil,” Tayari Jones’s “Irenie,” Karan Mahajan’s “Swimming to Rafts,” a posthumous Michael Crichton adventure co‑authored by James Patterson, and new works by Ann Patchett and Julia Quinn. The list predicts a banner year for fiction fans.

Blank Canvas by Grace Murray review – a superb debut from a 22‑year‑old author​

Reviewer Rebecca Wait raves about Grace Murray’s debut, which follows Charlotte, an art student in New York who lies about her father’s death and becomes entangled with a sculptor. The novel is praised for its witty, precise prose and its clever skewering of art‑school pretension.

Kindle Colorsoft 16B and Kids Edition discounted for New Year​

Amazon kicked off 2026 by discounting its 7‑inch Colorsoft e‑readers, including a Kids Edition with a rugged case and colour‑enhanced Kaleido 3 display. The sale highlights growing interest in colour E Ink devices but also notes the absence of quick charging and waterproofing on these models.

Top 10 new audiobooks for January 2026​

Good e‑Reader’s editorial team picks January’s must‑listen audiobooks, from T.M. Logan’s thriller “Departure(s)” to Sara Wright’s “Vigil,” encouraging readers to curl up with fresh stories while the weather stays cold. The list spans genres, promising something to warm every listener’s winter.

What new Pocketbook devices will come out in 2026?​

Pocketbook is tipped to refresh its Era 2, InkPad 5 and InkPad Color 4 e‑readers and expand its UK digital bookstore with OverDrive’s Libby integration. The company is also partnering with designers to release special‑edition covers and may offer more devices with 8‑inch screens.

TCL Nxtpaper Pro A1 aims to rival the Kindle Scribe​

TCL’s Nxtpaper Pro A1 is an 11.5‑inch E Ink hybrid tablet boasting a bright NXTPAPER Pure display, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB storage and an AI‑powered stylus that recognises handwriting and formulas. It targets readers who want colour and productivity features without sacrificing eye comfort.

Sumptuous new historical fiction​

A New York Times feature recommends richly atmospheric historical novels that immerse readers in long‑ago worlds. The roundup celebrates storytellers who make past eras feel tangible, from lush romances to sweeping epics.

The Story of Calamity Jane, in Her Own Wild Words​

A graphic novel draws on Martha Jane Cannary’s letters to both celebrate and demystify the colourful frontier icon, correcting some of her taller tales. By letting Calamity Jane speak for herself, the book offers a fresh portrait of a legend.

She spent a night in the Anne Frank House – and met ghosts​

Lola Lafon’s memoir “When You Listen to This Song,” now available in English, recounts her night alone in the Anne Frank House and uses the experience to meditate on identity, loss and memory. It blends reportage with ghost story, conjuring spectral echoes of history.

‘The Let Them Theory’ is Ireland’s bestselling book of 2025​

Nielsen BookScan data show that Mel and Sawyer Robbins’s self‑help manifesto “The Let Them Theory” sold 38,885 copies in 2025, making it Ireland’s top seller. The thriller “The Housemaid” came second, while Claire Keegan’s novel “Small Things Like These” was the highest‑ranked home‑grown title.

Why 2026 will be special for fiction fans​

Columnist Rick O’Shea argues that 2026 looks exciting for readers, spotlighting George Saunders’s long‑awaited novel “Vigil,” in which an oil tycoon is visited by the living and the dead during his final night. He also teases forthcoming titles by Maggie O’Farrell and Sebastian Barry, predicting a bumper year.

Always Remember keeps Charlie Mackesy on top of the charts​

The Bookseller notes that Charlie Mackesy’s “Always Remember” ended 2025 at number one in the UK charts, capping a strong year for the author and leaving other titles scrambling for runner‑up slots. The article also comments on confusion about year‑end charts and the enduring popularity of sentimental illustrated books.

Richard Osman and Joanna Prior awarded OBEs in the New Year Honours​

Best‑selling author Richard Osman, Pan Macmillan chief executive Joanna Prior and Business Book Awards founder Lucy McCarraher were recognised in the 2026 New Year Honours list for services to literature and publishing. The Bookseller notes that Osman’s murder mysteries helped reignite cosy‑crime sales while Prior is celebrated for championing diverse voices.

Sara Banerji obituary​

Novelist Sara Banerji, who died aged 93, wrote ten books that blend realistic domestic detail with myth and magic, often featuring fatherless children who experience the surreal as if it were everyday. Her debut “Cobweb Walking” introduced a child who learns to walk on cobwebs; later works like “Shining Agnes” and “Absolute Hush” cemented her reputation for baroque storytelling.

First look at the Bigme HiBreak S smartphone​

Good e‑Reader previewed the Bigme HiBreak S, a 5.84‑inch E Ink smartphone running Android 14 with 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage. The device boasts dual cameras, advanced ghosting elimination and a long‑lasting battery, promising a dedicated reading phone for on‑the‑go bibliophiles.

Kaite Memopad Plus: battery‑free writing tablets​

Kaite’s new Memopad Plus tablets use microcapsule screens that never need charging and deliver improved contrast thanks to redesigned pen tips. An accompanying app lets users digitise scribbles and export them for editing and sharing, promising an eco‑friendly alternative to paper notepads.

The New Yorker archive goes fully digital​

The New Yorker announced that its entire archive, spanning nearly a century and more than 100,000 articles, is now digitised and available online. Subscribers can browse every issue from 1925 onward, making the magazine’s rich literary history more accessible than ever.

 

[BrianY]

Is it just me, or is this a bit more upbeat than what I've been hearing elsewhere?

 

[Aethalope]

The shift to AI as a translator, though. Yes it's 'only' romance and 'only' English to French, but if it turns out to viable, it won't stop there.

Will AI be able to capture the nuance of the original? No, but then human translators didn't always, either.

Will it open up new audiences for authors writing in different languages? Will it promote consumer acceptance of AI? Probably yes to both.

I say all this as an ex technical translator who happily contributed to Linguee, not knowing it would be used to create DeepL.

 

[AgentPete]

Yes, I agree. It feels very much as if this is testing the water… Let’s see if authors / translators / readers complain about it, and if not, then we’ve saved ourselves a bunch of dosh.

Nor will it stop there, of course.

@Aethalope I have yet to see any machine translation (or "AI", as they rather quaintly put it) that does justice to the original, is it even close in your opinion?

 

[Aethalope]

@AgentPete In technical writing, it's become pretty much flawless. That's due to the nature of technical writing: staid, voiceless, template stuff, which is perfect for machine translation. Firms still have humans checking because of the consequences of getting things wrong, but it's like with Harlequin above. They're hiring proofreaders not translators, and pay accordingly.

 

[BrianY]

How much nuance does the typical romance have? Or the typical Amish mystery?

BTW ... during my recent trip to London, I visited several bookstores and didn't see anything that resembled American-style romances. For that matter, I didn't see much of the sorts of British gardening and small-holding books that are now becoming easy to find in Pennsylvania.