Daily Book News Sunday, 18th January 2026
DAILY SUMMARY:
An avalanche of publishing deals and industry drama enlivened the weekend. Publishers large and small inked eye‑catching book and rights agreements – from $100m credit lines and new TV production arms to high‑profile acquisitions including Min Jin Lee’s epic and a burst of supernatural, romance and horromantasy debuts. Meanwhile the fight against book bans and copyright infringement intensified, Taiwan prepared a culture‑packed fair, and libraries teamed up to boost access.
Publishing Industry News
A coalition led by Penguin Random House, other major publishers and the ACLU launched lawsuits in Utah, Iowa and Idaho to halt laws that would remove books from schools and libraries. Plaintiffs argue the bans violate constitutional free‑speech rights and say the legal strategy aims to defend access to diverse stories and stop a nationwide wave of censorship.
Viking pre‑empted Ruth Graham’s examination of the appeal of Christianity among young men, Tiny Reparations bought Phoebe Robinson’s comedy manifesto, Atria took Alexandra Christo’s YA fantasy Cursekeeper, Hyperion Avenue picked up Reba McQueen’s werewolf series, Berkley snagged Evie Ross’s workplace revenge rom‑com and Celadon acquired investigative reporter Paul Pringle’s mafia exposé – just a few highlights from an overflowing slate of rights deals.
Independent bookstores in Minneapolis–St Paul have been rattled by federal immigration enforcement; booksellers reported giving out whistles and safety advice, cancelling events and seeing fewer customers as ICE agents stationed themselves nearby. Owners say the emotional toll is high but they’re determined to remain community hubs offering refuge and resources.
Random House imprint One World is teaming with Little Free Library to install 12 decorated book boxes across the United States. Each holds copies of socially engaged titles such as How to Be an Antiracist and Between the World and Me; the publishers hope the boxes inspire readers and applications for stewards are open until mid‑February.
Ingram Library Services has contracted Backstage Library Works to handle cataloguing and MARC data so libraries can receive books already processed and ready for shelves. With demand growing and new clients signing on, Ingram says it’s expanding staff and expects the partnership to speed delivery and improve metadata quality.
Asterism Books’ Joshua Rothes told Publishers Weekly his company now distributes more than 216 small presses, enjoyed an 87 percent revenue jump year‑on‑year, and is adding warehouse space and a digital ARC platform. He pitched Asterism as a “scrappy upstart” offering flexible services when larger distributors squeeze out tiny publishers.
International Literary Properties (ILP) arranged a five‑year, $100 million credit line described as the largest stand‑alone literary and theatrical IP financing to date. The fund will bankroll acquisitions of book and play rights as the company accelerates its growth strategy.
Maverick Arts Publishing is launching a production company to adapt its catalogue for screen, starting with a fantasy series based on its graphic novel Dragon Girl. The move signals the indie publisher’s ambitions to cross over into television and film development.
Faber snapped up Yule at Yule House, a “stunning Icelandic‑inspired” picture book by Katherine Woodfine with illustrations by Lizzy Stewart. The publisher calls the festive story magical and predicts it will become a seasonal classic for families.
Canelo has acquired a new supernatural suspense tale by CD Major, known for mixing history and ghostly intrigue. The rights deal will see the novel released later this year as the publisher strengthens its thriller list.
HarperCollins imprint Fourth Estate won UK and Commonwealth rights to Min Jin Lee’s “breathtaking contemporary epic,” her first novel since the bestselling Pachinko. The new book promises a sweeping tale of family, history and identity set across decades and continents.
Penguin Michael Joseph pre‑empted The Surrealist, an “addictive” horromantasy novel by TikTok favourite Noa Lovelle. The book blends horror and romantic fantasy elements and is expected to be one of the imprint’s breakout titles for 2026.
Headline Eternal acquired world English rights to EJ Blaise’s Better Than Revenge, an “emotional and witty” rom‑com about a fake relationship that blossoms into real love. The author’s indie success on Kindle Unlimited convinced the imprint to bring her to traditional publishing.
Cengage Group and Hachette filed to intervene in a federal lawsuit accusing Google’s Gemini artificial‑intelligence project of large‑scale copyright infringement. The Association of American Publishers said AI companies must license copyrighted works rather than exploiting them for training data; a hearing on class certification is set for February.
At Taiwan’s 34th Taipei International Book Exhibition, running 3–8 February, Thailand will be guest of honour with a “CreaTHAIvity” pavilion featuring 50 titles, rights trading and cultural events. Organisers expect 550 000 visitors and note that Taiwan’s digital publishing market could more than double to $2.12 billion by 2033.
PEN America condemned a Defense Department proposal to place Pentagon officials in charge of the independent military newspaper Stars and Stripes, calling it a violation of the First Amendment. The free‑speech group urged Congress to safeguard the paper’s editorial independence for service members and the public.
The Journalist Assistance Network said journalists reporting on U.S. immigration enforcement have been assaulted, pepper‑sprayed and arrested in cities including St Paul, New York and Portland. It called on law enforcement to respect press freedoms and asked lawmakers to protect reporters covering controversial raids.
Self-Publishing & Independent Publishing News
The Alliance of Independent Authors’ news digest reported that HarperCollins France hired a machine‑translation firm to localise its catalogue, prompting translator protests over quality and job losses. Meanwhile, manga publishers are exploring start‑up Mantra’s AI system to translate titles into 18 languages in hopes of reducing piracy and expanding global audiences.
Academic & Scholarly Publishing
The Scholarly Kitchen’s 2025 survey of 714 readers found 75 percent rely on the blog as a top information source; most have followed it for more than five years and two‑thirds are aged 46–55. LinkedIn emerged as the dominant social platform for discovery while interest in X (formerly Twitter) plummeted, and respondents asked for more regional and early‑career perspectives.
PEN America criticised the University of Arkansas for rescinding an offer to legal scholar Emily Suski after external pressure, calling it part of a growing pattern of partisan meddling in academic hiring. The group noted similar controversies at Harvard, Texas A&M and other institutions and warned that politicising appointments undermines scholarly independence.
Notable Book News & Book Reviews
The Irish Times spotlighted standout young‑adult novels for January, including Katie Bernet’s Beth Is Dead, a murder‑mystery riff on Little Women satirising fandom culture, and Ruth Ennis’s Shorelines, a verse retelling of The Little Mermaid that champions body positivity. The column also praised graphic‑novel adaptation Ghost Boys and sci‑fi romance Better the Devil for their inventive takes on police violence and queer identity.
In an interview about his novel Cameo, Irish author Rob Doyle revealed he wrote in a seaside Martello tower, mining his working‑class upbringing and mental‑health struggles for a satirical take on literary ambition. He said the book blends autofiction and absurdism, reflecting on identity, success and the creative life.
The Irish Examiner reviewed Remain, co‑written by Nicholas Sparks and filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan. The reviewer found the tale of architect Tate Donovan falling for a ghostly woman at a Cape Cod inn slow and melodramatic at first but said it gathers emotional momentum, ending on a hopeful note with a film adaptation already in the works.
Reflecting on her father’s death from alcoholism, journalist Sophie Calon argued that addiction memoirs—from Caroline Knapp’s Drinking: A Love Story to Leslie Jamison’s Stay Awake—provide clarity, community and hope for both readers and those in recovery. She praised the genre for demystifying shame and encouraging empathy.
In a roundup of genuinely useful self‑help titles, experts recommended Amir Levine’s attachment‑theory primer Secure, interrogation specialist Emily Alison’s communication guide Rapport, Stephen Mitchell’s examination of long‑term love Can Love Last?, Ichiro Kishimi’s anti–people‑pleasing manifesto The Courage to Be Disliked, Oliver Burkeman’s existential time‑management book Four Thousand Weeks and George Bonanno’s trauma‑science primer The End of Trauma.
Publishers Weekly’s latest bestseller list sees Laura Dave’s Reese Witherspoon pick The First Time I Saw Him at number two in hardcover fiction, while Ben Markovits’s The Rest of Our Lives enters at fourteen thanks to Barnes & Noble’s Discover program. Rosie Grant’s true‑crime cookbook To Die For rises to fourth place and T.Z. Layton’s academy‑set fantasy series continues its hot streak.
Libby Page told Publishers Weekly that her novel This Book Made Me Think of You is set in a West London bookshop inspired by Daunt Books and explores grief and connection through letters. Agent Robert Caskie praised its emotional resonance; editor Kate Seaver highlighted its healing themes, and art director Rita Batour described designing a cover that captures the story’s charm.
After HBO debuted its adaptation of Rachel Reid’s hockey romance Heated Rivalry, sales of the novel jumped nearly 1 000 percent, reaching 23 000 copies in a week. A second TV season will adapt sequel The Long Game, and Reid announced a new instalment in the Game Changers series for later this year.
The United States Board on Books for Young People released its 2026 Outstanding International Books list, featuring 41 titles from 24 countries. The selections, to be showcased at the SCBWI Winter Conference, highlight themes of identity, intergenerational bonds, hope and global perspectives for young readers.
The second Sharjah Festival of African Literature opened with panels and workshops under the theme “The African Way.” Emirati and African writers showcased 20 authors and honoured Zimbabwean novelist Tsitsi Dangarembga with a lifetime achievement award, underscoring Sharjah’s ambition to champion African storytelling on the world stage.
In a star review of Nicolas Niarchos’s investigative book The Elements of Power, Kirkus described how the author journeys through Congo, Indonesia and Western Sahara to show how artisanal miners endure exploitation while executives like Robin Zeng and Wang Chuanfu dominate the electric‑vehicle battery industry. The reviewer praised the book for connecting everyday gadgets to a “dirtiest supply chain on earth” and warning that green technology’s human cost cannot be ignored.
