DAILY SUMMARY:
Publishers made big moves this weekend as Japanese manga houses treated India like a front‑line market, a Brazilian imprint set up shop in the UAE and Ethiopia rewired its book‑aid logistics. Self‑publishing got a boost from Bookshop.org’s tie‑up with Draft2Digital and an audiobook subscription from Libro.fm. Elsewhere, record crowds flocked to Kolkata’s book fair, Spotify fused audiobooks with print, and classic novels and radical pop stars alike dominated the review pages.
Publishing Industry News
Japanese publishers deployed manga creator Yoshitoki Ōima on a January tour of the New Delhi World Book Fair and Jaipur Literature Festival, positioning India not as a sideline but as the next big manga market. The New Publishing Standard notes that this strategy builds cultural capital with librarians and gatekeepers before chasing sales, and it contrasts sharply with western publishers’ cautious approach to the world’s most populous nation.
Book Aid International has appointed Hawassa University as its national consignee for 2026‑28, replacing the British Council as the organisation that clears, stores and dispatches roughly 100,000 donated books each year. The new arrangement offers duty‑free import status and quarterly impact reporting, emphasising that physical books remain vital in Ethiopia where broadband penetration is low and hinting at opportunities for rights teams and co‑publishing.
Grupo Editorial Triz is opening Soul Next (Al Ruh) in the free‑trade Sharjah Publishing City, becoming the first Brazilian publisher with a full editorial base in the UAE. The imprint will publish in Arabic, English and Hindi and aims to tap a multi‑billion‑dollar market across 17 countries; its first Arabic title is due in August, and the move extends Brazil’s run of strong export growth.
Frontlist reports that Indian children’s publishing is moving beyond Western fairy tales and mythological retellings to embrace stories rooted in everyday life, diverse families and inclusive identities. Publishers such as Woodpecker Books now spotlight assertive princesses and sensitive princes, and educators frame these books as mirrors and windows that help young readers see themselves and others.
The 49th International Kolkata Book Fair drew an astounding 3.2 million visitors and generated about ₹32 crore in sales during its 12‑day run, according to Frontlist. With more than 1,000 publishers and a 15 % sales increase over last year, organisers say the turnout proves print culture is flourishing; the fair included guest‑of‑honour country Argentina and a slate of international events.
Books+Publishing reports that Simon & Schuster UK has appointed former Amazon Publishing executive Victoria Pepe as publishing director of a new digital‑first imprint launching later this year. Pepe began her career at Hachette and will oversee the imprint’s strategy as part of S&S’s push into digital‑first publishing.
Australia Reads, the campaign promoting reading in Australia, is now an independent not‑for‑profit after receiving AU$300,000 per year from Writing Australia. Books+Publishing notes that Hachette CEO Louise Stark will chair the new board, while existing head Anna Burkey continues to lead the organisation’s efforts to champion reading culture.
Self-Publishing & Independent Publishing News
The Self‑Publishing Advice Centre’s weekly news bulletin says Bookshop.org has partnered with Draft2Digital so self‑published authors can sell e‑books through indie bookstores, underlining the platform’s commitment to supporting independent culture. It also notes that audiobook platform Libro.fm has launched an annual subscription (£94.99 UK/$149.99 US) offering 12 credits plus a bonus credit and that Scotland is exploring a basic income for artists following Ireland’s pilot scheme.
Academic & Scholarly Publishing
A U.S. federal judge has dismissed an antitrust lawsuit accusing Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley and other major academic publishers of colluding by not paying scholars for peer review, ruling that industry guidelines are best‑practice rather than evidence of conspiracy. The New Publishing Standard observes that the case reignites debates about high profit margins and unpaid labour in scholarly publishing.
Audiobook News
Good e‑Reader reports that Spotify will soon let users in the US, UK and Canada buy physical and e‑books via Bookshop.org directly through the app and will launch Page Match, a feature that syncs a listener’s place between print or e‑book and audiobook by scanning the page. Spotify’s audiobook head Owen Smith says blending formats will drive discovery and growth, and author Harlan Coben calls it the most exciting reading technology he has heard of in years.
Notable Book News & Book Reviews
The Irish Times previews Trinity College Dublin’s annual book sale, which will include volumes owned by the late poet Brendan Kennelly and Oscar Wilde memorabilia from Bonhams. Highlights include a portrait of Wilde by photographer Napoleon Sarony, a first edition of *Salomé* valued at up to £25,000 and a three‑day sale of Kennelly’s personal library to fund research materials for college libraries.
Crying in H Mart author Michelle Zauner argues in The Guardian that David Foster Wallace’s sprawling 1996 novel remains emotionally rich despite its “lit‑bro” reputation. She recalls tackling the book in her thirties and finding its digressions, endnotes and explorations of male loneliness unexpectedly moving, suggesting there may never be another novel like it.
Penguin Classics UK says sales of Emily Brontë’s *Wuthering Heights* rose by 469 % year‑on‑year in January, with 10,670 copies sold ahead of Emerald Fennell’s forthcoming film adaptation starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi. The Guardian notes that readers are craving intense, tragic love stories and that the film’s teaser trailer already boosted sales last autumn.
Judith Newman’s Washington Post review of *The Big M: 13 Writers Take Back the Story of Menopause* praises candid essays from writers like Cheryl Strayed and Lan Samantha Chang but rolls her eyes at goddess metaphors and the title itself. She notes that the collection explores relief, worry and connections to mothers and even draws insight from a female orca leading her pod.
Reanna Cruz’s Washington Post review of *P FKN R: How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance* highlights the superstar’s unprecedented success and his refusal to anglicise his music. The authors argue that his celebration‑meets‑activism approach brings Puerto Rico’s political struggles into the mainstream and positions him as a hyper‑local hero with global reach.
The Washington Post profiles Andrew Sandoval, who invested $100,000 of his own money to produce a 520‑page, full‑colour chronicle of The Kinks with co‑author Doug Hinman. The book expands a 2004 edition with posters, recording logs and ephemera, and while Sandoval calls it a love letter to the band, frontman Ray Davies isn’t thrilled.
Kelly Jensen’s Book Riot column urges readers to support four “Freedom to Read” bills pending in Massachusetts, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Virginia that would tie library funding to anti‑book‑ban policies. She emphasises that advocacy is needed to ensure these bills pass and includes heartfelt letters from students pleading for their right to read.
