DAILY SUMMARY:
The London Book Fair dominates today's headlines, with PRH UK CEO Tom Weldon warning that shifts in English-language rights could prove perilous for the industry. Simon & Schuster's new CEO Greg Greeley — an Amazon veteran — promises growth, while Ken Follett cements his move to Hachette with a second novel deal. In scholarly publishing, the AI question looms large as leaders confess off-the-record anxieties. Meanwhile, quiz books are outselling nonfiction hand over fist, and the digital content spend on audiobooks and e-books continues its relentless climb.
Publishing Industry News
Penguin Random House UK chief executive Tom Weldon delivered a wide-ranging opening keynote at the London Book Fair, addressing topics from artificial intelligence to the future of international book fairs and what he described as industry red lines.
British author Ken Follett will reunite with Hachette Book Group's Grand Central Publishing for his next novel, The Deep and Secret Things, scheduled for September 2027. Follett moved from Penguin Random House to Hachette in 2024 after 45 years.
Penguin Random House has created a new worldwide technology group, which CEO Nihar Malaviya said reflects the publisher's commitment to investing in tools, platforms, and capabilities to support creative and operational performance.
Newly appointed Simon & Schuster CEO Greg Greeley said he will embark on a listening tour with employees and confirmed there has been no change in KKR's original mandate to grow the company.
A session at the London Book Fair addressed the persistent gender gap in nonfiction publishing and called for publishers to take deliberate action to publish more women as thought leaders.
Publishing Perspectives highlighted key programming at the London Book Fair, including sessions on rights, AI, and the future of the international trade.
The first day of the London Book Fair was marked by discussion of how the publishing industry is weathering political and economic uncertainty, alongside Audible's expansion announcement and ongoing speculation about Simon & Schuster's direction under new leadership.
Michael Shoults has been promoted from COO of Hachette Book Group US Distribution to CEO of the publisher's distribution arm.
Bill Krause, who has led the 125-year-old mind-body-spirit publishing house Llewellyn for nearly two decades, will retire on June 30.
The Authors Guild's certification programme, which launched in beta for Guild members in 2025 and certifies titles as written by humans rather than AI, is now open to any author whose books are published in the United States.
Sales of quiz books have reached their best year on record, according to new data, even as broader nonfiction sales have declined.
Frontlist reported on the range of global publishing voices presenting at the London Book Fair, with sessions highlighting international perspectives on the trade.
Academic & Scholarly Publishing
The Scholarly Kitchen explored what scholarly publishing leaders really think about AI behind closed doors, covering concerns around using it, layering it into workflows, competing against it, and licensing content to AI companies.
Audiobook News
During his keynote at the London Book Fair, Audible CEO Bob Carrigan announced that the company will launch in 11 new international markets over the coming year, extending its reach to millions more listeners worldwide.
Good e-Reader reported that the way people consume books has shifted dramatically over the past decade, with digital reading moving from a niche convenience to a mainstream habit, and audiobooks continuing to grow as a share of overall spending.
Notable Book News & Book Reviews
Former first lady Jill Biden will release a memoir titled View from the East Wing, in which she recounts her time in the White House and shares her perspective on the 2024 presidential race.
Jennifer Szalai reviews Tom Junod's new memoir, in which the prizewinning magazine writer grapples with unsettling discoveries about the larger-than-life world of his father.
Dan Simmons, who moved prolifically through science fiction, fantasy, horror, thrillers, crime and historical fiction, has died at 77. His novel The Terror was adapted into a television series.
Writer and critic Stephen Koch, who spent years championing his friend Peter Hujar's underappreciated Bohemian-world artwork to posthumous recognition, has died at 84.
German novelist Peter Schneider, best known for The Wall Jumper, which proved prescient in its portrayal of a country that would remain psychologically split even after reunification, has died at 85.
Beatriz Williams reviews Patricia Finn's debut novel The Golden Boy, in which an exiled television executive in Hawaii revisits his dark past in rural Ontario.
Ben Greenman reviews Andrew Martin's new novel, in which a group of friends navigate a society reshaped by the pandemic.
The Guardian reviews Kathleen Stock's new book, which makes a philosophical case against euthanasia.
Library Journal reported that Scarpetta, the long-awaited television adaptation of Patricia Cornwell's bestselling crime novels, has launched on Amazon Prime Video, alongside news of the latest holds lists and industry interviews.
The Irish Independent profiles author Niamh Mac Cabe and her approach to writing fiction that blends tension with anticipation.
A new collection of Mary Lavin's short stories, introduced by Colm Tóibín, receives a warm review in the Irish Independent.
Good e-Reader compares the Pocketbook Color Note running Android with Google Play against the Amazon Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, weighing up the merits of each e-notebook for readers and note-takers.
