Daily Book News Tuesday, 27th January 2026
Global publishing had a Monday of contrasts: consolidation and crackdowns jostled with awards and bright growth spots, while digital borrowing boomed and climate‑tinged fiction and political memoirs vied for readers’ attention. From new rights deals and international megastore ambitions to academic angst over data mandates, the industry showcased its resilience and its fissures.
Publishing Industry News
The German collecting society GEMA sold its stake in Zebralution to Insight Partners, meaning the private‑equity firm now controls both Zebralution and Bookwire; industry observers worry that consolidation could squeeze competition in the digital distribution market and raise regulatory questions.
German booksellers saw print revenue fall 2.9 percent in 2025, and after accounting for inflation the market shrank by about 5 percent; only fiction logged nominal growth, with price increases cushioning an otherwise gloomy year for retailers.
Portugal’s book market expanded 7.6 percent in value and 6.9 percent in units in 2025, driven largely by a boom in colouring books; analysts caution that the growth is cyclical and the market remains modest by European standards.
Italian chain Feltrinelli, which sells roughly 17 million books a year, will open its first store outside Italy in Montevideo and is eyeing further expansion across Latin America, signalling confidence in bricks‑and‑mortar retail even as digital sales rise.
Brazilian digital reading platform Skeelo announced an $85 million investment to push into Argentina, Colombia and Peru; 80 percent of the funding will go toward content acquisition as it seeks to build a regional subscription powerhouse.
Kadokawa’s vertically oriented manga app Kadocomi has surpassed two million downloads, offers about 1,400 works and shares 60 percent of advertising revenue with creators, highlighting the growing popularity of mobile‑first reading platforms.
Ghana’s government has drafted legislation to create a Book Development Agency and a Textbook Policy, allocating GHS 3 billion for textbook procurement and aiming to formalise the country’s publishing and distribution systems.
Teresa Lian of BookMason House has bought world rights to Mary Williams’s novel *The Ides of August*, a story set on a turbulent day in 1969; the rights deal signals publishers’ continued appetite for historical fiction.
Canadian independent Thistledown Press has appointed Mariah Warriner to its editorial team, underscoring the press’s commitment to nurturing new editorial talent.
The US Board on Books for Young People honoured 41 titles on its 2026 Outstanding International Books list; Canadian picture books *Everybelly*, *My Friend May* and *The Sunshine Project* were among the selections, reflecting the country’s strength in children’s literature.
The American Library Association named Renée Watson’s novel *All the Blues in the Sky* the 2026 John Newbery Medal winner, Cátia Chien’s picture book *Fireworks* the Caldecott Medalist, and Cynthia Leitich Smith’s anthology *Legendary Frybread Drive‑In* the Michael L. Printz Award recipient, spotlighting inclusive storytelling across age groups.
Coffee‑table publisher Phaidon has elevated chief operating officer Philip Ruppel to chief executive, succeeding Bob Miller (who is launching his own company), and signalling a generational leadership shift at the design‑forward imprint.
Distributors Ingram Content Group and Pearson have teamed with Korean tech firm Naver to invest US$5 million in Cashmere.io, a start‑up that helps publishers license content for artificial‑intelligence training and builds metadata and discovery tools; the company already counts Wiley and Harvard Business Publishing among its clients.
The Will Eisner Family Foundation announced that Will Eisner Week will run from March 1–7 with the theme “Read a Graphic Novel!”, and more than 200 schools, libraries and museums have signed up for talks and workshops honouring the comics pioneer.
French publisher Morgen, part of Les Nouveaux Éditeurs, has inked a six‑figure deal with writer Ram V and illustrators for a sci‑fi/fantasy graphic‑novel series; the English‑language rights have been snapped up by Image Comics, marking an ambitious entry into the global comics market backed by investors like former Hachette CEO Arnaud Nourry.
School librarians across the United States are expanding collections with bilingual titles, books on diverse cultures and student‑curated displays to ensure children see themselves reflected and to counteract censorship campaigns; they report that inclusive displays draw in reluctant readers.
The Publishers’ Publicity Circle announced the shortlists for its 2025 awards, highlighting campaigns for books such as *Nobody’s Girl*, *Entitled* and *Careless People*; judges include BookBrunch’s Natasha Poliszczuk, Waterstones buyer Bea Carvalho and author Katherine Woodfine.
Tor UK has acquired *Tales from the Territory*, a short‑story collection set in Travis Baldree’s cosy fantasy world, for publication in October; the book expands the beloved *Legends & Lattes* universe.
DK Children’s editor Francesca Young has bought rights to five new illustrated gift titles described as combining contemporary illustration with heart‑warming narratives, bolstering the publisher’s gift‑book portfolio.
The Bookseller reported that the Publishers’ Publicity Circle’s annual awards shortlist includes publicity campaigns for the novels *Nobody’s Girl*, *Entitled* and *Careless People*, signalling strong marketing efforts across fiction releases.
A Bookseller “Review of the Year” feature notes that the Independent Alliance sales collective posted record print sales in 2025, with multiple member publishers achieving strong Total Consumer Market results and the alliance strengthening its market share.
Waterstones boss James Daunt welcomed the UK government’s business‑rates shake‑up as “sensible”, saying lower bills in deprived areas mean the chain’s overall rates bill will be similar to last year; after a strong Christmas and January, he plans to open about ten new stores annually, even as the Booksellers Association warns the reforms burden small shops.
Academic & Scholarly Publishing
The Society for Scholarly Publishing has relaunched its Leadership Academy, offering five interactive online sessions covering topics such as innovation, change management, CliftonStrengths assessments and psychological safety to help mid‑career professionals build leadership skills.
SSP introduced an Enterprise Webinar Package that allows organisations to buy year‑round access to its webinar series, giving teams continuous professional development on topics ranging from AI and marketing to academic library roles and career strategy.
A survey reported by *Times Higher Education* found that fewer than half of researchers in leading economies now back national mandates requiring open research data, even as awareness of FAIR data principles has risen; India is the lone country where a majority of respondents still favour mandatory data sharing.
Sociologist Michael Mu told *Times Higher Education* that peer reviewers’ “biting critiques” of non‑native English usage harm early‑career researchers; he calls for more inclusive language practices to ensure that scientific merit is not obscured by language prejudice.
Audiobook News
OverDrive’s Libby and Sora apps and the Kanopy streaming service recorded more than 820 million library borrows in 2025—up 10.9 percent from the previous year—with e‑book loans up 3 percent, digital audiobooks up 13 percent, digital magazines up 31 percent and digital comics up 22 percent; more than 200 library systems topped one million digital checkouts.
Notable Book News & Book Reviews
*The Guardian* praises Megha Majumdar’s novel set in a climate‑ravaged Kolkata, where mother‑son duo Ma and Boomba scavenge after a catastrophic hurricane amid corrupt officials and constant power outages; the reviewer calls the story a witty yet harrowing critique of climate injustice.
In her nonfiction debut, Izabella Scott revisits the 2015 British case of Gayle Newland, convicted for duping a friend into sex while posing as a man, and traces the “bed trick” motif through Shakespeare and other literature, arguing that the trial exposes deep ambiguities around consent and identity.
The Washington Post finds Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro’s memoir *Where We Keep the Light* rich in personal faith, family stories and bipartisan bromides but short on policy substance, noting that he sidesteps several controversies even as he champions moral clarity.
In a feature for readers stuck at home by winter storms, editors at the Post recommend a mix of swashbuckling epics and cosy romances—including James Islington’s *The Will of the Many*, Alfred Lansing’s Antarctic classic *Endurance*, Gene Wolfe’s cult fantasy *Book of the New Sun* and Annabel Monaghan’s rom‑com *Summer Romance*—and urge families to share audiobooks.
The Washington Post profiles crime writer Don Winslow, noting that the formerly retired author has released *The Final Score*, a collection of short stories featuring surfers, mobsters and drug deals; though soft‑spoken in person, Winslow’s fiction remains brutal and he continues to speak out politically.
NPR’s review of Julian Barnes’s novel *Departure(s)* describes a playful yet poignant work in which a fictionalised version of the author reflects on mortality, his wife’s death and his own leukemia diagnosis; Barnes declares it will be his last novel, arguing that he would rather finish on a high than repeat himself.
