Daily Book News Wednesday, 28th January 2026
Awards season stole the spotlight as Renée Watson, Cátia Chien and Cynthia Leitich Smith captured the Newbery, Caldecott and Printz honours respectively, each answering calls in snowstorms or bowling alleys while trying not to drop the phone. While London eyes a new venue for the future book fair and Frankfurt books a fresh CEO, the industry rallied around anti‑hate grants and Minnesota causes. Elsewhere dragons dominated Canadian ebooks, indie sellers thrived outside Delhi’s fair, and a certain Beckham name apparently attracted a seven‑figure bid.
Publishing Industry News
The Institute of Museum and Library Services marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day by awarding nearly $2.75 million in grants to U.S. libraries and museums for projects aimed at combating antisemitism and preserving Holocaust memory. Officials tied the funding to recent executive orders on antisemitism and said the grants would support education and community engagement.
The New York Public Library gave card holders immediate access to ebooks and audiobooks of Rachel Reid’s Game Changers hockey‑romance series through Valentine’s Day, a move that triggered a 529% jump in downloads after Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged New Yorkers to stay home and read. Library leaders said they would add more print copies to handle renewed demand for queer hockey players with healthy boundaries.
Poets Gabrielle Calvocoressi and Cornelius Eady were elected to the Academy of American Poets’ Board of Chancellors, the 15‑member advisory body that guides artistic matters and prizes, joining for six‑year terms alongside luminaries like Marilyn Chin and Juan Felipe Herrera. The appointments bring fresh voices to the board as it oversees fellowships and national poetry campaigns.
Carlsen Verlag chief Joachim Kaufmann will succeed Juergen Boos as president and CEO of the Frankfurt Book Fair on 1 September 2026, vowing to balance the fair’s rights‑trading role with its festival atmosphere and broaden its global reach. The veteran publisher praised his predecessor’s legacy and hinted that the fair may evolve as a hybrid cultural event and professional marketplace.
Authors, agents and editors organised a two‑day online auction called “Publishing for Minnesota” to raise money for legal aid and community‑building in the wake of an ICE‑related killing, donating more than 550 signed books, critiques and consultations. Proceeds will support organisations like the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee and MIRAC; organisers said the outpouring of donations showed the industry’s solidarity with marginalised communities.
Publishers Weekly’s analysis of 2025 sales data found Penguin Random House held 558 positions (43%) on the picture‑book bestseller list while Scholastic captured 373 slots in fiction, with HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Sourcebooks trailing behind. The Big Five controlled 91% of picture‑book placements but just 55% of fiction slots, highlighting both concentration and room for smaller publishers.
The New Publishing Standard reported that the Kolkata International Book Fair welcomed about one million visitors during its first weekend, with Sunday alone drawing 400 000 people and vendors predicting a record‑breaking 4.3‐4.5 million attendees overall. Organisers credited improved metro connectivity and a digital navigation app for boosting footfall and said Bengali titles were outselling English imports.
Frontlist’s report on the World Book Fair described a thriving unofficial market outside the Pragati Maidan Metro station where pavement booksellers hawk trendy novels for Rs 100‑150, drawing crowds who haggle over Bookstagram favourites on tarpaulin sheets. The bazaar’s energy contrasted with the formal fair and highlighted the demand for affordable books.
BookBrunch relayed speculation from The Sun that Penguin Random House had dangled a seven‑figure book deal at Brooklyn Beckham and his wife Nicola Peltz after a public family spat, though the rumoured memoir remains unconfirmed. Observers noted that celebrity memoirs can be lucrative but also invite scrutiny when family drama drives interest.
A Lit in Colour progress report highlighted by BookBrunch warned that, without significant intervention, it will be 2046 before 10% of GCSE students study a book by an author of colour, urging the UK education system to accelerate curriculum diversification. Campaigners called the findings “stark” and said publishers and exam boards must collaborate to change reading lists sooner.
Independent publisher Legend Times unveiled a new imprint called The Book Social, designed to build a community of readers across the UK and internationally by pairing curated fiction with interactive events and social‑media engagement. The company said the imprint will prioritise reader feedback and inclusive programming.
BookBrunch reported the death of Jim Parker, founder of the Public Lending Right International network, praising him as a tireless advocate for authors’ rights and a “true PLR hero” whose efforts ensured writers were paid when their books were borrowed. Colleagues called him a friend and mentor and said his legacy would endure.
DK and Games Workshop renewed their partnership to produce *Warhammer Age of Sigmar – The Ultimate Guide*, slated for August and promising to introduce newcomers to the fantasy universe and delight existing fans with lavish illustrations. The collaboration follows the success of their *Warhammer 40,000* guide and underscores the lucrative crossover between tabletop gaming and publishing.
March will see the Curious Minds Festival return to Bath, bringing together authors, poets and academics for conversations that explore science, literature and creativity. Organisers say the multidisciplinary event encourages curiosity across age groups and will feature readings, debates and workshops.
To mark the 40th anniversary of Diana Wynne Jones’s beloved novel, the Folio Society is releasing a limited edition of *Howl’s Moving Castle* featuring new artwork, a fold‑out map and a slipcase, with an eye‑watering price of £475. The collectible volume aims to enchant fans and collectors but may require a wizard’s wallet.
Catriona Byers received the inaugural Elizabeth Longford Brief Lives Award for her stylish biography of the quirky poet and morgue official Clovis Pierre, with judges praising her vivid prose and sense of history. The award aims to encourage younger writers to breathe life into overlooked figures.
Self‑Publishing & Independent Publishing News
Rakuten Kobo’s 2025 Book Report showed Canadian digital readers devoured fantasy featuring dragons and sought escapist comfort in cottage‑country novels, defying expectations that thrillers or celebrity memoirs would top the charts. The report, which tracks e‑book and audiobook sales through Kobo’s platform, noted increased borrowing from public libraries and a surge in multilingual reading.
Academic & Scholarly Publishing
Times Higher Education reported that Russia’s war in Ukraine is accelerating a shift to open access for Ukrainian academic journals as international partners help editors navigate power cuts, staff shortages and funding crises, ensuring research remains available despite the conflict. Advocates say the crisis underscores the need for resilient publishing infrastructure and cross‑border collaboration.
Audiobook News
BookBrunch previewed a new Sherlock Holmes audio adventure, *The Red Letter Day*, starring former Doctor Who actor Tom Baker, which fans can preorder as a CD or novelisation via Kickstarter. The project promises to blend Victorian intrigue with Baker’s distinctive narration, offering nostalgia and mystery in equal measure.
Notable Book News & Book Reviews
When illustrator Cátia Chien answered her phone at a bowling alley and learned that *Fireworks*, written by Matthew Burgess, had won the Caldecott Medal, she celebrated with a barbecue and told Publishers Weekly she wanted the book to capture the universal joy of childhood. Chien said she is often pigeonholed as a watercolor artist and relished experimenting with collage and neon colour for the book.
Author Renée Watson received an early‑morning call from the Newbery committee just after returning from London and trudging through a New York snowstorm; the news that her novel *All the Blues in the Sky* had won the medal left her in tears and planning a belated celebration once the weather cleared. She said she wrote the book to honour friends she lost and hoped readers would see resilience amid grief.
Editor and author Cynthia Leitich Smith was snowed in at home when she got the call that the anthology *Legendary Frybread Drive‑In* had won the Printz Award; she told Publishers Weekly she was “genuinely gobsmacked” and emphasised that the book’s community‑driven creation lifts Indigenous voices. Smith believes awards for collaborative anthologies signal a broader appreciation for community storytelling.
