Daily Book News Wednesday, 28th January 2026
DAILY SUMMARY:
A day of dynamic shifts saw rights deals, legal battles and cultural diplomacy share the stage. Minneapolis booksellers turned viral activism into booming sales, legislators revived the Prison Libraries Act and South Korea imposed new AI‑labelling rules, while funding schemes and corporate moves signalled fresh investment in publishing. Bloomsbury opened an academic hub in Singapore, record crowds flocked to Kolkata’s book fair and Russia was named guest of honour at the Havana fair..
Publishing Industry News
Kate Roddy at Abrams’s new imprint akaStory acquired North American rights to Kristen Gordon Chaudière’s forthcoming romance *The Paris Proposal* and two other novels at auction. The book follows a Filipino‑American woman who marries a Frenchman to extend her visa and sparks fly as ambition collides with laissez‑faire living; akaStory plans a six‑title launch list for January 2027.
Viral videos of Minneapolis booksellers confronting federal immigration agents turned Greg Ketter of DreamHaven Books & Comics and Victoria Ford of Comma: A Bookshop into symbols of resistance. Both shops saw online orders surge tenfold after the footage spread; DreamHaven’s website crashed under the demand and Ketter plans to donate part of the windfall to local food pantries.
U.S. Representatives Emanuel Cleaver, Shontel Brown and Valerie Foushee reintroduced the Prison Libraries Act, a bill that would create a competitive grant program within the Department of Justice to fund new and expanded prison libraries with US$10 million annually through 2031. American Library Association president Sam Helmick welcomed the bill for broadening educational access and preparing incarcerated people for reintegration.
Judge Trina Thompson was assigned to preside over a copyright lawsuit, *Carreyrou v. Anthropic*, filed by authors against tech firms including Anthropic, OpenAI and Google. Meanwhile Judge Araceli Martínez‑Olguín extended the deadline for authors and publishers to opt out of or object to a US$1.5 billion settlement related to another AI‑training case, with the new deadline to be set at a forthcoming meeting.
Bloomsbury announced the opening of Bloomsbury Singapore, an editorial base focused on higher‑education content for the Asia‑Pacific market. Chief executive Nigel Newton said the office will strengthen regional partnerships, tailor content for Asian markets and capitalise on the region’s growing student population through the company’s digital resources platform.
The Publishers Association urged fairness as the UK government partnered with AI firms Anthropic and Meta to modernise critical systems, reminding officials that copyright and licensing terms must “make it fair” for creators when public‑sector AI projects use publishers’ content.
Bloomsbury opened a Singapore operation to expand its academic sales across Asia, citing growing student numbers and the need for a local presence to better serve regional markets.
Headline’s managing director Mari Evans announced a new novel and the acquisition of two further books from bestselling author Victoria Hislop, praising their ongoing creative partnership and hinting at an ambitious release schedule.
Long‑time Frankfurt Book Fair director Juergen Boos announced he will retire after this year’s fair, having run the event for more than two decades. Bonnier executive Joachim Kaufmann will succeed him as CEO and president, taking over leadership of the world’s largest book trade fair.
The Umberto e Elisabetta Mauri Advanced Training Seminar in Venice will convene industry leaders including Stefano Mauri, James Daunt, Sonia Draga, Brian Murray and David Shelley to debate how artificial intelligence is reshaping publishing. The roundtable will explore AI’s benefits and detriments, licensing issues and the need for legislation to protect copyright, alongside a deep dive into Italian market trends.
Independent bookseller Curiosity House Books in Creemore, Ontario, will change hands at the end of January as Kate and Joel Simpson purchase the store from longtime owners Rina Barone and Chris Dunk, who have operated it since 2014.
The Writers’ Trust of Canada launched the $25,000 Nancy Flight Prize for Nonfiction Editing, funded by veteran editor Nancy Flight and running from 2026 to 2033. The award, part of the Writers’ Trust’s 50th‑anniversary celebrations, will honour excellence in nonfiction editing, with the inaugural winner to be revealed at November’s awards gala.
The 49th International Kolkata Book Fair drew nearly 1.4 million visitors in its first four days, a surge aided by an extended holiday weekend. Organisers reported roughly 10% higher book sales than last year and predicted total attendance would surpass 2.7 million as more than 1,000 new titles launched despite the absence of the Bangladesh pavilion.
South Korea enacted a law requiring webtoon and digital‑content platforms to label AI‑assisted works, with fines of up to 30 million won for non‑compliance. The policy applies to global apps such as Webtoon, Tapas and Tappytoon; while publishers fear labels may reduce reader enjoyment, they could also offer a marketing edge for hand‑drawn content.
Organisers of the 34th Havana International Book Fair announced Russia as guest of honour for the February 12–22 event. Russia will showcase about 1,500 titles and seek rights opportunities, while Cuba will honour authors Marilyn Bobes and José Bell Lara; the move is seen as strengthening cultural ties despite economic challenges.
The newly formed Writing Australia unveiled three investment funds—Publishing and Promotion, Literary Journals Capacity Building and Writers’ Festival Author Travel—which will award grants ranging from AU$5,000 to AU$200,000. Two strategic grants will also expand global opportunities for Australian books and improve data analytics, supporting the national cultural policy’s goal of bolstering the local book ecosystem.
Publishers Weekly’s 2025 sales rankings show that Big Five publishers still dominate U.S. bestseller lists but their share of hardcover sales slipped to about 83%. The report notes shifting market shares among leading publishers and hints at increased competition from smaller presses.
A Books+Publishing explainer examines the problem of “orphan” works whose copyright owners cannot be found and discusses how a proposed orphan‑works scheme could streamline permissions while raising questions about rights clearance and compensation for creators.
The publisher behind Prince Harry’s memoir *Spare* has reportedly offered Brooklyn Beckham a multi‑million‑dollar book deal amid his widely publicised rift with his family, signalling continued appetite for high‑profile celebrity memoirs.
Academic & Scholarly Publishing
A new study analysed open‑science indicators from PLOS journals and used the Papermill Alarm tool to detect suspicious papers. Researchers found that articles with shared data and conference presentations were highly correlated with research integrity, suggesting that open‑science practices can be reliable signals of quality.
Audiobook News
Independent Publishers Group partnered with Norway‑based Beat Technology to launch Shelf, a direct‑to‑consumer platform that will sell e‑books and audiobooks and offer subscription models. Beat will provide white‑label apps and handle payment processing for a US$0.30 transaction fee; IPG chief Joe Matthews said the February launch will give independent publishers turnkey access to customer data and personalised marketing.
Notable Book News & Book Reviews
The American Library Association named Renée Watson’s *All the Blues in the Sky* the 2026 Newbery Medal winner and awarded the Caldecott Medal to illustrator Cátia Chien for *Fireworks* by Matthew Burgess. Cynthia Leitich Smith’s *Legendary Frybread Drive‑In* won the Printz Award, while Megha Majumdar’s novel *A Guardian and a Thief* and Yiyun Li’s nonfiction *Things in Nature Merely Grow* earned the Andrew Carnegie Medals.
Quill & Quire’s reviewer praised Mark Anthony Jarman’s short‑story collection *Smash and Grab* for its linguistic extravagance and travelogue‑like narratives spanning Italy, the Balkans and Canada. The collection’s experimental voice blends musical and historical references, offering unconventional storytelling that rewards patient reading.
A Guardian review of Peter Ormerod’s biography notes that the book examines David Bowie’s spirituality and his prescient understanding of digital chaos. The author shows how Bowie’s later work, particularly the album *Blackstar*, captured a sense of disorder and anticipated the internet’s transformative mayhem, casting the musician as a modern saint.
Ron Charles of *The Washington Post* described Naeem Murr’s novel *Every Exit Brings You Home* as both universal and impossibly strange, praising its magical‑realist storytelling and evocative prose. His review highlights the book’s blend of fantastical elements with an emotionally rich narrative about memory and belonging.
*The Washington Post* released its hardcover bestseller list for January 28, spotlighting the week’s top‑selling fiction and nonfiction titles and offering readers a snapshot of what’s resonating in U.S. bookshops.
In another *Washington Post* review, Jennifer Reese called Belle Burden’s divorce memoir a hypnotic nail‑biter that captures the emotional turbulence of splitting up. Her review emphasises the memoir’s candid exploration of heartbreak and resilience.
Books+Publishing reported that ultramarathon runner and author Nedd Brockmann, whose books include *Showing Up* and *Fire Up!*, was named Young Australian of the Year, while tour guide Sita Sargeant received an honour for her historical guidebook *She Shapes History*. The awards celebrate the achievements of authors who have inspired the nation.
PEN America welcomed a Mississippi court’s ruling ordering assistant principal Toby Price reinstated four years after he was fired for reading the humorous children’s book *I Need a New Butt!* to a class. The advocacy group said the decision corrects an injustice and underscores that reading joyful books should not be grounds for punishment.
Good e‑Reader reported that Amazon has begun shipping the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft in the Fig colourway, an 11‑inch colour e‑paper e‑reader featuring Sharp IGZO display technology. The device offers an improved front light, textured glass for writing, and integration with Google Drive and OneDrive, giving users more flexibility for reading and note‑taking.
