Today’s Book News Thursday, 11th December 2025
Amazon’s Kindle will soon allow DRM‑free EPUB and PDF downloads, while Liveright auctions a special signed run of Paul McCartney’s *Wings* to aid indie bookstores. PEN International launches a rare‑items auction, and Frankfurt Book Fair invites new service‑provider exhibitors. Quill & Quire reflects on 90 years of industry issues and novelties and highlights favourite Canadian titles of 2025. The Scholarly Kitchen reports on sustainable practices at the EASE conference. Books Ireland interviews illustrator Chris Judge about creative freedom.
Starting 20 January 2026, Amazon’s Kindle store will let readers download DRM‑free books in EPUB or PDF formats, making it easier to read purchased titles on different devices. Publishers with existing DRM‑free books can opt in, but titles currently locked with DRM must change their status to offer downloads. Amazon says the move addresses concerns that digital rights management hampers sales and library lending.
Liveright has produced a signed limited edition of Paul McCartney’s *Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run* to raise money for independent bookstores. Only 175 copies will be released; each comes with artwork, an exclusive vinyl, a pin and a deluxe slipcase. The books will be auctioned through selected indies, with 20 percent of proceeds donated to animal‑welfare charity Ruthless Kindness.
BookBrunch reports that Bloomsbury Children’s Books has acquired three further books in Sheena Dempsey’s bestselling Pablo and Splash series. The time‑travelling penguin duo will embark on more comic adventures, continuing a graphic‑novel franchise that has proven popular in the U.K. market Further details of the deal are subscriber‑only.
According to BookBrunch, the crime‑writing festival Granite Noir will return to Aberdeen in February 2026. Next year’s tenth‑anniversary edition will be headlined by novelists Val McDermid and Denise Mina and will include a week of author talks and events The full programme requires a subscription to read.
The Bookseller notes that writer Barnaby Hill won the 2025 Little, Brown UEA Crime Award for his novel *Babydoll*, beating other emerging crime‑fiction authors. The short preview reports that the annual award recognises the best unpublished novel by a student on the University of East Anglia’s creative‑writing course
Another Bookseller snippet shows that *Christmas at Highclere* by the Countess of Carnarvon reached the top of the Independent Bookshop Top 20 ranking. NielsenIQ BookScan data indicate that the title, set in the real‑life home of *Downton Abbey*, is a seasonal hit with independent bookshops
PEN International has launched its first literary auction on the Jumblebee platform to fund programs that protect freedom of expression. Authors including Isabel Allende, Anthony Doerr, Yann Martel and Ian Rankin donated rare items such as manuscript notes, a video call, or the chance to appear as a character in an Ali Smith novel. Proceeds support emergency assistance for writers at risk and campaigns against censorship
Publishing Perspectives reports that the Frankfurt Book Fair has opened applications for its 2026 Wildcard program. Two service‑provider companies will each receive a free 8 m² stand at the 2026 fair; applications close 15 January 2026. Key account manager Barbara Roelle says the program aims to bring new exhibitors and encourages applicants to highlight benefits to publishers and use creative marketing
Quill & Quire’s Cassandra Drudi surveys the magazine’s 90 years of reporting and finds familiar themes. Copyright reform has been a perennial concern, with articles in 1955, 1975 and 2005 calling for legislative changes, and regional publishers have long argued against Toronto‑centric dominance The piece notes that many past headlines could run today, underscoring ongoing debates over Canadian book visibility and support
Another Q&Q feature highlights curiosities from its archive. A 1985 photo by Yousuf Karsh depicts authors like Margaret Atwood and publisher Jack McClelland posing with an early Apple computer during an ad campaign The article also recalls the 1935 All Canada Stationer’s Convention programme and bookseller Nicholas Hoare’s 1980s report card grading publishers on order‑delivery times, wondering how a 2025 version would compare
Quill & Quire asked reviewers, authors and booksellers for their standout books of 2025. Recommendations include Jack Wang’s wartime epic *The Riveter*, Vanessa F. Penney’s witch‑lore novel *The Witch of Willow Sound*, Saeed Teebi’s memoir *You Will Not Kill Our Imagination*, Jun‑long Lee’s poetry collection *Abode*, Reem Gaafar’s Sudanese novel *A Mouth Full of Salt* and the anthology *Gendertrash From Hell* Sarah Louise Butler’s novel *Rufous and Calliope* and other titles were also praised for their emotional depth
A guest post on The Scholarly Kitchen describes how the European Association of Science Editors made its May 2025 conference in Oslo more sustainable. Organisers reduced carbon footprints by using digital materials, reusable tableware and local catering, and planted 214 trees; they provided 20 sponsored online spots for delegates from low‑ and middle‑income countries The event aligned with multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals and served as a model for eco‑friendly academic conferences
Sarah Kolb‑Williams advises indie authors on choosing between colour and black‑and‑white printing. Print‑on‑demand (POD) books must be either all colour or all grayscale; colour POD costs more and uses glossier paper, reducing royalties, while grayscale keeps prices lower Offset printing allows mixed formats but requires large runs and warehousing. The article urges authors to weigh budget, creative intent and reader experience when deciding
Books Ireland Magazine interviews illustrator Chris Judge, who recalls leaving web design in 2004 to become a freelance illustrator He explains that experimenting with various drawing styles freed him creatively and that he strives to tell stories through his illustrations Judge discusses his new graphic‑novel series *Evil Duck* with Gill Books and urges aspiring illustrators to keep sketchbooks for ideas
