Today’s Book News Thursday, 18th December 2025
Publishing saw a flurry of rights announcements and reading initiatives (note - even though announced now, the deals themselves will usually have been done weeks ago). The Indigo Press, Bedford Square and Pan Fiction secured new novels while the Hay Festival and Waterstones planned campaigns and festivals to encourage readers. Reports highlighted digital and audiobook growth, the BLK Bestseller List’s expansion and the most frequently banned books. Hachette invested in literacy programmes, a new prize supported disabled writers, a major distributor entered liquidation and PEN America chose a new president.
Publishers Marketplace’s People column reported a slate of promotions across Macmillan Audio, where Jennifer Donovan became director of editorial, Emily Dyer was promoted to marketing director and Samantha Edelson moved up to vice‑president and associate publisher. Penguin Random House Canada elevated staff in sales, marketing and design roles, while Grove Atlantic’s Rachael Richardson and Random House Studio’s Maria Correa also received new positions.
Phaidon senior publicist Kindall Gant reflected on her publishing career, which includes roles at Hachette Book Group, Oxford University Press, Poets & Writers and Artbook D.A.P. She explained how volunteering for small presses has informed her work and discussed her forthcoming cookbook The Harlem Table.
Publishers Marketplace announced the death of Norman Podhoretz, the longtime editor of Commentary magazine and author of the memoir Making It, at the age of 95. The obituary celebrated his influential career as a cultural critic and public intellectual.
Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s memoir Nobody’s Girl has sold more than one million copies since its release in October. Publishers Marketplace noted that the book, now in its tenth printing, achieved most of its sales in North America and that Giuffre’s family expressed both pride in her legacy and sorrow at her absence.
BookBrunch reported that the Hay Festival’s new “Pleasure List” campaign will invite readers to recommend the most un‑put‑downable books as part of the National Year of Reading. The crowd‑sourced list aims to spark conversations about reading for enjoyment and encourage discovery of diverse titles.
Waterstones announced plans to enlarge its Children’s Book Festival in 2026 with appearances by authors including Cressida Cowell, Jamie Smart and A. F. Steadman. The event will feature signings, talks and workshops across the bookseller’s branches to inspire young readers.
Independent publisher Black Spring acquired a forthcoming science‑fiction thriller by Kathleen Bryson. Described as a page‑turning provocation, the novel intertwines biotechnology themes with covert chimpanzee experiments and continues the imprint’s focus on literary speculative fiction.
Historian Sir Simon Schama will announce the winner of the inaugural Elizabeth Longford Brief Lives essay prize, worth £2,000. The award, part of a celebratory evening honouring the Brief Lives series, recognises excellence in historical biography.
The Indigo Press acquired Pia Ghosh‑Roy’s debut novel, a multigenerational and formally adventurous story exploring family relationships and memory. The novel will be published as part of the press’s literary fiction list.
Bedford Square Publishers will publish bestselling children’s author Michelle Harrison’s debut thriller for adults. The book, due next year, marks the author’s first foray into adult fiction and expands the publisher’s genre list.
The Bookseller reported that the European Parliament voted to exempt printed books, journals and magazines from new EU deforestation regulations. Publishing groups welcomed the exemption, which spares the sector from added compliance burdens.
Pan Fiction quickly secured rights to Dear Heart, a debut romance by Bookstagram influencer Layla Cove. The novel blends contemporary love with social‑media culture and will be published after a pre‑emptive acquisition.
The BLK Bestseller List, developed by the Black Book Accelerator, has grown to encompass more than 700 titles by nearly 500 authors across over 250 imprints. Compiled from BookScan data, the list aims to spotlight Black authors and provide booksellers with a tool to promote diverse literature.
Publishers Weekly observed a resurgence of printed hymnals in churches as congregations seek tactile ways to share worship. Crossway collaborated with Keith and Kristyn Getty on the Sing! Hymnal, and the Hymn Society noted that new inclusive and children’s hymnals are being planned to meet demand.
Diamond Comic Distributors shifted from Chapter 11 reorganisation to Chapter 7 liquidation after its lenders withdrew financing. The transition means the distributor’s assets will be sold to repay creditors, leaving publishers unlikely to recover payment for unsold consignment stock.
At the Guadalajara International Book Fair, industry experts said expanding Spanish‑language audiobooks requires targeting the U.S. market and producing more children’s titles. They pointed to high audiobook consumption rates in Scandinavia and highlighted devices and platforms such as Yoto, Bookwire and Storytel as avenues to reach listeners.
Hoopla Digital’s 2025 report showed an 11 percent increase in overall borrowing and an 18 percent rise in audiobook checkouts. Top‑borrowed audiobooks included Sunrise on the Reaping, The Tenant, The Crash, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Fourth Wing; top e‑books ranged from personal finance and self‑help to bestselling fiction, while children’s series also performed strongly.
PEN America’s latest report on school book bans ranked John Green’s Looking for Alaska and Jodi Picoult’s Nineteen Minutes as the most frequently challenged titles in U.S. schools. The organisation documented thousands of ban cases since 2021 and noted that classics by Toni Morrison and Margaret Atwood and LGBTQ‑themed books continue to face censorship.
Publishing Perspectives reported on the launch of the Kenny Fries Disabled Writer Literary Award, which aims to support emerging disabled and Deaf writers. Poet Cyrée Jarelle Johnson received the inaugural $1,000 prize, and founder Kenny Fries said the award seeks to amplify disabled voices and sustain disability arts.
Hachette Book Group committed $200,000 to its Raising Readers initiative, which provides curated classroom libraries, creates Little Free Libraries, hosts author visits and mobilises volunteers to promote literacy. The programme, launched to address declining childhood reading, now partners with more than twenty organisations and celebrates Hachette Livre’s bicentenary.
PEN America announced that Ethiopian‑American novelist Dinaw Mengestu has been elected president of the organisation. The author of four novels and director of Bard College’s Written Arts Program will serve a two‑year term, leading efforts to defend free expression and support writers worldwide.
