News Today's Book News Thursday, 6th November, 2025

[AgentPete]

Today's Book News Thursday, 6th November, 2025​

(I've broadened out the scope of sources we cover, to include more self-publishing and more educational publishing - hope this is useful to you)

Another 'Best Bookstore' Will Open, Part of a Downtown San Francisco Revival​

San Francisco booksellers Paul Bradley Carr and Sarah Lacy are opening a second branch of Best Bookstore in Union Square. Supported by the city’s Vacant to Vibrant program and the mayor’s Heart of the City initiative, the store will provide a community hub with event space and aims to help revitalise the downtown area.

'OCLC v. B&T' Moves Forward in Ohio District Court​

OCLC’s lawsuit against Baker & Taylor and Bridgeall Libraries for allegedly misappropriating WorldCat data will proceed after a 30‑day stay. The case has slowed Baker & Taylor’s sale to ReaderLink and contributed to the company’s wind‑down, leaving publishers owed money.

People 11/5​

Fortier Public Relations has hired Courtney Link as its new assistant publicity director; she previously worked at Smith Publicity.

New Platform Offers a Decentralized Digital Marketplace for Authors and Readers​

Publishing Perspectives reports on Written, a blockchain‑based digital marketplace that lets authors keep 90 per cent of revenues and set resale terms via smart contracts. The platform promises transparency and true ownership for readers and plans to expand into audiobooks and print on demand.

At Sharjah’s Publishers Conference: PublisHers’ Support​

At the Sharjah Publishers Conference, the women‑in‑publishing network PublisHer hosted workshops, a boardroom exchange and an exhibitor wall to support creators. Sharjah Book Authority chair Bodour Al Qasimi urged publishers to stay united and make stories more accessible, underscoring the importance of international collaboration.

Budget 2025 includes arts funding​

Canada’s 2025 federal budget allocates more than $500 million to arts support over four years, with funding for Building Communities through Arts and Heritage, the Canada Arts Presentation Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts. Arts groups welcomed the investment but noted the absence of dedicated publishing initiatives and emphasised that ongoing support is needed.

Call it McClelland, Stewart and Ontario: A 1985 prediction of the future of Canadian publishing​

Quill & Quire revisits a 1985 satirical piece by Malcolm Lester imagining the Canadian publishing industry in 2035. The article humorously predicted scenarios like McClelland & Stewart merging with the province of Ontario, readers ordering books via a Telebook Agency and a Canadian book trade mission to Mars.

Bestsellers: Top 10 New Releases​

This Quill & Quire column lists the week’s top‑selling newly released books across fiction and nonfiction for the week ending November 1, providing a snapshot of what Canadian readers are buying.

Guest Post — A Systems Approach to Research Publishing: From Fragmentation to Cohesion​

In a guest post on The Scholarly Kitchen, Ashutosh Ghildiyal argues that scholarly publishing is hindered by misaligned incentives that reward quantity over quality. He calls for a systems approach that aligns researchers, institutions, publishers and funders around new metrics emphasising reproducibility, quality and social relevance, fostering transparency and collaboration.

Food insecurity linked with higher student dropout rates​

Times Higher Education reports that a survey at Université Sorbonne Paris Nord found 11 per cent of students lacked enough food and 35 per cent lacked the food they wanted; students facing food insecurity were far more likely to drop out than those who were food secure. The researchers call for policies such as low‑cost food programmes and increased grants to address students’ basic needs.

Helen Garner wins Baillie Gifford Prize for Non‑Fiction​

Australian writer Helen Garner’s memoir *How to End a Story* won the £50,000 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non‑Fiction. Judges praised the diary‑based work for its honesty, wit and originality, and the win coincided with an extension of the prize’s sponsorship agreement.

Alan Hollinghurst wins David Cohen Prize​

Novelist Alan Hollinghurst received the biennial £40,000 David Cohen Prize, often nicknamed the “British Nobel,” honouring his lifetime contribution to literature. The judges highlighted how his work draws on and reinvents the traditions of Austen, Forster and James.

Faber signs YA verse novel *Bad Queer*​

Faber has acquired *Bad Queer*, a young‑adult verse novel by Gayathiri Kamalakanthan, winner of the publisher’s FAB Prize. The book uses poetic storytelling to explore identity and belonging for young queer characters.

Farshore and Beano host inaugural Funny Fest​

Children’s publisher Farshore and the comic magazine *Beano* held the first Funny Fest, a day of interactive events that included a science performance, comic‑creation workshops and a sound effects workshop celebrating humour in storytelling.

Deborah Rogers winner revealed​

Saranya Murthi won the 2025 Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers Award for her debut novel *Ratri*, receiving financial support and mentorship to complete her work.

Copyright fight goes on, says PA, after High Court ruling in Getty case​

After the UK High Court’s Getty copyright infringement decision, the Publishers Association said it intends to pursue further litigation with stronger claims, expressing confidence that future cases could achieve a different result.

Celebrating international publishing relationships​

During the Sharjah International Book Fair, the British Council hosted a dinner for UK publishers and their global partners, celebrating international relationships and highlighting the importance of cross‑border collaboration.

Clare Balding hosts Books Are My Bag 2025 Readers Awards​

Broadcaster Clare Balding hosted the 2025 Books Are My Bag Readers Awards, an event that honours books beloved by readers and showcases the value of bookshops of all sizes to their communities.

Headline bigs up Non‑Fiction​

Headline Publishing Group staged its first Non‑Fiction Showcase, bringing together authors from across its imprints to discuss forthcoming books at an event hosted by journalist Stephen Sackur.

Jo Thomas moves to Pan Mac in four‑book deal​

Bestselling author Jo Thomas, known for her feel‑good fiction with foodie themes, has left Transworld for a four‑book deal with Pan Macmillan.

CD Rose wins £10k Goldsmiths Prize for *We Live Here Now*​

CD Rose’s novel *We Live Here Now* won the £10,000 Goldsmiths Prize, recognising its inventiveness and contribution to contemporary fiction.

Pullman has a field day at the indies​

While Philip Pullman’s novel *The Rose Field* slipped from the national UK Top 50 chart, it remained at number one on the Independent Bookshop Top 20 thanks to an exclusive edition and strong preorders, underscoring the influence of independent retailers.

Anna Rafferty to succeed David Young as Canongate chair​

Canongate Books announced that its long‑standing chair David Young will step down after more than eight years; chief marketing officer Anna Rafferty will become the company’s new chair.

AudioUK CEO Chloe Straw to step down​

AudioUK, the UK trade body for audio production, revealed that its CEO Chloe Straw will step down at the end of 2025 after nearly five years in the role, initiating a search for her successor.

Chatto & Windus plucks Non Morris' 'unexpected botanical adventure' in the Alps​

Chatto & Windus has acquired Non Morris’s book *Flora Alpina*, described as an unexpected botanical adventure and a love letter to the intoxicating flowers of the European Alps.

News for emerging authors: October 2025​

The Bookseller’s digest for emerging authors offers a curated selection of news items, opportunities and advice from October 2025 aimed at helping new writers navigate the publishing industry.

 

[Pamela Jo]

The news for emerging authors bit is interesting. Like what advice is useful in their view?


I saw this on the Bookseller tease this morning so had to go check out what Vibe Coding is... I first read it as Vile Coding. I am no wiser why it deserves to be Collins word of the year especially since it is TWO words...

"The term "vibe coding", which describes turning language into computer code using artificial intelligence, has been named Collins’ Word of the Year for 2025.

It was coined by Andrej Karpathy, former AI director at Tesla and founding engineer at OpenAI, to describe how someone can use AI to create a new app while forgetting "that the code even exists”

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‘Vibe coding’ is Collins' Word of the Year 2025​

NEWSNOV 6, 2025BY MELINA SPANOUDI


© Shutterstock
The term "vibe coding", which describes turning language into computer code using artificial intelligence, has been named Collins’ Word of the Year for 2025.

It was coined by Andrej Karpathy, former AI director at Tesla and founding engineer at OpenAI, to describe how someone can use AI to create a new app while forgetting "that the code even exists”.

The lexicographers at Collins Dictionary monitor the 24-billion-word Collins Corpus, which draws from a range of media sources to create the annual list of new and notable words that "reflect our ever-evolving language and the preoccupations of those who use it". They noted a large uptick in the usage of "vibe coding" since its first appearance in February 2025.

Moreover, they noted that "clanker", a derogatory term for computers, robots or sources of AI, went viral on social media. The word is often used to express distrust of AI chatbots and platforms.

ughh

Other terms that gained traction this year included "glaze", a slang term that means to "praise or flatter someone excessively, or undeservedly", and "aura farming", meaning to curate the appearance of being cool deliberately.

Big tech was also in the spotlight, with the owners of the biggest global tech companies dubbed the "broligarchy" after attending the inauguration of Donald Trump.

Lifestyle terms such as "biohacking" – manipulating the body’s natural processes to improve wellbeing – and "micro-retirement" – taking a break between jobs – were also frequently used this year.

"The selection of ‘vibe coding’ as Collins’ Word of the Year perfectly captures how language is evolving alongside technology," said Collins MD Alex Beecroft. "It signals a major shift in software development, where AI is making coding more accessible. The seamless integration of human creativity and machine intelligence demonstrates how natural language is fundamentally changing our interaction with computers."

 

[AgentPete]

Sadly, Collins have fallen for the hype.

“Vibe coding” simply means code that’s created (by AI) following prompts from non-programmers.

What could possibly go wrong…?