Daily Book News
A summary of the world's most significant English-language book news, book deals and publishing industry updates for January 10, 2026
# Daily Book News Saturday, 10th January 2026
The past day’s book news mixed the serious and the silly: publishers snapped up hot new novels and memoirs while a medical‑school poet passed away, translation experts have growing concerns about AI, and social‑media forecasters predicted tomorrow’s BookTok stars. Amid rights auctions and censorship spats, readers can escape into tender immigrant fiction, epic sci‑fi and a clutch of cheeky “Romantasy” titles.
Publishing Industry News
Freida McFadden re‑ups with Sourcebooks
The psychological‑thriller phenom has extended her partnership with Sourcebooks through 2028, signing for three new hardcovers after selling more than six million copies of her previous books; film and TV adaptations of her backlist are already under way.
Book deals of the week
Publishers Weekly’s latest round‑up reports Putnam’s preempt of Monika Kim’s darkly magical debut “What Hungers in the Dark,” Bloomsbury’s two‑book acquisition of restaurant critic Rebecca Flint Marx, Ballantine’s high‑six‑figure deal for K.L. Speer’s thriller “Bones,” Dell’s buy of Emma MacDonald’s “Romantasyland,” Montlake’s contract with Michelle Heard for “My Neighbor, the Assassin,” and several other seven‑figure signings.
Fox & Ink Books buys two A.F. Harrold titles
Rights bulletin: Fox & Ink Books has acquired A.F. Harrold’s metaphysical love story “Thorn,” to be published in August 2026, along with his poetry collection “If I Met a Tiger,” due out that November.
AI translation and the greater good
Publishing Perspectives reports that French translators’ group ATLF criticised HarperCollins France for using machine translation in lieu of human translators, while Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs is experimenting with AI‑assisted translation to fight piracy; advocates insist translation is a form of cultural stewardship that shouldn’t be outsourced to algorithms.
Textbook authors settle Anthropic dispute
Sage Publishing and the Textbook & Academic Authors Association reached an agreement after the association accused Sage of sending misleading guidance about how authors should claim funds from Anthropic’s copyright infringement settlement; the publisher will send corrective emails and authors have until March to file claims.
AI pulse check in scholarly publishing
A poll of scholarly publishing organisations finds AI adoption widespread but uneven; respondents are intrigued by efficiency and translation opportunities but remain worried about ethics, privacy and quality, and many admit their organisations aren’t prepared for the technology despite already experimenting with it.
Nebula Awards reverse AI policy and authors object to Amazon’s AI reader
In ALLi’s news podcast, Dan Holloway reports that the Nebula Awards have shifted from permitting disclosed AI use to an outright ban on generative content, while some authors are challenging Amazon’s new Ask This Book feature over licensing and derivative‑work concerns.
Australian bestsellers, first week back
Books+Publishing’s chart shows Freida McFadden’s “The Housemaid” topping the Australian bestseller list, followed by the ninth Wings of Fire graphic novel “Talons of Power,” Arnott’s “The Cookbook,” seasonal lifestyle hit “Cozy Days,” and Mel & Sawyer Robbins’ motivational guide “The Let Them Theory”.
Avon goes on a crime buying spree
UK imprint Avon has acquired new crime novels from Luca Veste, Antonia Grave, Tess Mackey, Lucy Roth and Scott Carson in a major expansion of its crime list, signalling continued appetite for domestic thrillers.
Choc Lit lands seven‑book romance deal
Romance publisher Choc Lit has signed author Kai Juniper for a seven‑book deal across two series, reflecting the imprint’s confidence in long‑form contemporary romance.
Fox & Ink acquires Harrold’s novel and poetry collection
Fox & Ink Books will publish A.F. Harrold’s novel “Thorn” in August 2026 and his poetry collection “If I Met a Tiger” three months later; the novel is billed as a story of love, imagination, metaphysics and politics.
Allen Lane wins 10‑way auction for debut work
Penguin imprint Allen Lane triumphed in a 10‑publisher auction for Sophie Smith’s “The Burdens of Proof,” described as “breath‑takingly original,” with overseas rights also sold in multiple auctions.
Cam Whitnall memoir sparks bidding war
Ebury Spotlight emerged victorious from a six‑way auction to publish wildlife rehabilitator Cam Whitnall’s memoir about caring for big cats, promising a blend of adventure and conservation.
Guardian Faber acquires Luke Harding’s “Betrayal”
Guardian Faber has bought journalist Luke Harding’s forthcoming book about the “shattering” of the international order, deepening its roster of contemporary geopolitical titles.
Authors withdraw from Adelaide Festival
Nearly 50 writers pulled out of the Adelaide Writers Festival after Palestinian‑Australian novelist Randa Abdel‑Fattah was dropped from the programme for “cultural sensitivity” reasons, leaving organisers scrambling to fill the line‑up.
Audiobook‑in‑a‑Card nominated for Gift of the Year
Spiracle’s novel product—an illustrated greetings card containing a code for an audio book—has been shortlisted in two categories (cards/wraps and festive) for the 2026 Gift of the Year awards.
Author’s voice cloned by AI on deepfake podcast
Business writer Shaun Rein discovered AI‑generated videos of his voice reading his work on a “deepfake” podcast; he warned that such unauthorised clones represent a disturbing new form of copyright breach.
PEN America warns of visa‑based censorship
A PEN America essay argues that the Trump administration’s denial of a visa to disinformation researcher Imran Ahmed shows how immigration status can be weaponised to silence critics; it warns that curbing H‑1B visas for trust‑and‑safety workers will chill free speech and embolden authoritarians.
Self‑Publishing & Independent Publishing News
Nebula Awards and Amazon’s AI reader debated
ALLi’s podcast highlights a sudden shift by the Nebula Awards from requiring AI disclosure to banning generative AI entirely, and notes that authors are challenging Amazon’s Ask This Book tool over worries about licensing and derivative uses.
Academic & Scholarly Publishing
Settlement guidance dispute resolved
The Textbook & Academic Authors Association’s complaint over Sage Publishing’s misleading emails about the Anthropic copyright settlement has been resolved: the publisher will issue clarifications and authors have until March to claim their share.
AI uptake uneven in scholarly publishing
A Society for Scholarly Publishing “pulse check” reveals that while many scholarly publishers are experimenting with AI tools, few have clear policies; respondents see potential benefits in automation and translation but worry about ethics, privacy and quality, and admit their organisations are unprepared.
Notable Book News & Book Reviews
Five genre gems reviewed
Lisa Tuttle’s Guardian roundup recommends Van Jensen’s “Godfall” (a small‑town sheriff investigates murders after a giant alien lands), Rebecca Ferrier’s folkloric Cornish fantasy “The Salt Bind,” Shen Tao’s imperial‑China saga “The Poet Empress,” Peter F. Hamilton’s YA spacefaring adventure “A Hole in the Sky,” and Brian Aldiss’s centenary short‑story collection “Hello Earth, Are You There?”.
Review: “Belgrave Road” by Manish Chauhan
Manish Chauhan’s debut novel follows Mira, a recent immigrant to Leicester, and Tahliil, a Somali asylum seeker; the tender, character‑driven story explores arranged marriage, loneliness and community, and reviewers praise its heartfelt depiction of sisterhood across cultures.
Sarah Moss on books that shaped her
In a Guardian Q&A, novelist Sarah Moss recalls childhood favourites like “Swallowdale” and “Little House on the Prairie,” names Christina Sharpe’s “Ordinary Notes” as a mind‑changer, says she rereads Austen and the Brontës, and confesses she’s always preferred “Jane Eyre” to “Wuthering Heights”.
Review: Bennett Cerf biography “Nothing Random”
Michael Dirda’s Washington Post review applauds Gayle Feldman’s biography of Random House co‑founder Bennett Cerf, noting how the charismatic publisher championed authors from Ayn Rand to Dr Seuss, became a media celebrity and presided over publishing’s mid‑century golden age.
Review: “Call Me Ishmaelle” flounders
Another Washington Post critic pans Xiaolu Guo’s gender‑swapped reimagining of “Moby‑Dick,” arguing that despite changing the narrator to a young woman disguised as a man, the novel is derivative and wooden, with only an uncomfortably violent scene leaving a mark.
Obituary: Jerome Lowenstein, physician‑poet
The New York Times notes that Jerome Lowenstein, a doctor who taught compassionate care and ran a much‑admired medical‑school poetry programme, has died at 92.
Interview: Virginia Evans on “The Correspondent”
In a profile of debut novelist Virginia Evans, the Times recounts how her tale of a cranky blogger who becomes an accidental celebrity turned into a surprise bestseller; she discusses the book’s origins and her whirlwind success.
Review: “For These Three, the Age of Empire Never Quite Ended”
Another Times review of a trilogy of novellas finds that the stories portray societies grappling with the long shadow of colonialism and slavery, showing how the age of empire lingers in intimate and political ways.
What we’re reading
BookBrunch’s staffers share their current reads, from Bee Wilson’s memoir “The Heart‑Shaped Tin” to Andrew Fleming’s St Kilda history “The Gravity of Feathers,” offering a friendly glimpse of publishing insiders’ bedside tables.
Who will rule BookTok in 2026?
The Bookseller’s column predicts which authors might become BookTok sensations in the year ahead, highlighting the continued rise of previously self‑published writers who’ve recently landed major publishing deals.
New Gambling Book Awards shortlist announced
Four books have been shortlisted for the inaugural Gambling Book Awards, created by The Gambling Files podcast to spotlight outstanding titles about betting, addiction and industry history.
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