Daily Book News

DAILY SUMMARY:

In publishing yesterday, Penguin Random House’s alliance with diversity group Inkluded and its screen optioning of a plucky 11‑year‑old detective signalled a big‑house push beyond print, while a veteran executive jumped ship to launch a development press and Irish sales figures climbed. Storytel and BookBeat continued their audiobook duel, an indie bookseller shuttered after Barnes & Noble moved in, and academics sparred over consensus and censorship. Reviewers journeyed from Tibet to alien planets via moonlit storytelling manuals, while new longlists and prize shortlists blossomed and even the Kindle got a software tune‑up.

Publishing Industry News

PRH options Friday Barnes and Bookshop Detectives

Penguin Random House Australia and New Zealand has optioned the screen rights to RA Spratt’s Friday Barnes series and Gareth and Louise Ward’s Bookshop Detectives, turning the exploits of an 11‑year‑old sleuth and her bookish counterparts into potential film or TV projects.

Veteran publisher Bob Miller launches Bookswork Press

Former Hyperion and Flatiron Books founder Bob Miller has left his role as CEO of art publisher Phaidon Press to create Bookswork Press, an independent development house that aims to give authors and publishers the time and deep thinking he says the industry lacks.

Inkluded and Penguin Random House forge diversity partnership

Nonprofit diversity outfit Inkluded struck a new deal with Penguin Random House, which will fund programmes and create opportunities for underrepresented talent; it’s the third Big Five house to back Inkluded’s mission.

Irish book sales climb as trade hits €164 million

Delegates at the Irish Book Trade Conference heard that book sales revenue rose to €164 million in 2025, with the sector contributing €189 million to the economy according to NielsenIQ’s latest data.

Melbourne announces International Literary Programmers Roundtable lineup

Melbourne’s City of Literature Office revealed the seven UNESCO creative city representatives and seven local delegates who will meet in May for the fifth International Literary Programmers Roundtable, culminating in a public forum.

Literacy groups deliver books to Twin Cities immigrant families

Two literacy nonprofits are distributing multilingual children’s books to immigrant families in Minneapolis and St Paul who are staying in churches following ICE raids, with donations pouring in from publishers ranging from Candlewick to Penguin Random House.

Self-Publishing & Independent Publishing News

UK indie publishers warn AI firms and BookTok backs reading year

The Independent Publishers Guild sent legal notices to technology companies demanding they stop training AI on publishers’ content without permission and provide records of usage, while BookTok influencers pledged to champion the UK’s National Year of Reading.

Chicago’s Volumes Bookcafe closes amid Barnes & Noble backlash

After Barnes & Noble opened just two blocks away, sales at Chicago’s beloved Volumes Bookcafe fell by 20–30 percent; the owners drained their savings trying to keep the shop alive but ultimately shuttered it, sparking community outrage over chain encroachment.

Academic & Scholarly Publishing

Rethinking peer review with a “Continuum of Consensus”

A Scholarly Kitchen guest post argues that traditional peer review cannot handle the reproducibility crisis, paper mills and AI fabrications; the author proposes a dynamic system called the Continuum of Consensus where expert validation and community engagement continuously refine a paper’s quality.

PEN America slams University of Texas speech rules

PEN America criticised the University of Texas Board of Regents for adopting a teaching policy requiring faculty to avoid controversial topics unless they are “germane”; the group warns that demands for breadth and balance will chill discussion and lead educators to self‑censor.

Audiobook News

BookBeat closes the gap on Storytel in Sweden

Publishing Perspectives notes that Sweden’s audiobook market remains dominated by Storytel but competitor BookBeat, backed by the Bonnier Group, is catching up, posting 2025 revenues of about SEK 1.54 billion and more than 1.2 million subscribers compared with Storytel’s SEK 3.5 billion in streaming revenue.

Notable Book News & Book Reviews

Bird Deity by John Morrissey review

This bleak science‑fiction novel about extraction and colonialism on an alien planet deploys dark satire and glimmers of hope to examine the costs of empire.

Old Songs by Amy Jeffs and Gwen Burns review

Inspired by ancient ballads from the British Isles, this collection of interconnected short stories reimagines folkloric tales like Tam Lin with immediacy and warmth.

Trip to the Moon by John Yorke review

The storytelling guru’s new handbook dissects narrative structures across film and stage but is weighed down by a surplus of verbiage despite its useful frameworks.

The Last of Earth by Deepa Anappara review

A fictional 19th‑century Tibetan expedition forms the backdrop for Deepa Anappara’s follow‑up to Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line; the novel explores colonial history through vivid storytelling.

Sheikh Zayed Book Award shortlists announced

One of the Arab world’s richest literary prizes unveiled its 20th‑edition shortlists, offering a purse of around £150,000 across categories such as translation and young author, with scholar James E. Montgomery among the contenders.

Klaus Flugge Prize longlist showcases debut illustrators

The 2026 Klaus Flugge Prize longlist celebrates new picture‑book illustration talent, featuring works from Andersen Press, Kumusha and Walker Books among others.

Castro and Dunn shortlisted for Asia Pacific Arts Award

Authors Brian Castro and Winnie Dunn have been shortlisted for the Legacy award at the Asia Pacific Arts Awards, which honours individuals who show leadership and intercultural commitment within the arts.

Wyld among authors longlisted for 2026 Dublin Literary Award

Evie Wyld joins a 20‑title longlist for the 2026 Dublin Literary Award alongside works by Karen Russell, Sally Rooney, Ocean Vuong and others; the €100,000 prize may be shared with translators if applicable, and the shortlist arrives in April.

Michael Pollan insists AI can’t feel in new book interview

In an interview about his book A World Appears, author Michael Pollan argues that artificial intelligence can simulate thought but cannot attain consciousness because real thought springs from feelings; he challenges the view of the brain as a mere ‘meat‑based computer’.

Amazon updates Kindle software to improve cloud imports and Alexa+

Amazon’s latest firmware for Kindle Scribe and recent e‑readers adds settings to control cloud‑storage imports from OneDrive and Google Drive, introduces the ability to send notes to the AI‑powered Alexa+ service for summarisation, and includes performance tweaks.

Source & Discussion: View original thread