Daily Book News Tuesday, 6th January 2026

Harlequin courted controversy by axing human translators, and a new editor took the helm at Publishing Perspectives. Award nominations opened for booksellers, PEN America decried the jailing of Vietnamese writers, and a spread of reviews whisked us from Australian mermaids to satirical adultery and Trumpian history lessons.

Publishing Industry News

Book Deals: Week of January 5, 2026

The latest deal round‑up sees Ibram X. Kendi’s nonfiction manifesto Chain of Ideas picked up by One World, Emma Donoghue’s dystopian Blaze snapped up by Summit, Dell preempting Lilly Lu’s supernatural romance Death Wish and Zando securing spy thriller Kill Current. Atria and Europa also bought rights to new novels, while other deals cover memoirs, poetry and graphic travelogues, signalling a bumper 2026 release slate.

Andrew Albanese becomes editor-in-chief at Publishing Perspectives

Longtime publishing reporter Andrew Richard Albanese has been appointed editor‑in‑chief of Publishing Perspectives following the death of Porter Anderson. He brings decades of experience covering ebook price‑fixing, copyright and book bans and pledges to spotlight diverse voices and continue his Words & Money column.

Harlequin France sacks translators in favour of machine translation

Literary Hub reports that Harlequin France is switching to machine translation via Fluent Planet, cancelling dozens of human contracts. The French Literary Translators Association has condemned the move and is urging authors to push for “No AI” clauses, while HarperCollins France says artificial intelligence will only supplement translators.

Nominations open for O’Brien Bookseller of the Year

Books Ireland announces that the 2026 O’Brien Bookseller of the Year Award is seeking nominations. Booksellers working in Ireland for at least three years can be proposed, with the winner receiving a bronze trophy and certificate. Jury members include Carrie Anderson, Michael Brennan, Jacq Murphy and Ivan O’Brien, and nominations close on 27 January.

Rights deals: Kern Carter, Matthew R. Morris + two more

Quill & Quire’s Omni index lists a rights‑deals round‑up featuring authors Kern Carter and Matthew R. Morris among others. Full details are behind a paywall, but the headline signals fresh rights activity in the Canadian market.

Personnel changes at Penguin Canada

A companion item on the Omni index notes personnel changes at Penguin Canada. Although the article is subscription‑only, the headline indicates senior moves within the publisher’s ranks.

PEN America condemns five‑year imprisonment of Vietnamese writers

PEN America marks five years since journalists Le Huu Minh Tuan, Pham Chi Dung and Nguyen Tuong Thuy were jailed for “anti‑state propaganda”. The advocacy group urges their immediate release, warning that Tuan’s health has deteriorated and calling for proper medical care for all three writers.

Indie Books of the Month picks announced

BookBrunch reveals that the Booksellers Association and Bookshop.org have chosen Good Girl by Aria Aber and The Domesday Cows by Iszi Lawrence as January’s Indie Books of the Month. The titles will be promoted in stores and online to showcase small‑press talent.

Self-Publishing & Independent Publishing News

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Academic & Scholarly Publishing

Year in review: The Scholarly Kitchen reflects on 2025

The Scholarly Kitchen’s 2025 retrospective notes a turbulent year for scholarly publishing, with funding crises, peer‑review woes and AI anxieties. Guest posts made up nearly half the content, a new deputy editor and several new “chefs” joined, and the site’s top posts ranged from critiques of generative AI to debates over open access.

Notable Book News & Book Reviews

‘The Great Resistance’ illuminates 400‑year struggle against slavery

Carrie Gibson’s sweeping history The Great Resistance chronicles the four‑century fight to end slavery across the Americas, spotlighting revolts and leaders from Nanny and Denmark Vesey to Toussaint Louverture and urging readers to look beyond the usual English‑speaking narrative.

Unhinged Ozlit: 2026’s most anticipated Australian books

The Guardian’s preview of 2026 Australian releases highlights a marvellously eccentric slate featuring alien abductions, a 278‑page single‑sentence novel, menopausal mermaids and a memoir about a cursed vagina alongside eco‑lit and noir. New works by Amanda Lohrey, Chloe Hooper, Steve Toltz and others promise a wildly imaginative year.

Satirical adultery in Erin Somers’s The Ten Year Affair

In this sharp comic novel, millennial mother Cora fantasises about having an affair for a decade, skewering insufferable New York hipsters and exploring midlife yearning. The Guardian praises Somers’s razor‑sharp wit and calls it the midlife adultery story our generation deserves.

Poem of the week: Renegade by Lionel Johnson

Carol Rumens selects Lionel Johnson’s 1887 poem “Renegade”, a lyric of repressed love and lost faith. The poem’s haunting refrain captures the tension between desire and duty and offers a window into Johnson’s own struggles with sexuality and spirituality.

History lesson: Made in America by Edward Stourton

Edward Stourton argues that Donald Trump’s politics are no aberration but a continuation of centuries‑old American imperialism and religious nationalism. By tracing links from John Winthrop to Andrew Jackson, he contends that “Trumpism” is as American as apple pie.

Journalist recounts L.A. wildfires in Firestorm

On Fresh Air, Jacob Soboroff discusses his book Firestorm, offering a minute‑by‑minute chronicle of the devastating 2025 Los Angeles fires. He recalls watching his childhood neighbourhood burn while wearing a yellow fire‑safe suit and shares stories from firefighters, evacuees and scientists.

Road‑trip novel The Rest of Our Lives explores midlife freedom

NPR’s review of Ben Markovits’s novel The Rest of Our Lives finds narrator Tom Layward dropping his daughter at college and spontaneously driving west across America after learning of his wife’s past affair. The road‑trip story melds humour and introspection as it probes midlife crises and the search for fresh purpose.

E‑ink readers meet language‑learning with Promova

Good e‑Reader advises bookworms to pair their e‑ink devices with the Promova platform for more immersive language study. While e‑ink screens reduce eye strain and distractions, a second device running Promova’s AI‑powered tutor offers spaced repetition, vocabulary drills and real‑time feedback.

Reading glasses become fashion accessories

Another Good e‑Reader piece celebrates the evolution of reading glasses from utilitarian necessity to stylish accessory, urging readers to treat frames like trench coats or totes and choose pairs that combine comfort with sartorial flair.

Test your literary geography with the New York Times quiz

A quiz on the New York Times Book Review page challenges readers to identify the settings of well‑known novels, reminding us how books transport us across the globe and tempting us to plan our next fictional getaway.

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