Recent articles
February 18, 2026
New agent at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret
René Kooiker has joined as a junior agent actively building his list in fiction and nonfiction. He is open to submissions.
janefriedman.com
February 18, 2026
Traditional Deals for Self-Pub Authors Grew Significantly in 2025
According to one agent, overall there is less hesitancy today from publishers in striking significant, multi-book deals with indie authors.
janefriedman.com
February 18, 2026
New UK publisher: Pellerin Books
Pellerin Books will focus on popular fiction by traditionally published and self-published authors.
janefriedman.com
February 18, 2026
Links of Interest: Feb. 18, 2026
The latest in traditional publishing, AI, marketing & promotion, and culture & politics.
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February 18, 2026
Audible reminds customers you can seamlessly switch between its audiobooks and Kindle books
In response to Spotify's Page Match, Audible has rebranded its similar Whispersync for Voice feature (launched in 2012) as “Read & Listen.”
janefriedman.com
February 11, 2026
Hachette Children’s Group in the UK launches three new imprints
As part of a restructure, Hachette Children’s Group (UK) has launched three new imprints: Starboard, Tempest, and Blyton Books.
janefriedman.com
February 11, 2026
Links of Interest: Feb. 11, 2026
The latest in traditional publishing, nonfiction sales, AI, and culture & politics.
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February 11, 2026
New agent at L Perkins Agency
David Valentin joins as an agent after first working as an editor and assistant at LPA.
janefriedman.com
February 11, 2026
IMHO: Why I’m Grateful for the New York Times Article on AI Romance
The romance market is the place to look for early signs of what the future may hold, thanks to voracious readers and hefty profits to be made.
janefriedman.com
February 11, 2026
Book sales update: Feb. 11, 2026
According to the AAP, consumer book sales across all formats in 2025 were slightly down (0.9 percent) versus 2024.
janefriedman.com
February 4, 2026
New agent at The Rights Factory
Eman Bare will represent both fiction and nonfiction. She has worked as a journalist, lawyer, and brand strategist.
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February 4, 2026
New agent at Calligraph
Jane McGehee has joined as literary agent and foreign rights manager; previously she was a scout.
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February 4, 2026
Links of Interest: Feb. 4, 2026
The latest in hockey romance, trends, micro dramas, distribution, media & tech, and AI.
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February 4, 2026
Washington Post shutters book section after one-third of staff laid off this morning
The newspaper is closing the sports desk and books section; the international desk, among other areas, will also shrink.
janefriedman.com
February 4, 2026
New contest for novelists around the globe
ProWritingAid has launched a novel-writing contest called Novel Beginnings, with prizes ranging from $5,000 to $50,000.
janefriedman.com
January 28, 2026
Links of Interest: Jan. 28, 2026
The latest in traditional publishing, media, AI, and culture & politics.
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January 28, 2026
Anthropic possibly purchased 1 million print books for scanning and AI model training
In addition to pirating ebooks, they bought print books from wholesalers and used book retailers, including Ingram and Baker & Taylor.
janefriedman.com
January 28, 2026
New publisher: Homeward Books
The independent publisher is cofounded by writers who raised $30,000 on Kickstarter.
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