Recent articles
October 14, 2026
Where Nonfiction Is Struggling Right Now and Where It Can Grow
Insights from the Association of American Literary Agents’ People of Publishing conference, about which categories need a major rethink and which categories might merely be in a momentary slump.
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October 14, 2026
PayAuthors.com: Are your books in pirate libraries?
PayAuthors.com is a new website and service that makes it easy for authors to find out if their books are included in pirate libraries.
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October 14, 2026
Book sales update: print sales flat through September 2026
Adult fiction is driving overall performance, with horror sales and science fiction up while fantasy and romance are down.
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October 14, 2026
Links of Interest: Oct. 14, 2026
No-advance deals are on the rise, another allegedly AI-generated story wins a prestigious prize, and other recent news.
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October 14, 2026
New human-certified label in UK
Rather than working on the honor system, the service examines work process materials supplied by the author and editor for “indicators of humanity.”
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October 8, 2026
Working with Small Publishers and Large Publishers: Q&A with Victoria Zackheim
Career author Victoria Zackheim discusses her mystery series, finishing Anne Perry’s final book, and publishing as an eighty-something.
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October 7, 2026
What Current Consumer Behavior Tells Us about What’s Next for Book Publishing
The print market is stable, adult fiction is driving growth, the end-of-reading narrative is overblown, and adult nonfiction is undergoing a permanent realignment.
janefriedman.com
October 7, 2026
Links of Interest: Oct. 7, 2026
What’s hot at the Frankfurt Book Fair, Barnes & Noble foot traffic has steadily increased, and other recent news.
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October 7, 2026
New Marvel Comics app
Marvel and Webtoon have partnered on a new subscription-based comics app for titles from Marvel, Star Wars, and 20th Century Studios.
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October 7, 2026
You can now “talk” to characters in Audible
Starting with Audible Original titles, US and UK readers can have an interactive experience with a character outside of a book’s narrative.
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October 7, 2026
W.W. Norton launches crossover children’s imprint
Norton Waverly will publish books that fly free “as needed from constraints of format, genre, and age banding.”
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September 30, 2026
Serial Platforms Have Been Closing. What Does This Mean for Authors?
Sources I spoke with say readers still have interest in serials, but the pay-per-chapter token system doesn’t work well for the Western market like it does in Asia.
janefriedman.com
September 30, 2026
Links of Interest: Sept. 30, 2026
What if writing isn’t central to thinking, AI-assisted material is appearing throughout op-ed pages, and other recent news.
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September 30, 2026
Choose Your Own Adventure books: now for adults
CYOA Unbound is a fiction imprint for adults that offers nonlinear storytelling in its signature multiple-ending style.
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September 30, 2026
Publishing industry organizations release 2026 report on AI use
Publishers report increased AI usage internally for marketing, metadata and title optimization, and admin work.
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September 30, 2026
The Authors Guild suggests publishers relinquish their Anthropic claims in instances where rights have likely (or should have) reverted
The Guild says lack of clarity over rights reversion is the most common problem for claims due to lack of publisher records.
janefriedman.com
September 23, 2026
Engaging Your Most Loyal Readers Outside the Usual Platforms
In the gap between email and social media lie tools let publishers and authors engage with readers without an algorithm in the way.
janefriedman.com
September 23, 2026
Readers respond: Amazon KDP account termination
Common causes include purchasing or trading reviews, sharing KDP credentials, and inadvertent triggering of an Amazon automated lockout.
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September 23, 2026
New UK imprint: Labyrinth Press
Crime and thriller publisher Bitter Lemon Press has launched Labyrinth Press, dedicated to international literary fiction, largely in translation.
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September 23, 2026
Links of Interest: September 23, 2026
Barnes & Noble acquires Levenger, Wattpad has become a global entertainment powerhouse, and more recent news.
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September 23, 2026
New agent at Yates & Yates
Yates & Yates offers representation and paid services to authors of Christian nonfiction.
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September 16, 2026
New UK literary agency: JFM Literary & Editorial
Jon Malysiak seeks narrative nonfiction, memoir, current affairs, wellbeing, entrepreneurship and culture.
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September 16, 2026
Get ready for AI agents to come knocking on your door
A new app called iLands allows the creation of autonomous AI agents that not only write articles but pitch their work to media outlets.
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September 16, 2026
Links of Interest: Sept. 16, 2026
What to do if your Amazon KDP account is terminated, a closer look at people who use AI to write custom fiction, and more.
janefriedman.com
September 16, 2026
New publisher: High Line Publishing Studio
The transatlantic publisher is focused on books by Jewish and Israeli writers as well as nonfiction titles that shape public conversation.
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September 16, 2026
New publisher: Three Dragons Press
Three Dragons Press is a no-advance, revenue-sharing publisher that relies on print-on-demand and digital distribution.
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September 15, 2026
Writing Conferences Shouldn’t Ignore AI in Their Programming
Conference attendees have many questions about AI, and organizers best serve their audience by engaging with intent and clarity.
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September 11, 2026
Writers’ AI Fears Often Run Ahead of the Facts
The panic that's expressed online bears little resemblance to what's happening at literary agencies and publishing houses.
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September 10, 2026
Disagreements in the Anthropic Settlement Were Inevitable, But It Feels Worse Than Expected
Firms administering the settlement married together data from multiple databases, resulting in confusion about who’s a legitimate claimant.
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September 10, 2026
New podcast on publishing: The Publishing Playbook
Sarah Russo has launched The Publishing Playbook, a podcast focused on helping writers better understand the publishing industry.
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