Court Orders WeLib to Pay Publishers $19,500,000
Judge Victor Marrero entered a default judgment ordering WeLib to pay 13 publishers $19,500,000 for willful copyright infringement. The operators did not respond.
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HarperCollins in The Publishing Times
One of the Big Five publishers, owned by News Corp. Official site: www.harpercollins.com
UK Publishers Withdraw Russell Brand's Books After Conviction
Pan Macmillan and Hodder & Stoughton have withdrawn Russell Brand's books from sale after his conviction. A Pan Macmillan statement says the process is under way.
Royal Society Names Six Books on Its 2026 Young People's Book Prize Shortlist
The shortlist for the prize for science books for under-14s covers evolution, space, pollination, chemistry and a move to Mars. Young readers in UK schools will pick the winner, due in June 2027.
Miriam Toews, Kim Fu and Kyo Maclear Among the 2026 Governor General's Literary Awards Finalists
The Canada Council named 69 finalist books across seven categories in English and French for the awards' 90th year. The 14 winners, who get $25,000 each, will be named Nov. 12.
HarperCollins Plans to Close Its Buffalo Warehouse in 2028
HarperCollins plans to close its Buffalo, N.Y., warehouse early in 2028 and consolidate North American distribution at a new facility in Brownsburg, Indiana.
Australian Authors and Publishers Tell AI Inquiry: No Opt-Out
Charlotte Wood, Anna Funder and Markus Zusak joined the publishers' and authors' associations before Parliament's AI committee. They asked for opt-in licensing, not a looser copyright law.
Supreme Court Affirms BMG v. Vetter for Lack of a Quorum
On October 19 the Supreme Court said it lacks a quorum in BMG v. Vetter. Justices Sotomayor, Gorsuch, Barrett, and Jackson took no part, and the Fifth Circuit judgment is affirmed.
HarperCollins and Netflix Plan New Narnia Covers, Box Sets and a Graphic Novel
Tie-in editions of all seven books arrive in November, ahead of Greta Gerwig's Magician's Nephew film on February 12, 2027.
Romantic Novelists' Association Names Its 2026 Romance Industry Awards Shortlists
Seven categories honour the publishers, editors, agents, narrators, booksellers and librarians behind romantic fiction. Winners are named in London on November 4.
Annette Higgs Wins the 2026 Australian Fiction Prize for The Music Teacher
Higgs's unpublished novel, about a Polish refugee and her baby grand in 1978 Gilgandra, beat 300-plus entries for a $15,000 advance and a HarperCollins deal.
Malcolm Edwards, Editor Behind Neuromancer and A Game of Thrones in Britain, Dies at 76
Malcolm Edwards, who published Neuromancer at Gollancz and A Game of Thrones at HarperCollins before two decades at Orion, died on October 3 at 76.
Tim Winton, Zana Fraillon and Aaron Fa'Aoso Among 2026 Karajia and Environment Award Winners
The Wilderness Society has named six winners of its 2026 children's nature book awards, from Tim Winton's Ningaloo to a collection by 28 Northern Territory students.
Big Five Staff Tell WIRED AI Is Quietly Writing Publicity Copy and Agent Emails
WIRED reports that HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Hachette staff are using LLMs for publicity copy, agent emails and marketing, often at executives' urging.
Tayari Jones, Pamela Colloff and Elizabeth Acevedo Win the 2026 Kirkus Prize
Kin, Catch the Devil and Anger Is Only a Shadow win the $50,000 Kirkus Prizes for fiction, nonfiction and young readers' literature.
National Book Foundation Names 25 Finalists for the 2026 National Book Awards
The National Book Foundation named 25 Finalists across five categories for the 2026 National Book Awards. Winners will be announced November 18 in New York.
Jeffrey Archer, Bestselling Novelist and Former Tory Peer, Dies at 86
Jeffrey Archer, whose novels including Kane and Abel sold more than 300 million copies, died at home on October 5, a day before his final novel, Adam and Eve, was published.
Amazon Ebook Antitrust Case: Judge Recommends a 30 Million-Buyer Class
A magistrate judge has recommended certifying a class of more than 30 million Amazon ebook buyers. A less-redacted version of his report was refiled in early October, and Amazon has objected.
Dodge City by Patrick deWitt review - a wild draft-dodging road trip
Patrick deWitt's Dodge City (Ecco, September 29, 2026) follows a 1967 UCLA dropout driving a Jaguar toward Canada to dodge the Vietnam draft. What the Guardian and Kirkus said.
Authors Guild Asks Publishers to Share More of the Anthropic Settlement
The Authors Guild wants publishers to drop claims on long out-of-print books and to pay authors when a house failed to register the copyright in time.
Little, Brown Names Michael Goldsmith to Lead Publicity
Hachette has hired Michael Goldsmith as Little, Brown's vice president and executive director of publicity, a new role, effective October 13.
Writer Beware Shows How Personalized AI Scam Emails to Authors Are Built
Two botched scam emails reveal the templates, plug-in fields and step-by-step scripts behind the flattering AI-written pitches flooding authors' inboxes.
AI and the Publishing Industry: How Major Publishers Are Using and Fighting Artificial Intelligence in 2026
The intersection of artificial intelligence and commercial publishing has created a complex landscape where traditional houses act as both eager adopters and fi…
How to Get a Traditional Publishing Deal in 2026: Query Letters, Agents, and Advances
The publishing industry has undergone massive digital transformation over the last decade. While platforms like Amazon KDP
The State of Traditional Publishing in 2026: Big Five Mergers, Layoffs, and What Authors Need to Know
The traditional publishing ecosystem has undergone a radical structural transformation.
Celebrity Book Deals 2026: Why Publishers Pay Millions for Memoirs That May Not Sell
The traditional publishing landscape has undergone a radical transformation. When major houses like Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster fo…
Big Five Publishers vs Amazon: How Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster Are Competing in 2026
The retail battlefield between the traditional publishing conglomerates—Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster—and Amazon has evolved past si…
Big Publishers' Senior Talent Tests New Models: What the Documented Moves Show
Large publishers have spent the past several years consolidating, restructuring and, at times, reducing staff. Over the same period, some of the industry's most senior figures have left those companies to build alternatives.
Book Awards Open Up to Indie Authors, and How to Spot the Ones Worth Entering
For most of their history, the best-known literary prizes have judged books that reached readers through traditional publishers.
Benjamin Alire Sáenz, PEN/Faulkner Winner and YA Novelist, Dies at 71
Benjamin Alire Sáenz, the first Latino writer to win the PEN/Faulkner and the author of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, died in El Paso on July 28. He was 71.
The Decline of the Midlist Author: Why Traditional Publishing Is Abandoning Mid-Tier Books
The midlist — once the backbone of traditional publishing — is disappearing. Major publishers are concentrating advances on celebrity memoirs and proven bestsel…
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