The Publishing Times
All the News That’s Fit to Publish
Coverage
The book review magazine, which also offers paid Kirkus Indie reviews for self-published books. Official site: www.kirkusreviews.com
Bloomsbury's figure counts preorders plus first-day English-language print and ebook sales in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia. Audiobooks and translations are excluded.
Trade and editorial reviews and everyday reader reviews do different jobs. Here is how each one helps a book, who reads them, and how authors can use both.
Victor Li's Supreme Pressure, out from Palgrave Macmillan in January 2026, revisits the Senate's 1930 rejection of Judge John J. Parker and argues it set the template for modern Supreme Court confirmation fights.
Sarah Henning's YA fantasy Such a Witch, published July 28, 2026, makes its popular head prefect the prime suspect when a vampire student is murdered at her school for magic.
Dave J. Andrae's third novel follows Gen X filmmaker Wolf Barnes to southwest Florida, where he tries to preserve his life's work while a former actor from his Chicago days plots revenge.
John Daniel's Kwan's Last Mission, the second Dragon Series book and a prequel to Follow the Dragon, sends Commander M.T. Kwan into occupied Hong Kong in the last days of World War II.
John Cheyenne Wilbur's first novel, Grace Notes, published by Atmosphere Press in July 2026, follows Jerry Cradleman's search for faith, belonging and a place to call home.
Dave Tabler's Delaware's Forgotten Cavalry: A Failure of Command uses three sergeants' diaries to tell the story of the First Delaware Cavalry and its troubled commander.
Boston journalist Dave Wedge's Blizzard of Lies, published by BenBella on July 28, 2026, reconstructs the 2022 death of Boston police officer John O'Keefe and the trials of Karen Read.
Jonathan Kieran's The Wednesday Box, an IndieReader Approved dark fable, follows a neglected young bookworm named May into a supernatural world. Kieran illustrated it himself with 45 full-color pieces.
Oakland artist and teacher Constance Moore tells the life of Effie Mae Martin, the quilter known as Rosie Lee Tompkins, in a 48-page picture book biography from Abrams Books for Young Readers.
Barnes & Noble named 16 finalists for its 2026 Book of the Year. Booksellers nominated the list. The winner is due to be announced on November 12.
In Mitchell’s novel, a man and woman reunite on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, nearly 60 years after graduating from Hilo High School.
When an investigative journalist falls for a disability podcaster, he has to convince her that his interest isn’t just professional.
A child brainstorms ways to ensure all her toys can attend a celebration.
The murder of a Hollywood power couple is linked to an alleged drowning of a billionaire’s social media influencer daughter.
Kin, Catch the Devil and Anger Is Only a Shadow win the $50,000 Kirkus Prizes for fiction, nonfiction and young readers' literature.
Major literary awards have long been viewed as trophies for artistic achievement, but in the modern publishing ecosystem, they function as powerful commercial a…
Charlie & Gigi Live in Japan, a picture book by Julie A.P. Grabscheid about two dogs in Tokyo, released October 4, 2026. What Kirkus Reviews said.
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.
Harry Connick Jr. introduces the concept of 'elaboratio'—a state of creativity bridging reality and dreams. Discover its implications for indie authors.
The Publishing Times sends a Friday Weekly Dispatch and publishes a Sunday Weekend Read. It is a weekly indie news desk — not a daily email, and not a paid review service.
Amazon’s own KDP Help pages and the notices inside a KDP account are the policy record. The Publishing Times explains those pages, with the official link, in a weekly Friday dispatch.
This Week in Self-Publishing — September 19, 2026: Your essential weekly digest for indie authors, covering top reviews, awards, and industry trends. This Week in Self-Publishing — September 19, 2026
For indie authors, securing pre-launch book reviews is more crucial than ever in 2026 for visibility and sales. Strategic planning, including ARC teams, NetGalley, and trade reviewers, transforms product pages with vital social proof.
T.C. Kemper's "The Ginghams" exemplifies how a high-concept middle-grade sci-fi novel can blend personal character arcs with broader societal commentary. This Kirkus-reviewed book offers indie authors valuable lessons on crafting compelling, unique premises…
Jennifer Rich's "Paper Tombs" explores Holocaust survivors' "memorial books" (yizker bikher), highlighting the power of collaborative, multidisciplinary storytelling to create deeply meaningful and lasting works of remembrance. This offers vital lessons for…
Sean Hotchkiss's debut memoir, "Hating Women," offers a raw and honest account of his journey from childhood trauma and dysfunctional relationships to recovery. This powerful narrative showcases how indie authors can tackle sensitive subjects with…
This Week in Self-Publishing — June 27, 2026 Your essential guide to the week's top stories, emerging trends, and expert insights in the dynamic world of self-publishing for June 27, 2026. Greetings,
This week: Publishing Xpress's 2026 print and binding guides, The Guardian's review of Séamas O'Reilly's Prestige Drama, Literary Titan coverage and two Kirkus-reviewed releases.
One email when a new article about Kirkus Reviews is published. Confirm by email; unsubscribe any time.
Add this badge to your site. It links to this coverage page.
