July 12, 2026

Fruits of Labor

Last week, employees at Hachette Book Group voted to join the Washington-Baltimore NewsGuild and will soon begin contract negotiations, becoming the second Big Five publisher to unionize alongside HarperCollins. Just one day later, University of Chicago Press staffers voted overwhelmingly to unionize with the Chicago NewsGuild. Strong adult fiction sales offset slippage in adult nonfiction to keep overall print book sales in the first half of 2026 roughly level with the same period last year, with novels like Theo of Golden, Project Hail Mary, and The Correspondent among the top-selling titles of the year so far. And Dark Horse announced a new three-pronged leadership structure at a critical juncture for the comics publisher, which earlier this year dismissed its founder and CEO and voluntarily recognized its first staff union.

Deep Vellum founder and publisher Will Evans (r.) was interviewed on July 9 for two TV segments, one for ABC network affiliate WFAA and one for CBS, to promote Deep Vellum’s inaugural Music & Literature Festival, taking place this weekend, July 10–12, in Dallas. Pictured with Evans is WFAA anchor Cassie Heiter.

Courtesy Deep Vellum

Hachette Book Group Employees Win Union Election

With around 600 members, the Hachette Workers Coalition, organized with NewsGuild-CWA, is the largest union in trade publishing history, and will soon commence the collective bargaining process. HBG CEO David Shelley said that management is entering “into this new era with hope and in good faith.” more

University of Chicago Press Workers Vote to Unionize

In a National Labor Relations Board election, 89% of 134 eligible employees across the publisher’s divisions, including some warehouse workers, voted to join the Chicago NewsGuild and will soon begin negotiating for their first contract. The move comes just one day after Hachette Book Group employees also voted to form a union. more

Print Book Sales Flat in First Half of 2026

Solid adult fiction sales offset a decline in adult nonfiction, leading to a 0.3% dip in the first six months of 2026 compared to the same period a year ago, according to Circana BookScan. Allen Levi’s Theo of Golden was the top seller in the period, with 1.2 million copies sold. more

Leadership Shakeup at Dark Horse

Four months after dismissing founder and CEO Mike Richardson, the comics publisher has unveiled a “new three-pillar leadership structure” headed by Tim Wiesch, Vanessa Todd-Holmes, and Melissa Teeman. more

More News

JobZone

SEND US TIPS

SUBMIT A PHOTO

SUBMIT JOB MOVES

Send editorial questions about this e-newsletter to Sophia Stewart.
Send advertising questions about this e-newsletter to Joe Murray.

For additional assistance, contact us by email or at the address below.

Publishers Weekly,
49 West 23rd Street
Ninth Floor
New York, NY 10010
Phone 212-377-5500

Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Get your own FREE newsletter subscriptions.

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.

You are receiving this email because npkvdejmf6@nie.podam.pl subscribed to one of Publishers Weekly's newsletters. If you are not npkvdejmf6@nie.podam.pl, then please disregard this message. Update your newsletter preferences here.

PW takes spam very seriously. This email message meets all the requirements of the United States CAN-SPAM Act and Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). To remove yourself from the Must Reads email list, unsubscribe.