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Artificial Intransigence
With a new deal with an undisclosed artificial intelligence company at HarperCollins drawing a good deal of critical attention from the book business, we checked in with the other Big Five publishers and prominent industry fixtures about the state of AI in book publishing and how it is affecting translation, issues of copyright, and authorship. In its first major purchase since acquiring Workman Publishing in 2021, Hachette Book Group has bought Union Square & Co., formerly known as Sterling Publishing, from Barnes & Noble. In a move seemingly geared toward upping its competition with Spotify, Amazon will include one free audiobook per month from Audible in its Amazon Music Unlimited subscription in the U.S., UK, and Canada. And speaking of Canada, yesterday’s Giller Prize ceremony saw Anne Michaels take home the award at an event once again marked by protest. GamesBeat reports on the launch of Magic Story, an AI-powered platform creating customized children’s books, and Writers House president Simon Lipskar discusses AI in book publishing with Open Road CEO David Steinberger on the Open Book podcast. In an interview with AP, Martin Scorsese revealed tentative plans to adapt Marilynne Robinson’s novel Home. Esquire considers what Taylor Swift’s foray into self-publishing means for the future of celebrity books. And travel guidebook impresario Arthur Frommer and The Madwoman in the Attic coauthor Sandra M. Gilbert have died at 95 and 87, respectively.
HarperCollins has become the first Big Five publisher to strike an AI licensing deal, which authors and agents appear to be approaching with caution, skepticism, and a measure of hope. more »
Barnes & Noble acquired Sterling Publishing Co. in 2003, and rebranded it as Union Square in January 2022, at the direction of B&N CEO James Daunt. Emily Meehan will continue to head Union Square, which will become part of HBG's Grand Central Publishing Group. more »
The recently announced plan from Veen Bosch & Keuning, the major Dutch publisher bought by Simon & Schuster in May, to use artificial intelligence for English-language translations has prompted pushback from industry organizations. more »
Controversy continues to swirl around Canada's prestigious award for fiction. A crowd protesting the Giller Foundation’s financial connections with the Israel Defense Forces picketed the gala on November 18, where Michaels was named this year's winner for her novel 'Held.' more »
Jane Yang
Debut author Jane Yang’s sweeping historical novel, The Lotus Shoes (Park Row Books, Jan. 2025), is being compared to such classics as Memoirs of a Geisha and Pachinko. PW talked with her about how her own family history impacted the novel’s portrayal of the relationship between a young woman and her maidservant in 19th century China. (Sponsored) More »
As of today, subscribers to Amazon Music Unlimited in the U.S., UK, and Canada can now listen to one audiobook per month from Audible's catalog for free. more »
In a rapidly evolving publishing landscape, the CCC is taking the lead on addressing one of the industry’s most pressing concerns: the use of copyrighted material in artificial intelligence systems. Michael Healy, executive director, rightsholder, and international relations for CCC, shared insights into the organization’s efforts to balance innovation with copyright protection. more »
Nuanxed is a publishing service that combines the use of AI translation tools with human editing and proofing. The company has produced more than 800 translations and worked with publishers ranging from Blackstone to HarperCollins. Founder and CEO Robert Casten Carlberg, a veteran of Storytel, argues that the company "creates more jobs for translators," rather than replacing them. more »
Despite recent challenges, the Chinese children’s book market, comprised of 370 million children and young adults, remains a big draw for publishers, making CCBF, which ran November 15-17 this year, an important stop for companies looking to increase their sales in the country. more »
Deadline: Nov. 26. Issue: Jan. 20. This feature will cover new travel guides, narrative travel nonfiction, travel reference books, and other travel nonfiction. Pub. dates: January–July 2025. Visit publishersweekly.com/traveljan25 to submit your titles. Click here for more information. »
'Kamala Harris: Selections from the Official White House Photography,' to be published by the HarperCollins imprint on December 10, will gather for the first time more than 200 photographs of Harris's role as Vice President and bid for President. more »
'Your Next Listen,' from Simon & Schuster Audio and Lemonada Media, is a weekly podcast series that features full-chapter excerpts of S&S audiobooks. Earlier this year, Lemonada launched its own publishing imprint at S&S. more »
The Pulitzer-winning playwright talks with the 'Millions' about the future of artificial intelligence and his new play, 'McNeal.' more »
In 'These Strange New Minds: How AI Learned to Talk and What It Means' (Viking, Mar.), neuroscientist Christopher Summerfield explores how large language models work. more »
Job Moves
- Justin Alvarez has joined Ingram Content Group as manager of consumer marketing sales.
- Erin Kibby has joined Atria Books as senior marketing manager.
- Mireya Chiriboga, formerly assistant editor at HarperCollins, has joined P.S. Literary Agency as literary assistant.
- Kristopher Orr is being promoted to creative director at PRH Christian Publishing Group.
Awards News
- 'The Book of All Lives' Wins Cercador: This year's Cercador Prize, a bookseller-helmed award for literature in translation, goes to the genre-bending book by Spanish writer Agustín Fernández Mallo, translated by Thomas Busntead.
- BookLife Prize Fiction Finalists: Sarah D'Stair and N.D. Jones are among the finalists chosen for the 2024 BookLife Prize for Fiction. The winner will be announced in December.
'Melania' by Melania Trump is the #1 title on PW's adult hardcover nonfiction bestseller list. See the full list »
'Days of Shattered Faith' by Adrian Tchaikovsky"Enhancing a taut political thriller with magical elements—including a necromantic conspiracy and a giant frog god—Hugo Award winner Tchaikovsky’s brilliant third Tyrant Philosophers fantasy again explores the tension between secular orthodoxy and religious fervor." more »
Picture of the Day
At the end of a midnight release party featuring jazz, muffins, sake, tea, and trivia, fans lined up to receive their copies of Haruki Murakami’s ‘The City and Its Uncertain Walls’ (Knopf), his first novel in six years, at Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn, N.Y.
PW Daily Team: John Maher and Sophia Stewart
PW News Team: Andrew Albanese, Claire Kirch, John Maher, Ed Nawotka, Nathalie op de Beeck, Sophia Stewart
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PW News Team: Andrew Albanese, Claire Kirch, John Maher, Ed Nawotka, Nathalie op de Beeck, Sophia Stewart
To submit pictures of the day, email pics@publishersweekly.com.
To submit an obituary, email obituaries@publishersweekly.com.
Send editorial questions about this e-newsletter to John Maher.
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
Copyright 2024, PWxyz, LLC. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY and the PW Logo are registered trademarks of PWxyz, LLC.
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