AGP Executive Report

ALA 150th Anniversary Spotlight: Sharjah made a splash at the American Library Association conference in Chicago, delivering the opening keynote and touting its “Library for Every Home” push—42,000 Emirati families and 2.1 million books brought beyond library shelves. Publishing & Rights: Rhode Island moved to rein in e-book licensing costs for libraries, targeting “metered access” deals that force repeat repurchases of bestsellers. Literary Culture Abroad: Beijing’s midsummer literary week and book fair gathered Chinese and international writers and translators, signaling a shifting, more selective global publishing climate. Book Trade & Celebrity Deals: Russell Brand settled a £220,000 claim tied to failing to deliver two self-help books. Community Reading & Local History: Tangipahoa Parish’s library highlighted free access to hard-to-find local history materials. Faith & New Releases: A Britt author’s faith-based novel, “Victorious in a Dark World,” draws on Bible stories for a novel-style retelling. Major Manuscript Sale: Alcoholics Anonymous’ original “Big Book” working manuscript sold for $2.393M, returning to the Stepping Stones Foundation.

Right-to-Know Fight in Pennsylvania: A records request for autopsy reports in Centre County hit court delays and injunctions, while other Pennsylvania coroners reportedly refuse releases or demand steep fees—showing a wider pattern of public access breakdowns. CARES Campus Stabbing: Reno police identified 33-year-old Jaivon Simmons as the suspect in a knife attack at the Nevada Cares Campus Resource Center; he faces felony charges as the investigation continues. New Books for July: A roundup of 16 July releases spans romance, mystery, fantasy, and more, alongside book-club picks like Alex Kadis’s Big Nobody. Montana History Spotlight: Retired reporter Nancy Thornton published a new Montana history book built from old newspaper accounts of 1893 and 1901 train robberies. Poetry-and-Mystery Debut: D.W. Hamilton’s surreal supernatural murder mystery leans on poems and “spells” to propel its alternate Seattle plot. Publishing Meets Pop Culture: Rick Atkinson’s Revolutionary War trilogy gets a graphic-novel adaptation, bringing major history to a new format. Gaza Report in Books/Ideas: Vijay Prashad highlights a UN inquiry report alleging deliberate targeting of Palestinian children in Gaza. Local Reading Life: Long Beach’s Festival of AAPI Books returns July 11, and libraries across the country keep rolling out author events and summer programs.

Publishing & Events: Atlanta’s July author slate includes Eliza Knight, Brad Ryan and Karla Montalván, with multiple talks and signings to beat the heat. YA Spotlight: A roundup of this week’s new YA releases (published June 30) keeps summer reading moving, with themes ranging from healing to high-stakes danger. Book Trade Deals: DK has acquired Huw Richards’ gardening title Edimentals, while Canongate snapped up Chitra Ramaswamy’s Bread and Butter… And Other Dishes That Made Me for April 2027. Literary Culture: Ian Rankin is set for the Malta Book Festival (Nov 4–8), bringing his crime-writing legacy to the “Uncover the Story!” theme. Community Literacy: Brown Girl and Brown Boy Literacy Foundation returns its Kid’s Red Carpet Book Tour & Literacy Festival to Atlanta on July 25. Reviews: The Only Song We Have (Lawrence Kessenich) gets a thoughtful look at how art and business intertwine. Book-to-screen Buzz: Enola Holmes 3 lands on Netflix July 1, with reviews calling it a more mature, higher-stakes chapter.

AI & Publishing Buzz: Cory Doctorow’s The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI hit No. 1 on Canada’s nonfiction bestseller list, reflecting readers’ appetite for practical takes on what comes after the hype. Festival Fever: The Felixstowe Book Festival called itself “best so far,” with sold-out sessions and record crowds boosting the town’s literary scene. Indigenous Graphic Storytelling: The Lost Haida Manga by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas brings Haida Manga to the page, blending Indigenous iconography with graphic narrative. Free Kindle Push: Leadership author Michael Earls is giving away two AI-focused books on Kindle through July 4. Courtroom Meets Books: A judge ruled a Tupac Shakur-related memoir co-written by Duane “Keffe D” Davis can be used in trial. Royal Reading Moment: Queen Camilla met J.K. Rowling at Holyroodhouse, framing the chat around kids’ access to books. Kids’ Book Launch: The Widespread Alphabet turns Widespread Panic lyrics into letter-learning art for children. Library & Community: UNK is partnering to preserve Mari Sandoz archives, and Park City’s used book sale returns for the Fourth of July weekend.

Publishing & Books: A new paperback roundup spotlights July releases, including queer fiction, memoirs, and big-name authors—plus a separate list of “best new books” for summer reading. Indie & Community: Sharjah International Book Fair continues to spotlight young writers and big ideas, from a nine-year-old debut author to panels on how writing can “foresee the future.” Book Culture & Censorship: A report alleges U.S. book bans are becoming coordinated and institutionalized, with political groups and centralized lists driving challenges across schools and libraries. Author Spotlight: Douglas Stuart returns with John of John, a Booker-winning follow-up exploring masculinity, faith, and belonging on Scotland’s Isle of Harris. Film Tie-In: Reviews of DC’s Supergirl argue the reboot is polished but underwhelming, leaning on familiar beats. Practical Reading Life: Kobo and StoryGraph now sync, and readers are already asking for more. Global Book News: New Peking Opera costume and costume-card titles land in bilingual and collectible formats.

Supreme Court Book Deals: New disclosures show Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson earned nearly $1.2M in 2025 royalties, while Amy Coney Barrett also topped $800K—another reminder that the justices’ publishing side hustles can outpace their government pay. Consumer Finance Enforcement: New Zealand’s Commerce Commission says it has wrapped up $90m in CCCFA responsible-lending settlements with major banks, with remediation for affected borrowers as the role shifts to the Financial Markets Authority. AI Plagiarism Flood: Apple Books is reportedly dealing with fake, AI-generated “books” that copy real titles and covers, forcing takedowns that quickly get replaced by new clones. Publishing & Screen Adaptations: Amazon MGM is moving ahead with Ali Hazelwood’s Love, Theoretically, with Colleen Hoover producing and Sofia Alvarez directing. Book Culture & Access: Dua Lipa’s Manifesto Library opens in Portugal with 100 banned/censored titles, turning her book club into a physical space for debate. Tech for Readers: Bibliobeats launches an app that pairs background music with specific books to make reading less distracting. Local Book World: A new romance-only bookstore opens in Great Falls, while a Caldecott-winning illustrator event brings Fireworks to a Chicago-area shop.

Publishing & Events: Printed Word Reviews drew big crowds with award-winning author signings at the ALA conference, while Puffin announced a second Roald Dahl-inspired anthology and DK Children’s will publish Questions, Questions by Pippa Goodhart and Corrie Gorman. Book Buzz: Jacqueline Harpman’s dystopian classic I Who Have Never Known Men is surging again, ranking among Goodreads “most read” titles after BookTok attention. Libraries & Access: Portsmouth unveiled an all-electric bookmobile; Cheshire West and Chester launched a free summer reading challenge themed “Read to the Beat.” Community & Learning: Worthing’s book club for people over 65 and a Guild Care book club keep older readers connected. New Releases: Leadership coach Dr. Stephen Crawford debuts The Five Stages of Resonance in print/ebook/audio. Culture & Censorship: Dua Lipa’s Manifesto Library opens in Portugal with 100 banned and censored books. Education Policy: Odisha says textbook errors can’t be fully withdrawn, but rectified copies will be provided; NTSA pauses enforcement of new vehicle inspection rules.

Award Season Spotlight: Elder Robert Cree’s memoir The Many Names of Robert Cree just won a silver medal at the 2026 Independent Publisher Book Awards, adding to earlier Alberta and Axiom wins and highlighting a residential-school healing journey. Censorship & Curriculum: Idaho’s Nampa trustees backed a middle-school curriculum but removed three “potentially controversial” titles—Patient Zero, One Last Word, and Maus—framing it as caution rather than a ban. Local Books, Real Authors: West Lothian teacher Foday Mannah celebrated the launch of his debut novel The Search For Othella Savage, a decade in the making, after prize recognition and a 2026 paperback release. Royal & Media Books: Trump escalated his feud with Maggie Haberman over Regime Change, calling it “fake news” and “largely fiction,” while critics mocked him and some used the attack as free promotion. Publishing in Public Life: Angola’s Constitutional Court released a children’s comic edition of the constitution to teach rights and duties from an early age. Tech & War Memoir/Nonfiction: Bloomberg reporter Katrina Manson discussed her book on Project Maven and AI warfare, tracing how military tech moved from drone feeds to global deployment.

Religious Publishing Scrutiny (Malaysia): JAKIM urged Malaysia’s National Book Council to keep reminding publishers to vet religious books that quote Quranic verses and hadith, after controversy over inaccuracies in a religious title by an influencer. Workplace & Books (Japan): A review spotlighted Emi Yagi’s Diary of a Void, where a woman fakes pregnancy to escape office invisibility and win small workplace power. School Marking Fallout (India): CBSE’s Physics answer-sheet mix-up case ended with Vedant reporting only a two-mark overall increase, with no change from the disputed Physics paper. Anne Frank in Schools (Australia): An opinion piece argued Australia should not let schools refuse The Diary of Anne Frank, framing it as education against hatred. Publishing & Community (Libraries): A Stillwater Public Library internship story showed teens using real library work to map future careers. Book Culture Trend (Literary Tourism): BookTok’s literary tourism push is driving travel plans around settings, authors, and bookshops. New Reads (Mystery & Thriller): Tellico Village gets a fresh local murder mystery, while Freida McFadden’s The Divorce keeps the psychological-thriller twist engine running.

AI & Piracy in Digital Bookstores: Joanna Stern says AI-generated knockoffs of her book keep reappearing on Apple Books even after takedowns, echoing similar problems on Amazon. Censorship & Library Rights: ACLU raises First Amendment concerns after a Hartland library board reshelved LGBTQ+ books, while Idaho’s “Authors Against Book Bans” plan frames banned-book readings as pushback against HB 710. Controversial Kids Reading: An Oregon school counselor faces backlash over a “chosen family” children’s book for ages 5–9, reigniting fights over what schools should teach. Publishing Accuracy Watch: Malaysia’s religious affairs minister urges authors and publishers of Islamic books to ensure originality and correct Quranic quotations amid investigations into alleged errors. Literary Events & Community: Chiswick Book Festival marks the Beatles’ 60th film anniversary with talks and garden walks; Montana’s poet laureate Allen Morris Jones hosts a free public storytelling event. New Books & Reviews: Auto-fiction spotlight for Deborah Levy’s My Year in Paris; June’s standout reads include Maggie O’Farrell’s Land and a Toy Story 5 tie-in review; Supergirl reviews land as polished but underwhelming. Local Book Culture: A rare-volume shop in Idaho highlights a possible Benjamin Franklin-era acquisition, while a Wilkes-Barre author celebrates his 400th book.

Publishing & Culture Diplomacy: China and Italy unveiled a joint China-Italy Cultural Encyclopedia at the Beijing International Book Fair, a big milestone for cross-country arts publishing. Book Bans & Resistance: Dua Lipa’s Service95 is turning into a physical Manifesto Library at Porto’s Livraria Lello, with 100 curated banned/censored titles including Atwood and Betts. Local Libraries Get the Spotlight: North Lincolnshire Council won Council of the Year for free kids’ books, libraries, and leisure perks, while Halifax’s Veritas Catholic Books and Gifts is set to close Sept. 30 after 31 years. New Books for Readers: Daniel de Vries released Self-Compassing, a career guide built around personal alignment and burnout; Thandi Moagi’s Wisani and the Bafokeng Brothers brings mafia romance closer to home in a South African setting. AI Meets Ancient Texts: The Vesuvius Challenge team used AI and X-ray imaging to virtually read a sealed Herculaneum scroll, raising hopes for hundreds more. Politics in the Spotlight: A new Trump health-focused book is driving fresh media attention, with CNN interrupting coverage to discuss claims about hearing and “cankles.” Community Events: Author Village and “Locals at the Library” programs keep popping up, pairing local writers with readers in informal, sell-and-sign formats.

Classified-Docs Guilty Plea: Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty to retaining classified documents, setting up a potential prison sentence when he’s sentenced in October. Library-First Summer Reading: Stillwater Public Library is rolling out adult summer reading with book reviews and prizes, while local series and author tours keep communities turning pages. Banned Books Pushback: Meridian’s banned-book vending machine opens as a public counterpunch to challenges, and Massachusetts lawmakers advance a bill to strengthen librarians’ authority against book bans. Author & Book World: S.C. Gwynne headlines a Texas counties conference on how storytelling can help local government communicate; Dua Lipa’s Service95 project backs a Porto “Manifesto Library” exhibition of 100 books, including titles that have faced bans. New Releases & Reading Culture: A practical “clarity” guide, a neurodiversity parenting memoir, and gardening and art-history books highlight how publishing is meeting readers where they are—at home, in classrooms, and in libraries.

EU Passenger Rights: The EU has agreed rules letting a companion of a disabled or reduced-mobility traveler fly free when airlines can’t provide required assistance, plus tighter disclosure and faster refunds for travel agencies. Publishing Business: Canongate will switch to quarterly royalty payments in a “revolutionary” change welcomed by agents, while France’s new-book market dipped in 2025 and school textbooks were the bright spot. Book Culture & Identity: A new review spotlights Toyin Falola’s African Identities on how “Africanness” was shaped by power and history, and another looks at Jenni Daiches’ cli-fi nationalism premise in They Know Where They’re Going. New Releases & Adaptations: Starz is developing Lauren Palphreyman’s romantasy The Wolf King (plus two more books), and critics weigh in on fresh fiction including Jenni Daiches’ latest and Jo Murray’s legal thriller Dissection of a Murder. Local Reading Life: Otley Bookfest returns with themed events and writers, and Indiana’s hiking guide Hike Indiana State Parks fills a long-standing trail gap.

Publishing Awards: Lyse Doucet, Marc Bendavid and Marcus Kliewer won the 2026 Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prizes, with Doucet taking nonfiction for The Finest Hotel in Kabul (also a Women’s Prize for Nonfiction winner). Book Bans & School Policy: Elizabethtown Area school board approved a policy to remove library/classroom materials with “sex acts or implied sex acts,” replacing a 2023 rating system. Tech-Book Legal Fight: Sarah Wynn-Williams is suing Meta after a gag order tied to her memoir Careless People—a rare case where the silenced author now turns the tables. Pride & Community Reading: Aesop’s Aesop Queer Library returns for Pride with free books from LGBTQ+ authors, while Chicago’s Pride Book Fest spotlights queer creators of color. Adaptations & Screen Buzz: Hulu is developing You Deserve to Know, based on Aggie Blum Thompson’s novel, starring Paul Wesley and Nina Dobrev; and The Magic School Bus is getting a live-action feature with Elizabeth Banks as Ms. Frizzle. Summer Reading Roundups: Multiple outlets published summer reading lists and local library event guides, including shark-focused author Ret Talbot’s Stonington Seaside Series kickoff.

Ancient Texts, New Tech: Researchers used AI on high-resolution 3D scans to digitally “read” carbonised Herculaneum scrolls from Vesuvius—without unrolling them—recovering over a metre of philosophy. Book Censorship Fight: Hong Kong police arrested owners of the Hunter Bookstore under the city’s security law, a fresh blow to independent publishing and free speech. School Library Policy: Massachusetts House passed the Scanlon measure to set statewide rules for challenging and removing books, sparked by a prior elementary school library takedown. NCERT Piracy Warning: India’s NCERT cautioned students and parents about fake Class 9 textbooks circulating online, saying unofficial copies may be tampered or fabricated. Publishing Industry Moves: S&S Children’s Books acquired a three-book picture series by debut author Jen Wakefield, illustrated by Aysha Awwad. AI + Publishing Trust: Granta said it will end its Commonwealth Foundation partnership regardless of the Foundation’s AI review outcome for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Literary Culture: Edinburgh International Book Festival 2026 highlights include major children’s and YA appearances from Jacqueline Wilson, Julia Donaldson, and Dean Atta.

European Literary Awards: Georgi Gospodinov’s Death and The Gardener (French edition, translated by Marie Vrinat‑Nikolov, Gallimard) is named a Jean Monnet Prize finalist, competing with Andrea Bajani and Joseph O’Connor ahead of the September winner announcement in Cognac. Queer Graphic Memoir: Tillie Walden’s Charity & Sylvia lands as the 2026 Vermont Reads pick, spotlighting one of America’s earliest documented lesbian couples. AI, Degrees, and Anxiety: A new graduation picture book, At Least You’re Not an English Major, leans into AI-era career panic—prompting sharp debate about what education is for. Parenting Psychology: Amber Bartlett’s Balance is a Scam argues “mom guilt” is neurological and pushes presence over perfection for ambitious mothers. Libraries & America 250: Stillwater Public Library plans an America 250 time capsule of 25 nominated American books. Indie Publishing Spotlight: The Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPYs) announce 2026 medalists across 100+ categories. Book-to-Screen Buzz: Harlan Coben’s I Will Find You adaptation hits No. 1 on Netflix’s English TV list with 24M views. Publishing Under Pressure: Hong Kong police arrest two people tied to Hunter Bookstore over alleged “seditious” sales under the 2024 national security law.