AGP Executive Report

Publishing & Books in the Spotlight: A long-overdue Australian library return made headlines after a classic Greek architecture book, Antiquities of Athens, was found hidden in a tea chest behind a boarded-up fireplace—reportedly borrowed in the mid-1870s. Book Industry & Rights: DeepSeek rolled out a V4 Flash update for its AI model via an MIT-licensed release, keeping pricing steady while claiming stronger agent scores—raising fresh questions about how such systems are tested and verified. Author/Publisher Drama: Cambridge professor Jason Arday’s memoir Great and Unfortunate Things is still set for publication by Simon & Schuster, but reports say late edits toned down or removed some of his earlier claims, as scrutiny over his story continues. Local Reading Culture: Libraries and schools across the U.S. pushed summer reading and student publishing initiatives, including an adult summer challenge that crowned five-star favorites and a teacher-led plan to expand student-made books. Book-to-Screen: Crave cast Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie for the next season of Heated Rivalry, based on the “Game Changer” book series, with a spring 2027 debut.

Book-Community Spotlight: Philadelphia’s Bookstore Crawl returns Aug. 22 with nearly 60 independent stops, author signings, giveaways, and publisher-backed prizes—plus an industry event for aspiring writers at Indy Hall. Publishing & Culture: Barbra Streisand is set to publish her first children’s book, while The Odyssey surges back to the top of Australia’s bestseller charts after Christopher Nolan’s film reignites Homer-mania. AI & Books: A Niuean language phrasebook is under scrutiny after educators flagged inaccuracies and possible AI involvement, raising fresh questions about who gets authority to teach languages. Preservation Alarm: Multiple reports this week point to AI firms scanning and shredding rare books for training, fueling a preservation debate across libraries and publishers. Local Publishing Notes: A Preston museum is trying to locate a rare Horrockses housecoat tied to the brand’s 1946 debut fashion show—an unusual “lost-and-found” story for book-and-archive lovers. Health & Reading: A new children’s book program and local author releases keep showing up in community calendars, from summer reading events to fresh picture books.

AI & Book Trade Backlash: A used-bookseller describes how AI firms bought and then destroyed physical books—de-spined, scanned, and fed into language models—fueling outrage over what happens to rare titles after sale. Academic Publishing Scandal: Cambridge professor Jason Arday resigned amid plagiarism and disputed personal-claim allegations, with questions now extending to his authorship and background. Publishing Industry & Policy: Germany’s fixed book-price system (Buchpreisbindung) is back in focus as publishers and readers debate how pricing rules shape the market. Manga Global Push: Shueisha launched “MANGA MILLION,” a free, no-registration digital platform offering one million pages across 100+ languages, while Seven Seas added multiple new English licenses (including yuri and fantasy titles) for 2027 releases. Book Distribution Loss: Tennessee arts philanthropist Martha Ingram, tied to Ingram Industries (book distribution), died at 90, underscoring her family’s long role in publishing logistics. Comics & Adaptations: Marvel teased the DNX X-Men/Fantastic Four crossover finale, and stage productions like “Percy Jackson” keep book-to-screen momentum going.

Manga Licensing Boom: Seven Seas Entertainment snapped up four new manga titles—Wandmaker of the Ruined World, Influencer Hero: After Saving Another World, I Got Rich Streaming Dungeons!, The Berserker NPC Unknowingly Destroys the World, and The Kaiju Autopsy—with English print dates stretching from February to May 2027. Print Market Signal: Japan’s Weekly Shonen Jump fell below 1 million print copies for the first time in JMPA’s tracking, underscoring how even top manga brands are feeling pressure. Publishing Under Fire: Ukrainian publisher BookChef says a Russian missile strike destroyed 100,000+ more books at a backup warehouse, forcing preorder delivery revisions and reprints. Book Awards Spotlight: Story Monsters’ Purple Dragonfly Awards named Linda Soules’ So You Want to Be A… series the 2026 $500 Grand Prize winner. AI & Books: Multiple reports this week keep circling the same alarm: tech firms are buying, shredding, and cutting up books to train AI—raising fresh questions for publishers and rights holders. Library Life: Indy Library Store’s August book sale and after-hours fundraiser highlight how libraries keep funding collections and programs through community shopping.

Library Shelf Battles: Massachusetts lawmakers sent Gov. Maura Healey a bill meant to strengthen librarians’ say over what stays on shelves, requiring age-appropriate, education-based decisions and adding public hearings, votes, and court appeals for challenges. AI & Copyright Clash: A Munich court ruled that Suno infringed copyrights represented by GEMA after training on well-known songs and reproducing them on demand, marking another legal win for rights holders. Publishing/Books & Adaptations: Netflix is developing a feature adaptation of Ali Hazelwood’s New Adult romance Deep End, with Laura Kosann writing and Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps producing; the book has sold nearly 1.5 million copies worldwide. Comics & Collectibles: 2000 AD/Rebellion will launch Judge Dredd: Compact Crimes in January 2027, a monthly compact-format line collecting the original black-and-white strips for the franchise’s 50th anniversary. Book Culture & Community: A local library in Watseka plans a Sidewalk Sale (Aug. 17–19) focused on non-book items, while a separate “Find Waldo Local” reading promotion ends with a wrap-up party at Whitelam Books.

Publishing & Sales: Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey film is driving a major classics boom, with US print sales up 76% year-to-date and libraries reporting big jumps in demand for Emily Wilson’s translation and other editions. Author Spotlight: Anne Applebaum discusses how modern autocracies evolved from Soviet roots and why democracies can still push back, in a wide-ranging interview tied to her latest work. Book Fairs & Community Reading: Azerbaijan’s 12th Baku International Book Fair returns Oct. 21–27 with a seven-day program aimed at getting kids reading “beyond the screen.” Legal/Policy & Publishing: A Massachusetts move aims to protect free expression and guard against political book bans. AI & Books: Multiple reports keep pressure on publishers and platforms as AI firms are accused of destroying or shredding books to train models, reigniting preservation and rights debates. New Releases: The New Press publishes Valena Beety’s Pink Crime, examining how prosecutors rebuild miscarriages and other deaths into murder cases. International Publishing News: RBmedia acquires Boldwood Books, expanding its audiobook footprint.

Publishing Policy & Industry Support: Ukraine’s parliamentary committee backed urgent measures for the book publishing sector, citing non-functional library procurement and a stalled bookstore rental compensation mechanism after Russian strikes destroyed print capacity. AI & Books Under Pressure: New reporting keeps spotlighting how tech firms are scanning and destroying books for training, while other coverage flags the growing fight over “AI visibility” in search and AI answers. Book Deals & Rights: RBmedia acquired Boldwood Books, and Titan inks a publishing deal with Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., underscoring continued rights activity. New Releases & Local Publishing: Iowa’s Hayseed Press launched a cozy dog-mystery, while Ukraine and other regions push new titles amid disruption. Literary Culture: George R. R. Martin returned to blogging, sharing a tough year tied to depression and noting Emmy momentum for his TV work. Media/Screen Adaptations: Babylon 5 is back free on YouTube, and Denis Villeneuve’s Bond timeline talk keeps the franchise buzz alive.

AI & Copyright Clash: India’s Delhi High Court in ANI v OpenAI says training on news can be exempt, but also raises a big practical question for publishers: how can rights-holders prove what an AI was trained on? AI & Books Under Fire: Multiple reports this week keep spotlighting claims that tech firms are scanning and destroying books to train models, fueling a fresh backlash across publishing. Early Education Policy: The U.S. administration is reportedly preparing to overhaul Head Start rules, potentially gutting federal quality standards and shifting details to states and localities. Publishing & Scholarship: Al Jazeera Centre for Studies released Qatari Women and Sustainable Development, while Nature reviews two new books on how cooperation and parasitism shape life. Nepal & Poetry: Poet Mani Raj Singh’s Lokatantra Ko Asmita (The Identity of Democracy) hits its eighth collection. Local Reading Culture: A Delhi discussion spotlights Kanupriya Dhingra’s The Sunday Book Bazaar and the people behind Daryaganj’s reading public. Book World Events: Belfast unveiled a blue plaque for Irish trad collector James O’Neill, tied to landmark music publications.

Publishing & Awards: Manhattan Book Group scored big at the 2026 Manhattan Book Awards, taking Bronze for “The Friendship Party” and Gold for “Six Weeks: A Literary Memoir,” spotlighting standout independent/hybrid titles. Children’s Safety: Consumer Reports and the CPSC are in the spotlight again as toddler tower recalls hit 434,176 units since 2025, with new recalls tied to tip-over and entrapment risks. Free Expression Law: Massachusetts passed an “Act regarding free expression” to set clearer rules for how schools and libraries handle book challenges, after a sharp rise in formal challenges. AI vs. Books: Multiple reports keep pressing the same alarm: tech firms are buying and destroying books to train AI, raising fresh backlash over access to rare print culture. Early Learning Policy: A Trump administration overhaul of Head Start could gut federal quality standards, shifting most details to states and local rules. Book Industry in Conflict Zones: Russian strikes reportedly burned or destroyed millions of books and hit publishing storage in Ukraine, adding to mounting pressure on the region’s book production. Local Literary Honors: Georgia named Clarkston poet Rupert Fike “Author of the Year” for “All Things in Common: Poems From the Farm,” reinforcing how regional presses and journals keep feeding the national conversation.

AI & Copyright Clash: APRA AMCOS hailed a Munich court ruling that orders Suno to stop and pay damages, rejecting “fair use” for training on copyrighted music without licenses. Publishing & Ethics Under Pressure: Multiple reports keep spotlighting AI firms buying and shredding books for training data, raising fresh backlash over consent and access to rare titles. Book-to-Screen/Franchise Buzz: Practical Magic sequel news ties back to the 1995 Alice Hoffman novel, while Lord of the Rings continues expanding across media, including a new One Ring RPG expansion. New Releases & Rights: Min Jin Lee’s “American Hagwon” is set for Korean publication after rights acquisition, and Seven Seas will release a licensed BL manga with a Fuji TV live-action adaptation. Community & Access: A major U.S. indie author book fair returns in Houston with free admission and workshops for self-publishers. Libraries & Censorship: New data highlights the scale of book bans, with children’s titles featuring Black and LGBTQIA+ characters hit hardest. Demographics & Society: Seoul’s births rose sharply in May, linked to a wedding surge and municipal support for young families.

AI & Books: 404 Media and the Washington Post report tech giants are buying rare print books, scanning them by cutting spines, then shredding originals to train new models and avoid “AI slop,” with ISBNdb arguing pre-2022 books are “structurally clean.” Publishing Policy & Free Speech: Stephen Colbert received an anti-censorship American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation, alongside Books & Books founder Mitchell Kaplan, as debates over content bans keep heating up. Book Industry & Tech Tools: InstantProspector exited beta, launching a white-label go-to-market intelligence platform for digital marketing agencies—another sign of how “systems” thinking is reshaping sales and publishing-adjacent services. Local Book Culture: A new Ayr bookshop hosted an author visit and raised £100+ for charity, while community events and author talks keep libraries and bookstores busy. Children’s Books Spotlight: Caroline Starr Rose’s “Books Up the Mountain” highlights the Depression-era packhorse librarians who delivered reading to rural Kentucky. International Literature: Exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin urged a Uniform Civil Code across India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan to reduce discrimination against women.

AI & Books Under Fire: Australian and UK reporting keeps spotlighting claims that AI firms are buying and destroying older printed books for training, raising fresh alarm for rare-title access and copyright norms. Education & Reading Habits: A new piece warns that schools adopted AI tools before building the habits that make them safe, using a student who never reads the original text as the cautionary tale. Publishing & Libraries: UT Press launched its first children’s picture book, “My Magic Tux,” while a Canadian Giller Foundation partnership backs inmate book clubs to support reintegration through reading. Literature in Translation: South Korea’s overseas translated bestseller was Hwang Bo-reum’s “Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop,” credited with fueling “healing fiction” momentum abroad. Culture & Debate: Joyce Carol Oates publicly pushed back on translator Emily Wilson’s harsh review of Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” turning a literary translation dispute into a wider culture clash. Local Book Life: Used book sales and campus literary magazine revivals show publishing still thrives at the community level.

Book-to-screen & comics: DC Studios is again stalling the live-action Booster Gold pilot, with creator Dan Jurgens calling it “the most Booster Gold thing ever,” while the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art unveiled its inaugural film program with two theaters for nonstop screenings. Publishing & books in public life: Barack Obama released his 2026 summer reading list (11 titles) and invited readers to start at the Obama Presidential Center; meanwhile, a Texas Tribune report highlights a Texas fight where religious objections are fueling opposition to data centers. Libraries & book culture: A library book found bricked in an Australian fireplace after 150 years is back on shelves, with late fees reportedly waived; and a local library renovation update underscores ongoing community access. Local author news: A Tarbert crime-fiction author published a second novel after a debut success, and a self-published journalism workbook by veteran reporter Julius Segovia is set for September. AI & books: Multiple reports keep spotlighting claims that AI firms are buying and destroying older books for training data, raising new copyright and ethics questions.

AI & Books Industry Shock: Multiple reports this week keep circling the same alarm: AI firms are scanning, shredding, and buying up used books for training, raising fresh copyright and cultural-loss questions. Self-Publishing Spotlight: MindStir Media landed top spots in new 2026 rankings from Manhattan Book Group and Writers & Authors, with emphasis on end-to-end production and marketing support. Library Mystery Turned Public Story: A book on Greek antiquities, “Antiquities of Athens,” was returned to an Australian library about 150 years late after being found bricked inside a fireplace. Rights, Culture, and Publishing: A major row around JK Rowling’s Beira’s Place and Amnesty’s “anti-rights” framing ended with Amnesty retracting the report. New Book-to-Media Push: Random House released a graphic novel and a children’s novel tie-in for Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters,” extending the film’s reach beyond the screen. Publishing & Games: Shueisha Games announced a winter 2026 Switch/PC adaptation of Honobu Yonezawa’s “Seasons of Books and Keys.”

Textbook Policy Push: A Parañaque lawmaker is urging Congress to fast-track HB 7868, expanding the National Book Development Board’s role to tackle public-school textbook shortages beyond Metro Manila and Luzon. AI & Publishing Integrity: A debut crime novel deal worth $2m+ collapsed after agents said they can’t authenticate how the manuscript was produced, amid wider scrutiny of AI use in book creation. Labor in Publishing: The NewsGuild-CWA says 730 publishing workers at Hachette Book Group and University of Chicago Press have unionized, adding to a recent wave of organizing wins. Book-to-Adaptation Buzz: Netflix has cast Beatrice Kitsos and David Iacono in its adaptation of Dan Brown’s “The Secret of Secrets,” continuing the streamer’s push into major book franchises. Library Oddity: An Australian library found a 150-year-overdue copy of “The Antiquities of Athens” bricked into a fireplace; overdue fines were waived and the book will be displayed. Kids, Learning, Outdoors: Arizona fourth graders can use the Every Kid Outdoors pass for free access to national parks and public lands tied to classroom learning.

AI & Books: Multiple reports highlight AI firms’ growing appetite for print books, including scanning and destroying physical copies to train models—raising fresh alarm for rare-title preservation and copyright. Publishing & Community: Mashpee’s Market Street Bookshop has been sold to Indie Shops, a sign of how independent retailers keep evolving while staying local. Book Retail Culture: Two new Pittsburgh romance bookstores are drawing readers off BookTok and into real-world “third places,” pushing back on stigma around the genre. Independent Book Freedom: Taiwan’s premier praised late Causeway Bay Books owner Lam Wing-kei, a democracy advocate whose bookstore was targeted amid Hong Kong crackdowns. Library Finds: An Australian library returned a 150-year-overdue antiquities book found bricked inside a fireplace, turning a renovation into a publishing-history moment. Tech PR: S99 PR expanded its guaranteed media and AI discoverability services, aiming to boost author and brand visibility.