This weeks Literary Ledger 28 to 5 December 2025

Welcome to your weekly roundup of all things books! We’re keeping it short and sweet, just five stories to keep you in the loop without overwhelming you. Think of this as your quick fix for staying connected to the book world.

I) Another Big Change at HarperCollins as Anna Derkacz Departs

Senior publishing executive Anna Derkacz is set to leave HarperCollins, and the timing is interesting, coming only a couple of months after former CEO Charlie Redmayne announced his own departure. No reason has been given so far, and Derkacz herself hasn’t commented.

Derkacz joined HarperCollins back in 2018 as UK sales director for commercial adult fiction, and she’s been a key figure in the wider publishing world for many years. Most recently, she also joined the board of the Women’s Prize for Fiction. As of now, there’s been no announcement about who will step into her role next.

II) UK Releases for Sally Rooney in Legal Limbo

Irish author Sally Rooney – known for Normal People, Conversations with Friends, and most recently Intermezzo – has told the UK High Court she is “almost certain” she won’t be able to publish new books in the UK while Palestine Action remains a proscribed organisation.

Because Rooney has openly supported Palestine Action, including pledging future royalties and earnings to the group, her UK distribution could effectively be blocked. Under UK law, providing funds or support to a proscribed organisation may be a criminal offence. That puts UK publishers and producers, including her publisher Faber & Faber and the companies behind the TV adaptations, in a difficult position: they may be legally unable to pay her royalties without risking prosecution.

And since UK publishing contracts are built around royalty payments, the whole system falls apart if those payments can’t legally be made. That means that, for future works, and possibly even existing ones, standard publication or distribution in the UK may no longer be possible.

III) EUDR Update

Last week, we covered the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and how 449 MEPs supported an amendment removing all printed products from its scope. Since then, there have been updates, but nothing too dramatic. The regulation has been delayed again: enforcement will now begin 30 December 2026 for large and medium operators, and 30 June 2027 for small and micro operators.

The new agreement also makes things simpler:

• Only the first company placing a product on the EU market needs to provide the “deforestation-free” paperwork. Everyone else further down the supply chain won’t have to repeat it.

• Printed materials, like books, magazines, and newspapers, are officially out of scope.

• The European Commission will review the rules by April 2026 to see if they can be simplified even further.

IV) Bloomsbury Partners with Google Cloud 

Bloomsbury has announced a partnership with Google Cloud, aiming to give its publishing, education, and distribution efforts a boost. The deal will use Google Cloud’s AI tools, including NotebookLM, Vertex AI, and Gemini Enterprise, to enhance how readers and students discover and engage with educational content.

Bloomsbury’s academic division, BDR (Bloomsbury Digital Resources), will be at the forefront of this, using AI to personalise learning and make content easier to find. Across the business, AI will also help spot trends, improve marketing and book sales, and optimise inventory, predicting how many copies to print or store.

V) The Winners Are In: FutureBook Awards 2025

The FutureBook Awards celebrate people, teams, and companies in publishing who demonstrate leadership, bold ideas, innovation, or fresh energy. The 2025 winners were announced on 1 December at the FutureBook Conference in London:

• Magdalene Abraha (Publishing Director at Jacaranda Books) – Future Leader of the Year

• Igloo Books (UK Sales Team) – Sales Professionals of the Year

• Orion Publishing Group (Production Department) – Production Professionals of the Year

• Emily Cox (Emily Cox Marketing) – Freelancer of the Year

• The Locked Library – FutureBook Excellence Award

• Shimmr AI – Startup of the Year

• Fleur Sinclair (President of the Booksellers Association) – Leader of the Year

  
  

Congratulations to all the winners for their inspiring work and contributions to the publishing world!