This weeks Literary Ledger 9 to 16 January 2026

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) Adelaide Festival in Crisis After Author Exclusion

A large number of authors–including several high-profile figures–have withdrawn from the Adelaide Festival after Palestinian-Australian author and academic Randa Abdel-Fattah was removed from the Adelaide Festival’s Writers’ Week programme by the festival board. The official reason given was “cultural sensitivity” following the recent terror attack at Bondi Beach. The festival claimed the decision was not about her identity but rather her past statements on Israel and Zionism.

This reasoning is both illogical and deeply troubling. How can an author be excluded because of their nationality or political stance, especially when they have no connection to a tragic event? Simply asserting that the removal isn’t about identity does not make it true, it only highlights the poor judgment behind the decision. It risks framing Abdel-Fattah as an example for something entirely unrelated to her work, reducing her to her Palestinian heritage rather than respecting her as a writer. The move smacks of both discrimination and censorship.

Initially, nearly 50 authors withdrew from the festival in protest, and the backlash quickly grew. Later reports indicate that around 180 authors and participants ultimately pulled out. The fallout didn’t stop there: the controversy led to major resignations within the festival’s leadership, including the director of Adelaide Writers’ Week and several board members. With so many contributors withdrawing, the Writers’ Week programme was cancelled, as it could no longer proceed as planned.

II) Independent Bookshop Forced to Shut

A piece of sad news I came across today is the indefinite closure of Novel, a bookshop and café in Sheffield, and the reason behind it is infuriating. I watched the owner’s nearly 50-minute YouTube video explaining the situation, and I deeply empathise with her. It’s devastating when someone is trying to make a living doing what they love with passion and care, only for it to be destroyed by unchecked, mentally ill, dangerous behaviour from men.

She detailed repeated incidents of harassment by men who visited the shop, including intimidation, threats of violence, theft, property damage, and aggressive behaviour. Listening to her recount these experiences was terrifying, especially the extreme measures she had to take to keep herself and her team safe. One man in particular caused ongoing problems, and she described the response from the police, CPS, and Crown Prosecution as a “hot potato” scenario, no one wanting to deal with him. Yet the last people who should have to manage such threats are shop owners.

Warnings, notices, and minor penalties are not enough for individuals who are causing real harm, especially when they already have a record. Women are still not taken seriously enough when it comes to harassment and violence, even though they are far more vulnerable to these attacks. The stress of these experiences was so severe that the owner had to be hospitalised. This is profoundly unfair. If authorities treated these situations with the seriousness they deserve, perhaps Novel would not have to close.

It’s deeply upsetting and disappointing to see a beloved independent business end like this because of failures in our system to protect people from harm.

III) Ailah Ahmed Steps Down from Cornerstone

Ailah Ahmed, Publishing Director at Cornerstone (an imprint of Penguin Random House), is leaving her role. She joined the team in 2021 and has worked with several notable authors during her tenure, including Taylor Jenkins Reid, Harper Lee, and Tom Hanks.

IV) Simon & Schuster Launches Skylight Imprint

In more publishing career news, Sam Eades and Sophie Wilson have been appointed as publishers at Simon & Schuster UK to lead a new commercial fiction imprint, Skylight. They will report to Executive Publisher Phoebe Morgan.

Sam Eades is an award-winning publisher, editor, and publicist with around 20 years’ experience in commercial fiction, most recently leading the Orion Fiction team. Sophie Wilson began her career at Transworld and later worked at Headline, gaining experience across crime, thriller, literary, and book club fiction.

V) The Housemaid Hits No.1 on E-Book Charts

Once more on Freida McFadden and her stellar novel The Housemaid: the psychological thriller has reached number one on the e-book charts, topping BookStat’s digital sales ranking. This success comes as little surprise, especially following the release of the movie adaptation in late December 2025, which I have yet to read and watch!