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. Happy New Year! For the first time since starting this blog, I have no news. Well, that’s not entirely true, I do  have news, but it really isn’t worthy of the site, and there isn’t even enough to scrape together five pieces. Aside from Richard Osman and Joanna Prior being awarded OBEs (which was the most interesting thing I found), I went digging a little deeper and discovered that Nicola Sturgeon is writing a second memoir. And when that felt like the best I could come up with, I thought it might be best to take a rain check. I’m not surprised, though, time genuinely seems to stand still from 24 December to 1 January. I suppose even publishers and writers have to call it a day at some point, just like the rest of us. Join me next week where, fingers crossed, things start moving again, otherwise this is going to be a very empty blog if it’s anything like this week.

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) From Page to Screen: People We Meet on Vacation  Hits Netflix People We Meet on Vacation , the film adaptation, was released today on Netflix. The book was written by acclaimed romance author Emily Henry and is also known by its British title, You and Me on Vacation . I’m very excited for this film, which stars Emily Bader (playing Poppy Wright), best known for her lead role in My Lady Jane , and Tom Blyth (playing Alex Nilsen), most known for his role as a young President Snow in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes  (a prequel to The Hunger Games  series). I haven’t seen it yet, I’m waiting to watch it with my friend, à la  sleepover (the only right way). I was surprised when I realised it was being released in the dead of winter, after Christmas, when everything feels slow and a bit sad post–New Year. This feels like such a summer release, no? Or maybe it was tactical, getting us to look forward to better times and forget our troubles. Yes. That’s it. Anyway, out of curiosity, I read a Guardian  review of it, and it didn’t look good: 2/5 stars! Now, of course, I shall watch it anyway and not be dissuaded, since I enjoyed the book. Benjamin Lee said: “The adaptation of Emily Henry’s much-loved 2021 novel has the superficial trappings all in check (eyes with permanent twinkles, unrealistic main character job in this climate, more easily affordable Taylor Swift song on the soundtrack) but no heart or soul to go with it.” Yes, it does feel a bit like the beloved romcom When Harry Met Sally  (they even meet the same way), but according to Lee, the film misses the depth that WHMS  pulled off effortlessly, and he feels it flopped like most recent romcoms after the early–mid 2000s. It’s a shame to hear, but I’m still excited! I love a romcom, even if it’s cheesy and cliché. Of course, we want something original and high-quality, but this is following the plot of a book, so creative freedom might be limited. The truth is, some books just don’t work as movies, though honestly, I find it hard to believe that about a romcom. They’re probably the easiest to adapt, or at least I thought so.  II) David Walliams’ Book Sales Plummet Amid Controversy Unsurprisingly, sales of David Walliams’ books have fallen sharply, down about 30% overall in the last two weeks of 2025, and 19% compared with the same period in 2024. That’s roughly 15,000 fewer units sold. Of course, this follows HarperCollins ending its relationship with Walliams due to an investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards junior women in the company. We’ve been covering this story for the past three weeks, and I’m curious whether we’ll hear more or if both sides hope it quietly fades away. Walliams is taking legal advice, which could mean something, but no public lawsuit has been filed. III) Robots Can’t Write Humanity This hasn’t been a massive story, but it’s something I’ve noticed in my research, and it needs to be spoken about. AI – and I worry I’ll be talking about this for a long time as this blog continues – isn’t going anywhere. I know AI is valuable, it does amazing things, and it’s propelling us through advancements at a crazy rate, especially in STEM, something people could technically live without. But as John Keating said: “ And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.”  We don’t know what extreme AI involvement in the humanities or arts could mean, and frankly, it has no place there. If the humanities and arts are about being human, then let humans be the ones creating them. Not AI. At least, not when it comes to replacing the roles of creatives or taking jobs. Sure, there are tedious, repetitive tasks that AI can handle, and that’s fine, but letting it take over things that should only be touched by humans? That’s just wrong. I was inspired to rant about this after seeing that HarperCollins’ French division, which publishes Harlequin romance novels, is experimenting with AI-assisted translation tools as part of its process for translating English-language books into French, and blaming it on declining sales. Similar announcements have been made by other publishers, including the UK-based Taylor & Francis. Another example I came across was publishing software provider Trilogy, which launched Manuscript AI, a tool that uses AI to evaluate unsolicited manuscripts and help analyse slush piles for commissioning editors and literary agents. Once again, this can’t be foolproof. So far, it’s been set to analyse four key areas: Sales Potential:  Estimates how commercially successful a manuscript might be on a 0–100 scale by comparing it with bestselling books in the same genre from the past 20 years. Predicted Rating:  Forecasts likely reader satisfaction on a 1–5 star scale by analysing similarities to books with known Amazon and Goodreads ratings. Genre Fit:  Checks whether the manuscript’s content genuinely matches its stated genre, flagging major mismatches. Style Fit:  Assesses writing style (such as pacing, sentence structure, tone, and dialogue) to see how well it aligns with what typically works in that genre. This is ludicrous. Using other novels to judge a new, up-and-coming one? We need originality, not the same spiel repeated over and over just because it sold well once. Think of the books that belong to a genre yet stand out boldly, pushing boundaries and redefining literature itself. Some of these tools claim to use a scale of 0-100, how can you really rate a book on a 0–100 scale? Art is subjective! Sure, ratings are fine for a review or a book club, but for sales? How can a robot tell a human what they will enjoy based purely on numbers? Take a book like Ulysses , which experiments with a dozen new ways of writing prose fiction that no one had tried before. Do you think that would get past the robot? I’ll give you a hint: no. To a robot, it would just look like a mess. And assessing writing style, how can you fit tone or dialogue neatly into a genre? How can anything truly new be created when it's measured against works in past 20 years? ARGH. I’m lost for words. IV) Reality TV: The New Marketing Genius?  Now, for a less serious piece of news: Harriet Tyce, an author recently featured on the new season of Traitors , who has published bestsellers such as Blood Orange  (2019) and The Lies You Told  (2020), has seen her crime novel sales nearly double since appearing on the show, rising by around 95.6% week-on-week. The growth has been driven mainly by her latest book, A Lesson in Cruelty  (2024). So there you have it, authors: if you want to boost your sales, maybe all you need to do is join Traitors … or any reality TV show for that matter. I do wonder if Love Island  is open to aspiring authors, granted, they’d wear bikinis and trunks as part of the deal and perform raunchy tasks for 3–6 million live viewers. It’s a tough world out there. V)  Movie Boosts Book Sales Freida McFadden’s The Housemaid  had an impressive first week of the year, with around £377,126 in sales and 74,862 copies sold, a jump of 146.1% compared with the same week in 2025. This surge is, of course, thanks to the release of the film adaptation on 22 December, starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, which I also want to watch… After I’ve read the book (priorities). I feel like a thriller is one of the only types of books you really can’t watch the film of first. I mean, it ruins any reading experience, but especially in thrillers. No faking being shocked for that one.

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!

The Chronicles of Narnia is a series I had long wanted to read, having loved the films as a child without realising they were part of a seven-book saga. Buying the full set for some light reading blended nostalgia with genuine surprise at discovering new stories beyond the familiar adaptations. C.S. Lewis’s imaginative fantasy remains captivating, particularly through the strong dynamic between the four siblings and the deeper symbolism they represent. The rich Christian allegory, with Aslan embodying God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, adds an additional layer of meaning. Lewis masterfully transports readers from the ordinary world into the magical realm of Narnia, creating a wistful sense of escape that resonates deeply with childhood wonder. The series is filled with enchanting elements: sentient trees with political loyalties, talking animals, fulfilled prophecies, and endless winters. Beyond its inventive magic, the series holds personal significance as my introduction to fantasy, a genre that has stayed with me ever since.

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. Apologies for no update last week, it was my birthday that weekend, and everything just got lost in the busyness. That week was hectic enough on its own, so sorry for the delay. This update is a little late too, recently I have fallen sick, and heading into the Christmas break under the weather. This post will be brief (focusing on anything beyond sleeping and getting through my temp retail job is a big ask). So, without further ado, here we go. I) David Walliams Dropped by HarperCollins Amid Allegations HarperCollins UK will no longer publish books by David Walliams, the bestselling children’s author who is also known as a comedian and actor in shows like Little Britain  and Come Fly with Me , as well as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent  for ten years. The decision follows allegations of “inappropriate behaviour,” particularly towards women, although no details of the specific complaints have been released. The publisher has emphasised its internal processes and commitment to employee wellbeing. Walliams representatives have stated he was not informed of any complaint by HarperCollins, denies any inappropriate behaviour, and is seeking legal advice. This is not David Walliams first experience of misconduct. On Britain’s Got Talent , he left the show in 2022 after some of his off-camera remarks about contestants were leaked. The comments, directed at a female contestant, were both derogatory and sexually explicit. II) Elliott Considers Taking Waterstones and Barnes & Noble Public Waterstones and Barnes & Noble both belong to the very rich and influential American company Elliott Investment Management. Currently, Elliott owns both bookshops outright, but now it is considering something new: putting the bookshops on the stock market. This would allow lots of people to buy small shares of the bookshops, rather than one company owning the whole thing, a process known as an IPO (initial public offering). Reports suggest Elliott is thinking about listing the combined business either on the London Stock Exchange or in New York, with London currently the likely choice. If the IPO goes well, it could boost confidence in physical bookshops and provide Waterstones and Barnes & Noble with extra funds to grow and improve. III) Anna Bond Appointed Managing Director of Bonnier Children’s Group Bonnier Books UK has appointed Anna Bond as the new Managing Director of its Children’s Group. In this role, she will oversee both the children’s trade division and the Igloo craft and mass-market division. Anna has had an impressive career: she was previously Managing Director at Octopus Publishing Group and spent 17 years at Pan Macmillan, rising from Key Account Manager to Sales and Brand Director. This is a huge opportunity and very well deserved, her extensive experience and knowledge clearly make her the right person for the role. IV) New Leadership for Simon & Schuster UK’s Adult Publishing In other publishing promotions, Simon & Schuster UK has appointed Holly Harris as Managing Director of its Adult Division and Polly Osborn as Associate Managing Director of the same division, with both roles starting on 1 January 2026. Holly Harris has been with Simon & Schuster UK since 2020, originally joining as Publishing Director for non-fiction. Polly Osborn currently serves as Director of Publishing Strategy and Communications, overseeing marketing, publicity, design, and rights for the adult list. These appointments put Harris and Osborn in charge of Simon & Schuster UK’s entire adult publishing programme, covering both fiction and non-fiction for adult readers. V) Penguin Random House Targeted in Latest AFL Lawsuit Over DEI To no one’s surprise, America First Legal (AFL), the conservative public interest law firm founded in 2021 by current White House official Stephen Miller, has filed a federal civil rights complaint against Penguin Random House. The reason? An “investigation into apparent race- and sex-based discrimination in its hiring, promotion, and workforce development practices.” In other words, what they’re describing is DEI, which PRH uses throughout its employment practices. According to AFL, the publisher separates staff data into “White” and “BIPOC” categories, tracks and publishes this information, sets hiring goals based on race, and holds leaders responsible for meeting diversity targets, practices the firm claims violate federal law. PRH is just the latest target for AFL, which has previously filed more than 100 legal actions against other “woke” companies such as Disney, Nike, and Mattel, alleging their DEI policies discriminate against white men. If you’ve been following along, you’ll know this isn’t the first time PRH has been targeted by the political right. Trump's lawsuits have become almost routine, as banal as toddlers throwing tantrums, so much so that it’s hard to take them seriously.

All is quiet on the western front this week. Most of my focus has been on my part-time job, and even the mentorship has been quiet, probably because the new year is approaching and everything is just… busy. I suppose this is a good moment for a little recap. The new year is on the horizon, and looking back feels almost necessary. It’s been a trying time, busy, but also strangely quiet. For some reason, being unemployed feels like a kind of humiliation ritual. And pursuing your dreams, following the direction of your passion… well, ironically, that can feel like a nightmare. I didn’t realise how much all of this could affect someone’s self-esteem. Having all these pressures floating around every day, hearing how hard it is to get a job and keep one, knowing the economy is dreadful, the housing crisis, the idea that you’d need to make close to £50 an hour at minimum wage just to match the homebuying power boomers had in the 70s. Degrees feel like they’re losing value, entry-level roles demand more experience than entry-level should, applications often go unanswered, and young people are doing unpaid internships in an economic climate that makes it impossible to survive without pay.  It’s a lot, but there are also things to be thankful for, not all doom and gloom over here. I’ve had a lot of time to write and read the things I love most in the world, and honestly, that’s what I understand most about myself. I get it, and it gets me. It’s nice to have something you can have faith in, even if it isn’t so valued in the job sector. I had a mentorship from SYP, which has been really special, just to talk to someone in the industry and show that sometimes, by some divine miracle, you get chosen. And soon, I know that will happen for a job too.  I’m trying desperately to remember the good things, but honestly, there’s nothing truly desperate about it. Looking back, I’ve been blessed with good people and moments that were enjoyable and special, even if they’ve been downplayed by the soul-sucking experience of unemployment and other unexpected things. I got a cool haircut. I went to Scotland for the first time in the summer. I had my cousin's wedding. My family fostered a training police dog (I always wanted a dog). I celebrated my nan’s retirement, climbed the Seven Sisters, saw my favourite artist in concert, cat-sat for my neighbours, celebrated my 24th birthday, watched a play with my dad, finished a 1,000-piece puzzle that took me way too long, went to the infamous cheese-rolling competition with my friends, visited a medieval women’s exhibition at the British Library with my mum, and had the most wonderful Christmas with my family. Truth is, I did a lot of things in between job hunting, but it sucks that I feel like all I can remember is how long it’s been without one. I want to remember the rest. I need to. Otherwise, what’s the point? This one’s a bit more personal than the rest, I guess, but for the end of the year, why not? Hopefully it will make others feel better, or not, it doesn’t matter. I think it does for me. See, told you, writing understands me. Anyway, I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you on the other side. And to all my lost bookworms, Stay Steadfast x

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) David Walliams Dropped: Updates After last week, the first thing we spoke about was David Walliams and his removal from HarperCollins following allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” towards junior women at the company. Walliams has denied all allegations. However, the fallout has not stopped there. He has now also been removed from the line-up for the Waterstones Children’s Book Festival in Dundee in February 2026, a decision confirmed by HarperCollins UK. Walliams remains one of the most commercially successful authors, having sold 25.7 million books and generated £153.3 million in sales since he began publishing with HarperCollins in 2008. II) National Year of Reading 2026: FMcM on PR Duty FMcM, a UK-based books and culture communications agency, has officially been appointed as the public relations agency for the National Year of Reading 2026, something we’ve been following closely over the past few weeks. It’s a wonderful initiative, backed by the government and led by the National Literacy Trust, with support from the Department for Education. The campaign aims to spark a “reading revolution” across the UK, encouraging people of all ages to read more and helping reverse declines in reading for pleasure and literacy engagement. As part of this, FMcM will lead the PR work for the campaign, shaping and amplifying its media presence throughout the year. I’m curious to see how their role will influence press coverage and public discourse around literature, raising awareness and participation across the country. III) AI, Authors, and the Cost of Greed A bit of news from across the pond in America, where, as usual, there’s never a dull moment. Most of the time when I write about the US, it somehow involves Trump, but not this time, at least not by name. Six authors have filed individual copyright infringement lawsuits against Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Meta, xAI, and Perplexity AI. The suits were filed in the Northern District of California. According to the filings, these companies copied the authors’ books from well-known pirate libraries to train their language models, all without permission, licensing, or compensation. The authors involved are John Carreyrou, Lisa Barretta, Philip Shishkin, Jane Adams, Matthew Sack, and Michael Kochin. From this, it’s clear that AI is not a friend to writers or creatives, and, worse, these systems are being used to exploit them. The problem isn’t just that companies are using other people’s words to train their models; it’s that they do so without permission or compensation, taking people’s skills, hard work, and genius to make themselves even richer. Meanwhile, the arts suffer. What these big companies are willing to do in the name of money is unreal, especially when there’s little risk to them. They could act legally and ethically while still earning money, but instead, they take shortcuts, exploit authors, and save even more at the expense of creativity. This reminds me of when the Waterstones said they would stock AI-generated books, as long as they were clearly labelled and customers wanted them. Whether or not they expect this to happen, it’s an atrocious thing to say. How dare the owner of a massive bookstore, a symbol of curiosity, learning, and imagination, invest in AI books just because people might want them? If every world leader wanted nuclear warheads, would we just hand them over? Oh, right… Nevermind. Still, the point remains: just because we can  doesn’t mean we should . It’s a stark reminder of the times we live in: money often speaks louder than ethics, and greed is insatiable. Ruining the very industry you profit from? Apparently, that’s fine, as long as it benefits only you in your lifetime. The idea that someone who profits off authors would invest in AI books feels like the ultimate insult. IV) Charlie Mackesy’s First Christmas Number One Charlie Mackesy’s new book, Always Remember , has become the UK’s Christmas number one bestseller in the final full week of 2025. It sold tens of thousands of copies that week, massively outselling its competitors. This isn’t surprising: the book is a sequel to Mackesy’s hugely popular The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse , which was even adapted into a short drama by the BBC in 2022. Always Remember  marks Mackesy’s first Christmas number one in the UK charts. V) Sony Snags Peanuts in £340m Deal Sony has officially taken control of Charles Schulz’s Peanuts  franchise (Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the gang) in a deal worth C$630m (£340m). The move bumps Sony’s stake, which it’s been building since 2018, up to 80%, with the Schulz family keeping the remaining 20%. For a bit of history: Peanuts  first appeared as a comic strip in seven newspapers back in 1950 and ran daily until Schulz passed away in 2000. Since then, it’s grown into a global franchise with TV shows, toys, films, and even theme park attractions. In the UK, Sony also owns or has majority control of the production companies behind shows like Downton Abbey , Outlander , Industry , and His Dark Materials .

Hello! This is my bi-weekly update on publishing. I hope you haven’t missed me too much, but here I am again with another catch-up for all you wonderful people who are dying to get into the industry just as much as I am. So, without further ado, here’s another segment of the blind leading the blind! Sorry for this being a late one, I’ve been sick, so I’ve given up on everything except sleeping, showering, and eating… though two of those also feel like a chore at the moment. Thankfully, I don’t have much to say/write, honestly, I got nothing. I’m doing a temp Christmas job in retail right now, so my focus on everything else has naturally lapsed. It’s hard to put your energy into a dream when all your focus goes into something as draining as hospitality or retail, where customers sometimes make you question your civil rights and your value in the world. It tends to take the light from your eyes, so apologies if I need to recharge afterward. It’s not always bad, but somehow people interpret me making a cup coffee or sweeping the floor as, “You’re far superior to me; please treat me like dirt.” I usually think it’s because people lack power in their own lives, and hospitality or retail is the only place they can feel something. It’s sick, yes, but no less true. Anywho, I've got nothing productive to report, but while I’m sweeping, I spend my time thinking of all the creative and wonderful things I could contribute if someone gave me the chance. I know what I have and what I bring to the table, but what does it matter if others don’t? Sorry, this has nothing to do with publishing and everything to do with the rough existence that is the pressures of making ends meet and a cost-of-living crisis. And to all my lost bookworms, Stay Steadfast x

Lady Chatterley’s Lover was far more than I expected it to be. Though known for its sex and scandal, the intimacy serves a purpose: it reveals the social tensions surrounding Constance, from class divides to the emotional chasm between men and women. Lawrence writes convincingly from a woman’s perspective, capturing both Connie’s frustration at lacking true sensual connection and the way she views the privileged men around her as coddled, emotionally stunted “gentlemen.” What interested me most was how Lawrence slips thoughtful ideas between the erotic scenes, challenging women’s roles, class boundaries, post-war disillusionment, and bodily autonomy. A favourite passage imagines a future where women are “immunised” from pregnancy; and its not spoken of as a horror, but liberating, reflecting how restrictive motherhood expectations were at the time. The novel is undeniably slow, with long, lingering prose, but its boldness is impressive, especially considering it wasn’t legal to publish openly in the UK until 1960. I also didn’t feel much emotional depth between Connie and Oliver; their affair often reads more physical than romantic, aside from Olivers letter at the end of the book. Not my favourite classic, but a well-crafted one, and an important challenge to censorship and convention.

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!

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) From Screen to Shelf: A24 Launches Its Own Section in B&N Barnes & Noble (currently only in the US) is America’s biggest bookseller, with more stores than any other chain, so it’s safe to say it’s pretty popular. A24, the indie film studio behind Midsommar , Lady Bird , and Pearl , ventured into book publishing last year. Now, they’re taking it a step further with a physical retail presence inside Barnes & Noble stores nationwide. The A24 section will have a carefully curated design that stands out from the rest of the shop, making it easy to spot. It will feature a mix of books, movies, vinyl, and collectibles, essentially, a little A24 world within the store. It’s such a clever idea, and honestly, it feels totally natural for A24. After all, it’s all storytelling, just in a different format, and Barnes & Noble clearly wants to celebrate that in their stores. II) £5 Million Boost for Books in UK Schools It’s been announced that the UK government (Labour) will provide £5 million in new funding for state-funded secondary schools in England in 2026–27 to increase book supplies for pupils. Unsurprisingly, this is part of a wider push tied to the “National Year of Reading 2026,” which has already made a noticeable impact in encouraging people to engage with reading. This funding could significantly improve access to physical books for children and teens, helping to nurture a stronger reading culture at a time when it has been in decline. III) David Hayman Leads the Push for a Reading Revolution in 2026 As we already know, David Hayman has been appointed Campaign Director of the National Year of Reading (NYR) 2026. The campaign is still fundraising and building influence, as seen in plans like increasing state funding for secondary schools. The goal is to reach a multi-million-pound budget; they’re not fully funded yet but are roughly halfway there. Here’s what we know so far: Three strands of the campaign: National communications:  Public-facing media, storytelling, and promotion through ambassadors, brand partners, and authors. The campaign’s slogan/brand Go All In . Community-level activations:  Work in schools, libraries, community spaces, and even areas like criminal justice to make reading accessible and social. Not everything will be centrally run; partners and local organisations will adapt the campaign to their context. Shared services & research/evaluation:  Commissioning data-driven research into reading behaviours, identifying barriers to reading, and embedding rigorous evaluation from the start to see what works, what doesn’t, and what can scale long-term. The aim is for this work to extend beyond 2026, not just a flashy campaign that does its bit and leaves. It’s designed to make a lasting impact and shape the future of reading. As Hayman explains, the campaign wants reading to be “modern, social, and meaningful.” IV) EU Removes Printed Books from Deforestation Rules The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) was recently amended, with the European Parliament voting to remove all printed products from the regulation’s scope. 449 MEPs supported the amendment, while 202 voted against it. The amendment still needs to be agreed upon by the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, and the European Commission in upcoming trilogue negotiations, expected to conclude in December 2025. If it is finalised, publishers, printers, and importers/exporters of books and other print media will no longer have to comply with EUDR’s due-diligence rules. This has sparked considerable discussion: supporters argue that book publishing is far more complex than the commodity supply chains EUDR was originally designed to regulate, such as timber, palm oil, and coffee, and applying the same rules to books would impose a disproportionate burden on a cultural and informational good. For the publishing industry, this is generally positive news, reducing regulatory pressures on cross-border publishing, distribution, and import/export of books within the EU and UK trade context. V) Celebrating New Voices: Fiction Prize for Refugee and Migrant Writers Amazing news: Footnote Press and Counterpoints Arts have announced a new fiction award celebrating writers from refugee and migrant backgrounds. The prize comes with £15,000 and a publishing deal for the winner. This is the second collaboration between the two organisations, back in 2023, they ran a prize for narrative nonfiction, but this is the first time it will focus on fiction. The award is open to writers living in the UK or Ireland. Footnote Press is an imprint of Bonnier Books UK, and Counterpoints Arts is a national organisation dedicated to arts, migration, and cultural change. The winner will receive £7,500 in cash and a further £7,500 as an advance as part of a publication agreement with Footnote Press. Submissions are open now and close on 13 February. Entries must include an 8,000-10,000-word sample and a synopsis of at least 1,500 words. A shortlist will be announced in May, with the winner revealed during Refugee Week in June.

This one wasn’t quite for me, but it had a genuinely interesting premise: a dream-realm fantasy, a cursed “prince of darkness,” a doomed kingdom, and that classic light-versus-darkness theme. The opening chapters showed real promise, and the concept itself had so much potential. Where it fell short for me was in the execution. The plot often felt a little unfocused, and the world-building didn’t get the development it needed, which made it hard to understand the stakes or even what the characters were working toward. I found myself confused at times, not because the story was complex, but because key details weren’t fully fleshed out. Even the ending left me unsure how I was meant to feel about it. The romance also didn’t land for me, though I did appreciate that the author kept the scenes between the MC and the love interest varied, especially since so much of the book centres on them. This is aimed at younger readers just getting into fantasy and romantasy, which is lovely, but a younger audience still deserves an evolved plot. Overall, despite a strong idea and some engaging moments, this one simply didn’t click with me.