AGP Executive Report

Education & Literacy: The 2025 PISA results show a sharp global slide in reading and math, with OECD reading down 28 points since 2015 and math down 22—raising fresh alarms for schools and publishers alike. Library Tech & Policy: Kazakhstan launched a new library information portal covering legislation, standards, and training, with tools for digital records and AI use. Publishing & Culture Events: The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair returns with 1,500+ sessions across literature, music, art, and “space diplomacy,” spotlighting Don Quixote and a Balkan guest-of-honour focus. Kids Books: Children’s Books Ireland released “The Best Irish Books of 2026,” a 0–18 guide featuring 100 Irish titles, plus a KIDS Book Club roundup. Controversy in Scholarship: Tufts ended employment of a professor after allegations of false evidence and misattributed citations in her award-winning slavery-history book. Book-to-Screen Buzz: Practical Magic 2 brings Alice Hoffman’s story back to theaters, tying publishing to a new wave of audience attention.

AI Governance Publishing: OneAccord’s When2AI imprint released Volume II of The Field Guide to the New Economy—a leadership and oversight playbook for scaling AI with accountability. Audiobook Expansion: Two Spurs Press put three David Vega titles (Fool for Thought, Fool for Sentiment, Running the Business) into audiobook form. Copyright & Payments: Poland’s consumer regulator ordered major banks to revisit rejected unauthorized-fraud claims and follow EU refund rules. Armenian Genocide Literature: Koehler Books’ The Kaleidoscope of Destiny launches Sept. 22 with a NAASR event featuring Sarah Ignatius and Dana Walrath. Caregiving Book Release: Caregiving in America (Lance A. Slatton) targets the financial, legal, medical, and emotional realities of family caregivers. Indie/Local Book Events: Libraries and community groups push September sales and programs, from Watseka’s events to multiple Friends-of-the-Library book sales. Publishing Meets Tech Law: A separate ruling says AI works need human creativity for copyright protection. Book-to-Screen Buzz: Netflix is adapting a major murder-mystery book series into a new crime show.

Anthropic Settlement Fallout: Authors say publishers and agents are trying to claim more than their share from Anthropic’s $1.5B copyright settlement, with writers posting about disputed payments tied to rights reversion. Creator-to-Retail Shift: Creator marketing is moving from “sponsored posts” to core retail strategy, with brands paying for sales and conversions instead of reach. BookTok Plagiarism Panic: A new analysis of Victoria Aveyard’s “Red Queen” controversy argues the loudest BookTok plagiarism claims were driven by comments and reception dynamics—not actual timelines. Digital Reading Expansion: Latin American platform Skeelo hires former Globo executive Carolina Iacia as content director to grow original projects and partnerships. Islamic Scholarship Publishing: Qatar’s Ministry of Awqaf issues a critically edited eight-volume hadith edition, continuing efforts to preserve and standardize classical Islamic texts. Awards & Archives: Nepal’s Madan Puraskar goes to Beena Joshi for documenting Newar traditional mask dances, highlighting archival work as literary value. Comics Preview: Marvel’s Iron Man #9 teases Whiplash’s origin and an A.I.M. power struggle. K-Book Week in Paris: Korea launches K-Book Week to spotlight Korean titles and picture books, with rights and co-publishing talks for Europe.

Top Manga Sales: Oricon’s August 2026 monthly comic ranking put Yasuhisa Hara’s Kingdom (vol. 80) at #1 with 365,379 copies, while Blue Lock and The Apothecary Diaries manga adaptations followed. Top Light Novel Sales: Reki Kawahara’s Sword Art Online Material 1: Sugary Days led Oricon’s August 2026 light novel chart with 27,284 copies, ahead of Kirby’s latest novel and Witch on the Holy Night part 1. Publishing Deal Watch: HarperCollins India is set to publish Sonia Gandhi’s memoir Belonging on Nov. 10 after a Penguin India dispute, a fast pivot that underscores how politics can reshape publishing calendars. Copyright Enforcement: Nigeria’s Copyright Commission seized pirated books worth about N7 million in a Garki Market raid, targeting unauthorized reproductions. Royal Jewelry Spotlight: The Teck Crescent Tiara—worn publicly last by the Queen Mother in 1939 and shown in 2002—remains locked away, fueling fresh interest in royal book-and-history culture. Book-to-World Culture: ADNEC Group announced 297 events for the second half of 2026, signaling continued momentum for major book-adjacent cultural gatherings.

Publishing Events: Greece’s 54th Book Festival opens Sept. 7 at Pedion tou Areos with 210 publishers, 285 stalls, and 200+ cultural events, spotlighting sustainable development and social responsibility. Book Industry & Rights: HarperCollins is set to publish Sonia Gandhi’s memoir “Belonging” in India on Nov. 10 after a dispute involving Penguin, turning a publishing deal into a public battleground. Authoring & Adaptations: Netflix is adapting a bestselling two-book mystery series into its first-ever TV show, adding another push from page to screen. Community Reading Culture: Social media’s BookTok/Bookstagram wave is still driving new readers, but some teens say it’s also nudging them toward more reading and less streaming. New Releases & Shelf Buzz: A UK list of autumn must-reads highlights major literary fiction and memoir picks, while Marvel’s “Black Cat #14” preview tees up a space heist. Local Book Life: Wrexham author Sarah Bayliss debuts “The Taming of Tigris,” a cat story built around email adventures across the UK and US.

Publishing & Public Life: New Mexico’s picks for the National Book Festival spotlight the Gila National Forest and fire lookouts, with Caroline Starr Rose’s youth title “The Burning Season” and Philip Connors’ “The Mountain Knows the Mountain: A Fire Watch Diary” representing the state. Teen Tech & Mental Health: Journalist Madonna King’s “Screen Wise” draws on interviews with 300 teenagers to argue that screen harm goes beyond social media into games, AI, and messaging. Mindfulness Caution: A new report highlights meditation’s potential adverse effects, including cases where practice triggers long-lasting problems, pushing the conversation beyond benefits-only messaging. Books as Community Infrastructure: Reading in the Schools Day in Murfreesboro expects 2,000 volunteers for 20,000 students, while the Erie Zoo hosts a conservation book sale with donation pricing and free admission. Big Publishing Deal: HarperCollins is set to publish Sonia Gandhi’s memoir “Belonging” in India on Nov. 10 after a dispute involving Penguin. Literary Events: Belmont Bookshop’s festival returns to Stowe Park, and Walking BookFairs’ travel-writing festival brings literature, food, and culture together.

Major Publisher Move: HarperCollins India will publish Sonia Gandhi’s memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love on Nov 10, ending months of uncertainty after a Penguin India dispute over edits. AI & Copyright Clash: The Seattle Times and Newsday sue OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging unauthorized scraping of journalistic work to train AI and claiming harm to publishers. Tech Meets Books on Screen: Netflix begins filming The Secret of Secrets in Prague, bringing Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon back to the city for a TV adaptation. Publishing Culture & Reading Habits: France’s autumn literary season is framed against falling reading rates, with the National Book Centre urging a renewed focus on reading. Self-Publishing & AI Tools: A self-publishing platform owner argues AI is now embedded in cover and production work, while some authors still insist on human-made covers. Global Market Outlook: India’s book market is projected to hit ₹2 lakh crore by 2030-31, with the report calling for stronger copyright and careful tech adoption. BookTok Watch: A mid-year BookTok review spotlights debate-driven hits like Caro Claire Burke’s Yesteryear and other controversial titles.

Publishing Rights & Screen Adaptations: Venice’s Book Adaptation Rights Market shows studios and streamers moving upstream, pitching full catalogs as screen rights get discussed even before books hit shelves. Major Memoir Publishing Clash (India): Sonia Gandhi’s memoir Belonging is at the center of a publisher dispute, with Penguin India backing out and HarperCollins stepping in for an India release set for Nov. 10. Book-to-Page/Screen Buzz: Warrior Cats gets its first official CG adaptation look, with Tencent Video targeting a 2028 debut and Disney+ distribution later. New Book Launches & Local Book Culture: National Geographic Books promotes Joe Rohde’s Floating Mountains ahead of a Sept. 18 talk/signing, while multiple communities gear up for big library sales and author events (including an Outdoor Book Sale in New Albany on Sept. 12). Libraries & Access: ALA’s Library Card Sign-Up Month highlights programs and new Yoto Players at Jefferson County Library District, reinforcing how libraries keep expanding beyond borrowing. Identity & Reputation in the AI Era: A new book argues you can own your name, but not the online reputation AI systems assemble from search and summaries.

HarperCollins India Memoir Deal: HarperCollins India says it will publish Sonia Gandhi’s memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love on Nov. 10, after a Penguin Random House India deal reportedly fell apart over editorial changes. Publishing Rights & Legal Friction: The dispute around Belonging is now framed as a publishing battleground, with lawyers and publishers weighing in on what was demanded and what was cut. Ukraine Arts as Resistance: A reflective piece looks at how Ukrainian artists use rage—sometimes as requiem, sometimes as resistance—while performing Verdi’s Requiem in wartime settings. Children’s Books & Survival Stories: A German backpacker, Carolina Wilga, details her 11-night outback ordeal in a new book, Escaping the Outback, turning survival into a publishable narrative. Community Reading Access: A family in Bluewater Rise built a Little Free Library in their front yard, quickly filling it with children’s books and educational titles. Meningitis Reminder: A BBC doctor warns meningitis can still strike even after vaccination, pushing readers toward updated health info. Book Culture & Creativity: A Picasso quote on “good sense” is used to argue that safe, familiar work can be the enemy of creativity—especially in today’s social-media-driven making.

Rocky Cree children’s books: William Dumas’ Six-Seasons picture-book project keeps pushing “reclamation” first, using the 1993 discovery of a Cree burial site to retell language and culture through new titles. Direct-to-guest publishing-adjacent hospitality: Villa Espada in Cap Cana announced 2026–2027 direct-booking rates for its staffed estate model, with a single fixed nightly rate for groups. Poetry recognition: Luis A. Estable won the 2026 NYC Big Book Award for Religious for Religious, Ten Songs And Thirty Sonnets, published by Vanguard Press/Pegasus Publishers. AI & copyright fight: The DOJ backed OpenAI’s “fair use” argument in the New York Times lawsuit, framing AI training as transformative and tied to national security and competition. Press freedom under pressure: A Malian military court sentenced former colonel Alpha Yaya Sangaré to 20 years for a book critical of the armed forces. Feminist media legacy: Ms. magazine published a tribute to Gloria Steinem after her death at 92, highlighting how she reshaped journalism and feminism. Local book culture: Multiple community events and library sales are slated across the week, including Harvest Fair programming in Surrey and a Labor Day sidewalk book sale at Lotz House in Franklin.

AI & Copyright: The DOJ urged a judge to back OpenAI and Microsoft in the New York Times copyright suit, arguing limiting AI model training would hurt U.S. innovation. School Tech Policy: New York City announced a one-year moratorium on student-facing generative AI for grades 2-K through 8, while allowing limited use for older students. AI Detection Backlash: Pangram’s AI-text detector is being treated like a verdict after near-zero false-positive claims, raising new stakes for writers and publishers. Publishing & IP Education: HarperCollins India published Xerxes Ranina’s “Who Owns What?” to simplify creator questions on copyright contracts and reuse. Book Industry & Safety: Ukraine’s “Book Country” festival was postponed to spring over safety risks, with organizers urging readers to support publishers and bookstores. Global Book Fairs: Moscow International Book Fair opened with 300+ houses and Qatar’s participation through Sept. 6. Local Library News: Baxter County Library launched a take-home teen volunteer kit built around making handmade “Tiny Books, Big Stories.” Heritage & Books: Seoul’s royal palaces plan an expanded five-day K-culture festival with foreign-language programming next month. Tech + Books Supply Chain: Reports say tech firms are buying second-hand Dutch books at scale to train AI, sparking fears of spines being cut and pages scanned.

AI Copyright Clash: The Trump administration filed a brief backing OpenAI in the New York Times’ lawsuit over training chatbots on copyrighted news, arguing it’s protected “fair use” and supports “creative and scientific progress.” Publishing & Policy: The fight could reshape how publishers license content for AI systems, with the Times warning it would let AI firms take work “without permission or compensation.” Book Industry Spotlight: University of Chicago Press highlighted its America-at-250 catalog, while local book news ranged from a new crime novel by former NFL player Andre Hardy to poetry launches and major library used-book sales. Libraries & Community Reading: Multiple events are set for early September, including fall book sales and author signings, underscoring how local bookstores and libraries keep feeding demand for print. Entertainment Adaptations: Apple TV set a global premiere date for Season 2 of The Sisters Grimm, based on Michael Buckley’s bestselling series.

Publishing & Media Launch: Vibe Media Group (behind Fast Company Middle East) debuted Journeys Unpacked, a “place intelligence” publication that shifts travel coverage from where to go to how destinations work. Education & AI: A major study of 27,000 students in China found generative AI boosted homework scores but cut time spent, raising questions about what students actually learn. Comics Distribution: IDW Comics delayed several titles by a week after an Aug. 11 truck accident damaged shipments en route to PRH distribution. Classic Literature: Emily Wilson announced she’ll retranslate The Odyssey from scratch after calling Nolan’s version “abysmal,” underscoring how translation choices keep reshaping publishing conversations. Book Industry Trade: Korea’s Ministry of Culture and a promotion agency launched an “Outreach New York Book Fair” to connect Korean publishers with major U.S. buyers and imprints. Tech & Reading: Google rolled out Gemini features aimed at helping readers analyze their e-books. Local Culture & Books: Sharjah’s Department of Culture announced a yearlong run of 40+ festivals and forums, kicking off with the Sharjah Narrative Forum on Sept. 8. Health & Mortality: South Africa’s leading natural cause of death has shifted to diabetes, with reporting tying the trend to lifestyle and earlier onset.

Publishing & Booksellers: A Dutch publisher says translating Chinese classics like Dream of the Red Chamber helps build a cultural bridge with the Netherlands, highlighting long translation timelines and cross-cultural publishing priorities. New Releases: Sibylline Press launched Liza Losada’s debut fantasy Ink Honey Blossom, a captivity-and-survival story built around a centuries-old plague cure. Author Spotlight: Wendell Berry, the influential rural-life and environmental writer, died at 92. Controversy & Censorship: A major UK forced-marriage report claims children under five were referred to the Forced Marriage Unit, reigniting debate over how such practices show up “on the books.” Libraries & Community: Surrey Libraries expands access via a mobile library on the road 5–6 days a week, while local used-book sales continue to raise funds for libraries and community projects. Education & Access: Utah is spending $60K to review how books enter school libraries, as schools lean on first-day access programs and digital course materials. Industry Watch: Reports and lawsuits keep circling around claims that AI firms scan and destroy books for training.

Publishing & Politics: Sonia Gandhi’s memoir “Belonging” is still in publishing limbo, with reports that lawyers sought cuts tied to Modi, the RSS, communal violence and minority issues—raising fresh questions about what India’s edition will look like. Legal Drama: In Nevada, former Crips leader Duane “Keffe D” Davis was convicted in Tupac Shakur’s 1996 murder case, after a trial that also spotlighted his earlier memoir claims. Books & War: Ukraine says Russian strikes have destroyed millions of school books and disrupted textbook deliveries, threatening the start of the school year. Author News: Wendell Berry, the Kentucky writer and farmer whose work shaped modern agrarian thinking, has died at 92. Culture & Festivals: Bulgaria’s Apollonia Festival keeps literature front and center with book launches and BTA’s LIK magazine events. Reading Culture: World Letter Writing Day spotlights handwritten notes as a modern keepsake habit.

AI & Copyright Clash: Sony Music and Warner Music sued Anthropic in California, alleging it used copyrighted songs and even pirated books to train Claude, seeking injunctions and major damages. Translation Futures: India’s Bhashavaad 3.0 debate put AI translation in context, arguing human translators still carry cultural nuance and creative judgment. Publishing Under Fire: Russian strikes destroyed millions of Ukrainian books and textbooks, hitting publishing houses and printing supply as schools reopen. Library Digital Growth: Piedmont Regional Library System launched Comics Plus, giving cardholders unlimited, simultaneous access to comics, manga, and graphic novels. Webtoon Expansion: Naver’s WEBTOON parent took a stake in Baobab Studios, pairing a new WEBTOON fantasy with a print graphic novel via First Second. Sonia Gandhi Memoir Row: Penguin India again denied it was the publisher of Sonia Gandhi’s “Belonging,” as political pressure claims continue to swirl. New Book Releases: A September roundup highlights fresh fiction and nonfiction, including Geoffrey Gates’ surrealist-leaning “The Phantom Surrealist” and Jock Serong’s HarperCollins biography “A Suitable Man.” 9/11 Archives: A flight attendant is publishing soldiers’ handwritten 9/11 troop-journey journals as a living digital archive ahead of the 25th anniversary.