AGP Executive Report

Doha Book Fair Wrap: The 35th Doha International Book Fair closed with record-scale participation—520+ publishers from 37 countries and 1.85M books—while leaning harder into community experiences, tech partnerships, and a more accessible public feel. Science & Poetry Activism: In the U.S., Poets for Science continues to turn climate and research censorship into public teach-ins, echoing a viral poem that grew out of scientists being silenced. Health & Longevity Reads: A new study claims early-life access to filtered water can extend lifespan later, adding fresh fuel to the “public infrastructure shapes outcomes” conversation. Publishing/AI Tension: The week’s biggest industry drumbeat keeps returning to AI in books—citations, tools, and authorship—alongside fresh scrutiny of AI-generated content. Culture & Memoir Spotlight: From a graphic biography for children to high-profile memoir launches, publishers are leaning into personal stories that travel across audiences.

AI & Prizes: A Commonwealth Short Story Prize winner is under scrutiny after claims it was written with AI, reigniting the big question: can machine-written fiction still win hearts and juries? Publishing & Author Fallout: Kathryn Stockett discusses being fired by her publisher and the pressure of following up The Help—a reminder that “second novel syndrome” is still real. Education Tech Stress Test: India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has demanded a detailed CBSE report after complaints about glitches during re-evaluation (server downtime, payment issues, operational lapses). Libraries as Community Hubs: A Kansas City-area library summer program is blending books with World Cup soccer and dinosaurs to keep kids reading. Book Culture, Global: Doha International Book Fair programming spotlights Arab research, Islamic heritage, and how AI is being used to preserve manuscripts—while stressing human scholarship still matters. Crypto Meets Gambling: Ethereum is gaining ground in crypto casinos as deposits and costs improve, pushing more players toward on-chain play.

Big Screen Adaptations: Julia Roberts is set to star and produce Sony’s 3000 Pictures film adaptation of Katy Hays’s upcoming novel Home Economics, with Pamela Dorman Books/Viking publishing in 2027. Publishing & IP Buzz: Rick Riordan is launching a new Camp Half-Blood middle-grade series co-written with different authors, starting this fall with The Wild Zone (Sept. 29). AI in Books: Anthropic’s reported $30B+ funding round would value Claude above $900B, while Spotify keeps pushing into audio with AI tools for audiobook creation. Community Reading: Surrey libraries are expanding “Tech To Go” with free CO₂ monitors and other gadget lending, plus a Teen Library Council. Literary Culture: Ann Patchett talks about ruthless decluttering—removing even inscribed books—while Ella Bleu Travolta reflects on her parents’ support. Sports-Books Crossover: Local historian Mark Clegg’s The Crimson and Gold is being used in a summer book club for Athens student athletes.

New Releases & Reviews: Basant Chaudhary’s debut novel ‘Devyani’ turns a forbidden romance into a psychological trap, with Aaditya’s “responsible” drive becoming his undoing as he meets a career-minded architect in the mid-1980s. Publishing Tech: Spotify is rolling out an AI audiobook creation tool with ElevenLabs for authors via its “Spotify for Authors” program, plus more language support—no exclusive lock-in. Literary Events: The National Trust’s Belton Estate launches a first-ever literary festival built around its historic library, while a new horror novel ‘Headlights’ by CJ Leede hits stores June 9. Community & Culture: Robin Reed, a preservation champion behind Sunken Gardens efforts, was honored at St. Petersburg City Council. Education & Policy: India’s CBSE Class 12 re-evaluation portal backlash continues as the Supreme Court keeps adjusting the NCERT controversy involving three academics.

Crypto Moves & Media Buzz: Trump Media transferred another 2,650 BTC (about $205M) to Crypto.com, fueling fresh talk of a potential sale as losses on its holdings are now estimated around $455M. Copyright & Piracy Fight: AAP teamed up with Vermillio to help publishers spot and remove infringing book copies online. AI in Publishing, Under Pressure: The week kept spotlighting AI misuse—from “synthetic quotes” in a book to ongoing disputes over AI-generated books and training practices. Education & Censorship: India’s NCERT textbook controversy continues as the Supreme Court modified an earlier order involving three academics over a “corruption” chapter. Culture & Community: The Hispanic Society launched a Poetry Center to house the archive of Chilean poet David Rosenmann Taub, while local events—from a Riverdale block party/5K to a pickleball fundraiser for early literacy—show books still win hearts in the real world.

AI Copyright Clash: Five major publishers and novelist Scott Turow have filed a proposed class-action against Meta, alleging Llama training used millions of copyrighted books and articles from piracy sites—raising the stakes for how AI models are built and what licenses should cover. Trade & Antitrust: U.S. state attorneys general are pushing for a Live Nation–Ticketmaster breakup after a landmark antitrust win, with divestiture of Ticketmaster on the table. Publishing & Policy: Barnes & Noble’s CEO says stores can sell AI-written books, while Pearson urges faculty not to use AI to grade—showing how quickly education and retail are diverging on AI rules. Community Reading: West Point Public Library kicks off “Plant a Seed, Read!” June 1 with free summer events and book giveaways for kids who log reading. Literary Festivals: Mindanao’s 3-day Mindanao Book Festival (May 21–23) at Ateneo de Davao spotlights books as a defense against disinformation. Local Book Culture: Settle district churches plan Pentecost music/drama and a charity coffee morning plus book sale, tying faith events to fundraising.

AI Books at Barnes & Noble: CEO James Daunt is walking back his Today show comments after backlash, insisting B&N doesn’t “endorse or intentionally sell” AI-generated books and says it excludes them from online listings and won’t stock them knowingly—while still saying it could sell AI titles if they’re clearly labeled and there’s proven customer demand. Children’s Publishing Leadership: Simon & Schuster UK appoints Kirsty Bradbury as its new children’s MD. Book-to-Story Buzz: Brandon Sanderson’s sci-fi hit is confirmed for a TV adaptation, and Marvel-linked teams are also moving on more comic-to-screen plans. Publishing Industry Tools: SEO expert Gerrid Smith launches new books focused on legal, medical, and AI visibility. Culture & Media Loss: EastEnders and Blake’s 7 actor Michael Keating dies at 79, prompting tributes tied to his long-running roles. Community Book Life: A new Lake Cowichan bookstore, Brewberry Books, opens after years of online sales.

New Fiction Releases: Author Black Bird dropped “A Locked Room Made of Water,” a psychological novel inspired by public “Epstein files” reporting, focusing on survival, memory, and the emotional mechanics of secrecy and grooming—while stressing it’s fully fictional. Faith & Community: A Denver-area church story spotlights whether younger Coloradans are turning back toward religion, with attendance signals drawing attention again. Publishing-to-Screen Momentum: Brandon Sanderson’s “Skyward” (Cytoverse) is officially headed to TV, with Sanderson writing the pilot alongside Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen. Business & Deals: MyFlyYatra launched a business-class-to-India portal touting cheaper premium fares, while Oceanhawk priced an upsized $160M IPO. SpaceX IPO Buzz: SpaceX revealed a blockbuster IPO filing aimed at a potential trillion-dollar debut. Literary Recognition: “Taiwan Travelogue” won the 2026 International Booker, and Yang Shuang-zi hopes it can reach China to spark dialogue. Education & Reading: A new take on declining U.S. reading scores points to pandemic fallout, absenteeism, and screen habits as ongoing pressures.

Publishing & AI: Barnes & Noble CEO is backing the idea of selling AI-written books in stores, while a separate thread keeps asking whether AI can truly brief voters—plus a new “AI summit” is pitching itself as built for publishing pros. Games & IP: Nintendo is using Switch 2 to push “Yoshi and the Mysterious Book,” a low-stakes, creativity-forward title tied to a May 22 special program. Books in the real world: Palmetto Publishing released a firefighter memoir, “My Time at Station 23,” and local libraries keep driving events—from genealogy talks to Italian-American traditions. Culture & controversy: A week of coverage also includes censorship and library-board fights, and a reminder that digital links can vanish fast (FiveThirtyEight’s disappearance). Community & commerce: Indie bookstore maps and major book fairs (like Lisbon) underline how readers still chase places, not just feeds.

Local Library Support: Friends of the R.H. Johnson Library’s latest sale brought in 6,000+ books plus DVDs and puzzles, with proceeds funding the library’s day-to-day materials—run by volunteers year-round, not just on sale day. Children’s Publishing Spotlight: A conversation on Irish picture-book makers highlights how authors and illustrators build community through road tours and school visits, keeping kids at the center of the craft. Literary Culture & Adaptation: Helen Macdonald discusses the film version of H is for Hawk, focusing on how screen choices translate grief and falconry expertise for new audiences. Industry Watch: Google unveiled a major AI upgrade to search—turning the search bar into an assistant that can book and manage tasks—raising fresh questions for publishers about discovery and demand. Major Prize News: Taiwan Travelogue won the 2026 International Booker Prize, with translator Lin King sharing the win and spotlighting translated fiction’s global reach.

Free Speech Meets Civility: Ohio’s Supreme Court hosted a Civility Symposium where judges and lawyers argued that liberty depends on speech that stays civil—even as AI reshapes how ideas spread. AI in Publishing Workflows: AgentOutreach.io is pitching an AI system that finds prospects, vets contacts, and drafts outreach pitches for websites and creators, while CallCow’s OpenClaw guide pushes AI voice agents into real phone-calling. Book Trade & Rights: Two Script Studio launches a “reverse adaptation” model to turn screenplays into early-stage novels and then pitch book rights back into the market. New Releases & Formats: Magic Cat expands Jamie Oliver’s preschool line with four new titles, and Abrams ComicArts turns Marvels into a prose novelization. Community Literacy: A $10,000 gift in Fond du Lac will buy books for pediatric patients through Reach Out and Read. Industry Signals: Skybound promotes Blake Kobashigawa and hires Katii O’Brien to strengthen publishing operations and distribution.

Misogyny in the newsroom: A Tribune-Review columnist lays out how women journalists are pressured to be “likable and nonthreatening” to survive male-dominated coverage—an issue now framed as both workplace culture and public safety. Emerging voices: New Zealand’s NZSA Ngā Kaituhi programmes name 2026 mentorship and assessment recipients, with judges praising a strong, genre-spanning pool of wāhine kaituhituhi. Big publishing moments: Crown/Penguin Random House announces Rachel Maddow’s DOJ history, Department of Fate, for Nov. 10. Industry & media pressure: A UK crime drama Dalgliesh secures a fourth series as production partnerships shift. Business-book crossover: Zero to $100M argues scaling failures often come from operating decisions—pricing, bottlenecks, and hiring cadence—rather than vision alone. Local publishing & libraries: Multiple community book events and author showcases roll on, from rare-book sales to local author festivals.

AI & Publishing Trust: Hachette cancelled the US release of Mia Ballard’s horror novel “Shy Girl” after online AI accusations, reigniting the bigger question of how often suspected AI text slips through. Royal Reconciliation Buzz: Reports claim King Charles is pushing William and Harry to settle their feud, with a private secretary reportedly tasked to get them talking. Literacy in Action: Students turned museum learning into a published book (“Beeves, Brands & Biscuits”), while multiple school districts celebrated reading-and-writing wins at board meetings. Comics to Screen: Image Comics’ “Chew” is in live-action TV development at Blumhouse/Atomic Monster. Industry & Deals: Pen Underwriting set a new £1.75bn GWP target by 2030, and commercial real estate lenders are increasingly selling distressed debt at steep discounts. Tech & Culture: IDW says comics’ future is accessibility—meeting readers where they already are.

Student Tech Deals: A UAE “Mega Sale” is pushing practical back-to-campus gear—durable backpacks, power banks, and noise-canceling headphones—positioning upgrades as the difference between chaos and control. Reading Access Gets Physical: Sri Lanka’s The Book Studio unveiled the country’s first fully automated book vending machine, aiming to make “everywhere can be a reading space” feel real in high-traffic spots. Publishing Meets Controversy: Opan House Studio Audrey says it’s revising the “Perfect Crown” script book after backlash over historical inaccuracies and ceremonial depictions, offering PDF correction pages and sticker fixes for preorders. AI in the Real World: Journalist Joanna Stern’s “I Am Not a Robot” reports AI can streamline admin tasks, but still isn’t ready to run everything in daily life. Global Book Fairs: Qatar University Press is at the Doha International Book Fair showcasing academic titles and translation work, while the fair keeps expanding beyond books into hands-on culture.

UAE Resilience Book Launch: In Abu Dhabi, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak backed Augie K. Fabela II’s new Tenacity: The UAE’s Finest Hour, recounting the UAE’s first 31 days during the 2026 Iran attacks through a Dubai-based, firsthand lens on stability and unity. Anime & Manga Updates: Ezogingitune’s light novel I Became a Legend… adds rock-idol MEISHOHIKOKAI for the ending theme, while Shueisha’s Kagurabachi pauses for one issue due to the author’s sudden illness and returns May 25. Publishing & Retail Tech: Emersoft is partnering with Gardners to bring Shopify/POS and TikTok Shop-ready bookstore commerce to UK booksellers starting early June. Rare Finds: A “time-capsule” unread Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone paperback from 1997 is expected to sell for up to £10,000 at auction. Local Infrastructure Funding: Wisconsin’s State Building Commission approved about $248M, including $50M for 71 local community development projects tied to libraries, museums, and public services.

Publishing Crime Case: A Cebu-based publishing scam operator, Mike Sordilla, pleaded guilty in a US mail-and-wire fraud scheme that promised lucrative book and film deals for upfront fees, admitting he ran Innocentrix Philippines and agreed to forfeit $2.7m plus at least $48.7m in restitution. Middle East Publishing Push: Qatar’s Doha International Book Fair hit record scale—1.85m books across 910 pavilions—and Alqantara publishing and distribution was inaugurated, signaling more local publishing capacity. YA/Adult Shelf Debate: Sue Divin argues YA novels should mingle with adult titles on shelves, not get boxed in by marketing logistics. Libraries as Community Infrastructure: Gresham opened the East County Library, positioning it as a free, accessible “center for community enhancement” with teen, children’s, and event spaces. Book Culture & Reading Habits: A new piece frames reading as a voluntary, contagious act of connection—not just classroom compliance—while a separate roundup highlights how festivals keep literacy energy alive.