AGP Executive Report

Book Culture & Events: Greater Philadelphia is gearing up for the Philadelphia Bookstore Crawl on Aug. 22, with 50+ independent shops offering discounts, signings, workshops, and even tarot readings. Literary Heritage: Bangladesh marked Rabindranath Tagore’s 85th death anniversary with TV tributes and cultural programs honoring the Nobel laureate’s legacy. Publishing & Community: Malaysia posthumously named Mana Sikana its 16th National Laureate, praising his novels, criticism, teaching, and wider cultural impact. New Books: Henry County High School grad Rob Smith will release a debut children’s fantasy, The Magic of Merryfin Sparkshoe, on Sept. 1, with interactive map and QR-linked music. Bookselling & AI Tension: A used-bookseller describes how AI companies may be buying books only to strip, scan, and train models—fueling fresh outrage over AI training practices. Reading Access: Panama’s National Bicentennial Reading Plan is moving from camps into schools, distributing a first kit of six publications for students.

New Store Openings: West Reading, Pa. gets a gothic hit with The Velvet Spine, a new indie bookstore built around horror, mystery, dark romance and fantasy—plus a Aug. 7-9 grand opening with giveaways and “blind date” books. Publishing Deals: Abacus buys Letty Butler’s debut novel Arseholes; Orbit UK lands Russell Franklin’s epic fantasy trilogy; Embla Books signs two Dandy Smith psychological thrillers; Firefly Press acquires Sarah Ziman’s This Is Just to Say (world rights). Global Book Trade Under Fire: Ukraine’s book industry urges clearing warehouse stock through libraries and bookstores to reduce losses from Russian strikes. Libraries & Access: Turkey reports record library growth—members, users and new space surging; Ukraine and Turkey both highlight how physical networks still matter. Manga & Kids Pipeline: Seven Seas licenses multiple manga titles for English release (including Wandmaker of the Ruined World and The Kaiju Autopsy), while Story Monsters® names Linda Soules’ So You Want to Be A… series its 2026 Purple Dragonfly Grand Prize winner. Reading Culture: A century after Tagore’s Mymensingh visit, local sites still lack memorial plaques, renewing calls for preservation. Industry Watch: Japan’s Weekly Shonen Jump print circulation dips below 1 million for the first time in JMPA’s tracking history.

Libraries & Access: Fallbrook Library starts solar panel work Aug. 17–Nov. 7, with the main library closed but the Community Room operating as a mini library. Local Library Updates: Monona Public Library shuts Aug. 7 for HVAC work; upper-floor services stay open longer, while lower-level meetings/events move. Book Retail & Community: Barnes & Noble opens at a former Party City site in a 10,000-square-foot space. Publishing & Bookselling: Penguin Michael Joseph launches UK romantic fiction imprint Amara; RBmedia acquires Boldwood Books. AI & Reading Culture: A new study finds people rate AI-written stories higher when told they’re human. AI in the real world: Reuters reports Chinese military-linked researchers used outputs from OpenAI/Anthropic via model distillation to train smaller systems. Book Events: Lisa Gardner signs “You’ll Be Sorry” at Tales & Tails with puppy adoption; Bookworm Bonanza raises ~$700 and Band-Aid donations for local kids’ care. Literary Spotlight: Alberta senator Kristopher Wells debuts a 300+ queer picture-book collection, billed as the largest of its kind.

Miles Franklin Award: Omar Musa’s novel Fierceland won the 2026 Miles Franklin Prize, a $60,000 boost for a globe-spanning family saga rooted in Borneo, palm-oil wealth, and the cost of colonial capitalism. Literary Prizes: The Wainwright Prize 2026 shortlist was revealed, adding more momentum to the UK’s prize season. Classics Boom: Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is driving a major sales surge for Homer, with Emily Wilson’s translation among the biggest winners and libraries reporting sharp demand spikes. Publishing Business: Penguin Michael Joseph is launching romantic fiction imprint Amara with Entangled Publishing in the UK, while Honno snapped up Alys Einion’s When We Are Free as its lead title. Book Trade Disruption: High demand is causing supply issues for Emily Wilson’s The Odyssey in the UK, with distributors reportedly awaiting shipments. AI & Reading: New research finds readers rate AI-written stories higher when they think a human wrote them, and struggle to tell the difference. Community & Culture: The 12th Baku International Book Fair returns for a seven-day program starting Oct. 21.

Book Pop-Ups & Community Fundraising: Guildford Town Centre in Surrey is launching a month-long “The Book Corner” pop-up (about 1,000 titles across kids, YA, fiction and popular genres), with 100% of proceeds supporting the Surrey Fire Fighters’ Charitable Society and literacy initiatives via Surrey Libraries and youth grants. Indie Bookstore Rescue: Grand Rapids’ Books & Mortar is officially reopening after a community-led effort to buy the “fiercely independent” shop that had announced it would close. Publishing Policy Push: Ukraine’s parliamentary committee backed an appeal for urgent state support for the book publishing industry, citing non-functioning library procurement and bookstore rental compensation, especially after Russian attacks damaged print infrastructure. New Releases & Formats: Image Comics announced a recolored paperback edition of Scott Snyder and Jock’s Wytches, Vol. 1 timed with the TV adaptation. Global Reading & Adaptations: KADOKAWA launched the Record of Lodoss War WEBTOON spin-off The Necromancer Queen in 150+ countries, expanding a classic fantasy universe into digital comics. Book Culture on the Move: Ohio’s bookmobiles are expanding, with a new $200,000 vehicle replacement helping the Holmes County District Public Library keep rolling to rural stops.

Publishing Deals: Pan Macmillan snapped up Andy Carroll’s “unfiltered” memoir Owning It, while Firefly Press acquired Alyson Williams’ middle-grade debut The Secret Lamb and Moth Books bought the English translation rights to Olga Campofreda’s Strega-nominated Dutiful Daughters. Guided Journals & Self-Help: 4th Estate acquired Jennette McCurdy’s guided journal The Examined Year: A Self-Discovery Tool. Book Trade & Events: National Book Store brings back the free Philippine Readers & Writers Festival (Aug. 14–16) with 40+ events and a first-time partnership with Komikon. Literary Buzz: Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is driving a major Homer sales surge in Korea, with “Odyssey”-titled books up sharply year-on-year. Community Reading: Shannon Staub Library’s “Birdhouse Village” display (through Aug. 31) pairs local art with a fundraiser bookstore. AI & Research Integrity: A BMJ study using AI screening flagged a growing share of cancer papers that “look like” paper-mill fabrications, raising alarms for peer review.

Copyright & Film: The Ninth Circuit upheld dismissal of a novelist’s copyright claims that Paramount’s “Infinite” copied his reincarnation-themed book “The Link,” reinforcing the need to properly allege access and substantial similarity. Book Culture & Community: A Kansas City bookstore and tavern, Afterword Tavern & Shelves, reopened in a new location near Martini Corner, aiming to bring back book clubs and open mic nights. Author News: Beloved writer Benjamin Alire Sáenz, the first Latino to win the PEN/Faulkner Prize, died at 71. Education & Policy: Texas continues removing 100+ classic titles from public school libraries under a “local community values” framework, while Illinois’ upcoming sales tax holiday offers limited relief and critics call it inefficient. Safety & Reading for Families: A new push highlights concerns that some children’s flotation devices may increase drowning risk, urging stronger warnings and oversight. Tech & Publishing Adjacent: Berkeley Lab researchers unveiled an AI model that speeds solid-material synthesis by predicting how atoms move during reactions. Indie Book World: Nefer Bookcafé in the Bronx is positioning itself as a true third space—books, conversation, and community—beyond just browsing.

Publishing Deals: HarperVoyager acquired LK Steven’s upmarket speculative standalone The Kindling, while Riverrun snapped up Daniel Kehlmann’s dark comedy Afrika—both moves signal publishers betting on distinctive, genre-leaning fiction. Industry Policy: France is running a public consultation on how to define “books” to set the right VAT rates, a reminder that classification rules can reshape pricing and access. Book Trade & Rights: The Independent Publishers Guild’s 2026 Autumn Conference in London will be headlined by BBC economics correspondent Dharshini David and author-academic Eleanor Drage, spotlighting the business side of publishing. Humanities & Higher Ed: A new statement from the Mellon Foundation argues the humanities are “at risk” amid underfunding and suppression, defending literature and related fields as essential to understanding human experience. Books Under Fire: The Ukrainian Red Cross says Russian UAV strikes destroyed millions of books stored in Ranok publishing warehouses in Kharkiv, underscoring how conflict hits culture and classrooms. AI & Safety: Fields Medal winner Jacob Tsimerman, once a major AI critic, is joining OpenAI to focus on AI safety research. Public Health: India’s NCB warned parents and educators about the rising “chemsex” trend online, citing overdose, dependence, and STI risks.

Telangana Tourism Push: Culture Minister Jupally Krishna Rao urged NRIs to act as Telangana tourism ambassadors, including adopting destinations and helping conserve heritage, with an NRI Bhavan planned in Hyderabad (₹10 crore). Book Culture & Community: A new romance-only bookstore, The Sinful Spine, opened in Newcastle and drew huge queues, while Tempe’s Vintage Truth Books (used classics for Gen Z) is bringing “touch and smell” back to reading. AI vs Books: Reports say some AI firms are buying rare books, scanning them, and destroying originals to avoid “AI slop,” reigniting debate over ethics and training data. Publishing/Reading Rights: Stephen Colbert received an anti-censorship American Book Award, underscoring free-expression fights in literary culture. Health & Tech Milestone: India’s VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital performed the world’s first robotic systemic AV valve replacement in a rare adult case—another example of medical innovation tied to advanced imaging and planning. Education & Literature: Afghanistan’s Islamic Emirate says it’s expanding PhD and master’s programs across public universities, including languages and literature. Local Library Win: A Thunder Bay library supporter won a July 50/50 jackpot ($36,915), boosting community support for reading spaces.

Publishing Policy: South Korea is weighing tax credits for publishers, with a bill offering up to 30% support on production costs to ease pressure from paper prices and a slower economy. Reading Boom: Despite an overall long decline in reading, South Koreans in their 20s and 30s are driving a “reading renaissance,” with lines at the Seoul International Book Fair and heavy generative AI use alongside book buying. Global Book Sales: A translated Korean “healing fiction” hit—Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop—led overseas sales in 2025, showing how neighborhood stories travel well. Book Industry & Ethics: The Giller Foundation is partnering with Book Clubs for Inmates in Canada, backing prison reading programs and a new writers’ circle. Community Book Culture: R.D. Talley Books, the first Black-owned bookstore on the Las Vegas Strip, reopened in a new Fashion Show Mall location. Literature & Language: A Radwa Ashour Award cycle recognized new Arabic-literature voices, while a separate report highlights how migration can speed up language loss. Book Launch With Heart: In Assam flood-hit areas, a planned grand launch was scaled down to a symbolic release of 14 children’s novels.

AI & Authorship: YouTube educator Hank Green says he’s relied “too heavily” on AI for research and will slow output after fans criticized him for not disclosing it. Publishing & Trends: “How tradwives took over the book industry” spotlights the surge of tradwife fiction, led by Caro Claire Burke’s “Yesteryear” (now a major bestseller with a screen adaptation in the works). Book Culture & Events: Stratford Perth Museum opens a Tolkien-inspired interactive exhibit, “Sharing An Adventure,” with riddles and a talk on heroism and fantasy archetypes. Mystery Shelf Watch: A roundup flags Agatha Christie novels that still haven’t been adapted for screen, keeping attention on the author’s untapped catalog. Legal/Policy: A piece on insider trading reiterates that using or disclosing nonpublic corporate information is punishable by law. Local Bookish Life: York city centre welcomes a new Yorkshire Burrito shop next to Waterstones, a reminder that bookstores keep anchoring retail foot traffic.

Bitcoin Security Shock: Coinkite says an attacker drained about $38M (594 BTC) from roughly 500 Coldcard hardware wallets in 25 minutes by exploiting a seed generation flaw, raising fresh questions about whether hardware wallets are enough on their own. Publishing & Crime Fiction: Natalie Conyer’s Finding the Bones revisits a public cold case tied to a housing activist heiress, with the story echoing the real-life disappearance of Juanita Nielsen. Libraries Get Real-World Access: China’s “warmest library” in Hangzhou lets readers in without a card and even welcomes beggars and scavengers—complete with a statue honoring a regular. Indie Reading Culture: A Sydney study café reopened a former book arcade after cleaning and wiping mold off 10,000 old books, turning the space into a “little bit Hogwarts, a little bit Ghibli” reading hub. Education Policy: Singapore expands its mother tongue language elective programme from 2027, adding more schools and centres for Tamil and Malay learning. Tech, Books, and AI Tension: Reuters reports Chinese defence researchers used outputs from US AI models via “model distillation,” a reminder that the race to train and deploy AI is reshaping how information is produced and protected.

Textbook Supply Push: A Parañaque lawmaker is urging Congress to advance HB 7868, expanding the National Book Development Board’s role to tackle public-school textbook shortages, especially outside Metro Manila and Luzon. Bookstore Expansion: 2nd & Charles opened a bigger used-books hub in Baton Rouge, with a slate of August events including a grand opening and book drive. Anti-Censorship Spotlight: Books & Books founder Mitchell Kaplan shared an American Book Awards anti-censorship honor with Stephen Colbert, spotlighting the fight against censorship in U.S. publishing. Library Access Fight: An Arkansas appeals ruling clears the way for enforcement of a law restricting minors’ access to “harmful” library materials, with penalties for those who furnish such items. AI in School Keepsakes: Students and parents are debating whether AI-generated portraits belong in a school yearbook after AI images replaced real student photos. Copyright vs AI Music: Germany’s GEMA won a court ruling against AI music platform Suno, finding copyright breaches tied to training and reproduction of GEMA repertoire. Reading for Kids: Worcestershire’s Summer Reading Challenge is underway, with books and eAudiobooks free to borrow and rewards for young readers.

AI & Authorship: Tor Bramble backs HM Wolfe after AI-detection claims over Daggermouth, while a “Genius” novel pulled over suspected AI use shows how detection controversies are reshaping deals and trust. Publishing Deals: Patricia Cornwell moves to Simon & Schuster for her 30th Scarpetta outing; Virago acquires a new Monica Ali novel; Gollancz snaps up Sam Morris’ dystopian debut Carousel; and Canelo signs Maddie Hazen’s romance Ex Ever After. Adaptations: Claire Foy and Matthew Macfadyen will lead the BBC/Starz eight-part adaptation of David Nicholls’ You Are Here. Book Trade & Access: Goldsboro Books expands globally with its first international shop, The Goldsboro Room, opening in Kuala Lumpur in August. Independent Bookshops Under Pressure: Hong Kong mourns Causeway Bay Books owner Lam Wing-kei as raids and crackdowns hit remaining independents. Global Literature Events: Havana’s International Book Fair returns Aug. 10–16 with Russia as guest of honor. Community Reading: Cairo book clubs keep conversations going beyond the page, from “weird stuff” picks to women-only groups.

Community Literacy: The Raven Gael Blaisdell Foundation is keeping founder Paul Blaisdell’s late wife’s love of reading alive through Hall Memorial Library programs, including Movies in the Park and year-round kids’ literacy events. New Releases (August 2026): A roundup spotlights 17 fresh books for August, including Chris Bohjalian’s “The Amateur,” Kimon de Greef’s “The Ego Trip,” and Nina LaCour’s “Meet Me in the Garden.” AI & Media Literacy: Spotify’s “Talk to Spotify” shows how AI is moving from recommendations to real conversation, while a Salem Athenaeum event pairs an indie film with discussion on misinformation and critical thinking. Publishing/Books in the Spotlight: Riley Sager’s “The Unknown” gets a new angle with “The Unknown” callbacks in “The Unknown,” and D.R. Berlin’s “The Third Estate: Devil’s Tango” lands Aug. 10. Book World Meets Policy: Colorado’s Elizabeth School District fight over book suppression heads toward a December federal trial with new legal support. Tech in Research: OpenAI launches free ChatGPT access for 100,000 academic researchers, aiming to speed discovery. Book Retail News: Barnes & Noble opens a new Livingston, NJ store Aug. 5.

Publishing Deals: Tinder Press (Headline) snapped up Deborah Moggach’s The Marigold Forever, while Orion Spring acquired Jillian Turecki’s Rewrite Your Story and Pellerin Books landed multi-book deals for Jen Smith and Poppy Alexander; Joffe Books took the 16th Nikki Galena installment, Strangers in the Fens, and Pan Macmillan acquired Ewan McGregor and Eric Strickland’s voyage memoir True Wind. Book-to-Screen Buzz: Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is driving a UK sales surge for Homer—print sales of Emily Wilson’s translation jumped 1,400% at NielsenIQ, with Waterstones reporting weekly growth across translations and related classics. AI & Research: OpenAI is offering free ChatGPT access to up to 100,000 academic researchers, starting with 10,000, aiming to speed scientific discovery. Free Speech in the Classroom: A Florida college fired an English professor after she taught a short story she was told was “political,” and she’s suing over First Amendment rights. Education & Culture: Malaysia’s Adibah Amin is being urged for school-curriculum inclusion to promote unity and tolerance.