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Why Is So Much New Literary Fiction So Boring?

The question driving these opening pages is not: “What does it mean to live a good life?” or “What do we owe to people?” or “What can be saved from the ravages of time?” The question I hear is: “Have I impressed you yet?” - Devon Halliday

HarperCollins Now Has A Manga Imprint, Kazé

“The publisher is rolling out the imprint in partnership with the existing Kazé publishers in France and Germany, which distribute manga for the European market and were acquired by HarperCollins last year. Kazé US will build on that brand for American readers of all ages.” - Publishers Weekly

UK Publisher To Release Jason Arday’s Memoir Despite Questions About Its Veracity

Simon & Schuster UK made no comment beyond a statement from Arday’s family: “Jason was clear that he wanted his memoir to be published and it is only right that we honour his wishes. ... We (will) allow the book to speak for itself and won't comment further on its content.” - The Telegraph (UK) (Yahoo!)

Can Poetry Help Make People More Ecologically Aware?

Researchers have argued that eco-poetry can influence how we experience a place, what we notice and what it might become in the future. They suggest that by “sounding” environmental change, speculative poetry offers us a tangible way to engage with, interpret and navigate the uncertainty of the climate crisis. - The Conversation

UK Looks Headed For Record Year In Print Book Sales

According to NielsenIQ BookScan, sales of print books across the British consumer market have passed £1 billion at the earliest point in the calendar year since records began. - The Bookseller (UK)

In A Country With Almost No Actual Murders, Writers Have To Make Mysterious Deaths Believable

The authors’ "plots have to be built on buried grudges and horrifying secrets hidden in the fog and the fjords. Otherwise, how else could they convincingly kill off their characters?” - The New York Times

This Small Publisher Will Now Only Accept Pitches By Phone

The strategies to defeat AI are getting, well, old-school: “We’re re-humanizing the process with a dedicated hotline (which has the added benefit of weeding out supposed reporters who aren’t in the habit of ringing up strangers.” - Nieman Lab

California Has The Publishing Rizz Right Now

But it’s a bit nervewracking: “I feel like for a small press you really need to, not just catch a break, but catch a break every time, … if you want to last.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)

How Winnie Became The Pooh Bear, A Century Ago

“Sometimes words need pictures and pictures need words. When they find each other, characters spring to life.” - NPR

Writing Is Hard, And Young Writers Are Getting Extra Discouraged

“They’re simultaneously struggling to figure out if they need to use AI to keep up in today’s competitive industry—or eschew it altogether in order to maintain trust.” - Fast Company

Orchids Made Charles Darwin Who He Was

“Darwin had long been interested in orchids, possibly influenced by the borderline sexual love his grandfather, Erasmus, felt for them and put into his writings.” - LitHub

More Schools Are Teaching Cursive Again. Should They Be?

Pennsylvania and Florida legislators argue, for example, that an informed citizenry needs to be able to read historical documents, which are often written in cursive script. - Washington Post

Texas Is Coming After The “Filthy, Dirty” Books In School Libraries, Says Lt. Gov.

“Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, during a Wednesday press conference, threatened to take over public school districts that don’t remove ‘obscene books’ from their library shelves.” - San Antonio Current

Utah Bans Novel Adapted Into Movie “Precious” From Schools

“’Push’ by Sapphire got cut across the state Wednesday after the Davis, Granite and Washington County school districts removed it, bringing the total number of books banned from public schools to 37.” Current Utah law holds that if three county school districts ban a book, the title is then barred statewide. - The Salt Lake Tribune

In Russia: The Publishers’ Plot

In May 2025, ten people affiliated with Eksmo, Russia’s publishing behemoth, were detained in Moscow. Three of them, Pavel Ivanov, Dmitry Protopopov and Artyom Vakhlyaev, were charged with ‘organising activities of an extremist organisation’. Their crime was distributing LGBT-themed books. - London Review of Books

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