Major UK and US Christian publishers unite in landmark deal
premierchristian.news – Thursday September 3, 2026
Two of the Christian publishing world’s most established names are joining forces after UK based SPCK Group acquired US publisher Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., creating what the companies describe as the world’s leading independent Christian publisher of theology, biblical studies and Christian trade books.
The deal, announced on 2 September, brings together organisations with more than 300 years of combined publishing history and a backlist of more than 5,000 titles.
Under the agreement, SPCK will provide sales, marketing and distribution for Eerdmans titles in the UK and other international markets, while Eerdmans will provide the same services for SPCK Group books in the United States and Canada.
The Ugly Review Opens Submissions for Issue II, Themed “Metamorphosis” | Submit by September 15, 2026
brittlepaper.com – Thursday August 27, 2026
The Ugly Collective has opened its call for submissions for the second issue of The Ugly Review, themed “Metamorphosis.” The editors are seeking fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and photography/art that explores transformation in all its diverse, weird, beautiful, violent, and quiet forms.
The theme spans four broad directions: physical transformation tied to the body, illness, migration, gender, or aging; inner transformation rooted in grief, love, faith, or unlearning; social and environmental transformation touching cities, ecosystems, technology, and revolution; and magical or speculative transformation drawing on myth, portals, and the uncanny. The editors are especially interested in voices from Africa and the diaspora, and work that engages language, culture, and spirituality in new ways.
HarperCollins Launches Manga Imprint
publishersweekly.com – Tuesday August 25, 2026
Amid a momentous week for American manga publishers, which included both the American Manga Awards and annual AnimeNYC convention, HarperCollins announced the launch of a new 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.
In the announcement, HarperCollins called Kazé “a collaborative, creator-focused imprint dedicated to publishing the latest and most exciting manga, manhwa, and manhua for English-language readers,” meaning it will publish Korean and Chinese comics in addition to Japanese.
The imprint will officially launch in fall 2027 under the leadership of HarperAlley and Kazé publisher Andrew Arnold. HarperAlley launched in 2020 with a focus on graphic novels for children, before expanding into adult graphic novels, manga, and manhwa in 2024.
The Vanishing Male Novelist
mindingthecampus.org – Tuesday August 25, 2026
Here’s an interesting question: how many white American men born after 1984 have had a literary piece published in the New Yorker? The answer is zero. How did we get here, and who let this happen?
Every literary generation used to produce its Roth, Updike, Bellow, Wolfe, McCarthy, or Franzen. Today’s literary establishment shows no interest in producing young men of comparable prominence, especially if they’re straight and white. This is not a new or underdiagnosed problem; in fact, it appears to be a point of pride for the new generation of literary critics and publishers alike. Penguin Random House has no problem publishing its demographics yearly and celebrating the slow but consistent decline in white editorial staff.
Acclaimed novelist Joyce Carol Oates had no issue tweeting that “a friend who is a literary agent told me that he cannot even get editors to read first novels by young white male writers, no matter how good; they are just not interested.” And, without a hint of irony, followed up that statement with “this is heartbreaking for writers who may, in fact, be brilliant, & critical of their own ‘privilege.’” Although she is willing to recognize that young white men may be talented and barred from literary opportunities, she cannot help but equalize the statement with ludicrous notions of “privilege” where there is anything but.
Author invitation scams: How writers can spot fake offers
bitdefender.com – Tuesday August 25, 2026
Scammers are targeting authors with fake invitations to appear at well-known book festivals, conferences, podcasts and radio programs.
They impersonate real organizations and employees, praise the author’s work and, eventually, demand payment for an appearance, promotion or special placement.
Key takeaways
- Scammers are impersonating real book festivals, employees, interviewers and literary organizations
- The initial invitation may contain personalized praise gathered from online reviews, summaries and author websites
- The scams usually lead to a request for a fee for participation, promotion, placement, production or another supposed benefit
- Authors should verify invitations through the organization’s official website and contact details before responding, paying or sharing files
Real book festivals are being impersonated
Earlier this year, the Edinburgh International Book Festival has warned authors about fraudulent emails inviting them to its August festival.
Call for Submissions: Dominion II Seeks Speculative Fiction of Black Resistance | Submit by February 28, 2027
brittlepaper.com – Tuesday August 11, 2026
Crowne Books, the Black woman-owned independent press behind the acclaimed 2020 anthology Dominion, has opened submissions for its long-awaited sequel, Dominion II: Speculative Stories of Black Resistance from Africa and the African Diaspora. The anthology is edited by the award-winning duo Olivia Nightingale and Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, who previously partnered on Dominion and on Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction (Tordotcom, 2022), the latter of which earned an NAACP Image Award nomination.
Where the first Dominion asked what the legacy and future of Africa and its diaspora might look like, Dominion II poses a sharper question: how do we fight for the future while holding fiercely onto the past? Editors are calling for boundary-pushing, unapologetic Black speculative fiction and poetry grounded in real-world liberation histories work that carries Black joy, communal defiance, and untamed magic across genres like Sword & Soul, Afrofuturism and Africanfuturism, Afropantheology, Horror Noire, Steamfunk and Dieselfunk, Black Cli-fi, and more. Stories engaging the global climate crisis are of particular interest to the editors.
“An Icon of Distrust”: Publishing Industry Turns Its Back on Generative AI as Labor and Copyright Disputes Mount
economy.ac – Friday August 7, 2026
- Publishing Industry Reels from Generative AI Controversies and Disputes
- Major Technology Companies Ensnared in Litigation over AI Training and Use
- Commercial Value and Credibility of AI-Generated Content Continue to Erode
Noise surrounding generative artificial intelligence (AI) is intensifying across the publishing and literary sectors. Disputes have proliferated, with novel contracts being withdrawn over suspected AI use and the results of writing competitions and literary prize deliberations being overturned. Market observers attribute the turmoil to changing perceptions of AI-generated content. AI, once regarded as a symbol of innovation and efficiency, has become a stigma that fuels distrust over authenticity, quality, and accountability.
Novel Publication Abandoned over Suspected AI Use
According to reports published on Aug. 4 by The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and other international media outlets, the contract for Nigerian American author Jerry Falade’s crime novel “Call Me, I’ll Hide the Body” was recently withdrawn without warning. The book had been one of the most closely watched debuts in the U.S. and U.K. publishing markets. Minotaur Books, an imprint of Macmillan, secured the publishing rights after offering an advance of more than $2 million in a competitive auction involving 14 publishers and had planned to release the novel in 2028. Film and television production companies had also expressed interest in securing adaptation rights before publication.
The situation reversed after allegations emerged that generative AI had been used in the work. On July 31, the agency that brokered the contract emailed publishers to announce it was withdrawing the manuscript, saying it could no longer verify the process through which the book had been created, from its initial conception to the completed draft. The agency said it had initially accepted the author’s claim that no AI had been used, but lost confidence after his account changed during subsequent discussions. Falade denied the allegations, saying, “The story, characters, and prose are all mine,” and adding that he retained timestamped drafts, notes, and conversation records. He also argued that existing AI-detection programs have high false-positive rates and are unreliable, while none of the editors or publishers involved in reviewing the manuscript had raised concerns about signs of AI use.
RBmedia Acquires Award-Winning U.K. Indie Boldwood Books
publishingperspectives.com – Friday August 7, 2026
In addition to acquiring Boldwood’s catalogue, Boldwood will become a publishing division of RBmedia and will continue to operate as an independent business.
Leading audiobook publisher RBmedia has announced that it has acquired the award-winning U.K.-based independent fiction publisher Boldwood Books. In a release, RBmedia said the acquisition will enable RBmedia to “continue to expand its international and foreign language businesses.” In addition to acquiring Boldwood’s catalogue of 2,000 titles, Boldwood will become a publishing division of RBmedia and will continue to operate as an independent business. Financial terms of the acquisition, which closed on July 31, were not disclosed.
“Boldwood Books brings valuable expertise in multi-format publishing and additional depth in key genres like mystery, thriller, and romance,” said Michael Paull, CEO of RBmedia, in a statement. “This acquisition strengthens our international and foreign language publishing and ability to serve authors while delivering more high-quality titles to our retail and library platform partners and consumers worldwide.”
Author 'devastated' after festival judges accuse her of using AI to write novel
bbc.co.uk – Thursday August 6, 2026
A Welsh learner who submitted a novel to one of the National Eisteddfod's most prestigious writing competitions said she was "devastated" when judges accused her of using Artificial Intelligence to write it.
Romy Wood from Cardiff submitted her entry titled Y Dderwen under the pseudonym Lithedora.
Judges Meinir Wyn Edwards, Llwyd Owen, and Lleucu Roberts originally said it was "disgraceful" one of the nine entrants had used AI in "a competition as important as this one" - something Wood denies.
The independent adjudicators later said they were "deeply sorry to have caused distress", adding: "No doubt, one day we will see this new author for our language wearing the medal".
Nero New Writers Prize Returns
brunel.ac.uk – Thursday August 6, 2026
Following a very successful first year, the Nero New Writers Prize in association with Brunel University of London returns, with submissions opening today to find a new winner.
Launched in 2025 to celebrate the very best unpublished writers in the UK and Ireland, the Nero New Writers Prize aims to discover the writing stars of the future and support their development. Entrants are asked to submit a previously unpublished short story (a piece of fiction or narrative non-fiction) of max 5,000 words. It can be written for children or for adult audiences and should be a self-contained piece of work. The winner of the Nero New Writers Prize will receive a cash prize of £3,000, alongside a scholarship to study for an MA in Creative Writing at Brunel, and an introductory meeting with a literary agent, facilitated by the university.
Alongside the New Writers Prize will be a new award dedicated solely to students who are currently studying at or have graduated from Brunel in the last two years. The winner of the Brunel Prize will also receive a scholarship for an MA in Creative Writing at Brunel, plus a cash prize of £1,000.
Both prizes will be judged by bestselling author and Nero Gold Prize winner Paul Murray. He is joined on the Nero New Writing Prize panel by Bernardine Evaristo, Booker Prize-winning author and Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel, and Helen Cullen, Reader in Creative Writing at Brunel. He will separately choose an overall winner for the Brunel Prize from a selection of entries.
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