Saffron Dodd Steps Up as Literary Agent at ASH Literary After ‘Stellar’ Performance
firstwriter.com – Tuesday February 24, 2026
Saffron Dodd’s promotion to literary agent at ASH Literary marks a significant and well‑earned step in her career, reflecting both her growing influence in children’s and YA publishing and the agency’s confidence in her editorial and client‑building instincts. The announcement, reported in The Bookseller, highlights that she has stepped up from her role as associate agent after what the agency described as “a stellar couple of years”.
A milestone in a fast‑rising career
Dodd’s trajectory at ASH Literary has been defined by a clear vision for the kinds of stories she champions. Her promotion signals not only internal recognition but also her expanding presence in the UK publishing landscape, particularly in categories where ASH Literary has built a strong reputation: inclusive, imaginative, and voice‑driven fiction for young readers.
Her work to date has focused on nurturing writers whose stories bring fresh perspectives to children’s and YA literature. The agency’s praise for her recent years suggests she has already contributed meaningfully to client development, submissions, and deal‑making – key indicators of readiness for full agent status.
Writing festival celebrates Arts Council cash
bbc.co.uk – Tuesday February 17, 2026
An annual literary festival attracting entries from authors around the world is celebrating a grant worth almost £59,000.
The 10th Hammond House International Literary Festival, also known as LitFest, is hosting a series of events in Grimsby until 25 February.
The money from Arts Council England will be used to fund the festival over the next two years.
Jessica Johnson, the Litfest project manager, said the grant would allow them to "have the resources to work with a lot more creatives locally, pay them what they deserve and allow us to broaden our projects".
Events include workshops with the writer Paul Basset Davies, who has worked with some of the biggest names in British comedy, and award-winning illustrator Debasmita Dasgupta.
The finale, on 25 February, will include an awards ceremony at University Centre, in Grimsby, where entries shortlisted as part of a competition will be published in an anthology.
New Independent Publisher Pellerin Books Launches with Digital‑First Vision
firstwriter.com – Monday February 16, 2026
A new player has entered the UK publishing landscape as Pellerin Books, an independent publisher focused on commercial fiction, officially launches. The company is the creation of Laura Palmer, co‑founder of Head of Zeus, and Jessie Sullivan, formerly head of marketing, who bring extensive experience from both traditional and digital‑first publishing models.
According to the founders, Pellerin Books is built around a simple but ambitious premise: designing a publishing house that reflects how readers discover, buy, and engage with books today. The company will publish a curated list of immersive fiction across genres including crime, romance, historical, fantasy, and science fiction.
The Romance Writing Festival to return to Dorset
dorsetecho.co.uk – Sunday February 15, 2026
The second Romance Writing Festival will return to Bournemouth on Saturday, October 3, promising a full day of expert talks, workshops, and networking opportunities for writers at every stage of their journey.
Taking place at the Marsham Court Hotel, the festival will feature Sunday Times bestselling authors, industry professionals, and aspiring writers under one roof.
The event is part of the growing literary programme from the Bournemouth Writing Festival, and it caters to romance writers ranging from beginners to those seeking publication.
Katie Fforde, a stalwart of the romance genre, will appear in conversation with BBC South’s Edward Sault.
Sue Moorcroft, president of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, will also feature in the line-up.
After 40 Years, Romance Publisher Harlequin to End Historical Romance Line
people.com – Saturday February 14, 2026
One of the most successful romance novel publishers in the world is shutting down its historical romance line.
Harlequin Enterprises is planning to shut down its historical line in September 2027, a representative from parent company Harper Collins confirmed to PEOPLE in a statement. Retail efforts and digital publishing in the U.S. and U.K. will cease as a part of the shutdown.
"As Harlequin continues to evolve its series romance publishing program, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue publishing the Historical Romance series after September 2027 due to changing global market conditions," the statement said. "We are deeply grateful to the talented authors who have helped shape the series and shared unforgettable stories with generations of readers."
Harlequin — known for novels and series including Lynne Graham's Bond of Hatred, Maya Banks' The Tycoon's Pregnant Mistress series and other romances — will not acquire any new works for the line moving forward, the outlet reported, citing an email sent to Harlequin authors.
Andrew Hewson: The Quiet Architect of Other People’s Greatness
firstwriter.com – Wednesday February 11, 2026
When a figure like Andrew Hewson dies, the literary world tends to reach for familiar phrases – veteran agent, industry stalwart, champion of writers. All true, of course, but insufficient. Hewson, who died aged 83, was something rarer: a man who built a life’s work out of elevating other people’s voices while never clamouring for attention himself.
A Career That Began With a Curtain Call
Hewson’s path into publishing was anything but linear. He began not in an office but in a theatre foyer, working front‑of‑house at the Newcastle Playhouse. That early proximity to performance – watching audiences arrive expectant and leave transformed – seems, in retrospect, like the perfect apprenticeship for a future literary agent.
In 1969, he was hired by John Johnson, a man whose family ties to Dame Celia Johnson gave the agency a certain theatrical glamour. Hewson’s early responsibilities were a blend of the practical and the whimsical: nurturing American publishing links, expanding the playwright list, and – charmingly – unfurling the Union Jack on Royal birthdays outside the Albemarle Street office.
The Final Chapter of Haunt Publishing: How a Small Press Illuminated the Dark
firstwriter.com – Friday February 6, 2026
For a publisher devoted to shadows, Haunt Publishing’s story ends not with a scream but with a quiet, heartfelt farewell. After eight years championing Gothic, horror, and dark fiction, the Scottish indie press will close its doors on 1 June 2026, returning all rights to its authors and offering a final clearance sale as it winds down operations.
This closure marks the end of one of the UK’s most distinctive small presses—one that carved out a space for underrepresented voices in a genre often dominated by the mainstream.
A Mission Built on Unease, Empathy, and Representation
Founded in 2018 by Rebecca Wojturska, Haunt Publishing emerged with a clear purpose: to spotlight global and marginalised voices in Gothic and horror literature. From its earliest days, the press positioned itself as author-led, paying double the industry-standard royalty rate and compensating writers for events – an unusually generous model in small-press publishing.
Opportunity: Volunteer as a Judge for The Queen’s Commonwealth Writing Competition
royalcwsociety.org – Friday February 6, 2026
As we enter an exciting new chapter of the Royal Commonwealth Society’s flagship youth initiative, we are delighted to announce that applications to volunteer as a judge for The Queen’s Commonwealth Writing Competition are now open!
This year is a particularly exciting time to get involved with the competition. The change in name from The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition to The Queen’s Commonwealth Writing Competition, reflects a broader, more inclusive approach to written expression, embracing creativity in all its forms while continuing to champion the power of young voices across the Commonwealth.
As part of this evolution, the competition’s structure has been redesigned to encourage greater participation and ensure stronger regional representation. The competition will be open to all Commonwealth nationals or residents under 18, bringing participants together within a single age category. In addition to one overall winner, the competition will now recognise one winner from each of the five regions of the Commonwealth, ensuring that excellence in writing is celebrated across all regions.
Bournemouth Writing Festival to return for fourth edition
greatbritishlife.co.uk – Thursday February 5, 2026
Writers and readers will come together for a packed weekend of talks, workshops and literary events.
The Bournemouth Writing Festival will return for its fourth edition from April 24 to 26, filling venues across the town with more than 100 events and activities.
Dominic Wong, festival director, said: “The Bournemouth Writing Festival is all about making writing feel welcoming and achievable, whether you’re just starting out or ready to take your work to the next level.
“We’re proud to offer a wide-ranging programme that mixes top industry expertise with inclusive and accessible events that bring writers together from across the community and the country.”
Writers Are Getting Banned for Writing Like Humans
ucstrategies.com – Wednesday February 4, 2026
A writer got banned from a platform for using em dashes — a punctuation mark she’d used her entire career — because an AI detector flagged her comment as “too polished.” She appealed, confused. The system took 48 hours to admit its mistake. By then, her comment was buried and her reputation questioned.
ChatGPT just quietly changed how it writes to stop using em dashes — explicitly to dodge detection tools that flagged them as an AI tell. The irony? AI learned to overuse them by scraping human authors’ books in the first place. Now professional writers are being punished for the same formal writing habits that trained the AI. The detectors can’t tell the difference, so they’re banning both.
Your writing style is now evidence against you
Human writers are getting flagged as AI-generated for using correct punctuation. One technical reviewer had their work flagged in December for being “too structured” — the appeal took two days to resolve, but the damage was done. Another writer posted as of this week: “I always use em dashes… Has anyone else experienced this issue? I am genuinely confused.”
AI detectors now treat formal writing — clean grammar, proper punctuation, logical flow — as suspicious. The tools were trained to spot “AI patterns,” but those patterns came from scraped human books in the first place. Research shows detectors struggle with false positives on professional writing that looks “too clean.”
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