About half of UK novelists fear AI will take their work entirely – study
ealingtimes.co.uk – Thursday November 20, 2025
About half of published novelists in the UK fear that artificial intelligence will replace their work entirely, a report has suggested.
Cambridge University researchers surveyed 258 published novelists, 32 literary agents and 42 professionals who work in fiction publishing, doing so on condition of anonymity, earlier this year.
In responses, 59% of novelists said they know their work has been used to train AI large language models (LLMs) without permission or payment.
More than a third (39%) of novelists said their income has already taken a hit from generative AI, for example due to loss of other work that facilitates novel writing.
Most novelists surveyed (85%) said they expected their future income to be driven down by AI and 51% fear that “AI is likely to displace their work entirely”.
New platform BookBindr launched to 'connect publishers and authors with freelancers'
thebookseller.com – Wednesday November 19, 2025
A new platform, which aims to connect publishers and authors with "skilled, vetted industry freelancers", has been launched by Simon Appleby, founder of Bookswarm, alongside Justine Solomons, founder of Byte the Book.
The new dedicated website platform will feature a "carefully collated" database, enabling users to search for and contact freelancers who are currently open for work, covering essential services such as editing, publicity, design, marketing and more. To be included on the site, freelancers must meet defined criteria, including having a business that does the majority of its work for authors, publishers, agencies and other publishing-related clients.
Other features include search and filter functions, allowing users to choose options based on skill set and genre expertise, and direct contact, so they can reach out directly to freelancers through the platform.
A global publishing scam assisted by AI has targeted Australia. Here are 5 tips to avoid scammers
theconversation.com – Tuesday November 18, 2025
Aspiring authors in Australia are among those who have been scammed by a global network of publishing houses using cloned websites and AI tools. Some boast testimonials using the images and names of real authors, or listing real books they didn’t publish as their own. Several target the Australian market, trading under names such as Melbourne Book Publisher, Sydney Book Publishing, Aussie Book Publisher and Oz Book Publishers.
I’m a publishing expert, and looking at what happened, I can spot red flags in how these publishers operated and targeted aspiring authors, vulnerable to exploitation in their desire for success.
David Tenenbaum, owner of trusted publishing house Melbourne Books, established in 2000 (and specialising in nonfiction), was the first to sound the alarm. He’d received calls from authors who believed they had been dealing with his business – but had actually been speaking to the similar-sounding Melbourne Book Publisher (which even gave out his ABN).
One of the scammed authors, “Andrea”, an aspiring fantasy romance novelist recovering from cancer, told the Guardian she had a video conference with a publishing executive, “Marcus Hale”, who outlined detailed publishing and promotion plans for her novel, down to getting “a presence on TikTok” and a launch at her local bookshop. She realised what had happened when she called Melbourne Books.
Both Andrea and another Australian author, Peter Ortmueller (who also dealt with Marcus Hale), found Melbourne Book Publisher on Facebook. Ortmueller, who lost A$150 he believed was a first down payment on a publishing package, said he thought it was a traditional publisher. Andrea lost A$88, which she was told would buy her an ABN.
Eve White Literary Agency and Spread the Word launch programme for non-fiction writers
thebookseller.com – Tuesday November 18, 2025
Spread the Word, London’s literature development agency, is launching There Is Only Narrative: Non-Fiction Demystified with the Eve White Literary Agency. The aim of the programme is to find and develop new non-fiction writers from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in UK publishing.
There Is Only Narrative will launch on 18th November 2025 with an online survey to better understand the barriers to writing non-fiction and the support writers require from the publishing and agenting industries. The survey will also include a sign-up link to a document helping writers develop a book proposal.
A free online panel event with editors Beth Eynon, Assallah Tahir and Shammah Banerjee, chaired by Eve White and Ludo Cinelli, will be hosted on 9th December. The session will explore opportunities in the non-fiction market, with the aim of demystifying the processes of acquiring and commissioning non-fiction books. A further agents’ online panel event will take place on 22nd April.
"We have followed Spread the Word’s crucial work closely for many years and we are delighted to partner with them on this project," White said. "We aim for it to be a springboard for many future non-fiction classics."
Bright Agency promotes Georgia Tournay-Godfrey to literary agent
thebookseller.com – Friday November 14, 2025
The Bright Agency has promoted Georgia Tournay-Godfrey to literary agent.
Tournay-Godfrey first joined Bright in 2019 as an assistant, before becoming an associate agent. She works across picture books, preschool, non-fiction and graphic novels.
She said: “I’m all about ideas. I’m looking for picture books that take risks but that trust children to notice, question and feel. I’m drawn to creators who resist neatness or convention, whose work is oddly funny and imaginative, or unusually profound. I’m drawn to stories that exist at the edge of the ordinary, that hold space for both the strange and the beautiful.”
Tournay-Godfrey added: “I’m especially eager to champion creators from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. The voices too often left unheard, yet rich with perspective, humour and truth.”
Rice to launch Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
news.rice.edu – Sunday November 9, 2025
The Rice University Faculty Senate has approved the creation of a new Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, marking a milestone for the School of Humanities and Arts and the Department of English and Creative Writing. The result of several years of collaboration among Rice’s creative writing faculty, the three-year graduate program will welcome its first cohort in fall 2026.
“I salute the opportunity to diversify our graduate training in the humanities to include this new MFA, which is certain to elevate the place of Rice as a national leader in creative writing, while advancing the reputation of Houston as a premier literary and cultural hub,” said Kathleen Canning, dean of the School of Humanities and Arts. “I am confident that this program will quickly gain national visibility as one of the foremost writing programs in the U.S. with an unusual capacity to cultivate a new generation of bold, innovative thinkers and writers whose work is grounded in artistic excellence, interdisciplinary collaboration and community engagement.”
Developed by faculty Lacy M. Johnson, Tomás Q. Morín, Kiese Laymon, Amber Dermont, Andrea Bajani, Ian Schimmel and Justin Cronin, the MFA in Creative Writing is designed to nurture emerging voices in fiction, poetry, nonfiction, translation and hybrid forms while connecting students to Houston’s rich literary and cultural landscape. The program joins a growing suite of degrees including the doctorate in English and major concentration in creative writing, reflecting Rice’s expanding commitment to the arts and humanities.
Oxford University Press announces agreement to acquire Karger
corp.oup.com – Tuesday November 4, 2025
Oxford University Press (OUP) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Karger Publishers. The transaction is expected to complete in December.
Following closing, this acquisition will see OUP welcome Karger to its wider organization, bringing together a shared commitment to quality and scholarly integrity, and extending the reach and impact of Karger’s leading academic and research publishing in medicine and health sciences.
OUP is one of the oldest and largest university press publishers in the world and a department of the University of Oxford. Its mission is to further the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. It publishes thousands of trusted research books and journals every year in a wide range of disciplines and formats.
PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers 2026 ($2,000 prize)
opportunitydesk.org – Tuesday November 4, 2025
Deadline: November 25, 2025
Applications are open for the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers 2026. The PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers recognizes twelve emerging writers each year for their debut short story published in a literary magazine, journal, or cultural website, and aims to support the launch of their careers as fiction writers.
The prize is generously supported by the family of the late Robert J. Dau, whose commitment to the literary arts has made him a fitting namesake for this career-launching prize. Inspired by Dau’s hometown in northern Michigan and its proximity to Walloon Lake, where Ernest Hemingway spent much time and derived inspiration from, the prize promotes emerging voices and spotlights the next generation of fiction writers.
Prize
- The winning writers each receive a $2,000 cash prize and will be published by Catapult in their annual anthology, Best Debut Short Stories: The PEN America Dau Prize.
Applications for the 2026 George R.R. Martin Summer Intensive Writing Workshop are now open
medill.northwestern.edu – Monday November 3, 2025
The workshop is designed for mid-career journalists who are writing their first novels
The third annual George R.R. Martin Summer Intensive Writing Workshop at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications is now accepting applications.
The 10 mid-career journalists selected to participate will learn from award-winning novelists and writing instructors. The eight-day, fully funded writing intensive program will take place in Evanston, Illinois, from July 7-15.
“Talented journalists often have numerous vital stories to tell — and some of those stories would make compelling novels,” said Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, Medill’s George R.R. Martin Chair in Storytelling, who will be leading the workshop. “In the first two years of our program, we’ve seen journalists arrive at our workshop with pages or chapters of a novel in progress that’s been percolating in their heads for years and leave with solid pages of a working manuscript. We’re looking forward to achieving the same with our 2026 GRRM Workshop class.”
Efiko Magazine Opens Submissions for 7th Edition - Deadline November 22, 2025
brittlepaper.com – Friday October 31, 2025
Efiko Magazine is now accepting submissions! Writers are invited to submit their poems, short stories, and essays for consideration until November 22, 2025.
Efiko Magazine is an online literary magazine with a focus on Africa as both place and perspective. They are seeking work of the highest quality from writers of African origin based anywhere in the world or anyone writing about Africa.
Submission Guidelines
What They’re Looking For:
- Poetry: 2 to 5 poems totalling 10 pages
- Short stories and essays: 1,200 to 5,000 words
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