AGP Executive Report

Book Fairs: Algiers’ International Book Fair opens October 28 with 1,567 publishers from 51 countries, nearly 300,000 titles and 994 cultural events. AI and Publishers: Publishers warn that AI-generated search summaries are eroding website traffic, even as Google adds links to some AI results. UK Book Trade: Faber stopped distributing Sally Rooney’s books in Britain, saying it could be unable to pay her because of her support for Palestine Action; the decision has raised questions about access to books and adaptation royalties. Bookselling: Germany’s Thalia reported sales of €2.3 billion, underlining the scale of Europe’s largest bookseller. International Publishing: Berlin’s Al Diwan Arabic Book Fair brought together more than 110 publishers from the Arab world and Germany.

UK Book Trade: Faber has stopped selling Sally Rooney’s novels in Britain, saying it cannot pay her royalties because of legal restrictions linked to her support for Palestine Action. The move raises questions about how the restriction could affect authors and publishers. Publishing Technology: Denmark-based Omnidocs has acquired WoodWing, expanding its position in publishing and document-workflow software. AI and Copyright: European publishers are challenging Meta’s updated terms and warning that AI-driven search is cutting traffic. Separately, Anthropic has agreed to pay $1.5 billion over the use of pirated books, while Korean publishers are demanding consent and payment for AI training on books. European Book Market: Chilean author Isabel Allende has won Spain’s Premio Planeta literary award; Germany’s Thalia reported sales of €2.3 billion. A German publisher has also halted a Ukraine wartime romance novel after backlash.

Platform rights: Publishers are challenging Meta’s revised terms, which still allow crawling of business websites and do not rule out AI training. The European Publishers Council is pressing Brussels, while a UK group prepares legal action; publishers have until October 30 to decide whether to keep using Meta’s platforms. AI and copyright: A major Anthropic settlement over books allegedly used without permission, alongside a $21 million award to a Harry Potter publisher, adds pressure for clearer rules on training data and author compensation. UK book market: Faber has stopped supplying Sally Rooney’s novels to Britain, saying it cannot pay royalties while Palestine Action is banned. The move raises questions about distribution, author rights and political speech. Literary honours: Isabel Allende won Spain’s €1 million Planeta Prize, one of the country’s biggest literary awards. Cross-border publishing: Berlin’s Al Diwan Arabic Book Fair brought more than 110 publishers from the Arab world and Germany together to showcase literature and build cultural links.

UK Book Trade: Sally Rooney’s books are being pulled from UK sale after her publisher said it could no longer distribute them under the ban on Palestine Action, intensifying debate over censorship and authors’ rights. AI & Copyright: The publisher of Harry Potter won $21 million from Anthropic and will share the proceeds with authors, keeping compensation for AI use of books in focus. European Publishing: Leipzig Literaturverlag and its Sisyphus imprint won Germany’s 2026 Publishers Award for work promoting translated and bilingual literature, especially from Serbia and the post-Yugoslav region. Literary Prizes: Isabel Allende won Spain’s €1 million Premio Planeta under a pseudonym. Book Fairs: Berlin’s Al Diwan Arabic Book Fair brought together more than 110 publishers from the Arab world and Germany.

Literary Prize: Isabel Allende won Spain’s €1 million Planeta Prize, accepting under a pseudonym. Book Fair: More than 110 publishers from the Arab world and Germany gathered in Berlin for the Al Diwan Book Fair. UK Bookselling: Sally Rooney’s publisher has withdrawn her books from UK sale amid controversy over her support for Palestine Action and the group’s ban. AI and Rights: Anthropic agreed to pay $1.5 billion over claims it used pirated books, while European rights holders press for limits on AI training. Wiley, meanwhile, has reported more than $100 million in AI licensing revenue. Publishers and Search: Google says it will make website links more visible in AI search, as publishers warn that AI results are cutting referral traffic.

Berlin Book Fair: Al Diwan’s Arabic Book Fair has opened with more than 110 publishers from the Arab world and Germany, bringing authors, translators and readers together for three days of talks and book events. UK Book Sales: Faber has stopped selling Sally Rooney’s books in Britain, saying it cannot pay her royalties while she supports Palestine Action, a move that has intensified debate over censorship and the law. AI and Authorship: Quebec novelist Thélyson Orélien has abandoned his effort to document how he wrote his book after allegations of AI use; his publisher continues to sell it, with questions unresolved. Literary Prizes: Isabel Allende has won Spain’s €1 million Planeta Prize under a pseudonym. Publishing and AI: More publishers are joining a coalition seeking consent and payment for AI training on their work, as Google changes AI search to make publisher links more visible amid concerns about falling traffic. Germany: A publisher has halted a Ukraine wartime romance novel following a backlash.

AI and Publishers: Google says it will make links to news articles more prominent in AI search, as publishers warn that AI answers are draining website traffic. European publishers are also urging the Commission to examine Meta’s terms, which could allow it to use content from unlicensed professional websites. UK Book Trade: Sally Rooney’s novels have been pulled from sale in Britain after publisher Faber said it could not pay her royalties under the law banning support for Palestine Action. The dispute has sharpened concerns about censorship and the legal risks facing publishers. European Publishing: Spain’s Planeta Prize went to Chilean author Isabel Allende, while a German publisher halted a Ukraine wartime romance after backlash. Germany’s bookseller Thalia, meanwhile, reported sales of €2.3 billion.

UK Book Sales: Faber has halted UK sales of Sally Rooney’s novels, saying it cannot pay royalties under restrictions linked to her support for Palestine Action. The dispute has prompted calls in Ireland for the UK government to explain how terrorism laws apply to authors and publishers. AI and Publishers: Google says it is increasing news links in AI search as publishers warn of steep traffic losses; European news publishers have also urged the Commission to challenge Meta’s new AI terms. Frankfurt Book Fair: Armenian literature and Chinese publishing are drawing attention at the major trade fair, where several publishers and book projects are notably absent. Market Watch: Germany’s Thalia, the country’s largest bookseller, reported sales of €2.3 billion, while Chilean author Isabel Allende won Spain’s prestigious Planeta Prize.

UK Bookselling: Faber has stopped supplying Sally Rooney’s novels to UK shops, saying it cannot legally pay the author because of her support for Palestine Action, a proscribed group. The withdrawal has raised questions about royalties and the reach of the ban. Literary Prizes: Chilean author Isabel Allende won Spain’s €1 million Planeta Prize for a sequel to The House of the Spirits; the award also marks her move from Penguin Random House’s Plaza & Janés to Planeta. AI and Copyright: Anthropic agreed to pay $1.5 billion over pirated books, intensifying publishers’ demands for consent and payment when AI companies train on copyrighted works. Publishing Business: Germany’s bookseller Thalia reported sales of €2.3 billion, while Smiths News secured a long-term deal to distribute The Telegraph, worth about £40 million a year. Frankfurt Book Fair: Chinese publishers are promoting their titles to international readers, while Armenian literature is also gaining a place at the event.

UK Book Distribution: Sally Rooney’s publisher has stopped supplying her books in Britain after the author’s support for Palestine Action, a proscribed group. The withdrawal has left bookshops scrambling and raised questions about censorship, royalties and the legal risks facing publishers. AI and Copyright: Publishers are pressing for payment and consent when AI companies use books to train models. Anthropic agreed to a $1.5bn settlement over pirated books, while European debate over limits on AI training continues. European Book Trade: Germany’s Thalia reported sales of €2.3bn, while GV Group has bought CPI Books, signalling continued change among major booksellers and printers. Frankfurt Book Fair: Armenian literature is gaining visibility, even as a project showcasing contemporary Serbian prose will not attend the fair—highlighting the uneven access facing smaller language markets.

UK Bookselling: Faber is ending new UK supplies of Sally Rooney’s books, with the author’s agreement, after she said fulfilling publishing contracts could risk criminal liability under the Palestine Action ban. Shops can still sell existing stock, but some digital editions are being withdrawn. Publishing Deals: GV Group has acquired CPI Books following an international bidding process, a notable move in Europe’s book-production sector. AI Rights: A coalition pushing back against unauthorised use of publishers’ content by AI has grown to around 40 members, including The New York Times, The Economist and AFP. Frankfurt Book Fair: Publishers from India, Qatar, Hong Kong and elsewhere used the fair to promote their books and seek new readers, while Arabic and Kurdish literature featured in the programme. Literary Events: Bulgaria’s CineLibri festival opened with 75 films and more than 40 events, including a competition for screen adaptations.

UK Bookselling: Faber will stop supplying Sally Rooney’s books in the UK, with the author’s agreement, after saying it cannot pass on her UK earnings under current law. Rooney says fulfilling the publishing contracts could risk a criminal offence because she pledged royalties to Palestine Action, which is proscribed in Britain. AI Rights: A coalition of 40 media groups is pressing for protection against unauthorised AI use of their work, with The New York Times, AFP and The Economist among those joining publishers’ group SPUR. Publishing Deals: GV Group has acquired CPI Books following an international bidding process, in a notable European industry deal. Frankfurt Book Fair: Rights lawyer Philippe Sands received the fair’s peace prize, while publishers from Qatar and other regions used the event to bring Arabic and international literature to new readers.

Book Retail: Waterstones has opened a 6,000-square-foot bookshop and café in North Wales, adding a major new space for browsing alongside its existing town-centre store. Authors in Focus: The BBC is making a two-part documentary on J.K. Rowling, tracing how Harry Potter transformed children’s publishing and how the author became a divisive public figure. New Releases: A Belfast book gives voice to 33 mothers who lost children during the Troubles, drawing on a decade of research. AI and Authorship: Haitian-Canadian novelist Thélyson Orélien denies using AI to write his debut, while acknowledging past plagiarism; the book was removed from the Goncourt shortlist after an AI detector flagged it. Rights and Technology: More than 40 publishers, including The New York Times, AFP and The Economist, have joined the SPUR coalition, seeking to curb unauthorised use of their content by AI companies.

AI Rights: The SPUR Coalition has added more than 40 members, including The New York Times, AFP and The Economist, strengthening publishers’ push for standards on AI use of their content. Media Deal: Reese Witherspoon and France’s Mediawan are buying Hello Sunshine, home to Reese’s Book Club, whose selected titles have also become screen adaptations. Literary Awards: Colombian poet Piedad Bonnett won Spain’s Federico García Lorca Poetry Prize, while Esther Kinsky and Ann Cotten received the first German-Austrian Poetry Prize. Frankfurt Book Fair: Events are bringing Chinese books to German readers and spotlighting Kurdish literature and cultural memory.

AI and Publisher Rights: The SPUR coalition has added more than 40 members, including AFP, The Economist and The New York Times, bringing its total to over 80 across 20 countries as publishers seek fair terms for AI use of their content. Frankfurt Book Fair: Kurdish literature and cultural memory featured at the event, which drew 4,131 exhibitors and more than 3,600 events; Czechia was guest of honour. Author Spotlight: BBC Scotland is making a two-part documentary on JK Rowling, examining Harry Potter’s impact on children’s publishing and the author’s contested public role. Bibliography: French historian Alain Riffaud won the ILAB Breslauer Prize for his Molière catalogue, which identifies 15 previously unknown editions. European Book Trade: The Federation of European Publishers warns declining reading is the sector’s biggest threat, with turnover down 30%; human-authored labels are also gaining ground amid AI concerns.

Literary Honours: Zimbabwean author Tsitsi Dangarembga has become the first Black woman to receive Germany’s Peace Prize, while an Iranian-German writer won the 2026 German Book Prize. Frankfurt Book Fair: The fair put international publishing in the spotlight, from Arabic and Qatari literature to Chinese and Azerbaijani titles. An installation of books scorched in a Russian attack on Kharkiv brought the war’s toll on Ukrainian publishing into view. Market Pressures: The Federation of European Publishers warns that declining reading is the book trade’s main threat, with turnover down 30%. AI and Trust: Human-authored labels are gaining traction amid AI-related scandals, even as publishers face scrutiny over AI-generated book covers. Audiobook Dispute: Publishers have branded Spotify’s audiobook bundle a “scam”; Spotify says its audiobook service has attracted more than one million subscribers worldwide.