1 week ago
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Book Sales
- How Amazon rank maps to unit sales. Indie authors will be familiar with how this is done, but I’m glad to see someone from traditional publishing showing how it works. Also, a fun fact I learned from this article is that agoraphobia literally means “fear of the marketplace.” Read Jim Hanas at Lou Reed’s Nephew.
- TikTok brings attention to a 1985 children’s vocabulary book. The Weighty Word Book was first published by the Bookmakers Guild and University of Colorado Foundation and re-released in 2009 by the University of New Mexico Press. Read Nathalie op de Beeck in Publishers Weekly.
Audio
- Several publishing executives discuss the growth of digital audio. Most of the talking points here I’ve heard before, but there’s an interesting tidbit from Audible about its new membership model that, for a lower price, offers access to (not ownership of) one book per month plus unlimited listening from a curated library. Rachel Ghiazza, chief content officer at Audible, told The Bookseller, “The idea is to lower the barrier to entry for people who are curious about audio but aren’t ready to commit to a larger plan. Early results show us that there’s real demand at that price point. … It’s worth noting that à la carte purchasing is up by double digits year-over-year at Audible, which shows there is strong demand beyond subscriptions, too. People want flexibility in terms of how they access audio content.” An interesting point, given my conversation with Brian O’Leary about making subscription services work for everyone. Read Lauren Brown (may require subscription).
AI
- An article for musicians who are concerned about model training also applies to writers. This article by musician Mat Dryhurst is written in response to an Atlantic piece that doesn’t say anything new about AI training on creative works but does fan the flames of artists’ anxiety. Dryhurst tackles four concerns for creatives: (1) The model may compete with your original work, (2) you want to be paid for the use of your work, (3) you are concerned about people using the models to impersonate you, and (4) you would prefer AI models be banished from the universe. Dryhurst’s discussion is among the most cogent and realistic I’ve seen on the issue of model training. He writes, “It doesn’t help that very few people are giving artists and musicians any clear advice as to how they might weather this transition. It also doesn’t help that almost everyone commenting on these issues suffers from an extreme lack of context. … You do not have to change what you do or adopt AI tools that disinterest you, and I am steadfast in my belief that music and art is a whole lot more complex and vital than the impressive ability to generate pleasing media. However, this is not going away. We are witnessing possibly the biggest infrastructural buildout in recorded history. AI policy will dominate elections in the coming years as countries compete for prime position in the next economy.” Read at Token Dump.
- That said, “the end isn’t nigh.” I believe what Dryhurst says about AI is right on target; at the same time, Oliver Burkeman is correct, too. If you read the article above, promise yourself you’ll read this afterward: “There’s a stunning bit of good news hiding in all this grim inevitability, because if radical insecurity is just how life is, then by definition, you’re already coping with it. Do you worry that you might not have what it takes to deal with the world if things get really uncertain in the years to come? I think you can afford to unclench a bit. With every bit of work you accomplish, every act of friendship you undertake, every instance of parenting you carry off well, you’re already proving that you do.” Read The Imperfectionist.
- Granta will no longer publish winners of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. The magazine said it would no longer be involved in “external publishing partnerships” in which it had no editorial control. This is certainly the correct decision for Granta. Read Ella Creamer at The Guardian.
- Wiley has partnerships with 19 companies for AI licensing. The publisher made $49 million through AI licenses in the 2026 fiscal year, a 23 percent increase over 2025. Learn more in the press release.
- Authors who opted out of the Anthropic settlement are suing for copyright infringement. They are asking for statutory damages of up to $150,000 per work, or “actual damages and Defendants’ profits from the infringement, in an amount to be proven at trial.” Learn more.
- Large publishers in the Netherlands have launched a platform for AI licensing. It’s called Bookpact.ai. Publishers only license with authors’ consent; AI companies submit offers for targeted licenses on a per-title basis. Learn more.
- Publishers’ Licensing Services (UK) announces 250 publishers have opted in to its AI licensing scheme. The scheme is meant to support publishers who may be unable to secure direct licensing agreements with AI companies. Read Melina Spanoudi at The Bookseller (sub may be required).
