From counterculture to pop culture: The story of indie publisher Headpress Books
mancunion.com – Monday May 18, 2026
It all started with “quite an outrageous horror film,” says David Kerekes, one of the three original founders and head of Headpress. I am on a zoom call with him and the other core member of the team, press officer Jen Wallis, to discuss the company’s story and its upcoming anniversary.
The film David refers to is Jörg Buttgereit’s Der Todesking, the follow up to the German director’s cult horror Nekromantik. Headpress was founded to release Der Todesking in 1991 and the money it made was put into Headpress magazine. David explains that many horror-film-related things emerged from the video’s nasty furor, including a number of magazines. The founders of Headpress were interested in that progression and keen on anti-censorship. Each of them learnt to write on the job.
The counterculture tone of the magazine steadily established itself, its masthead being ‘sex religion death’. David highlights “the circle of interest was really very strong,” especially pre-internet. “It was a touchstone for a lot of people.”
Is ChatGPT a good writer?
the-berliner.com – Sunday May 17, 2026
In the summer of 2022, I met the founder of a Berlin publishing company that used early AI-writing tools like Rytr to write novels. They were quickly going out of business. The writing made absolutely no sense and took too long to edit. Later that year, OpenAI launched ChatGPT, gaining over one million users in less than five days, and AI writing has only grown more sophisticated since. I don’t know if that company is still in business, but if it is, it isn’t alone, because using AI to write a novel is no longer the novelty it once was.
AI is all over publishing. According to a BookBub survey, 45% of authors use it. Penguin Random House recently filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that ChatGPT mimicked and sold a popular German children’s book series, Ingo Siegner’s Coconut the Little Dragon. Last year, the AI firm Anthropic agreed to pay $1.5 billion to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by authors who claimed the company stole their work to train its AI models.
That’s not to mention the Shy Girl drama.
Call for Submissions | Iska Press and Iskanchi Magazine Want Your Unruly African Writing
brittlepaper.com – Thursday May 14, 2026
Iska Press, the Utah-based independent publisher that describes itself as a home for “unruly African literature”, is currently open for submissions on two fronts, and African writers working in English or in translation should take note.
Iskanchi Magazine, the press’s literary journal, publishes short, original, irreverent, disobedient, and experimental work, writing that pushes the boundaries of experimental fiction in both content and form. The Summer Issue is currently open, with a deadline of 30 May. Subsequent submission periods open in August for the Fall Issue and January for the Spring Issue.
New Literary Agent Listing: Natalie Rosselli
firstwriter.com – Wednesday May 13, 2026
Handles adult fiction, seeking romance, romantasy, and women’s fiction. Interested in historical and contemporary romance, romcom, western, fantasy, and gothic work, with an emphasis on strong tropes and high emotional stakes. Looks for romantasy with balanced world-building and love stories, including elemental magic and gothic elements. In women’s fiction, seeks emotionally rich narratives exploring friendship, coming of age, and mother‑daughter relationships.
New Publisher Listing: Curiosity Unlocked Books
firstwriter.com – Tuesday May 12, 2026
Publishes curiosity‑driven books for children from birth to twelve, including concept‑based board book series, picture books ranging from realistic stories to fantasy, historical themes, biographies, humorous texts, poetry, informational titles, and wordless narratives. Also publishes early chapter books for developing readers, middle grade novels across genres such as realistic fiction, fantasy, science fiction, historical stories, mystery, humor, and horror, as well as high‑interest nonfiction designed to inspire engagement and exploration. Seeks math‑themed fiction, social studies fiction, and STEAM‑focused stories that introduce ideas through character and plot rather than formal instruction. Also publishes seasonal fiction and nonfiction. Does not handle academic textbooks, curriculum‑driven material, didactic stories, YA, or adult manuscripts.
Authors Guild Issues Updated AI Best Practices for Writers
publishersweekly.com – Tuesday May 12, 2026
As questions continue to swirl around how to ethically and legally use AI in the writing and publishing of books, the Authors Guild has updated its guidance to help authors better navigate the changing landscape.
The revised guidelines feature two new sections that break down the specific legal and professional risks writers should be aware of when using AI tools, along with a framework for understanding that not all AI use raises the same concerns, according to the announcement released by the Guild.
The Guild first published best practices for AI use by writers in February 2024. The newly updated best practices—the result of conversations with many writers and deliberations by the Authors Guild Council—"seek to add some context and clarity around the best practices and are provided in response to the many inquiries we have received around AI issues,” the Guild writes in its "AI Best Practices for Writers" advisory, adding “these are guidelines, not rules.”
The revised guidelines are broken down into four short sections: Guiding Principles; Risks to Be Aware of When Using AI; Categories of Use; and Recommended Best Practices.
The Periodical, NYC-Based Art and Literary Magazine, Launches
openpr.com – Monday May 11, 2026
The Periodical is a non-profit publisher and magazine dedicated to creative writing, criticism, and conversation about literature and the arts, including poetry, fiction, theatre, music, photography, film, and new media. Each issue brings together new writing and portfolios on the past, present, and future of artistic expression. Based in New York City, the magazine was founded in late 2025 by its editors Margarida Assis, Lachlan Brooks, Geoffrey Lokke, Eduardo Pavez, and Ali Yalgin. The magazine will publish its inaugural print issue in 2027. Preorders and annual print subscriptions can be purchased on the magazine's website, theperiodical.org. Readers can also support the non-profit through Patreon-paid subscribers will have access to the magazine's exclusive digital-only content including weekly reviews, essays, and recommendations.
Literature and Translation
The magazine's founding editors first met in graduate school at Columbia University and bring their diverse interests, experience, and expertise to the publication. Lachlan Brooks, an actor and poet, is the magazine's poetry and fiction editor. "My taste as a reader is eclectic: I gravitate toward poems and stories that use language in surprising ways, and will as happily read an experimental, avant-garde work as a conventional one. E. M. Forster, Machado de Assis, Daniil Kharms, and Anne Carson are equally welcome on my bedside table, and may be happy antidotes to one another." According to Brooks, the simple pleasure of reading is still the be-all and the end-all, whether it comes from a work's emotional effect, or (conversely) its undercutting of an emotional effect, its edifying power, "or simply the remarkable feeling I sometimes get that an author is enlightening me. The poetry and short fiction section of The Periodical magazine will have room for new works in the modern and postmodern traditions and works that cleave to traditional forms, as well as writing that forges its own path."
'I'm a literary agent - here's what makes me sign a writer instantly and what most authors actually earn'
news.sky.com – Monday May 11, 2026
Want to make it as an author? Or to choose their fate? The Money team spoke with an agent about what makes a good literary submission, the pitching mistake many authors make, and what she finds "offensive" about the industry for our regular careers feature.
If you've ever spent your morning commute daydreaming about starting afresh with your career, this feature is for you. Each week, we speak to someone from a different profession to discover what it's really like. Today we speak to literary agent Maddalena Cavaciuti, from David Higham Associates (DHA)...
A literary agent might start on a salary... between £30,000 and £40,000 if they're building a list from scratch. As agents build a successful and reliable client list that could comfortably rise to a six-figure salary, including bonuses and/or commission. It's worth noting, though, that some agencies don't pay salaries at all - some agents are paid on a commission share only.
New Literary Agent Listing: Elliot Prior
firstwriter.com – Monday May 11, 2026
Handles nonfiction including history, big ideas, philosophy, self-help, nature and environmental writing, and sport, with a particular interest in strong narrative perspectives, fresh angles on established subjects, and stories that immerse the reader in another time or place. Also seeks fiction that is expansive and stylistic, featuring complex characters and work that engages with major themes through compelling storytelling, along with beautifully written and atmospheric historical fiction.
Defendant Pleads Guilty in $48 Million Nationwide Book Publishing Scam Targeting Hundreds of Seniors
justice.gov – Saturday May 9, 2026
Michael Cris Traya Sordilla, a 34-year-old citizen of the Philippines, pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he conspired to perpetrate a book publishing scam that caused losses of over $48 million to more than 800 victims throughout the United States.
Sordilla is the first of four defendants to admit his role in a scheme that targeted authors — most of them seniors — by promising to elevate their work to major publishing deals and Hollywood film adaptations, all in exchange for millions of dollars in fraudulent fees.
According to his plea agreement, Sordilla was the founder and CEO of Innocentrix Philippines, which purported to be a “business process outsourcing” company in the Philippines. Sordilla admitted that he and his co-conspirators created and registered phony business entities in the United States, including:
- PageTurner Press and Media LLC (“PageTurner”), which was incorporated in California in September 2017 and claimed to be a book publishing business located in Chula Vista, California
- The Metro Films LLC (“Metro Films”), which was incorporated in California in April 2022 and claimed to be a motion picture and sound recording business located in Los Angeles, California
- WP Lighthouse LLC (“WP Lighthouse”) was registered in Indiana in July 2024 and claimed to be a book publishing business in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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