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.
Pitt’s Writing Program launched a new literary journal
pittwire.pitt.edu – Thursday May 7, 2026
Diana Khoi Nguyen, associate professor and interim director of the Writing Program in Pitt’s Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, has launched 3 Sisters, a new online literary journal publishing poetry, fiction, nonfiction, essays, art and hybrid work.
The inaugural issue features contributions from a wide range of writers — including a Pitt undergraduate and a folio from students at Carlow University. The journal was built and edited by a team of current Pitt MFA students and alumni who aimed to publish work that crosses or defies traditional genre categories.
Martin Literary Management Changes Hands
publishersweekly.com – Wednesday May 6, 2026
Sharlene Martin, president and longtime owner of Martin Literary Management, has announced the sale of the agency to Jennifer Newens. It will be rebranded as Martin-Newens Literary Management.
Newens has served as VP of MLM since 2023. As a part of the change in ownership, Newens will relocate the agency from Seattle, Wash. to Oakland, Calif., overseeing day-to-day operations of the business and focusing adult nonfiction.
Rocket Books Ltd. announced as a new independent UK publishing house specialising in video game-related publications
gamespress.com – Thursday April 30, 2026
The company’s first release is “One More Win”, a Ridge Racer Type 4 fanzine by veteran video game writer Andy Kelly.
Bromstairs, UK (May 1st, 2026) – Rocket Books Ltd. was unveiled today as a new independent UK publishing house, specialising in video game-related publications.
The company has been established by Andy Roberts, a veteran game developer and journalist with over 35 years’ industry experience. Cutting his teeth on the legendary Commodore 64 magazine Zzap!64 in the late ‘80s, Roberts went on to write for dozens of UK magazines including Commodore Format, TOTAL!, Future Gamer, PC Format, Planet PC, Planet Game Boy, PlayStation Max, Xnet, Freeloader, and Internet Magazine, as well as the renowned Visual Compendium series of books.
The company has ambitious plans and aims to bring together new and established writers alike with one core tenet: to celebrate video games as an art form. “Rocket Books will focus on unique and captivating perspectives from writers with an intense passion for the medium,” stated CEO Andy Roberts. “We’ve set our sights on fusing passionate and exuberant writing with exceptional design sensibilities, to create products as beautiful as they are compelling.”
Call for Submissions: Literary magazine, The Offing, Is Open and Free to Submit
brittlepaper.com – Thursday April 30, 2026
The Offing, the online literary magazine publishing work at the edges of genre and form, is currently open for submissions. There are no submission fees for 2026, and contributors whose work is accepted are paid between $25 and $100 depending on the department and length of the piece.
The categories currently open are Essay, Insight, Back of the Envelope, and Translation (Poetry). The Essay department welcomes personal essays of any length. Insight seeks creative nonfiction that fuses personal experience with cultural criticism; essays that weave together two unlikely topics to explore what interacting with art, literature, or ideology changed in the writer; the word limit is 5,000. Back of the Envelope is for writing that draws on science and the natural world, in any genre and any length, and is open to writers from both inside and outside the scientific community. The Translation (Poetry) category accepts translated poetry, up to six poems per submission.
50 Word Fiction competition: write a story featuring a computer
scottishbooktrust.com – Wednesday April 29, 2026
Each month, we'll provide a prompt to get you started, but where the story goes from there is entirely up to you.
The 50 Word Fiction competition includes four categories: adult writers, all-age Gaelic writers, young writers aged 5–11 and young writers aged 12–18. The entries will be judged by a panel and the four winning stories will be published on our website roughly two weeks after the closing date.
A prize will be awarded to a writer in each category, should they be located in the UK, and we're very happy to offer a certificate (printed or digital, depending on your preference) as well as the below:
Explore creativity and take your children’s book idea to the next level
news.suffolkvillage.info – Tuesday April 28, 2026
Budding children’s writers are invited to develop their craft as an author or illustrator.
The Writing Children’s Literature Day event has been organised by the University of Suffolk’s English team in partnership with The Hold, in Ipswich, home of Suffolk Archives.
Specialist workshops, talks and Q&As with authors, illustrators and literary agents from Darley Anderson Children’s Book Agency, the largest specialist agency for children’s books in the UK, will help those attending hone skills, gain insider tips and learn more about the children’s book industry.
Lindsey Scott, the course leader for MA Creative and Critical Writing at the University of Suffolk, said: “Children’s literature has a unique power; the right book at the right moment can ignite a curiosity in a young reader that can help shape who they become. That’s what makes writing for children so important, and so thrilling.
“Many talented writers have a story inside them but don’t know how to take it to the next level. Having the guidance of an experienced literary agent can be transformative; helping them refine their pitch, find their audience and turn that idea into a published book.
Winners and judges out of pocket as £20,000 writing awards appear to have closed
theguardian.com – Saturday April 18, 2026
The Plaza Prizes offered 10 awards in 2025 but some judges say they were not paid, while a number of winners hit back over AI accusations
A competition for new writers that promised a £20,000 prize fund appears to have shut down, leaving winners and judges, including a Booker prize-winning novelist, out of pocket.
Established in 2022, the Plaza Prizes last year offered 10 awards that were judged by the “finest poets and writers in the world”.
However, some of the judges for the 2025 competition say they were not paid, and a number of winners say they had their entries withdrawn after being accused of using AI to create their work – allegations they strenuously denied.
One judge, the 2021 Booker prize winner Damon Galgut, described the competition as a “scam” after he did not get paid for his work judging a fiction section of the annual competition.
Anthony Joseph, who won the 2022 TS Eliot poetry prize, also says he was not paid for his work.
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