Publishers are “stepping back” from LGBTQ+ books amid bans & the current GOP president
lgbtqnation.com – Tuesday January 13, 2026
"In the face of so many book bans and so much concern about decreasing school library sales of queer content" publishers are "passing" on LGBTQ+ books.
2025 and the return to a GOP president, as well as ongoing efforts to ban books by and about LGBTQ+ people across the country, have created a chilling effect in the publishing industry, according to a new report from The Hill.
Several industry professionals told the outlet that over the past year, more publishers have rejected queer book proposals and manuscripts, while authors have seen a drop in royalties for their queer books. The anti-LGBTQ+ right’s fixation on children’s books has made things particularly difficult in children’s book publishing.
As The Hill notes, PEN America tracked over 10,000 book bans across the country at the height of the book-banning craze — which has targeted books by Black authors along with LGBTQ+ titles — during the 2023–2024 school year. During the 2024–2025 school year, the group identified nearly 7,000 bans across 87 school districts in the U.S.
Some authors of banned books have reported spikes in sales in recent years, and at least one bookseller told The Hill that sales of queer novels remain steady.
New Publisher Listing: 3dtotal Publishing
firstwriter.com – Tuesday January 13, 2026
Publishes high‑quality art books featuring inspirational and practical tutorials for artists working in film, games, animation, and publishing. Produces beautifully designed, durable volumes aimed at hobbyists, students, and professionals seeking to develop artistic skills. Commissions instructional material from a diverse range of artists worldwide and invests heavily in production to create collectible, long‑lasting books.
New Online Session for Scriptwriters: Rewrite Techniques for TV and Film
northernirelandscreen.co.uk – Monday January 12, 2026
Refresh your script in just two hours with Pilar Alessandra
A short, practical online session for screenwriters and television writers who want to revisit and rework an existing script.
Screenwriters and television writers are invited to apply to this online workshop designed to help you unlock new energy in your script. Rewrite Techniques for TV and Film is a focused two-hour session led by renowned writing coach Pilar Alessandra, offering hands-on tools you can apply immediately to elevate your work.
Date: Monday 2nd February
Time: 12pm–2pm
Location: Via Zoom
Whether you’re stuck in a rewrite or looking to sharpen a draft, this session is built to help you rethink, refresh, and re-engage with your story.
The case for changing genres
thebookseller.com – Saturday January 10, 2026
I often say The Odds of You, my debut contemporary romance, is a book that snuck up on me. But for you to really get it, I need to set the scene.
It’s 2023. My debut book, The Curse of Saints, has just released in the UK and become an instant Sunday Times Bestseller. I’ve just turned in book two of the trilogy, The Curse of Sins. My career has got off to a stellar start in the romantasy genre.
Enter The Odds of You. A book that’s not only in a different genre, but has an incredibly different voice and style from my romantasy trilogy.
If you’re in the industry, you’re likely scratching your head and wondering why, with a romantasy trilogy that’s "doing well", would I ever decide to change genres so early on in my career.
Here’s the truth, in all its unflashy glory: it just happened.
New Literary Agent Listing: Rebekah Winslow
firstwriter.com – Friday January 9, 2026
Looking for fantasy, science-fiction, historical fiction, mysteries, upmarket fiction, and speculative fiction. She does not represent children's, YA, non-fiction, or erotic romance.
A Long Game by Elizabeth McCracken review – here’s how to really write your novel
theguardian.com – Thursday January 8, 2026
The novelist and writing tutor delivers bracing advice that demolishes familiar ‘stick to what you know’ nostrums
Trope, POV, backstory, character arc. In the 30 years since I was a student of that benign, pipe-smoking, elbow-patched man of letters Malcolm Bradbury, the private language of creative writing workshops has taken over the world.
What writers used to say to small circles of students in an attempt to help them improve their storytelling technique has become a familiar way, often parodic and self-knowing, of interpreting the grand and not-so‑grand narratives of our time. “Don’t worry about Liz Truss’s YouTube series – she’s just having a main character moment.”
The most intense distillation of this system of thought (if you can even call it that) has always been the craft book, the writing manual. These are sometimes written by the most successful in the profession (like Ursula K Le Guin’s Steering the Craft) or the most successful at advising the profession (Robert McKee’s Story) but most often they are put together by novelists and screenwriters towards the close of their academic careers as creative writing tutors. John Gardner’s The Art of Fiction is the grandaddy of this subgenre.
Half of UK Novelists Believe AI Is Likely to Replace Their Work Entirely
goodmenproject.com – Thursday January 8, 2026
Just over half (51%) of published novelists in the UK say that artificial intelligence is likely to end up entirely replacing their work as fiction writers, a new report from the University of Cambridge has found.
A new report involving hundreds of literary creatives from across the UK fiction publishing industry reveals widespread fears over copyright violation, lost income, and the future of the art form, as generative AI tools and LLM-authored books flood the market.
Just over half (51%) of published novelists in the UK say that artificial intelligence is likely to end up entirely replacing their work as fiction writers, a new report from the University of Cambridge has found.
Close to two-thirds (59%) of novelists say they know their work has been used to train AI Large Language Models (LLMs) without permission or payment.
Over a third (39%) of novelists say their income has already taken a hit from generative AI, for example due to loss of other work that facilitates novel writing. Most (85%) novelists expect their future income to be driven down by AI.
What is next for kids' books in 2026?
thebookseller.com – Wednesday January 7, 2026
As we look ahead to 2026, we find the world in a state of instability. Yet within that uncertainty there is comfort in how we have adapted to finding a way forward, no matter what lies ahead.
In the creative realm, we are witnessing a shift towards nostalgia, traditional, comfortable and analogue. There is an increasing desire among audiences to buy work that feels safe, familiar and wholesome. A demand for stories that are uplifting, spiritual, with a deeper meaning; dreamy and full of hope. Alongside this sits fantasy, escapism and educational progress.
The key themes I see emerging are bravery, hope, comfort and meaning.
Visual shifts: a return to the hand-drawn
Visually, at a time when digital imagery and AI make everything look the same, we are seeing a rise in hand-drawn, imperfect work. There is also a resurgence of heritage brands with traditional settings. This is an exciting time for illustrators and authors, as many of these brands are being reinvented, updated or extended with careful approvals and estate collaborations.
Literary agent Alia Habib on "What is an Agent For?"
humanities.uci.edu – Wednesday January 7, 2026
Literary agent Alia Habib on publishing non-fiction trade books
You have an idea for a book or you're curious about the route to publication outside of academia, but don't know where to begin. How do you go about finding an agent and what role will they play in the process? What kind of materials do you need before you query agents and what should that query include? And what will the process of publishing a trade book—from proposal writing to editing to publication--look like for an author?
The Humanities Center invites you to hear from literary agent Alia Hanna Habib and her client Anastasia Berg , UCI Assistant Professor of Philosophy, as they share insights from both sides of the publishing relationship and process.
New SFF Award Announced for 2026 Times/Chicken House Competition
firstwriter.com – Tuesday January 6, 2026
A major expansion is coming to one of the UK’s most prominent competitions for emerging children’s writers. Chicken House has revealed that its long‑running Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition will introduce a dedicated science fiction and fantasy award in 2026, created in partnership with specialist bookseller The Broken Binding.
The new category, titled The Broken Binding Prize, is designed exclusively for YA authors working in fantasy, sci‑fi, and speculative storytelling. Its winner will secure a £10,000 publishing contract with Chicken House, along with a conversation about literary representation with Stevie Finegan of the Zeno Agency.
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