U.K. Publishing in 2025: The U.K. and U.S. Publishing Industries Are Growing Closer
publishersweekly.com – Saturday June 7, 2025
The U.K. and U.S. book markets are symbiotic, with many authors, industry professionals, and publishers active on both sides of the Atlantic. This interconnection is evident at the highest levels of the book business: James Daunt is CEO of both Waterstones, the U.K.’s largest bookstore chain, and Barnes & Noble, America’s largest; David Shelley is CEO of Hachette U.K. in London and Hachette Book Group in New York City; J.K. Rowling and now American author Sarah J. Maas have made U.K. publisher Bloomsbury into a bicontinental powerhouse.
The bestselling book of the year so far in both countries is American author Suzanne Collins’s Sunrise on the Reaping, which is just ahead of Rebecca Yarros’s Onyx Storm in the U.K., and U.S. streamers have propelled U.K. manosphere podcaster Steven Bartlett, the bestselling author of Diary of a CEO, into stardom alongside Joe Rogan and company.
This relationship translates into significant economic activity. “The appetite for U.K.-published content by U.S. readers will always be strong, and vice versa,” says Dan Conway, CEO of the U.K. Publishers Association. “Our latest figures actually show that the U.S. export market for U.K. publishers is growing faster than that of any other country.”
On feeling energized by rejection
thecreativeindependent.com – Friday June 6, 2025
Author and literary agent Kate McKean discusses switching between professional hats, trying again and again while knowing that she might fail, and keeping her eyes on her own page.
You wanted to be a writer. Why did you become a literary agent, where you’re dealing with other people’s writing all day?
I have wanted to be a writer since I was 8 years old. And once I got to college, my sister, who was in publishing at the time, was like, “I don’t think you want to be a high school English teacher when you grow up. I think you should get an internship at the university press at your college.” So I did. I got an inside look at how books were made, and I was like, “This is something I can do while I write so that I won’t be a starving artist.” Because I was never going to be a starving artist. I just like eating. I knew that as a literary agent I would have a lot of freedom in my career, and that I eventually could even work for myself. I wouldn’t have to work in New York. I could just do anything I wanted. And that has turned out to be true.
Let’s talk about side hustles and the freedom that has allowed you. In addition to agenting, you have your writing and your newsletter. How do you juggle it all?
However I can. I’ve been an agent for almost 20 years so I can be choosier with the projects I take on because of where I am in my career. I have a lot of clients who are very well-established. I don’t have to hustle quite as much on my agent side, so I have the freedom to do the writing side as I see fit, whether that’s at 6:00 in the morning, or 6:00 in the evening, or 2:00 in the afternoon…
Does your boss have any issues with that? Or are you effectively an independent contractor, and as long as the work gets done, you can do whatever?
I’ve effectively always been an independent contractor, and Howard Morhaim has been my boss and mentor now for almost 20 years, and he’s not over my shoulder checking my work. He would be if there was a problem. But luckily, that hasn’t been the case in many, many years. And as long as my clients are happy and the money is coming in, for me and him and my clients, then it’s fine. We’re very close. It’s a wonderful relationship.
New Publisher Listing: CB Editions
firstwriter.com – Friday June 6, 2025
Publishes short fiction, poetry, translations and other work which might otherwise fall through the cracks between big publishers. No submission guidelines. Writers wishing to send work may do so in whatever form they choose.
New Writing Contest Offers $100,000 and Publishing Support to Aspiring Writers
booktrib.com – Thursday June 5, 2025
Do you dream of being a novelist but lack the resources or motivation? Well, this groundbreaking writing contest may be just what you need!
Enter for a chance to win $100,000 and make your dream novel a reality. And the best part? All you need to do is write three pages.
“The Next Big Story” is designed to discover fresh new talent, including occasional readers who need encouragement to begin, individuals with limited time or means, and those who have been historically overlooked by the publishing industry.
Chosen by a panel of high-profile judges, the winner will receive $100,000 along with a year of support from The Novelry team to develop their idea for a novel into a fully realized book.
The Novelry is an online creative writing school with an in-house editorial team of former Big Five publishing editors linked to literary agencies. We had a chance to talk with The Novelry’s founder, Louise Dean, about The Next Big Story.
“If I wasn’t so f*cking angry, I’d laugh”: Boundless delays author payments
printweek.com – Wednesday June 4, 2025
Boundless, the post-pre-pack reincarnation of crowd-funded publisher Unbound, will delay paying owed royalties to authors until it is “cash stable”, according to The Bookseller.
Authors were informed of the decision in an email from Boundless CEO Archna Sharma, who took the reins of Unbound shortly before its administration in a doomed attempt to revive the publisher’s fortunes.
Newco Boundless, which will operate like a traditional publisher, will be unable to pay historic royalties unless it “survives and thrives”, the email read.
“This decision, while incredibly difficult, reflects the reality of the company’s cash position. We simply do not have the cash at the moment to make further historic goodwill payments. What cash we have is focused on paying the salaries of our employees, ensuring our current committed publishing programme is a success, and ensuring all royalties arising from the inception of this new company are paid on time,” Sharma said.
She added: "We are acutely aware of the disappointment this causes for authors and partners, and for the delayed timing of this message as we were trying until the last minute to avoid this outcome. We do not take these delays lightly. This is not a matter of choice, but of survival."
PRH Acquires Wonderbly, One of the UK’s Fastest-Growing Independent Publishers and Leader in Personalized Gift Books
global.penguinrandomhouse.com – Wednesday June 4, 2025
Acquisition Underscores Penguin Random House’s Commitment to Innovation and Growth
Penguin Random House, a leading global trade book publisher, has acquired Wonderbly, one of the UK’s fastest-growing independent publishers and the global leader in personalized gift books, including its Historic Newspapers business. The acquisition was announced today by Nihar Malaviya, CEO of Penguin Random House; Paul Kelly, CEO of DK; and Asi Sharabi, CEO of Wonderbly. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Wonderbly will continue to operate independently within Penguin Random House, maintaining its entrepreneurial culture, brand identity, and leadership team. Asi Sharabi, Wonderbly’s co-founder and CEO, will remain in his role and continue to lead the business from its London headquarters. No changes are planned to Wonderbly’s locations as a result of the transaction. Together, the companies will collaborate on a range of new initiatives and publishing ventures designed at accelerating growth, expanding reach, and attracting new audiences.
Founded in 2013, Wonderbly has pioneered a direct-to-consumer publishing model that blends proprietary technology with best-in-class creative, marketing, and print-on-demand production capabilities. With a catalog of over 150 personalized children’s and adult titles, Wonderbly has sold more than 11 million books in over 140 countries.
New Literary Agent Listing: Anna Ange
firstwriter.com – Wednesday June 4, 2025
Looking for adult literary/genre crossover. Literary forward novels that play with horror, speculative, or “weird” elements. Interesting prose, mind boggling premises. Satire also welcome. Fiction that is not technically horror, but evokes a sense of horror, nonetheless. True genre horror. No holds barred. Queer historical fiction and historical fantasy, especially set before the year 1900. Narrative non-fiction or essays that center on niche and surprising topics. Adult Graphic novels (fiction): Small-scale, intimate but existential stories set against fantastical backgrounds, historical fantasy, horror/gothic/noir with romantic subplots. Unique and inventive art styles. Adult Graphic novels (non-fiction): history and memoir. Autumnal, spooky/horror-adjacent, middle grade prose or graphic novels that take on complicated, relevant issues.
After Unbound’s Collapse, Boundless Faces Uphill Battle to Rebuild Trust
publishersweekly.com – Tuesday June 3, 2025
With the collapse of U.K. crowdfunding publisher Unbound leaving a trail of unpaid authors, suppliers, and industry partners, its successor company, Boundless Publishing Group, will likely struggle to convince stakeholders it can survive where its predecessor failed.
Unbound, once heralded as an innovative alternative to traditional publishing, filed for bankruptcy in March after losing approximately £9 million for shareholders (revised down from initial calculations of £30.4 million) and owing an estimated £2.4 million to creditors, according to the bankruptcy administrator reports. The company was sold through a pre-pack administration for just £50,000 to Boundless Publishing Group, led by CEO Archna Sharma and cofounder John Mitchinson.
But Mitchinson has since resigned from the company, and in an email to authors last week, Sharma announced that Boundless would suspend "goodwill payments" to cover Unbound's past debts, citing cash flow constraints. The decision affects 238 authors and agents owed £657,000, nearly 8,000 website customers who pre-ordered books owed £391,000, and other trade creditors owed £829,000.
"We simply do not have the cash at the moment to make further historic goodwill payments," Sharma wrote. "What cash we have is focused on paying the salaries of our employees, ensuring our current committed publishing program is a success, and ensuring all royalties arising from the inception of this new company are paid on time."
In an interview with PW, Sharma emphasized that she inherited Unbound's problems rather than caused them. "I would just like to put on record that I did not create the mess that we're in, though I am the person trying to fix it,” she said. “The only way that we can fix it is if we can keep our business going and move ahead.”
Audio Publishers Association: US Audiobook Sales Reach $2.22 Billion
publishingperspectives.com – Tuesday June 3, 2025
Digital audio accounted for 99 percent of 2024’s US audiobook revenues, per newly released survey results.
General Fiction Holds the Largest Genre Usership
Always helpful in observing the evolving strength of the audiobook market in the United States, the Audio Publishers Association (APA), led by executive director Michele Cobb, has released its annual surveys on sales and trends in 2024—cheering many audiobook fans with a 13-percent gain over 2023.
Digital audiobooks—the “born again” format that has given audiobooks new life after dark decades of unwieldy tape cassettes and CDs—are the clear vehicle of success here: the association’s information indicates that in 2024, digital audio accounted for 99 percent of 2024’s US audiobook revenues, growing year-over-year by 14 percent.
Those points are from the APA’s Sales Survey, which was conducted by Toluna.
The APA’s 2025 Consumer Survey, conducted again by Edison Research, reports that 51 percent of Americans responding who are aged 18 and older—representing an estimated 134 million people—told researchers that they have listened to an audiobook.
New Magazine Listing: The Bee
firstwriter.com – Monday June 2, 2025
We welcome work from writers who are working class or from working-class origins.
All submissions must be the original work of the writer.
We are interested in work of all lengths and in fiction, non-fiction, commentary, essays, and journalism. We are also interested in visual arts and photography submissions. Work will be published on the website and considered for a forthcoming print edition.
Any work submitted for consideration must not have been published online or in print previously.
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