New Publisher Listing: Weatherglass Books
firstwriter.com – Wednesday August 12, 2026
Publishes novellas and short works of literary fiction, with a focus on distinctive voices and formally adventurous storytelling. Issues a novella prize and produces limited‑run editions through a subscription model, offering new writing in compact formats. Handles original fiction rather than nonfiction, concentrating on work that blends clarity of style with imaginative depth.
How a Debut Self-Published Novel Earned Five Figures in 10 Weeks Without Kindle Unlimited
janefriedman.com – Wednesday August 12, 2026
When I made the decision to self-publish my historical novel Emmaline, I had little knowledge about book publishing. But having spent 25 years in journalism and marketing, I understood enough to know that publishing was both art and business. I suspected the same marketing principles that I used to help organizations communicate with audiences would also serve me in this new endeavor, even if I had to learn the business side of book publishing from scratch.
Emmaline is an adult historical novel primarily set during the 1856 Mormon handcart migration. It follows a 14-year-old girl who escapes a forced plural marriage. The book explores themes like grief, religious coercion, polygamy, and the struggle for personal agency. But at its heart, Emmaline is a character-driven story about resilience.
Defining the goal
I started by asking myself the question I have asked marketing clients over the years: What is your goal? I don’t believe there is one perfect marketing strategy for anything. Start with your goal and work backward to get there.
Some indie authors simply want to have a book printed for family and friends. Others want to publish frequently and build a profitable backlist. I didn’t want either of those things. I wanted to produce a novel that could stand alongside traditionally published comps and be taken seriously. None of these goals is right or wrong. But each leads to a different set of publishing decisions.
Call for Submissions: Dominion II Seeks Speculative Fiction of Black Resistance | Submit by February 28, 2027
brittlepaper.com – Tuesday August 11, 2026
Crowne Books, the Black woman-owned independent press behind the acclaimed 2020 anthology Dominion, has opened submissions for its long-awaited sequel, Dominion II: Speculative Stories of Black Resistance from Africa and the African Diaspora. The anthology is edited by the award-winning duo Olivia Nightingale and Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, who previously partnered on Dominion and on Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction (Tordotcom, 2022), the latter of which earned an NAACP Image Award nomination.
Where the first Dominion asked what the legacy and future of Africa and its diaspora might look like, Dominion II poses a sharper question: how do we fight for the future while holding fiercely onto the past? Editors are calling for boundary-pushing, unapologetic Black speculative fiction and poetry grounded in real-world liberation histories work that carries Black joy, communal defiance, and untamed magic across genres like Sword & Soul, Afrofuturism and Africanfuturism, Afropantheology, Horror Noire, Steamfunk and Dieselfunk, Black Cli-fi, and more. Stories engaging the global climate crisis are of particular interest to the editors.
New Magazine Listing: The Poke
firstwriter.com – Tuesday August 11, 2026
Publishes humour content drawn from trending videos, tweets and news, covering politics, celebrity, entertainment, sport, science and life stories. Features satirical takes on current events, social media reactions, unusual happenings and offbeat human interest pieces. Presents short, topical articles built around viral moments, public commentary and comedic perspectives.
New Literary Agent Listing: Lucy Malone
firstwriter.com – Monday August 10, 2026
Handles multi-generational domestic novels in which characters develop over extended periods. Seeks historical fiction set before the twentieth century, including work exploring female familial relationships and wide-ranging narratives of the past. Reads psychological suspense, crime and thrillers and is interested in big, pacy standalone novels with unexpected twists. Looks for nonfiction with elements of mystery, discovery and forensic re-examination of history, including narratives uncovering lost places and challenging established interpretations.
“An Icon of Distrust”: Publishing Industry Turns Its Back on Generative AI as Labor and Copyright Disputes Mount
economy.ac – Friday August 7, 2026
- Publishing Industry Reels from Generative AI Controversies and Disputes
- Major Technology Companies Ensnared in Litigation over AI Training and Use
- Commercial Value and Credibility of AI-Generated Content Continue to Erode
Noise surrounding generative artificial intelligence (AI) is intensifying across the publishing and literary sectors. Disputes have proliferated, with novel contracts being withdrawn over suspected AI use and the results of writing competitions and literary prize deliberations being overturned. Market observers attribute the turmoil to changing perceptions of AI-generated content. AI, once regarded as a symbol of innovation and efficiency, has become a stigma that fuels distrust over authenticity, quality, and accountability.
Novel Publication Abandoned over Suspected AI Use
According to reports published on Aug. 4 by The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and other international media outlets, the contract for Nigerian American author Jerry Falade’s crime novel “Call Me, I’ll Hide the Body” was recently withdrawn without warning. The book had been one of the most closely watched debuts in the U.S. and U.K. publishing markets. Minotaur Books, an imprint of Macmillan, secured the publishing rights after offering an advance of more than $2 million in a competitive auction involving 14 publishers and had planned to release the novel in 2028. Film and television production companies had also expressed interest in securing adaptation rights before publication.
The situation reversed after allegations emerged that generative AI had been used in the work. On July 31, the agency that brokered the contract emailed publishers to announce it was withdrawing the manuscript, saying it could no longer verify the process through which the book had been created, from its initial conception to the completed draft. The agency said it had initially accepted the author’s claim that no AI had been used, but lost confidence after his account changed during subsequent discussions. Falade denied the allegations, saying, “The story, characters, and prose are all mine,” and adding that he retained timestamped drafts, notes, and conversation records. He also argued that existing AI-detection programs have high false-positive rates and are unreliable, while none of the editors or publishers involved in reviewing the manuscript had raised concerns about signs of AI use.
RBmedia Acquires Award-Winning U.K. Indie Boldwood Books
publishingperspectives.com – Friday August 7, 2026
In addition to acquiring Boldwood’s catalogue, Boldwood will become a publishing division of RBmedia and will continue to operate as an independent business.
Leading audiobook publisher RBmedia has announced that it has acquired the award-winning U.K.-based independent fiction publisher Boldwood Books. In a release, RBmedia said the acquisition will enable RBmedia to “continue to expand its international and foreign language businesses.” In addition to acquiring Boldwood’s catalogue of 2,000 titles, Boldwood will become a publishing division of RBmedia and will continue to operate as an independent business. Financial terms of the acquisition, which closed on July 31, were not disclosed.
“Boldwood Books brings valuable expertise in multi-format publishing and additional depth in key genres like mystery, thriller, and romance,” said Michael Paull, CEO of RBmedia, in a statement. “This acquisition strengthens our international and foreign language publishing and ability to serve authors while delivering more high-quality titles to our retail and library platform partners and consumers worldwide.”
Author 'devastated' after festival judges accuse her of using AI to write novel
bbc.co.uk – Thursday August 6, 2026
A Welsh learner who submitted a novel to one of the National Eisteddfod's most prestigious writing competitions said she was "devastated" when judges accused her of using Artificial Intelligence to write it.
Romy Wood from Cardiff submitted her entry titled Y Dderwen under the pseudonym Lithedora.
Judges Meinir Wyn Edwards, Llwyd Owen, and Lleucu Roberts originally said it was "disgraceful" one of the nine entrants had used AI in "a competition as important as this one" - something Wood denies.
The independent adjudicators later said they were "deeply sorry to have caused distress", adding: "No doubt, one day we will see this new author for our language wearing the medal".
Nero New Writers Prize Returns
brunel.ac.uk – Thursday August 6, 2026
Following a very successful first year, the Nero New Writers Prize in association with Brunel University of London returns, with submissions opening today to find a new winner.
Launched in 2025 to celebrate the very best unpublished writers in the UK and Ireland, the Nero New Writers Prize aims to discover the writing stars of the future and support their development. Entrants are asked to submit a previously unpublished short story (a piece of fiction or narrative non-fiction) of max 5,000 words. It can be written for children or for adult audiences and should be a self-contained piece of work. The winner of the Nero New Writers Prize will receive a cash prize of £3,000, alongside a scholarship to study for an MA in Creative Writing at Brunel, and an introductory meeting with a literary agent, facilitated by the university.
Alongside the New Writers Prize will be a new award dedicated solely to students who are currently studying at or have graduated from Brunel in the last two years. The winner of the Brunel Prize will also receive a scholarship for an MA in Creative Writing at Brunel, plus a cash prize of £1,000.
Both prizes will be judged by bestselling author and Nero Gold Prize winner Paul Murray. He is joined on the Nero New Writing Prize panel by Bernardine Evaristo, Booker Prize-winning author and Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel, and Helen Cullen, Reader in Creative Writing at Brunel. He will separately choose an overall winner for the Brunel Prize from a selection of entries.
AI-generated stories rated better quality than human-written ones, study finds
theguardian.com – Thursday August 6, 2026
Researcher says simpler writing by AI is easier to read and digest, but this does not mean human authors are obsolete
From Homer’s Odyssey to Agatha Christie’s crime fiction, humans have produced plenty of tales to grace the bookshelf. But research suggests artificial intelligence may now be providing some competition.
In a study published in the journal Judgment and Decision Making, 1,682 adults were asked to read one of six short stories, three of which were written by humans and three by ChatGPT. Each AI story had a similar theme to one of the human-authored works.
The team told participants whether their story was written by a human or AI, but this information was not always correct. The researchers then asked participants to rate how absorbing and engaging they found the story, and its quality.
Participants who read an AI-generated story rated it as more absorbing and of higher quality than those who read a story written by a human. However, participants gave higher ratings to stories they had been told were written by people.
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