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News
- 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 Disputes have proliferated, with novel contracts being withdrawn over suspected AI use and the results of writing competitions and literary prize deliberations being overturned.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the contract for Nigerian American author Jerry Falade’s crime novel “Call Me, I’ll Hide the Body” was recently withdrawn without warning.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.
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.”
Meg Keene, an activist whose own novel failed to sell, is helming an eponymous imprint at Wicked Son Books.
An unpublished novel has paved the way for the birth of a new Jewish fiction imprint, in the leading edge of a flurry of initiatives to combat antisemitism in the publishing industry by taking hold of the means of production.
Meg Keene had an enthusiastic agent with a long track record of sales when she submitted her novel, a romance with Israeli characters, to publishers in 2024. But she said heard over and over that her book seemed too Jewish to publish at a time when the war in Gaza had turned anything that could be perceived as pro-Israel radioactive. As has happened to an untold number of Jewish authors in recent years, her book did not sell.
Now, Keene is the eponymous tastemaker at the helm of a new imprint within Wicked Son Press, a 5-year-old publisher that has released mostly nonfiction that leans right.
Open Book has announced it will cease operations as of August 31.
The online publication, run by the Open Book Foundation, celebrated the Ontario literary scene, with a special focus on books and events from the province’s independent publishers. In a note to readers on July 20, the Open Book team announced that due to “successive reductions in grant funding” it would be unable to continue operating.
“This is not an announcement we ever wanted to make. We feel so privileged to have served Ontario’s literary community by connecting readers with incredible books, amplifying authors’ voices, and showcasing the work of independent publishers across the province,” the notice reads. “We are deeply grateful for the years of public funding and community support that made this work possible. Over the years, investment from our funders allowed Open Book to grow into a trusted resource for readers, educators, librarians, booksellers, and the publishing industry.”
Articles
I've fallen in love with printed books. Again. Especially those for children.
Twenty years into my book publishing career—which included marketing for trade book publishers and founding a children's imprint—I had the opportunity to go digital, move into the future, hang out with the cool guys, play games, do the bicoastal thing, and grow a ponytail.
To enter Joffe Books’ office, one must first navigate several levels of a dark and dimly lit stairwell in a Shoreditch office block – a heart-racing endeavour in more ways than one. But on reaching it, a New York loft-style haven of light and space beckons. A more informal and talkative office atmosphere than some traditional publishers, there is a palpable sense of energy – perhaps aided by the smorgasbord of luxury chocolates in the kitchen. A permanent fixture, I am told.
I am here to speak with founder and chief executive officer Jasper Joffe and editorial director Rachel Slatter, not long after the indie made yet another acquisition, the Severn House list. This takes the imprint count to five, with turnover cresting £10m, Joffe says. Much of this is generated by the digital-first company’s e-books base, but print is growing, up 16% in 2025 to £231,000 through NielsenIQ BookScan.
When Hachette Book Group acquired Workman Publishing, HBG CEO Michael Pietsch observed that Workman was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, remaining independent trade publishers left in the U.S. Based on available data, a case could indeed be made that Workman was the largest of its kind. Which has raised a question in publishing circles: why are there so few independent publishers of size? There is a dearth of what can be called midsize publishers that fall between the Big Five and the many independent publishers with sales of $20 million or less.
The Houghton Mifflin Harcourt trade division, with 2020 sales of $192 million, was what could have been considered a mini-major before it was acquired by HarperCollins. The Scholastic trade group, with sales of $355 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, is a major player in the children’s trade market, but as part of a $1.3 billion publisher, it is clearly not independent. Other trade publishers that could be considered midsize that are also part of larger companies are Disney’s publishing division and Abrams, which is owned by the French company La Martinière Groupe, which was itself acquired by Media Participations.
In April 2011, Marion Grace Woolley found her first publisher through firstwriter.com's database of publishers. A year later, she has published three books with two different publishers, both from our listings.
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