AGP Executive Report

Author Event: Etgar Keret is set to appear at the University of Michigan on Sept. 23 with a talk on “Me, Myself and AI,” exploring where human creativity meets algorithms. 9/11 Memoir & Community Grief: A Brooklyn amateur photographer’s 9/11 images—especially Ladder 118 on the Brooklyn Bridge—continue to shape how the day is remembered, while a Massachusetts grief counselor reflects in a new book on counseling FDNY families 25 years later. Celebrity Memoir: Jaclyn Smith’s new memoir, “I Once Knew a Guy Named Charlie,” looks at fame’s darker side, including threats she faced during her “Charlie’s Angels” years. Kids & Reading Habits: Seaford Harbor Elementary runs “book tastings” so fifth graders can pick “just right” books for independent reading. Global Publishing Buzz: Chinese literature is gaining traction in Russia, with publishers spotlighting translated titles and ancient-China stories for young readers. Fall Fantasy Watchlist: A roundup highlights nine major fantasy releases for October, including Stephen King’s and V.E. Schwab’s latest arcs. AI & Publishing Fraud: Authors are warning about scam pitches that use AI-flavored flattery to lure writers into paying or sharing details.

Literary Spotlight: Rebecca Kuang’s Taipei Story lands as “her most personal novel yet,” digging into grief, guilt, and diaspora distance through a Yale student’s intensive Chinese course. TV Adaptation Watch: BBC Studios Fiction is adapting Sarah Waters’ The Paying Guests into a series, with Kayleigh Llewellyn attached to bring the 1922 love affair-turned-thriller to screen. Author Events: Attorney Tim Misny will discuss his memoir The Misny Method at Akron-Summit County Public Library (Sept. 21). Book-to-Community: Overton’s McMillan Memorial Library hosts a Sept. 15 “Book Talk” on To Die For: A Cookbook of Gravestone Recipes, pairing stories with two recipe tastings. Publishing & Business: Pelham Ledger expands specialized royalty and production accounting for publishers and creatives. Physical Media Debate: A new piece argues Gen Z is pushing back on digital-only reading, stressing that e-books often come with limited licenses. Rights & Ownership: A legal/policy-focused commentary warns Britain’s “speech police” approach is expanding arrests for communications offenses. Local News: Jackson Village Board approved space for a Washington County Sports Center gymnastics nonprofit. International Bookselling: Taschen celebrates America’s 250th with a massive National Geographic archive photo survey.

Jaipur Literature Festival, Seattle edition: JLF Seattle brings “that same Jaipur literary magic” to Town Hall Seattle, the Seattle Public Library and Viya Contemporary Sept. 17–20, with author Sonora Jha speaking about her novel “Intemperance.” Community kid-lit nights: Brookville’s “Read Under the Lights and Bingo for Books” returns Sept. 29 with author readings, crafts and field-time reading for K–6. Werewolf coming-of-age gets a new lens: “Thirteen Moons: The Werewolf Almanac” blends found family, grief and identity in a memoir-like structure set in an Alaskan town. History on the page (and in the spotlight): Smithsonian scholar Richard Kurin launches “History by a Hair” at the Heinz History Center Sept. 27, tying a Jefferson Bible hair to a 200-year mystery. Māori-language publishing milestone: Dr. Atakohu Middleton’s te reo Māori short-story collection “Waka Aroha” debuts via Auckland University Press, alongside a new idioms guide “He Kete Kīwaha.” Book culture in motion: Libraries and festivals keep rolling—SJCC’s Jewish Book Festival returns Oct. 14–20, and Tonganoxie hosts its first Author and Book Market Sept. 19. Civic reading for kids: Mary Jane McKittrick’s election-day eBook “Boomer and Halley Election Day” aims to teach honesty and civic responsibility without party politics.

Meta’s Child-Safety Settlement: Meta agreed to pay up to about $18B to settle claims that Facebook and Instagram were designed to addict minors, with states pushing for stricter age checks, daily time limits, nighttime blocks, and stronger parent tools. AI in Education: Kazakhstan is testing AI to fix roughly 700 errors found in school textbooks, including outdated references, as publishers must reissue corrected materials. Publishing & Books in the Spotlight: Alice Hoffman’s new witchy novel The Witches of Cambridge leans into 1950s Red Scare paranoia, while Vermont author Peter Gould’s Part For The Hole mixes a rescue plot with today’s arts-world stakes. New Releases & Events: Dr. Emily King’s The Neurodivergent Learner heads to a Sept. 24 webinar; and Pat Miller’s business memoir Underdog to Empire lands Sept. 22. Local Reading Life: Blue Apple Books is gearing up for fall with a Sept. 13 watercolor class and a Sept. 18 anniversary celebration.

BookTok Boom: Social media reading communities are nudging people back to books, with romance and romantasy leading viral momentum and even shaping bookstore layouts. Local Libraries & Literacy: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is being celebrated as a free-book engine for early readers, while communities highlight independent shops and library events that keep reading social and accessible. Publishing & New Releases: A new biography, Garnier, traces the dance-music icon’s career; Hayseed Press spotlights Iowa writers with a graphic-novel-first approach; and Pope Francis’ final book, Hope, Unfailing, lands in English this fall. Books in the Classroom: Georgia Pre-K Week will distribute the music-and-reading title Every Amazing Song to classrooms statewide. Legal/Policy Pressure on Reading: England faces scrutiny over councils placing children in unregistered care homes, and Pakistan’s top court weighs a ban on an Ahmadiyya-related book publication. Sports-Books Crossover: The NCAA/CFP controversy over Michigan vs. Western Michigan continues as the MAC seeks a reversal.

Publishing & Retail: Barnes & Noble is moving fast in Texas, with a new 20,000-square-foot San Antonio store opening Sept. 9 in a former Bed Bath & Beyond spot. Book Culture: Ireland’s An Post Bookshop of the Year hunt is underway, with nominations open until midday tomorrow and public voting to pick a longlist. New Releases: R.F. Kuang turns grief into fiction in “Taipei Story,” a coming-of-age set amid language, identity, and a summer intensive in Taipei. Community & Events: Oundle Bookshop reopens with a children’s “tree” reading space and a Golden Ticket game; and Ireland’s Dromineer Nenagh Literary Festival hosts “Irish Food History: A Companion.” Books With Causes: Allen Longstreet launches a cross-country tour for “Underbelly,” donating 100% of 2026 royalties to the Tim Tebow Foundation; Dennis Garcia brings “Las Madres” to festivals in Sacramento and Kansas. Tech & Payments: forms.app adds Authorize.net so creators can take card payments inside forms without a forms.app commission. Privacy Watch: Stanford research says California’s DROP data-deletion program relies on many brokers that still fail to fully comply with transparency rules.

Book-to-screen & genre buzz: Netflix is turning one of the decade’s biggest murder-mystery books into a new crime series, while TIFF spotlights Anton Corbijn’s A Talent for Murder—a film that leans on the idea that crime fiction readers “simulate” danger in their heads. Publishing & author news: Hugh Howey says his Silo cameo appearances are a fun bonus for fans, and Cemetery Boys: Espíritu continues Aiden Thomas’s queer urban-fantasy hit. Libraries & reading culture: Asda is donating one million pre-loved children’s books across the UK, and Sofia’s Book Alley opens with a push for more “solitude and engagement” with real texts. Book industry & ethics: A debate keeps heating up over AI firms destroying books to train models, alongside fresh attention to destructive book scanning. Local book life: Seattle’s long-running Pike Place storefront returns as Pine Books, and Dragon Con ends with a Dolly Parton book drive topping 5,000 donations. Policy & education costs: Jamaica’s education ministry plans to review textbook lists to cut back-school spending, while other regions grapple with how many books families are forced to buy.

Education Policy: The Philippines Senate approved a bill institutionalizing the Bagong Pilipinas Merit Scholarship into a permanent Presidential Merit Scholarship Program, creating separate tracks for college and technical-vocational study. Human Rights & Crime: In Cebu, the NBI arrested a woman accused of qualified trafficking and illegal recruitment after alleged recruitment of would-be workers for a route from Cebu to Hong Kong and onward to Armenia. Publishing & Culture: Greece’s 54th Athens Book Festival opens today with 285 stands and a sustainability-themed program, while Sharjah’s Book2Screen Challenge invites Arab publishers to adapt Arabic books into animated screen projects. Publishing Industry & Law: Authors are disputing publisher and agent claims tied to Anthropic’s $1.5 billion copyright settlement, as payments are set to flow to rights holders. Housing & Safety: Delhi Police arrested the PG owner and family members over the Satya Niketan building collapse that killed seven, as courts press authorities on student hostel oversight. Public Services: Pakistan’s NADRA rolled out appointment booking via the Pak ID app to cut queues. Books & Society: A new book on the Declaration of Independence’s news-making impact is being discussed at a university lecture.

Publishing & AI Rights Fight: Authors say publishers are demanding a cut of Anthropic’s $1.5B copyright settlement even when rights have reverted, turning a long-awaited payout into a new claims war. Book-to-Screen Buzz: Richard Osman teases Netflix plans for his “We Solve Murders” adaptation as he readies the sequel “We Chase Shadows.” International Publishing Diplomacy: South Korea’s “K-Book Week” lands in Paris to mark 140 years of ties with France, spotlighting Korean picture books and fiction with author events and rights talks. Local Book Culture: National Read a Book Day gets a boost at Grand Junction’s Out West Books, with a push to unplug and read across ages. Literary Community Spotlight: Aanchal Bansal launches “The Reset,” urging women to reclaim identity through boundaries and inner authority. Sports & Books Crossover: Andy Weir’s “Project Hail Mary” continues to dominate sci-fi chatter, with fresh coverage of what inspired the author’s favorite genre pick. Book Awards Watch: Holden Sheppard’s “King of Dirt” is shortlisted for the South Australian Literary Awards.

Local History & True Crime: Cass Lake’s HCLL program on Sept. 15 will feature author Cecelia McKeig’s talk on “Dr. Delbert Dumas: Guilty or Not?”—a 1931 liquor-ring trial and the research behind her growing Cass County true-crime books. Publishing & Rights: Authors Guild leaders say the $1.5B Anthropic copyright settlement is turning into a messy fight over who owns rights to hundreds of thousands of books, with publishers and authors disputing claims. Book Culture & Community: Oberlin’s “Beloved Ohio Celebrates Toni Morrison” read-in invites the public to share Morrison passages and celebrate her Ohio roots. Feminist Literary Legacy: Robin Morgan, a key second-wave feminist writer and editor of “Sisterhood Is Powerful,” has died at 85. Education & Reading Access: Lagos State reminds parents schools can’t force purchases of approved books and uniforms from the school when cheaper equivalent options exist elsewhere. Tech, Books & Ethics: A debate is heating up over destructive “book scanning” by AI firms and what it means for cultural heritage.

Hate-Crime Watch: Winnipeg police are investigating threatening, hateful graffiti tied to the upcoming Nagar Kirtan procession, including a swastika and racist threat circulating online. New Fiction & Publishing: Rotorua author Sarah Ell is launching A Sky Full of Fire, a historical mystery novel set around the days before and after the Mt Tarawera eruption, with multiple viewpoints including a young Māori boy. True Crime & Books: A Long Island woman co-authored a book honoring her first-responder husband who died responding to 9/11, while Illinois prosecutors say a mother’s alleged “Clancy copycat” killing of her 2-year-old son is tied to delusions. Copyright & Piracy: Nigeria’s Copyright Commission seized pirated books worth about N7m in Abuja, targeting unauthorized reproductions. AI vs. Authors: An indie book fair in Chelmsford marketed itself as “anti-generative AI,” arguing readers want human connection, not machine-written work. Literary Events: New Mexico selected two fire-lookout books—The Burning Season and The Mountain Knows the Mountain—to represent the state at the National Book Festival.

Streaming Watchlist: September 2026 brings a stack of buzzed-about TV and movies, including Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh’s Cold War throwback Mayday and more genre picks for book lovers who like their stories on screen. Local Publishing & Events: North Mankato’s Taylor Library kicks off a 2026 Fall Author Series, while Scottsdale Public Library welcomes Holocaust biographer Katrina Shawver as writer-in-residence. Book Culture Online: I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman is back in the spotlight thanks to BookTok buzz and a Transit Books reissue. Publishing Politics: Penguin’s reported pullback from publishing Sonia Gandhi’s memoir sparks fresh claims of government pressure. AI & Reading: Cardinal John Onaiyekan argues books still matter in the digital age, even as AI reshapes how people access knowledge. True Crime on the Page: Wheels of Murder brings a 1896 prairie bank robbery to readers via an upcoming Rice County Historical Society event. Rights & Power: A J&K High Court ruling challenges preventive detention tied to “anti-national” books, pushing back on using titles as a security shortcut.

Reading Strategy Push: Australia’s school-library and reading-for-pleasure groups are calling for a national reading strategy, arguing Book Week costumes are outpacing actual reading and urging mandatory, properly staffed school libraries. Kids’ Media & Literacy: Andy Lee’s animated comedy “Do Not Watch This Show” debuts on Amazon Kids+ in the U.S. and Canada, built from his “Do Not Open This Book” picture books and designed to get kids thinking about attention and screen habits. Publishing & Public Life: North Carolina’s “Blue’s March: An Overmountain Men Tale” was selected for the Library of Congress National Book Festival reading list, spotlighting local history for grades 3–5. Health Policy via Books: Nancy J. Altman’s new Routledge book “The Road to Medicare for All” argues Medicare for All requires a fight, tying the case to real-world insurance harms. Book Culture & Community: Duluth’s Zenith Bookstore is leaving the chamber over its support for a proposed Google data center, citing transparency, environmental concerns, and the impact of AI on authors. Author News: Cebu writer-historian Resil Mojares has died at 83.

Publishing Power Shift: HarperCollins India has stepped in to publish Sonia Gandhi’s memoir Belonging on Nov. 10 after a dispute over requested edits, turning a publishing row into a high-stakes political battleground. Book Reviews (Fiction): Maggie O’Farrell’s Land lands in post-famine Ireland, with critics spotlighting its historical imagination and emotional pull. Crime & Culture: A new historical look at the Manson trial weighs the case as both history and spectacle. AI at Work: A fresh book argues the office is being remade by AI—shifting what “work” demands and how people track and value effort. Local Literary Life: Third Place Books launches a literary foundation to expand access to books and author events in the Seattle area. Used Books Comeback: Connecticut reports used bookstores and big fairs are surging again as readers return to browsing. Poetry & Events: Poetry Hickory hosts Gary V. Powell on Sept. 8, pairing readings with open mic community energy.

Classic Children’s Lit: Alan Garner’s The Owl Service gets a close, slightly uneasy re-read, praising its demand for concentration while questioning whether its sparse, dialogue-driven structure truly lands the ending. International Detention Scrutiny: China is pressing the U.S. to investigate the death of a Chinese man who died hours after being booked into ICE custody in Saipan, raising fresh questions about detention conditions. Publishing & Sales Buzz: Goodreads’ most-read books of August 2026 spotlight surprise hits, including Riley Sager’s The Unknown. Workplace Harassment Lawsuit: Comic creator Ed Brubaker is sued over alleged harassment on Amazon MGM’s Criminal set, adding to the ongoing reckoning over on-set conduct. Feminist Legacy: Gloria Steinem dies at 92, with tributes ranging from California Capitol recognition to memories from major feminist bookstores. Local Books & Community: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library expands in San Diego County via a Dr. Seuss Foundation partnership, while libraries and schools keep rolling out new book clubs and reading programs. Book World + Tech: A rare-bookseller and author discuss how AI is reshaping publishing, including claims of work being taken for training.

Literary World: Gloria Steinem, co-founder of Ms. Magazine and a defining voice of U.S. feminism, has died at 92, with tributes highlighting her lifelong work for equality and her “talking circles” tradition. Publishing & Culture: Jenna Bush Hager’s Read With Jenna pick for September is Alice Hoffman’s The Witches of Cambridge, a 1950s Cambridge story of Radcliffe students drawn into a secret witch society. Books & Reading Communities: Powell’s Books is expanding its used-book buying to five days a week in Portland, aiming to cut wait times and boost in-store variety. Global Book Events: Ukraine’s “Book Country. Mysterious” festival has been postponed to spring 2027 due to security in Kyiv, with organizers promising a bigger lineup. Book-to-Screen Buzz: HBO’s new Harry Potter trailer is out, and fans are split—some say it’s too close to the films, others just want more magic. Nonfiction Spotlight: A former CIA officer’s new book, The Broken Whistle, argues whistleblower protections and oversight failed inside the intelligence community.