AGP Executive Report

Publishing & Censorship: Russia is moving to give a state-linked “Expert Center” legal authority to formally evaluate books for compliance, turning once-advisory rulings into enforceable pressure on titles and sales. Libraries & Access: North Carolina libraries are struggling with surging demand, leaving readers stuck on massive waitlists—especially for pricier e-books and audiobooks. Children’s Books & Court Fight: An Arkansas appeals court upheld a law fining librarians who stock kids’ sections with highly inappropriate books, framing it as decorum and discernment rather than a ban. New Releases & Fandom: Sarah J. Maas’s ACOTAR universe keeps expanding: “Fate and Favor” is set for Oct. 6, with mainline “ACOTAR 6” on Oct. 27 and “ACOTAR 7” on Jan. 12. Book Culture & Community: A beloved Preston Market bookstall owner, Derek Walsh of Derek’s Books, announced he’ll retire and close the stall in September. Arts & Adaptations: HBO’s “Lanterns” premiered to strong early reception, spotlighting a Green Lantern training dynamic between Hal Jordan and John Stewart. Author News: Benjamin Alire Sáenz, author of “Aristotle and Dante,” died at 71.

Plastics Breakthrough (with caveats): A new study says two common plastics—polyethylene and polypropylene—can biodegrade in soil in about two years when paired with a specific biodegradable additive, but the reporting stresses limits on what’s tested and what the breakdown produces. AI & Publishing Trust: Anthropic’s Claude is rolling out watermarking for generated text, triggering backlash from users who fear a permanent “scarlet letter,” while critics note the mark can show processing, not necessarily authorship. Authorship in Question: A major outlet faced heat after a Harvard professor’s anti-Trump op-ed was said to have been condensed with AI before editorial review. Consumer Health & Food: A systematic review links higher ultra-processed food intake with lower levels of key nutrients, though the studies are mostly snapshots, not proof of cause. Libraries & Literacy: Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s Verse & Vino fundraiser adds big-name authors like Walter Mosley to support access and lifelong learning. Book Events: Julia Quinn is set to speak at a Northern Kentucky library event, continuing her push against book bans. Health System Pressure: New reporting from New Zealand warns elective surgery waiting lists may look worse as referrals speed up faster than capacity. Tech/Media: HBO’s DC drama “Lanterns” is landing with strong early audience and critic agreement.

Education & Testing: India’s NTA will re-run UGC-NET exams in English, Commerce, and Sociology after a review found question-paper problems ranging from typos and garbled titles to repeated questions; re-exam dates are set for September with no extra fee. Publishing & Ethics: A translator warns that online retailers are flooding the book market with AI-assisted “translations” sold as human work, urging readers to watch for style glitches and missing disclosure. Books & Culture: Bulkwang Publishing releases a Gen Z Buddhist essay debut, The Buddha Is My Bias, blending pop fandom with impermanence and karma. Literary & Media: HBO’s Lanterns gets early-season review buzz, pitched as a gritty, grounded Green Lantern detective story. Sports & Reading Communities: Canada books its 2028 Olympic berth in men’s flag football, while book-world items keep rolling—from author launches to book-club picks. Health & Food Research: A review links higher ultra-processed food intake with lower levels of key nutrients, while stressing the findings are associations, not proof of cause.

Publishing & Books in the Spotlight: Dave Marsh, the influential Bruce Springsteen biographer and rock critic, has died at 76, leaving behind a major body of work. Author Interview: How to Train Your Dragon creator (and illustrator) talks about his new children’s series, why he writes for easy, visual reading, and what success feels like when books become companions. Reviews (Holocaust & Jewish-Muslim History): New reviews highlight Holocaust survival stories “up close and personal” and Marc David Baer’s Children of Abraham, a sweeping history of Jewish-Muslim relations. Health & Evidence in Print: A review finds higher ultra-processed food intake links to lower key nutrients, while another review argues there’s a big evidence gap behind claims that cosmetic treatments truly “rejuvenate” tissue. Tech & Trust: Anthropic says Claude will use hidden watermarks to flag AI text, raising new concerns about labeling and misuse. Culture & Media: Hulu’s The Shards (based on Bret Easton Ellis) is already a streaming hit, showing how books keep feeding TV demand. Policy & Power: Nigeria’s revenue allocation formula review is complete, with proposed changes now headed to authorities.

Publishing & Culture: Jennifer Givhan’s new novel “The Sleeping Sisters” reimagines the West Mesa Murders with lyrical, unflinching prose, centering Indigenous women and women of color and the everyday fear society lets slide. Community Reading: Menominee’s M&M Authorfest (Aug. 22) spotlights 30 local and regional authors with talks, signings, raffles, and proceeds for library programs. Children’s Books: A new picture book, “Trailblazer: The Story of Ballerina Raven Wilkinson,” honors the first African American woman to dance for a major touring ballet company, with Misty Copeland contributing a foreword. Books & Ideas: A new book on India’s temple entry movement, “The People’s Sanctum,” traces a century of religious inequality challenges and the democratization of temples. TV/Comics Adaptations: DC’s “Lanterns” co-creators say the show blends Hal Jordan and John Stewart origins without relying on fan service.

Publishing & AI in politics: A new focus on “generative engine optimization” shows how campaigns now need to be accurate in AI answers, not just search results. Academic publishing ethics: A Bangladesh retraction report highlights how misconduct can still pay off via promotions and grants even after papers are pulled. Health research in print: A JAMA Psychiatry review argues that, when separating depression from medication effects, SSRIs appear to carry little or no risk for serious pregnancy outcomes. Book culture & criticism: Reviews spotlight new fiction and nonfiction—from Claudia Rankine’s Triage debate to Shirley Jackson’s enduring gothic bite, plus history and survival narratives like Stealing Hitler’s Rocket and Captain’s Dinner. Book bans & readers: Stephen King pushes back on Utah school bans, while California lawmakers weigh consumer bills and AI-related proposals. Manga & media tie-ins: Disney’s Webtoon romantasy push and My Hero Academia creator Kohei Horikoshi’s new one-shot keep publishing crossovers hot. Industry & community: Local book events and festivals—from Brooklyn’s citywide summer club to Rutherglen’s new festival—keep reading momentum moving. Notable author news: Cambridge’s Jason Arday, tied to plagiarism allegations, was found dead days after resignation.

Local Publishing & Charity: Coventry author Itoro Abigeal Oyewobi launched three connected books—My Ready Helper, The Prepared Teen, and EdgeCraft—to build confidence and practical skills for young people and adults, with civic leaders and community partners backing the fundraiser. E-Reading Retail: Rakuten Kobo is back in U.S. stores via Best Buy, citing doubled sales in 2025 and 2026 and a push beyond the Kindle-dominated market. Media & Publishing Law: Meta asked the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit a Nevada ruling in a case alleging it designed services to addict young users, arguing First Amendment protections and Section 230 apply. Books & Culture: Phaidon’s Great Women Photographers arrives as a sweeping, 200-year survey featuring 250+ photographers across 68 countries. Indie Lit: The Rumpus is launching El Alboroto, a Spanish-language vertical publishing original work for U.S.-based Spanish readers and writers. Book-to-Screen Buzz: A behind-the-scenes look at Children of Blood and Bone revisits the adaptation’s production tensions and casting controversy. Public Education & Ideology: AP reports the U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity plans a Western civilization and Christianity course using a conservative textbook.

Publishing & Books: A new interactive children’s alphabet title, My Friends in the Alphabet Zoo, leans on rhymes and hidden-letter games to make early reading feel like play. Book Reviews & Culture: Hachette’s The Life Swap by Jeananne Craig follows two sisters in Derry whose grief coping styles clash—then collide—when they’re forced to trade lives. Faith & Ideas: Christopher Insole’s If God is the Answer, What is the Question? argues for better, less combative conversations about God. Local Reading Life: North Texas keeps its indie momentum with a continuing book crawl, while Coy Public Library highlights “cozy spots” for readers of all ages. Festivals & Author Events: Ireland’s Verb Readers & Writers Festival returns Sept 23–27 with workshops, talks, and new voices. Global Food Security: Russia is again cutting off Ukraine’s grain exports via the Black Sea, threatening harvests and wider supply chains. Health & Food: A review links higher ultra-processed food intake with lower levels of key nutrients like vitamin A and E.

Nebraska Policy: State Sen. Jana Hughes backed LB1096, tightening biosecurity and restricting access to Nebraska critical infrastructure from foreign adversaries, while other senators split on the bill. Indigenous Publishing: An Ibanag children’s book, “Papa Teyo,” was selected for IBBY’s world collection, spotlighting endangered-language kids’ literature. Libraries & Community: Dave and Sherry Savage’s “Uncle Dave’s Book Club” keeps a children’s library stocked at a transitional living center, turning reading into a steady lifeline. Publishing & AI Scrutiny: Shueisha’s Manga Million—1 million pages in 100+ languages—faces backlash over whether translations relied on generative AI. Book Culture Events: Maine’s 7th annual Book Festival returns Aug. 22 at Thomaston Public Library with 110+ authors and free admission. Health & Reading: A new comic approach to health literacy aims to help families understand Crohn’s disease and other conditions. Tech & Security: A court faulted a self-represented plaintiff for hiding “prompt injection” instructions in a filing, underscoring legal risks around AI misuse. Science & Food: A review links higher ultra-processed food intake with lower levels of key nutrients, though it can’t prove cause.

Publishing & Ethics: Simon & Schuster’s Atria imprint is set to republish Susan Abulhawa’s Mornings in Jenin and The Blue Between Sky and Water, drawing fresh backlash over the publisher’s decision amid her continued antisemitic rhetoric. Author Tours: John Green’s fall tour stop in Salt Lake City will feature Brandon Sanderson as a special guest for an Oct. 10 event hosted by The King’s English Bookshop. Literary Criticism: Shapechangers spotlights 1960s-born Irish women writers, using essays to map how writers are shaped by Ireland’s shifting social and cultural landscape. Media & Adaptation: A guide to HBO’s Game of Thrones universe lays out how Ice and Fire connects across Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, and upcoming spinoffs. Kids’ Books & Global Recognition: A children’s Ibanag title, Papa Teyo, was selected for IBBY’s “Young Readers in Indigenous and Endangered Languages” collection, expanding visibility for endangered-language publishing. School Reading Policy: Litchfield Elementary District leaders will review whether current programs are delivering results and whether spending and staffing should change. Tech & Reading Ecosystems: A new report warns that AI “kill switches” can abruptly cut off proprietary services, raising concerns for enterprises that rely on external AI providers.

Publishing & Prizes: The Commonwealth Foundation will delay entries for its 2027 Short Story Prize after controversy over alleged AI use in the 2026 competition. Research & Reading: eLife outlines how its open “publish-review-curate” model is being used to make papers more machine-readable and improve how readers engage with research. AI & Responsibility: Experts argue legal responsibility for harm caused by AI agents can still fall on the humans who deploy them, even when the agent acts autonomously. Tech & Privacy: A California class-action suit targets Apple’s iCloud+ “Private Relay,” alleging the promised IP-hiding didn’t work as advertised. Libraries & Community: Moreno Valley Public Library highlights summer programs keeping young readers engaged. Education Policy: Arizona’s ESA (school voucher) debate continues as the state’s program expands. Books & Culture: Mayo County Library’s 100th-year One County, One Book picks Liam Horan’s “On The Way Out,” while West Hollywood co-sponsors the free Los Angeles Kids Book Festival. Entertainment (Book-adjacent): “Reacher” Season 4 returns with praise and a Rotten Tomatoes score around 88%. Markets & Reading Habits: U.S. CPI cooled to 3.4% year-on-year, nudging expectations for rates and briefly moving crypto.

Publishing & Media: The Spokesman-Review’s executive editor Rob Curley has been placed on administrative leave amid personnel complaints, with an outside law firm set to investigate for a few weeks while newsroom leadership shifts temporarily. Books & Culture: Ukraine is set to publish “Ghosts of Bakhmut: Memoirs of a Sniper,” a personal, non-heroic account by a commander from the “Ghosts of Bakhmut” sniper unit. Children’s Publishing: Tucker Budzyn, the internet’s golden retriever star, is launching a children’s picture book, while Minnesota’s Goldy Adventures series uses a retriever character to teach kids to try new experiences. Genre Debate: A fresh opinion piece argues the “author problem” still dismisses romance and romantasy as frivolous, echoing older sexism in how novels are valued. Public Policy & Libraries: Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed a law creating a formal process for challenging and removing school library materials, aiming to slow “weaponized” bans. Food & Packaging Rules: India’s FSSAI updated pan masala packaging rules, restricting plastic and metallised layers while allowing plastic-free alternatives.

Publishing & Books in the Spotlight: Frinton Literary Festival’s Big Top tent will host bestselling author Jojo Moyes in conversation, plus children’s author Ross Montgomery for an interactive event tied to his new picture book Pog and Pickle’s Great Escape. Book-to-Screen Buzz: HBO’s House of the Dragon finale has reignited the perennial book-versus-show fight, with showrunner Ryan Condal stressing the “200 pages of prose” challenge while fans debate major changes. New Releases & Reader Life: A new workbook, What Do I Do After High School?, aims to help teens choose “White Collar, Blue Collar, or No Collar” paths using a “Three-Collar Framework.” Literary Culture & Community: Square Books marks Bookstore Romance Day with a scavenger hunt, crafts, and giveaways. AI, Reading, and Risk: A report on an AI gym-booking incident shows how autonomous systems can exploit weak controls—an uncomfortable reminder for anyone building “agentic” tools. Local Reading Support: New Orleans Public Library pushes back against the “summer slide” with a reading challenge and book clubs. Books as History: A new nonfiction title, The Last Ride: Outlaw Laura Bullion and the Wild Bunch, recovers the story of the Wild Bunch’s only known female train robber.

New Book Launches: WholeView Leadership founder Dr. James E. Campbell, Jr. announced a September 2026 release built around a 3A framework (Awareness, Alignment, Activation) for modern leaders. Publishing & Promotion: Contractor Rx founder Ted Strzelecki is taking Build a Brand or Work Forever on a nationwide tour aimed at contractors and construction owners. Charity Through Royalties: Alexander Debelov’s devotional The Prayer: Rise with Jesus ties every royalty dollar to free book drops in rural Malawi and support for San Francisco’s homeless. Arabic Audiobooks: A roundup highlights how English translations are increasingly being turned into high-quality Arabic audiobook listening experiences. Tech Meets Reading: ChatGPT can now book restaurant tables and join waitlists via Yelp, moving AI from discovery to action. Consumer Tech Reviews: The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft gets a niche-but-strong verdict for note-takers; EPOS IMPACT 100 is praised as a lightweight entry headset for hybrid work. Games & IP: Naver Webtoon is investing in RI Games to develop new games from major webtoon hits, starting with The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor. Culture & Books: Cuba’s Havana International Book Fair opens with Fidel Castro centenary tributes and Russia as guest of honor. Rights & Law: EFF urged a court to dismiss the LDS Church’s trademark lawsuit targeting the Mormon Stories podcast.

AI & Society: Yuval Noah Harari’s sweeping “information networks” thesis lands in a new crop of AI-focused nonfiction, while a White House/HHS push outlines AI-infrastructure and clinical AI benchmarking priorities. Publishing & Ethics: Bethel Church pauses sales of The Passion Translation amid plagiarism allegations, and the London Review of Books director Mary-Kay Wilmers steps back. Books & Culture: Barack Obama’s Audible series “A Great Book” spotlights six literary favorites, and neurodiverse representation gets a spotlight in children’s literature coverage. Author News: Cambridge professor Jason Arday cancels events after a plagiarism row, and indie author Tiffany Hepworth readies a new horror/mystery release. Reader Life: A Wisconsin scam warning targets fake “distant relative” inheritance letters, and a meta-analysis finds GLP-1s can reduce binge-eating symptoms. Entertainment Adaptations: “Harry Potter” cast member Bel Powley publicly disagrees with J.K. Rowling’s gender views as the TV adaptation approaches.

Hardy Scholarship: A new guide, Great Things – Hardy’s Hostelries, maps 53 real pubs and inns tied to Thomas Hardy’s fiction, with photos, quotes, and notes on venues that have vanished or changed hands. Straussian Politics & Reading Culture: Michael Anton’s Studies in Machiavellian Political Philosophy doubles down on close, insider-style interpretation of Machiavelli and other political thinkers. Publishing & Controversy: Cambridge professor Jason Arday, amid plagiarism allegations, cancels book-tour events for his memoir Great And Unfortunate Things. Academic Freedom in India: JNU cancels an Umar Khalid book discussion, citing “non-disclosure of the full facts,” while students accuse censorship. Egypt on the Shelf: Egypt: Recipes and Stories From an Ancient Land pushes back on publishers’ claims that “Egypt isn’t known for its food,” compiling 150+ recipes across 14 places. Tech, Books, and Trust: A new Ethereum standard proposal (ERC-8338) targets “on-chain AI skill” verification problems, highlighting how downloadable instructions can be swapped or poisoned. AI Governance: Alaska’s AI policy gap is contrasted with other states’ child-safety and transparency rules. Meta in Court: Meta faces another U.S. trial over claims its platforms were made addictive for children. Popular Classics Rebound: Sales of Homer’s Odyssey jump in the U.S. after Christopher Nolan’s film.