Publishers Weekly
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The international source for book publishing and bookselling news, reviews, and information.
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Book Review Digest is a reference work by H. W. Wilson Company that compiles recent book reviews. Printed monthly with annual compendia, it digests American and English periodicals from 1905 to the present day. Before the Internet, Book Review Digest was a significant reference tool and bibliographic aid used by the American public and librarians alike to find current literature. An online edition of the collection is offered in two subscription products: Book Review Digest Retrospective (1905–1982) and Book Review Digest Plus. .. more
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See what we published in this week’s print issue of Publishers Weekly, including our feature on graphic novel media tie-ins and more. buff.ly/YHoAhg2
★ Zefyr Lisowski reflects in these moving personal essays on gender, class, and the pain and redemption found in horror films. Her poetic prose stirs with its searing emotional honesty buff.ly/jsk9U94
Book Deals: Week of November 10, 2025
FSG reteams with Cory Doctorow on an AI polemic, Rizzoli lands a cookbook from the owners of Jack’s Wife Freda, and more.
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FSG reteams with Cory Doctorow on an AI polemic, Rizzoli lands a cookbook from the owners of Jack’s Wife Freda, and more.
The Future Saints by Ashley Winstead
Winstead (Fool Me Once) spins an emotionally charged rock ’n’ roll love story. Hannah Cortland, singer and lead guitarist of the...
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Ashley Winstead spins an emotionally charged rock ’n’ roll love story. This one leaves a mark. @atriabooks.bsky.social
Publishing’s Survival Depends on Data, Says Elsevier Chairman
At last week’s Sharjah Publishers Conference, Y.S. Chi warned that publishers need to build richer data infrastructures or face extinction. He also advised looking outside the industry for new hires…
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At last week’s Sharjah Publishers Conference, Y.S. Chi (c.) warned that publishers need to build richer data infrastructures or face extinction. He also advised looking outside the industry for new hires and chided publishers for not “wanting to win.”
Another Top S&S Exec to Depart
As the search for a replacement for Simon & Schuster CEO Jonathan Karp continues, Dan Ruffino announced he will resign as head of S&S Australia December 12.
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As the search for a replacement for Simon & Schuster CEO Jonathan Karp continues, Dan Ruffino announced he will resign as head of S&S Australia December 12. Earlier this fall, S&S COO Dennis Eulau said he planned to retire from the publisher at the end of November.
On October 31, during the Louisiana Book Festival’s Author Party, (from l.) journalist Serena Puang, graphic novelist Thi Bui, illustrator Sam Nga Blum, and author Raj Tawney posed in front of a book-inspired wall at the Louisiana State Library in Baton Rouge.
(Raj Tawney)
(Raj Tawney)
W.M. Akers delivers a witty, fast-paced mystery centered on 29-year-old New York City food writer Bernice Black. His evocation of the grit and glamour of 1970s New York is pitch-perfect, and Bernice is a wonderfully winning protagonist. @PutnamBooks buff.ly/JbqX4jO
ALA Welcomes New Executive Director
Daniel J. Montgomery takes the helm at the American Library Association today, with priorities that include federal and state funding, civic partnerships, AI competencies, and anti-censorship…
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Daniel J. Montgomery takes the helm at the American Library Association today, with priorities that include federal and state funding, civic partnerships, AI competencies, and anti-censorship advocacy.
Children’s Publishers Celebrate Halloween 2025
Children’s publishers hosted a number of Halloween parties last week, and creative staffers donned costumes based on favorite characters and books—both classic and contemporary. We’ve gathered a…
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Children’s publishers hosted a number of Halloween parties last week, and creative staffers donned costumes based on favorite characters and books. We’ve gathered a selection of photos from the festivities.
A Writer Embraces the Chaos—and Comedy—of the Classroom
Raquel D’Apice, Emmy Award-winning comedy writer and author of the picture book 'I Am a Highly Dangerous Warrior!,' shares how her messiest and wildest experiences as a substitute teacher help fuel…
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Comedian Raquel D’Apice won two Emmys as part of the writing team for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Her debut picture book, I Am a Highly Dangerous Warrior!, illustrated by Heather Fox, is out now.
Former Senate majority leader Harry Reid was a ruthless political operator who embodied the Democratic Party’s journey leftward, according to this incisive debut biography by Jon Ralston. It’s an insightful, entertaining portrait. buff.ly/JaZZLnR
In this stirring tribute, James E. Clyburn profiles his eight predecessors, Black Republicans who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1868 to 1897. It adds up to a gripping account of political courage under the most fraught circumstances. buff.ly/Dcz6Nbs
🔥 The YA book list of your dreams. Everyone is talking about them, so what are you waiting for? The YA Best Books 2025 list is packed with bold voices that meet teens exactly where they are. These books will challenge, comfort, and completely sweep you in.
#YAReads #BestBooks2025 buff.ly/FD1gAWW
#YAReads #BestBooks2025 buff.ly/FD1gAWW
Distribution Deals for the Week of November 3, 2025
Consortium Book Sales & Distribution signs on five new publishers, while Orca Books strikes a deal with Desert Ink Press.
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Consortium Book Sales & Distribution signs on five new publishers, while Orca Books strikes a deal with Desert Ink Press.
★ Andrew Krivak unspools the luminous story of Ondro, a son of Slovak immigrants and the only survivor of a 1929 Pennsylvania coal mine disaster. He brilliantly succeeds at plumbing the depths of the human spirit and showing how the dead live on in memory. buff.ly/vaMutDv
★ Literary agent and former PW contributor Richard Curtis delivers a stimulating and in-depth chronicle of publishing’s digital revolution. Publishing professionals will find this fascinating. buff.ly/9lpy6gk
‘n+1’ Reteams with McNally Jackson for Annual Fundraiser
The literary magazine has partnered with the indie bookseller to launch the sixth edition of its annual Bookmatch fundraiser.
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The literary magazine has partnered with the indie bookseller to launch the sixth edition of its annual Bookmatch fundraiser.
The School of Night by Karl Ove Knausgaard
In Knausgaard’s ingenious fourth entry in the Morning Star series (after The Third Realm), a self-absorbed Norwegian photographe...
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In Karl Ove Knausgaard's ingenious fourth entry in the Morning Star series, a self-absorbed Norwegian photographer strikes a Faustian bargain in exchange for success. It’s a remarkable addition to an exciting and disturbing series. @penguinpress.bsky.social
Bank Street BookFest 2025: Laurie Halse Anderson Insists ‘We Will Be Okay’
Capping off a day of energizing programming, Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award laureate and anti-censorship activist Laurie Halse Anderson delivered a powerful keynote, urging the children's book…
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Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award laureate and anti-censorship activist Laurie Halse Anderson delivered a powerful keynote speech, urging members of the children's book community to “keep sharing stories and books—and demanding that people have access to them.”
Bank Street BookFest 2025: Creators Celebrate Community and Craft
The annual BookFest at Bank Street took place on November 1 at Bank Street College of Education in Manhattan, with a focus on “Celebrating the Joy of Books for Children and Adolescents.”
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The annual BookFest at Bank Street took place on November 1, with a focus on “Celebrating the Joy of Books for Children and Adolescents.” The program kicked off with a conversation between author Carlos Hernandez (l.) and Sesame Street actor and author Sonia Manzano.
Tamika Barnes, Becky Calzada Vie to Lead ALA
Barnes (l.), of the Georgia Library Association, and Calzada, of the Texas Library Association, are candidates to become the American Library Association’s 2027–2028 president.
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Barnes (l.), of the Georgia Library Association, and Calzada, of the Texas Library Association, are candidates to become the American Library Association’s 2027–2028 president.
★ Mary Clare Jalonick debuts with a gripping, fast-paced account of the 2020 election certification as it was disrupted by a furious mob of Trump supporters. It’s a sobering rebuke of those who downplay the deadly serious intent of the January 6 attack. @public_affairs buff.ly/Qib0DAa
B&T Rails Against ‘Fast Tracking’ Federal Case
Wholesaler Baker & Taylor responded on November 6 to setting a scheduling conference and expedited briefing schedule in ‘OCLC v. B&T,’ which is being heard in a U.S. District Court in Columbus, Ohio.
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Wholesaler Baker & Taylor responded on November 6 to setting a scheduling conference and expedited briefing schedule in OCLC v. B&T, which is being heard in a U.S. District Court in Columbus, Ohio, and could decide the fate of the cataloging system BTCat.
Caldecott Honorees Jerome (l.) and Jarrett (r.) Pumphrey, cocreators of The Old Sleigh, visited Lee Lewis Campbell Elementary in their hometown of Austin, Tex., in partnership with BookPeople. Joining the brothers was Rachel McInnes (c.), bookseller and school event host at BookPeople.
HarperCollins Sees Soft Q1, Writes Off $13 Million from B&T Closure
The publisher’s sales slipped 2% in the quarter ended September 30, and earnings had a steep fall due in part to the write-off of $13 million owed to HarperCollins by the recently collapsed Baker &…
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The publisher’s sales slipped 2% in the quarter ended September 30, and earnings had a steep fall due in part to the write-off of $13 million owed to HarperCollins by the recently collapsed Baker & Taylor.
★ In her stunning debut memoir, poet and novelist Rachel Eliza Griffiths details the most challenging period of her life. She charts a path through devastation: poetic, heartbreaking, and life-affirming, this grief-streaked self-portrait makes a major impression. @randomhouse buff.ly/0uc814v
📚✨ PW’s Middle Grade Best Books 2025 list is packed with heartfelt journeys, big emotions, and unforgettable adventures. Young readers will find stories that spark imagination, celebrate identity, and offer comfort, courage, and wonder. buff.ly/rIYhLYO
#PWBestBooks #BookRec #MiddleGrade
#PWBestBooks #BookRec #MiddleGrade
Four Questions for Lily Berlin Dodd
Lily Berlin Dodd tosses her hat into the dragon arena with her debut middle grade fantasy 'The Last Ember.'
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Lily Berlin Dodd tosses her hat into the dragon arena with her debut middle grade fantasy The Last Ember. We spoke with Dodd about crafting her own dragon tale and her favorite aspects of worldbuilding.
If Poems Could Kill: PW Talks with Shen Tao
In the debut author’s The Poet Empress (Bramble, Jan.), set in a world where poetry is magic but women aren’t allowed to read, a peasant girl becomes a prince’s concubine.
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In the debut author’s The Poet Empress (Bramble, Jan.), set in a world where poetry is magic but women aren’t allowed to read, a peasant girl becomes a prince’s concubine.