AGP Executive Report

AI & Bookselling Backlash: A bookseller says AI firms paid for four titles, then guesses the books were de-spined, scanned, and fed into language models—fueling outrage over rare-book destruction for training. Local Library Funding: Webster Groves voters overwhelmingly backed a property tax hike to keep the public library funded, approving Prop L with 82.8% support. Library Leadership Update: Pawlet Public Library trustees restarted the search after a director candidate withdrew, with staff stepping in as co-directors. Book Industry Under Pressure: Reports say Russia has been destroying millions of Ukrainian books in strikes, adding to the growing threat to publishing and cultural archives. Publishing, Policy & AI: The debate over AI licensing and whether publishers should allow training without clear guardrails continues to intensify, with more scrutiny on “AI tracks” and transparency. Community Events for Readers: Multiple local calendars and book sales are scheduled across the week, from library yard sales to author and book-fair events.

Publishing & AI ethics: A major debate is back in focus as reports say some companies are buying, shredding, or destroying books to train AI, while other services have shut down after backlash—raising fresh questions about consent and what “licensed” really means. Ukraine’s book industry under attack: Russian strikes hit BookChef’s reserve warehouse, destroying 100,000+ books and forcing preorder delivery changes, as the wider campaign against Ukrainian publishing continues. Manga sales: Weekly Shonen Jump print circulation fell below 1 million copies for the first time, signaling how fast Japan’s print market is shrinking. Book-to-screen culture: Korean animation “Long Long Night,” based on a bestselling novel, lands at TIFF for its world premiere, showing how books keep finding new audiences through screen adaptations. Local book community: Libraries and bookstores keep driving sales and events—from book fairs and rummage sales to used-book clearouts—underscoring how grassroots publishing still matters. Business of publishing: Digitalbox PLC is leaning into creator-led video to cut reliance on social platforms after algorithm changes hit audience numbers.

Library & Books in the Spotlight: Massachusetts lawmakers sent Gov. Maura Healey a bill (S.2696) aimed at strengthening librarians’ authority over school and public library book decisions as challenges rise nationwide, setting rules for age-appropriate, professionally grounded selections and removal only after hearings and votes. Publishing & Community: In Endicott, NY, the Little Italy Farmer’s Market hosts a free backpack giveaway and book giveaway Aug. 6 (supplies last), with library activities for kids. Book Culture & Access: Pennsylvania SAP launched a redesigned website to help transportation and aviation workers access DOT substance-abuse professional evaluations and return-to-duty support across the state. Comics & Publishing Business: Secret Mode is opening a Sheffield development studio to support its game portfolio with updates, DLC, and porting. Anime IP Experiment: Kodansha Creators Lab and KUROGO debuted the Synchro Project, commissioning standalone anime opening sequences for series that don’t exist yet, using audience response to decide what gets made. New Dredd Line: 2000 AD announced “Judge Dredd: Compact Crimes” for 2027, collecting classic black-and-white strips in monthly compact volumes for the 50th anniversary.

Book Sales Surge: Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is driving a major classics boom, with U.S. print sales up 76% year-to-date and Emily Wilson’s translation leading demand, plus big library upticks. Publishing & Events: Azerbaijan’s Baku International Book Fair returns Oct. 21–27 with a seven-day program aimed at boosting children’s reading habits. AI & Travel Tech: A new wave of AI trip planning is changing how people book, but the reporting warns the results only match the quality of the underlying data. Gaming Industry Deal: Electronic Arts has completed a Saudi-led $55B takeover and is now private, with operations expected to continue under existing leadership. Tech/Publishing Adjacent: Waymo launches public robotaxi rides in Dallas via its app, expanding driverless service beyond earlier U.S. cities. Business/Finance: Household Capital’s reverse-mortgage transfer deal highlights ongoing demand for home equity products in Australia’s ageing market. ESG Spotlight: EP Biocomposites marks ESG milestones in Goa with a 30-kW rooftop solar system and a record-setting environmental pledge drive.

Ukraine-Russia War & Culture: Ukraine struck Russia’s biggest online retailer Wildberries’ warehouses, underscoring how the conflict is hitting books and culture supply chains as well as logistics. Publishing Policy: A Ukrainian parliamentary committee backed an urgent appeal for state support to keep publishers afloat, saying library procurement and bookstore rental compensation mechanisms aren’t working. AI & Book Preservation: Reports and industry debate continue over companies scanning and destroying books to train AI, with preservation concerns growing as some services reportedly shut down after backlash. Digital Libraries: Malaysia’s u-Pustaka and BERNAMA’s library service are expanding access to e-books, journals, and even home delivery of physical books via partner libraries. Book Industry Support (UK): Newsweek was hit with indemnity costs after a UK high court found it pursued a “high risk” strategy in an insolvency dispute. Publishing Events: WriterCon 2026 announced its Sept. 4–7 program in Oklahoma City, spotlighting workshops and publishing networking.

Publishing & Books in the Spotlight: A new Al Jazeera Centre for Studies book, Qatari Women and Sustainable Development, digs into how Qatari women’s roles in education, work, and civic life are tied to policy and modernization. AI vs Books: Multiple reports keep circling back to the same publishing flashpoint: tech firms buying, shredding, and even deleting services tied to scanning rare books for training data—plus growing backlash and shutdowns. Book Culture in India: ThePrint reports a discussion of scholar Kanupriya Dhingra’s The Sunday Book Bazaar, tracing how Delhi’s Daryaganj market shaped a reading public. Local Book Events: Friends of the Library book sales and used-book fundraisers are popping up across the US and UK, including “Young Readers Book Sale” and “Back to School” promotions. Comics & New Releases: Marvel’s Uncanny X-Men #33 preview teases the “WILD RIDE” arc as Gambit’s condition escalates. Business of Publishing Adjacent: Compass Group’s new UK Cuisine Centre and other industry moves underline how supply chains and production capacity keep reshaping what gets made and sold.

Publishing Awards: Manhattan Book Group racked up more wins, with “The Friendship Party” taking Bronze and “Six Weeks: A Literary Memoir” earning Gold in the 2026 Manhattan Book Awards—both spotlighting heartfelt, conversation-starting storytelling. EU AI Regulation: The EU AI Act’s enforcement ramped up, with new transparency rules requiring clear labeling for AI-generated or manipulated content and giving regulators direct power to investigate and fine. Crypto & Regulation: Nigeria’s new digital economy rules aim to harmonize oversight, but a legal expert says gaps remain for crypto regulation as virtual assets keep blurring categories. Consumer Safety: Consumer Reports and the CPSC-linked toddler tower recalls hit 434,176 units in under a year, with safety failures tied to tip-over and entrapment risks. Tech & Privacy: An EU court ruling on filming public harassment from home cameras could reshape how smart home and drone users handle public-space recording. Book Culture: Macau’s comics group is publishing new local-history titles for students, using illustrated series to keep intangible heritage like Na Tcha folk belief alive.

Publishing & Research Launch: Bentham Science has launched the new international journal Current Engineering Letters and Reviews, now open for submissions across engineering disciplines. Immigration & Business Guides: Hong Kong’s TTPS Category A for executives gets a detailed “tax & renewal” explainer, with guidance on what applicants must prove and how reviews work. Health Insurance Policy: India’s General Insurance Council defended its fever and infectious-disease admission advisory, saying it operationalises public clinical guidelines to curb unnecessary hospitalisations. Book Culture & Community: A Houston event spotlights the Tex-Indie Author Book Fair with 125+ independent authors, plus workshops for editing, publishing and marketing. New Fiction in Translation: Min Jin Lee’s American Hagwon is set for Korean publication next month after Hyundai Munhwa secured rights. AI vs Books: Multiple reports keep spotlighting how tech firms are buying, shredding, and repurposing books for training—raising fresh publishing ethics and rights questions. Crypto & Markets: The SEC set an Aug. 24 deadline in its review of Nasdaq’s Bitcoin index options, while a dormant whale moved 730 BTC worth about $46M.

AI & Books: Reports say tech firms are buying rare print books, scanning them, then shredding originals to train models and avoid “slop,” reigniting backlash over consent and preservation. Publishing Policy: Canada’s August 2026 law rollout includes higher student grants and changes affecting private colleges, banking, labels, and imports—big practical shifts for readers and newcomers. Book Retail & Community: A new Ayr bookshop hosted an author visit and raised £100+ for charity, while libraries and local shops keep pushing used-book sales and signings. Comics & Collectibles: NECA unveiled retro 8-inch DC action figures starring Christopher Reeve’s 1978 Superman, and Marvel’s Civil War: Unmasked #4 spotlights Tigra’s undercover mission. Box Office (Pop Culture): Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey powered a record North America weekend near $429M, underscoring how comic IP keeps driving mainstream demand. Hospitality Tech: Wyndham says it’s using AI to cut costs and protect franchise owner margins, a reminder that “book-adjacent” travel and loyalty data is getting smarter fast.

Sustainability in Weddings: Vermont vendors are leaning into greener planning as research flags weddings’ big waste and carbon footprint, with venues using permaculture and other low-impact choices. Hidden Travel & Books: A Germany travel guide spotlights Lübeck for marzipan and Thomas Mann’s Buddenbrooks, while a separate piece warns travellers about costly car-hire traps abroad. Saudi Jewish History: A look at how Jewish communities once thrived across parts of modern Saudi Arabia, despite today’s restrictions. Netflix at a Crossroads: Strong Q2 profits and revenue growth didn’t stop a stock drop, as investors worry about slower expansion. Publishing & Reading Culture: South Korea’s overseas “healing fiction” boom is highlighted by Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop topping translated sales in Turkey. Libraries & Community: An inmate book-club partnership expands reading access in Canada, while a rural library director profile spotlights innovation and engagement. AI vs Books: Multiple reports keep pressure on the industry as AI firms face scrutiny for scanning and destroying printed books for training. Book Launches & Events: A Kathmandu launch promotes Dr. Rajendra KC’s The Power of Mindset, and a Charly Boy memoir unveiling brings Nigeria’s literary scene into focus.

AI & Books: Reports say AI firms are buying and destroying rare and printed books to train models, raising fresh alarms for publishers and collectors. Publishing Ethics: The debate over posthumous publishing and whether it’s ethical is back in focus as nostalgia meets new business incentives. Book Industry Policy: Virginia’s pay transparency law kicks in, banning salary-history questions—an indirect reminder that publishing hiring, like everywhere else, is getting more regulated. Global Publishing Business: HSBC is selling its A$36bn Australian home-loan book to Blackstone, a reminder that finance deals can reshape publishing-adjacent markets and funding flows. Culture & Storytelling: The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art unveils an inaugural film program with two theaters for drop-in screenings, while Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House and The Midnight Club keep spotlighting how horror can still feel deeply human. Comics/Screen Adaptations: DC stalls Booster Gold again, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day continues to spark talk by remixing comic-era twists for the MCU.

AI & Books: The EU is rolling out a new team to rein in AI risks as the AI Act kicks in, with rules aimed at deepfakes, harmful content, and clearer labeling for AI-made media. Publishing Under Pressure: Multiple reports keep spotlighting how AI systems are scanning and destroying rare books for training, raising fresh alarms about cultural heritage and copyright. Retail Investing Meets AI: Liner Finance launched an AI finance research tool for retail investors, promising faster synthesis of public company data. Market Shock Spillover: Crypto trading platform trade.xyz says it’s compensating users after a SK Hynix pricing incident triggered about $60M in liquidations. Publishing/Books in Culture: Le Monde in English says it’s reached break-even ahead of schedule using subscriptions plus AI tools for translation and editing. Local Book Life: A Worcester musician’s tribute event aims to raise funds for pancreatic cancer, blending community arts with reading-and-memory culture.

Publishing & Books: A debut crime novel deal for Call Me, I’ll Hide the Body (Falade) has collapsed after the agent said it can’t substantiate whether AI was used in drafting or editing, pulling the manuscript from a $2m+ auction. Education Textbooks: A Philippines lawmaker is pushing House Bill 7868 to expand the National Book Development Board’s role in public-school textbook preparation and production, aiming to tackle shortages outside Metro Manila and Luzon. Book Culture & Community: A Finnish publisher’s War and Peace picture-book series (WickWick) is being used to help children talk about war and displacement across multiple languages, including sessions delivered via diplomatic channels. Labor in Publishing: Hachette Book Group and University of Chicago Press workers have voted to unionize, adding to a recent wave of publishing organizing. Tech Meets Publishing: PlayStation says it will lean into “code-in-box” physical releases (like GTA 6) as it transitions away from discs, keeping retailers in the loop. Local Book Life: A library event in DeForest celebrates Harry Potter’s birthday with games, trivia, and a kids’ book sale.

Publishing & Book Sales: News24 spotlights Jonathan Jansen’s August pick, Worth the Fight, blending memoir and a classroom case study on fixing failure in South African schools. AI & Books: Multiple reports warn that AI firms are buying, scanning, and destroying rare physical books to train models, raising alarms for cultural heritage and access. Book Industry Policy: Coverage flags growing pressure on the publishing world, including debate over fixed book price laws and efforts to protect banned titles online. Independent Book Retail: Commercial Realty Advisors says Cape Cod’s Market Street Bookshop has been sold, with a new owner aiming to keep it a community hub. Libraries & Community Reading: DC Public Library highlights “Commuter Picks” for readers on the move, while local book-sale and book-club roundups keep showing up as steady demand drivers. Global Publishing Deals: NC (formerly NCsoft) and Shengqu Games sign to publish Aion 2 in China, continuing the cross-border publishing push. Book-to-Entertainment: Streaming and screen tie-ins keep landing, including Twisted’s book adaptation momentum and new franchise/series announcements.

AI & Books Under Pressure: Reports say AI firms are buying and destroying rare books at scale to train models, while another publishing deal for an unpublished debut novel was abruptly paused over fears AI may have been used in writing—raising copyright and “clean title” concerns. Hedge Funds Unwind AI Bets: The AI-focused hedge fund Situational Awareness is rapidly liquidating public positions after steep losses and margin calls, with Citadel named as a buyer for public assets. Policy for Publishing & Tax: A Senate committee advanced the Taxpayer Assistance and Service Act to improve IRS operations and crack down on rogue preparers, with Direct File plans likely returning next year. Library & Retail Culture: Barnes & Noble opens a new Livingston, NJ store; Malaysia’s Big Bad Wolf book fair runs through Aug. 9; and multiple local library book sales were rescheduled or announced. Community Book Moments: The Library of Congress runs a fellowship for Indiana students to work on archiving and cultural preservation.

Hungary’s Post-Print Shift: Political dailies are disappearing as readers flee ideological print—Nepszava’s pivot to online-only is leaving it in a tough “lose-lose” fight for survival. Publishing & AI Rights Clash: Multiple reports warn AI firms are buying, scanning, and then destroying books to train models—while courts and regulators grapple with what’s fair use in the age of machine learning. Book Industry Policy Pressure: The UK is seeing renewed debate over fixed book price rules, and Ukraine is preparing support mechanisms for publishers after attacks on access. Media Business Stress: South Africa’s Eastern Cape newspaper staff face unpaid salaries after ownership changes, highlighting how fragile regional publishing can be. Author/Book Events: A new novel signing is set in Stevens Point, while a stamp-sized art show in Philadelphia spotlights how small formats keep readers engaged. Tech Meets Travel Content: Oz App Digital is launching summer event-planning features for Sydney, showing how lifestyle media keeps expanding alongside books.