BookCon will return in 2026
Five years after "retiring" BookCon and BookExpo, ReedPop has announced—to the surprise of many in the book business—that it plans to revive BookCon. The new iteration of the consumer-facing show is slated for April...
Carla Hayden to speak at 2025 ALA conference
The American Library Association has announced that Carla Hayden, who was fired from her job as the Librarian of Congress by the Trump administration May 8, will participate in a one-on-one conversation with bestselling...
Judge denies preliminary injunction in ‘ALA v. Sonderling’ IMLS case
In a decision that may prove catastrophic for the American library community, a federal judge has denied a preliminary injunction in American Library Association v. Sonderling, a case seeking to halt the demolition of...
Tool to identify poisonous books developed by University of St Andrews
A new tool to quickly identify books that are poisonous to humans has been developed by the University of St Andrews.
Historically, publishers used arsenic mixed with copper to achieve a vivid emerald green color...
Edmund White, novelist and great chronicler of gay life, dies aged 85
Edmund White, the American writer, playwright and essayist who attracted acclaim for his semi-autobiographical novels such as A Boy's Own Story – and literally wrote the book on gay sex, with the pioneering The...
The NEA has turned its back on books—now what?
Last month the National Endowment for the Arts canceled grants already awarded to hundreds of nonprofits, including a total of $1.2 million promised to 51 independent presses and literary organizations.
Anti–book banning initiative gets industry support
The Book Manufacturers Institute, a trade association for book printers and their suppliers in North America, is joining the industry's fight against book bans. Through the "BMI Challenge," the association is encouraging its 110...
Russia arrests publishers, accuses them of distributing ‘LGBT Propaganda’
On May 14, Eksmo, Russia's largest publisher—accounting for approximately 20% of the market—sent a letter to "all interested organizations," which included booksellers and other partners of the publisher, with a list of 50 titles...
Ngugi wa Thiong’o, giant of African literature, dies aged 87
The Kenyan writer Ngugi wa, who was censored, imprisoned and forced into exile by the dictator Daniel arap Moi, a perennial contender for the Nobel prize for literature and one of few writers working...
Appeals court reverses ruling in Texas book ban case
Dealing a blow to the freedom to read, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has reversed a district court's preliminary injunction and dismissed free speech claims in Little v. Llano...
