AGP Executive Report

Book Censorship & Inclusion: A new ADL report says Jewish and Israeli artists face growing scrutiny and disruption across U.S. culture, including publishing, while museums largely skip Jewish American Heritage Month. Publishing & AI Rights: A Japanese book wholesaler admitted selling bulk books to Anthropic, raising fears publishers’ permissions weren’t obtained and scanned copies may have been destroyed. AI Governance Debate: Commentary argues AI regulation could backfire by slowing U.S. leadership, while another report finds healthcare AI is widely deployed but leaders often don’t measure real outcomes. Banned Books Week (UK): UK coverage highlights rising shelf removals and canceled author visits, with censorship concerns spreading beyond the U.S. First Amendment & Press Access: A separate piece criticizes a White House move barring major outlets from press credentials, framing it as a direct hit to press freedom. Local Literacy Push: Storybook Maze founder Araba Maze spoke at Elon about “book deserts” and using vending machines, pop-up bookstores, and social media to expand access. Publishing Industry Notes: A new book promotion spotlights thriller releases by Tim Guditus, plus a separate audiobook/author marketing push.

Publishing & Books: Bloomsbury is set to publish The Great Book of Vintage Microphones (Nov. 12, 2026), a 248-page hardcover/eBook by Grammy producer Sylvia Massy and Chris Johnson with nearly 600 photos tracing how microphones shaped music, broadcasting, politics, and pop culture. Digital Reading & Manga: emaqi’s e-bookstore is adding 11 exclusive titles, including Streaming Under My Control and The Soldier Groom and the Daikon Bride, plus a new “chat assistant” feature to help readers discover books by mood and preferences. Media/Entertainment Rights: Skydance’s Paramount has closed its $81B Warner Bros. Discovery takeover, bringing a huge catalog that includes Harry Potter, Star Trek, Game of Thrones, and The Lord of the Rings into one Hollywood umbrella. Books & Journalism in the Courts: A judge denied a bid to dismiss a First Amendment lawsuit tied to fired Stars & Stripes reporters, keeping the case alive while denying injunctive relief. Book Culture & Censorship: PEN America reports U.S. school book removals hit a nearly 12,000 record high, underscoring the ongoing fight over banned books.

Book Publishing & Retail: MediaOCD struck a print-manga deal with the Independent Manga Alliance, adding titles from Manga Mavericks Books and Mahjong Pros to its store—another route for licensed English-language indie manga in physical form. Copyright & Music Rights: A lawsuit filed by Bill Withers’ publisher targets UMG and Sony over alleged copying tied to Olivia Dean’s Grammy-era hit, keeping songwriter royalties and licensing in the spotlight. Censorship & Libraries: PEN America reports nearly 12,000 school book removals in a year, a record high, as Banned Books Week ramps up attention on classroom censorship. Publishing Industry Watch: Google won a legal victory after a judge tossed publisher suits over AI search summaries, a reminder that AI text use is still a live legal battleground. Books & Culture: HarperCollins says bestselling novelist and former MP Jeffrey Archer has died at 86; his final novel “Adam and Eve” is due out Tuesday. Community News: A local newspaper publisher marks National Newspaper Week while celebrating 25 years of publishing local news.

Book Bans: A new report says U.S. schools banned nearly 12,000 books in 2025-2026, with PEN America warning that districts are increasingly using AI to flag titles and remove whole swaths. Press Freedom Clash: The White House blocked Politico from traveling on Air Force One, escalating a broader fight over press access after a judge ordered restored credentials. Publishing & Books in Politics: A new book by Sen. Thom Tillis argues his vote confirming Pete Hegseth was his “biggest regret,” adding to the flood of political memoirs shaping the book market. New Releases: Sociologist E.G. Nadeau’s “American Renewal” targets Trump-era politics and offers strategies to strengthen democracy. Industry/Community: The Cherokee Phoenix marks nearly 200 years of publication, continuing to publish in the Cherokee syllabary and record tribal history. Travel Advisors & Perks: ASTA petitions American Express to restore travel-advisor access to cardholder benefits, a move that could affect how trips are booked and managed.

Publishing & Media: Warner Bros.’ standalone era took a hit as “Digger” bombed at the North American box office while Amazon MGM’s “Verity” opened at No. 1, extending the Colleen Hoover adaptation run. AI & Kids Safety: After years of social media reform efforts, advocates say the lesson for AI is to act sooner—new safeguards for minors are arriving, but AI’s risks for children are still emerging. Tech & Consumer Rights: A U.S. repairability scorecard highlights how phone and laptop makers stack up on right-to-repair, using European rules as a benchmark. Music/Legacy Releases: Apple Corps and Capitol/UMe issued a “Rubber Soul” Super Deluxe Super Deluxe edition, using AI-assisted de-mixing to revisit the classic album’s mix debates. Elections & Civic Life: Massachusetts voters will decide whether to eliminate party primaries in state elections, with an 88-page voter guide mailed out by the secretary of state. Travel & Consumer Policy: Royal Caribbean is tightening cancellation penalties and shifting payment deadlines for certain cruise lengths starting Oct. 11. Business/Books Adjacent: A Cuban fuel company, A Granel, is sponsoring Havana’s Industriales baseball team—another example of brands pushing into mainstream U.S.-style sports advertising.

Publishing & Media: A new book review spotlights Truth, Trust, and the Future of Journalism (Premium Times Books), arguing journalism can’t survive without credibility and accuracy. Courts & Speech: A major U.S. press-freedom fight is back in focus after reports say President Trump barred CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO from White House access, with lawsuits raising First Amendment questions. AI & Regulation: Commentary warns AI rules could backfire by slowing U.S. leadership and risking regulatory capture. Books in Schools: A report says AP Lit is shifting away from long novels toward shorter works, tied to declining daily reading habits. Censorship & Legal Pressure: A separate item notes a court fight involving a journalist publishing a court-sealed file, underscoring ongoing tension between transparency and restrictions. Culture & Adaptations: Verity (Colleen Hoover) continues to dominate headlines as its film release lands strongly at the box office, while Digger underperforms. Elections & Disinformation: Coverage flags a Russian-linked disinformation operation targeting U.S. midterm candidates and journalists, including in Michigan.

Publishing & Tech: Amazon unveiled a redesigned Kindle that ditches the raised bezel for a flush front, using capacitive touch plus haptics to create a “dead zone” so grips don’t trigger accidental page turns, and it claims faster book opening. Books & Literacy: Pizza Hut is partnering with Little Free Library on “Little Hut Libraries,” launching in October with neighborhood book exchanges stocked with books and Personal Pan Pizza gift cards. Banned Books: Author Abdi Nazemian spoke at a library event about turning book-banning backlash into empathy and community; his YA novel “Like A Love Story” is among Utah’s growing list of banned titles. Film Crowdfunding: Seed & Spark says it’s delivering higher completion odds and steadier raises for U.S. filmmakers, especially after dropping platform fees in 2025. Education & Climate Learning: Colorado’s “climate literacy” seal program highlights student projects like an “ozone garden” that tracks air quality using native plants. Local Book Culture: Kramers bookstore marked 50 years with books, bites, and DC history.

Supreme Court & Climate: Justice Samuel Alito’s last-minute recusal reshuffles a major climate lawsuit over whether Colorado localities can use state tort law to seek damages from energy companies tied to greenhouse-gas harms. Immigration Policy: The U.S. now requires certain TN/TD/I visa applicants to make social media accounts public before consular interviews, adding a new compliance step for cross-border workers and media. Publishing & Media Access: DOJ and White House press-access fights keep heating up, with ABC’s Todd Blanche defending Trump’s credential restrictions on outlets ahead of Xi’s visit. Tech & AI Governance: A new warning from an AI researcher argues autonomous agents are outpacing human control, while Google pushes fact-checking for generative AI publishing. Books & Community: Orange Shirt Society hosts a Truth and Reconciliation community breakfast, and local book events keep rolling across the country. Nuclear & Energy: NRC greenlights a TVA small modular reactor construction permit, signaling a clearer licensing path for future SMR projects. Health & Food: Texas expands nutrition access through the Child and Adult Care Food Program, supporting meals for day care and after-school settings. Local Politics: Monroeville, Alabama elects its first Black mayor, a milestone for a town tied to Harper Lee’s legacy.

Publishing & Media Law: A federal judge tossed antitrust claims from Chegg and Penske Media over Google’s AI search summaries, saying an “expectation” of traffic isn’t an agreement—another blow to publishers fighting referral losses. AI & Books: Audible is rolling out features that let listeners explore “book worlds” and talk to characters with AI. Book Culture & Events: A protest disrupted a Mahmoud Khalil book event, while Seattle’s mayor hosted authors Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor to discuss their Gaza-and-future-fascism book. New Releases: Andrews McMeel Publishing debuts Native history comedian Joey Clift’s “We’ve Been Here the Whole Time!”; and a former Marianas journalist turns nursing-home reporting into “Would You Leave Your Parents Here?” Industry Watch: ILiAD announced Phase 2b results in The Lancet Infectious Diseases (a reminder how publishing and research news keep colliding).

Publishing & Reading Initiatives: Utah launched a statewide Utah Reads Read-a-Thon, aiming to get more than 275,000 students and adults reading together, with books distributed via schools, libraries, workplaces, and a livestream kickoff. Children’s Literacy Philanthropy: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library continues to expand early reading access, with its monthly book program credited with building kindergarten readiness and a long-term love of reading. AI & Publishing/Content Standards: Google updated its Search guidance for generative AI publishing, stressing manual fact-checking and review to reduce inaccuracies and low-effort content. Media Industry Dealmaking: Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery are set to complete their $110B merger and operate under the Skydance name, reshaping major U.S. studio and animation operations. Book Culture & Community: Libro.fm and the Silent Book Club plan a Banned Books Week read-in, keeping attention on censorship and access. Labor in Newsrooms: The Daily Herald (suburban Chicago) voted 15-0 to unionize after Tribune Publishing layoffs, a reminder that publishing-adjacent jobs remain in flux.

Antitrust & Media Deal: A federal judge approved Paramount’s settlement with 12 states, clearing the way for the $81B Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger to close Oct. 6, with Ynon Kreiz set to join as co-CEO. Publishing & Bookselling: 2nd & Charles is spotlighting “banned books” via in-store displays that let customers choose for themselves, while a panel at Bookends & Beginnings in Evanston amplified local Black authors and the question of who gets to tell stories. Digital Comics Distribution: BookWalker expanded its webtoon and manhwa catalog through a new partnership with Ecomix Media, adding 18 series at launch. Book Culture & Community: A historian-author event at ASU’s Institute of Politics brought Jon Meacham and Michael Crow together on democracy’s founding ideas and today’s polarization. Reader Interest: “Data Empire” is being highlighted as a human-centric look at how information has long been used to organize, control, and dominate. Local Book News: A new nursing-home memoir from former Marianas journalist Aldwin Fajardo-Ponder, “Would You Leave Your Parents Here?,” is now available in eBook form.

Publishing & Books in Public Life: The Smithsonian Store hosted a Lower Manhattan conversation tied to American Indigenous Democracy: A Call for Interdependence, spotlighting the Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace and its relevance to U.S. founding. Nonfiction Awards: Patrick Radden Keefe’s London Falling made the shortlist for the Baillie Gifford Prize, a major U.K. nonfiction payday. Labor & Newsroom Power: Daily Herald journalists voted 15-0 to form the Daily Herald News Guild after years of layoffs and pay cuts under Alden Global Capital/Tribune Publishing. AI & Copyright in Publishing: A Third Circuit ruling says training AI on a competitor’s proprietary, curated database for the same commercial purpose is copyright infringement, rejecting “just training data” fair use. Audiobooks & Rights Activism: Libro.fm and Silent Book Club are running a Banned Books Week Read-In with free audiobook picks and local bookstore/library events. YA-to-Screen Adaptations: Netflix is developing American Royals, based on Katharine McGee’s Alloy Entertainment YA series.

Publishing & Media Business: Digiday reports publishers are turning “GEO” from an experiment into a revenue play as search weakens and advertisers ask how brands can show up in AI answers. AI Regulation: New York’s “FAIR in News” bill would require generative-AI-labeled news content, raising free-speech and newsroom compliance concerns. Books & Culture Events: Singapore launches its first Indie Bookshop Day (Oct. 2–4) with a passport-and-stamp crawl across 20 shops. Legal/Press Freedom: A California appeals court upheld dismissal of a $25M defamation suit tied to a reporter publishing details from a domestic violence arrest, citing First Amendment protections. Community Publishing: A local Holy Trinity Catholic Parish fall festival includes a book fair (Oct. 17–18). Tech & Publishing Adjacent: CompoSecure opens a London design center to help banks and fintechs build premium metal card programs—an example of how “design” services are globalizing.

Publishing & Books: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library could expand across New Jersey after a lawmaker-backed push to fund statewide monthly book mailings for kids ages 0–5. Libraries & Community Reading: Georgia’s “Carnegie Library Trail” campaign spotlights surviving Carnegie buildings and invites residents to explore and download a guide. AI, Media & Policy: OpenAI and Amazon launched Bedrock Managed Agents, aiming to keep customer data inside AWS while enterprises build agent workflows. Free Press Under Pressure: A new report says Trump barred CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from entering the White House, renewing fights over access and press freedom. Legal/Industry: An appeals court sided with Thomson Reuters in a dispute over AI training. Culture & Controversy: A Huckabee-linked story calls India’s removal of an Israeli photo book “equivalent to book burning,” framing the dispute as censorship. Local Literacy: Rotary’s Winona club continues early-reading efforts through Books for Babies and classroom literacy support. Tourism & Books/Reading Culture: A Grand Canyon tour company challenges higher international visitor entrance fees, arguing it’s hurting tourism and local businesses.

AI & Publishing/Marketing: Wiley releases Pete Blackshaw’s The Answer Economy, arguing brands must win “recommendation share” as AI agents increasingly decide what consumers buy. AI in Media Buying: Amazon is developing agentic AI to automate parts of ad purchasing and optimization, potentially changing how campaigns are planned and executed. Hospitality Tech: AWS and Hilton say AI channels are already reshaping hotel discovery and bookings, with traditional sites/apps struggling to keep up. Free Press & Courts: A California appeals court blocks a $25M defamation bid by tech exec Maury Blackman over a Substack report on his domestic arrest. First Amendment on Campus: A student sues UTD claiming retaliation tied to speech and a letter-to-the-editor dispute. Democracy & Books: Waco attorney Skye Perryman promotes Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times on a tour focused on local civic action. Health Research Access: Sage and OpenEvidence partner to bring peer-reviewed medical research into point-of-care AI with direct citations. Animal Research Policy: Wisconsin Rep. Mark Pocan backs a bill to end federal funding for dog and cat research. Local Culture: Zoo Atlanta welcomes giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang for a 10-year stay, sparking community excitement.

AI & Publishing Tech: OpenAI unveiled “dots,” a new always-on personal agent for tasks like scheduling, travel planning, budgeting, debugging, and coding—another push in the consumer AI race that’s reshaping how people expect help from apps. Local Libraries & Books: Pike County Public Library marked its 125th anniversary with community events, a Friends book sale, and children’s storytime featuring “Peter the Pickle Vampire,” highlighting how local libraries keep book culture alive. Book Culture & Community Events: A festival at the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) in Long Beach celebrated lucha libre with a book launch for “Luchadores vs. Everything,” plus panels and screenings—showing publishing’s role in preserving cultural history. Health & Storytelling: Stroke survivor and aphasia advocate Terence Ang is using World Stroke Day in October to connect lived experience, publishing, and art across New York and Singapore. Industry/Deals: CPI renewed a long-running agreement with Vericast for instant card issuance and personalization, underscoring ongoing infrastructure investment behind consumer-facing services. Media/Politics: U.S. prosecutors reopened an alleged Cornell University gang rape case after a lawsuit, keeping spotlight on accountability in major institutions.