An AI fiction translation service aimed at both traditional publishers and self-published authors has been launched in the UK. GlobeScribe.ai is currently charging $100 per book, per language for use of its translation services.
A boast by a Reform UK councillor that he ensured the removal of "trans-ideological material and books" from the children's section of his county's libraries has fallen flat after it emerged that no such material ever existed there.
Participants at the American Library Association's Annual Conference in Philadelphia last week sampled the profession's digital technologies as well as hands-on innovations available in library spaces. From breakout meeting rooms to the Library Marketplace, which this year included a spacious Amazon Library exhibit and a TikTok booth, attendees talked about resources and conducted on-the-fly cost-benefit analyses.
The American Library Association's 2025 Annual Conference, held in Philadelphia from June 26–30, found attendees simultaneously anxious about the future and in a fighting mood, with multiple presenters describing librarians as the "frontlines" and the "lifelines" of American democracy.
U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria granted summary judgment to Meta in a case brought by 13 authors, including Ta-Nehisi Coates, Sarah Silverman, and Pulitzer Prize winners Junot Díaz and Andrew Sean Greer, who alleged the company illegally used their books to train its Llama AI models. The judge found Meta's use was "highly transformative" under copyright law's fair use doctrine and that the authors failed to present adequate evidence of how they were harmed by Meta's actions.
A Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv on June 17 destroyed a Ukrainian publishing house and damaged several other book-related businesses, the Ukrainian publishing industry news service Chytomo has reported. Ukrainian Priority Publishing was completely destroyed when Russian forces launched 175 drones, more than 14 cruise missiles, and at least two ballistic missiles at the Ukrainian capital and surrounding areas. The attack killed 28 people and damaged 27 sites across various districts.
Comics journalist Joe Sacco's next book, The Once and Future Riot, was supposed to hit bookstore shelves in September, but it's running about a month late. Publication scheduling delays are neither ideal nor uncommon—but the holdup on Sacco's latest, which PW's starred review called a "meticulous and beautifully crafted account of religious and territorial strife" in Western Uttar Pradesh, India, wasn't due to any routine issue.
Two lawsuits to prevent the dismantling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services have met with mixed results in the courts. However, the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office quoted at length from both cases in a new report that finds the gutting of the IMLS to be unlawful.
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 18-19, 2026, returning to its former home in New York City's Javits Center.
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 author Kwame Alexander June 28 at this year's ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition, set to take place June 26–30 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.