Book banning in US public schools was at its highest level during the 2025-2026 school year, according to a new report by PEN America. PEN tracked 11,982 instances of book banning, with 7,370 unique titles banned. More than 4,500 of those titles had not previously been recorded. The organization reports that 114 school districts—mostly in Florida and Texas—instituted bans. Each of these numbers breaks a dismal record; this is the most instances of books bans, the most titles, the most new titles, and the highest number of school districts since PEN began recording in 2021. The previous high was approximately 10,000 […]
Judge Recommends Certifying Consumer Class In Antitrust Suit Against Amazon
The fanciful, long-running lawsuit in which class action specialists Hagens Berman are trying to prove that Amazon has monopoly control of the US ebook market took a big step towards actually making it to a potential trial. The case tries to demonstrate that Amazon’s position actually harms consumers by inhibiting price promotions and new business models through contract provisions that are effectively MFNs. On October 1, Magistrate Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein recommended confirming the proposed class of ebook purchasers from January 2017 until the certification of the class. As previously reported, the attorneys’ expert witness estimates that Amazon overcharged consumers […]
Acquisitions: Publications International; Firebrand Group
Gemini Books Group has acquired the assets of Publications International. Publications International (PIL) executive Jeff Coyle will become president, Gemini North America, and COO of Gemini, bringing the PIL senior team with him. Tara Catogge joins as chief commercial officer, responsible for global sales and marketing. Jim Bashour joins as svp, information systems. Founder, publisher, and CEO of Gemini Marcus Leaver said in a release, “I have long admired what Lou Weber has built at PIL, one of North America’s leading consumer publishers: a company with deep roots in family-focused, value-driven publishing and a remarkable record of success across cookbooks, children’s […]
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Fiction Deals Remain Strong In Third Quarter, As Nonfiction and Children’s Decline
As was the case in the second quarter, dealmaking reflects a tale of two markets, as adult sales remain strong while children’s sales continue to struggle mightily, falling over 17 percent. But the overall effect was unmistakable, as total reported US deals declined 12 percent, compared to a record quarter a year ago. On the surface adult sales remained at a five-year high for the period, thanks to fiction, up 13.6 percent and now near parity with nonfiction deals. But those sales were boosted by our integration of mature digital publishers into the general categories at the beginning of this […]
As Supply Chain Problems Increase, Some Books Miss On-Sale Dates
Challenges with getting copies of Josh Silver’s Fruit Fly and Marlon James’s The Disappearers are just two examples of a supply chain stretched thin this fall. New US tariffs on goods from Canada including paper, higher fuel prices, and the closure of the Coral Graphics plant in New York have all made it harder for publishers to reprint to fill demand, and print books on time in order to hold their original publication dates. “The book manufacturing industry is experiencing elevated demand as publishers prepare for the fall season,” Book Manufacturers International executive director Matt Baehr said. “Recent changes in […]