The IP search engine Rightscenter published a report analyzing book-to-screen adaptation interest from 2019-2026, finding that backlist titles are drawing far more inquiries than new titles, writing that, “Hollywood has shifted its acquisition philosophy to proven readership.” The data is taken from every rights check submitted since 2019, which total 41,771. The study found that inquiries about pre-publication titles fell from 18.3 percent in 2021 (the peak of the streaming boom) to 5.5 percent in 2026, and backlist now accounts for two-thirds of checks. Additionally, 75 percent of titles are only inquired about by a single person. Just 3 percent […]
New Books Publishing October 20
This week’s fiction releases include new titles by Walter Mosley, Louise Penny, Philippa Gregory, and Susanna Clarke, while nonfiction includes work by Lawrence Wright, Haruki Murakami, and Zaina Arafat. 27 works of fiction https://bookshop.org/lists/new-fiction-publishing-october-20 21 works of nonfiction https://bookshop.org/lists/new-nonfiction-publishing-october-20 Also publishing this week are new books by Rachel A. Shelden, Janasha Prabhu, Natalie Barelli, and John Stephens, all of which are excerpted in our Buzz Books 2026: Fall/Winter anthology, as well as novels by Elizabeth Helen, Wanda Hellmund, and Piper Lawson, excerpted in our Buzz Books 2026: Romance collection. We consult a number […]
People 10/20
More than 200 Authors Sue Meta in New Individual Suits
A total of 231 authors are suing Meta for copyright infringement over AI training in four newly-filed lawsuits in the Northern District of California. The suits, led by Jacqueline Winspear, Daniel José Older, Robert Sheard, and Tosca Reno are brought individually by each author rather than seeking class action status. “Plaintiffs desire to retain full control of their case and avoid having their rights diluted by being swept into sprawling class-action settlements structured to resolve claims for pennies on the dollar,” the complaints state. (All four complaints are brought by the same two law firms.) “Recent history has shown that […]
Forthcoming: ‘One Last Time’ By Bob Iger
On March 2, Random House will publish Bob Iger’s ONE LAST TIME: Managing Crisis and Building Resilience at Disney, written with Dan Schwerin. Andy Ward acquired North American rights from Esther Newberg at CAA. The book is about Iger’s second stint as the CEO of Disney. The publisher writes, “Iger thought he understood what it took to be a CEO, but his second stint at Disney was a crash course in answering today’s thorniest leadership challenges, including two hostile proxy battles, and steering through the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes. How do you make hard calls, under high pressure and intense […]
Supreme Court Apparently Cannot Currently Rule on Cases Involving Bertelsmann or Penguin Random House
Four Supreme Court Justices — Sonia Sotomayor, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, and Ketanji Brown Jackson — all recused themselves from considering an appeal in a copyright case, BMG Rights Management v. Vetter, leaving the court without a quorom. All four are Penguin Random House authors, and there has been criticism in the past when justices did not recuse themselves from cases related to Bertelsmann. Monday’s action suggests that for now the high court could be unable to review any case involving Bertelsmann or its subsidiaries. That lets stand the January ruling by the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Which is […]