Penguin Random House and George R. R. Martin’s team have denied accusations of using AI art in an illustrated edition of a “Game of Thrones” book. Published November 5 by Random House Worlds, A Feast for Crows: The Illustrated Edition, book 4 of the A Song of Ice and Fire series, contains 24 original illustrations by artist Jeffrey R. McDonald. Readers report that the illustrations contain inaccurate details and inconsistencies in the depictions of the characters to the original novels, as well as awkward limbs and faces. Random House told io9, “Random House is aware of the allegations, and we […]
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McGraw Hill Raises Guidance on Q2
McGraw Hill announced results for the second quarter ended September 30, reporting sales of $669 million, down 3 percent–though this is the company’s second-highest second quarter sales in 10 years. The company attributes the decline to an “anticipated smaller K-12 market,” partially offset by gains in higher education. Adjusted EBITDA was $286 million, down from $290 million in 2024. “With market share gains and the expansion of AI-powered tools, we are advancing personalized learning at scale while investing in growth beyond our core offerings,” chair, president, and ceo Simon Allen said. “Our fiscal second quarter performance highlights how McGraw Hill […]
Amazon’s Best Books of the Year
The Slippery Slop of AI Herbal Remedy Books on Amazon
An extensive, distressing study by originality.ai shows the extent to which dangerous AI slop has invaded Amazon’s bookstore, focusing on the proliferation of fake — and therefore also dangerous — books about herbal remedies. They analyzed the top seller in the category, THE NATURAL HEALING HANDBOOK attributed to the laughable Luna Filby, and all of the scanned elements “came back flagged as likely AI-generated with 100% confidence.” The study says, “The Natural Healing Handbook is not an outlier. It is a benchmark. It is the gold standard for likely AI-generated Amazon books that flat-out dominate the digital retailer, especially in niche subcategories. And we […]
Random House Children’s to Acquire Cherry Lake Publishing Group
Random House Children’s will acquire independent Michigan-based children’s publisher Cherry Lake Publishing Group. Cherry Lake will exist under the Random House Children’s umbrella but continue to operate independently out of Ann Arbor, “retaining its editorial independence and creative leadership” under president Ben Mondloch, according to a release. There will be no changes to Cherry Lake’s leadership team. Cherry Lake, which comprises the imprints Sleeping Bear Press, Cherry Lake Press, Cherry Blossom Press, 45th Parallel Press, Torch Graphic Press, and Tilbury House Publishers, publishes trade picture books and graphic novels, as well as educational nonfiction, with approximately 6,000 titles in print. […]