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✦ Featured Story
Ask for Reviews Without Making Readers Cringe
The review request that boosts your rankings and the one that sours your final impression can be just one wrong word apart. This month we break down where to place your ask, how to frame it, and the timing tricks that turn satisfied readers into vocal advocates. Learn what earns you five-star momentum—and what quietly backfires.
Read the Full Article →
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News Roundup
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Publishing & Rights
Rizzoli International Acquires Chelsea Green Publishing
Rizzoli International Publications, the New York-based illustrated-book publisher and part of Italy's Mondadori Group, announced the acquisition of Chelsea Green Publishing, a Vermont-based independent press known for titles on ecologically based living, sustainable farming, and integrative health. Chelsea Green was founded 40 years ago by Ian and Margo Baldwin and also operates a UK subsidiary based in London. The Fisher Company brokered the deal. Read more →
Digital & Technology
Book Publishing's AI Reckoning in Full Force. Few Know What to Do.
Generative AI is forcing book publishing into a reckoning over what counts as original human work and how the technology should be ethically disclosed. Recent flashpoints include an author facing backlash after readers found that citations and source material in his book appeared to be hallucinated or fabricated by chatbots, and controversy over a literary prize awarded to a story thought to be AI-assisted. Industry observers debate whether AI is having its 'Napster moment' for the written word. Read more →
Awards & Releases
Taiwan Travelogue Wins the International Booker Prize 2026
Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated by Lin King, won the 2026 International Booker Prize, announced by judging chair Natasha Brown at a ceremony at London's Tate Modern on May 19, 2026. The £50,000 prize money is divided equally between the author and the translator, recognizing the best long-form fiction translated into English and published in the UK and/or Ireland. The award marked the 10th anniversary of the prize in its current form. Read more →
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✦ Author Spotlight
Our Authors This Month
Bestsellers & New Releases from the Scribando Showcase
This month's showcase brims with voices that guide, heal, and inspire. Sara Jodoin's new release "Journey Back to Self: Reclaiming the Woman Within" invites readers on a path of personal rediscovery, while Farah Arakji's "Happy Gut" offers an evidence-based journey to understand the body, heal the microbiome, and navigate a broken food world. Sai Riddhii's "Price of the Phoenix: Rising from the Ashes of Narcissistic Abuse" charts a courageous ascent toward renewal, and Rhonda Davis prepares young readers for adventure with the coming-soon "Olivia's Passport Plates: One Brave Bite in Japan."
Every one of these authors turns hard-won truth into a hand extended toward the reader.
The momentum continues with Shiv Shah's cheekily titled "Wake Up and Smell Your Fart: Break the Patterns that Keep You Stuck," a #1 New Release in Emotions & Mental Health, and Tali Isseroff's intriguing new release "Being Tom Ringer." Michal Bardavid, Utku Lomlu, and Tugce Kabakci earned an IndieReader Discovery Award in the Nonfiction Spiritual category for "Becoming a Peacock: Strut Your Way into Self-Love," while Miist Miist's "Make Me Smile with Miist" reached #1 Bestseller in Happiness in the US in early June 2026. Explore each of these remarkable titles and meet their authors over at the Scribando Showcase.
New Release
Journey Back to Self: Reclaiming the Woman Within
Sara Jodoin
View Showcase ›
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New Release
Happy Gut: An Evidence-Based Journey to Understand Your Body, Heal Your Microbiome, and Survive in a Broken Food World
Farah Arakji
View Showcase ›
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Coming Soon
Olivia’s Passport Plates: One Brave Bite in Japan
Rhonda Davis
View Showcase ›
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New Release
Price of the Phoenix: Rising from the Ashes of Narcissistic Abuse.
Sai Riddhii
View Showcase ›
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#1 New Release in Emotions & Mental Health
Wake Up and Smell Your Fart: Break the Patterns that Keep You Stuck
Shiv Shah
View Showcase ›
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New Release
Being Tom Ringer
Tali Isseroff
View Showcase ›
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IndieReader Discovery Award in the Nonfiction Spiritual category
BECOMING A PEACOCK: STRUT YOUR WAY INTO SELF-LOVE
MICHAL BARDAVID, UTKU LOMLU, TUGCE KABAKCI
View Showcase ›
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#1 Bestseller in Happiness in the US (early June 2026)
Make Me Smile with Miist: Songs, Stories, and 15-Second Actions for Emotional Healing, Mental Health, and Finding Happiness
Miist Miist
View Showcase ›
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Industry Updates
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Audio Publishers Association Reports U.S. Audiobook Revenue Hit $2.43 Billion in 2025
The APA's annual sales survey, released June 5, 2026, found audiobook sales revenue grew 9% year-over-year to $2.43 billion in 2025. Notably, only 16% of listeners have tried an AI-voiced audiobook, and consumer willingness to try AI narration fell from 70% to 61%, while revenue from Audio First titles rose 50% to $136 million.
Spotify's Entry Drives Double-Digit Audiobook Growth for Major Publishers
Spotify has reported roughly 35–36% year-over-year growth in global audiobook listening hours and, in February 2026, launched weekly Audiobook Charts in the US and UK, making discovery more algorithm-driven. Publishers are reporting the commercial impact, with Bloomsbury citing 57% audio sales growth in its 2025 fiscal year, partly attributed to its Spotify partnership.
Publishers of Nearly 400 U.S. Newspapers Sue OpenAI and Microsoft Over Content Scraping
On June 24, 2026, a coalition of publishers collectively operating close to 400 newspapers filed suit in the Southern District of New York, alleging OpenAI and Microsoft copied their articles to train large language models without permission or compensation. The complaint seeks statutory damages and injunctive relief for copyright infringement and violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
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Upcoming Events
Bradford Literature Festival 2026
📍 Bradford, United Kingdom · In Person
Running July 3-12, 2026, Bradford Literature Festival is an annual festival encompassing literature, music, theatre, discussions, lectures and family events, with over 500 events across the program.
West Cork Literary Festival 2026
📍 Bantry, Ireland · In Person
Held July 10-17, 2026, this week-long celebration of writing and reading features renowned and emerging international and Irish writers, masterclasses, readings, talks, and workshops for all ages.
Writer's Digest Annual Conference 2026
📍 New Brunswick, NJ, USA · In Person
Taking place July 23-25, 2026, the Writer's Digest Annual Conference gathers emerging authors and publishing professionals for workshops and sessions covering craft, marketing, platform building, and the business of publishing.
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✦ Supported By
The Partners Who Make This Possible
Book World Update is produced by Scribando and supported by a curated network of trusted publishing services. Every partner listed here is one we personally recommend.
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