By Carlo Carrenho, Contributing Editor
Among the headlines this week: an Australian audiobook survey reveals some fascninating trends; a new manga subscription emerges; AI companies are reportedly buying large quantities of secondhand books in German-speaking countries training; and another example of the resilience of Ukraine and its publishing sector.Down Under, It’s the Yarn, Not the Accent
Books+Publishing reports that Millicent Weber, senior lecturer in English at The Australian National University, has released the study Audiobook Reading in Australia. Based on surveys of 503 Australian and 500 German audiobook listeners, the report found that 40% of Australians consider listening to an audiobook to “count” as reading, compared with 21.2% in Germany, while nearly 60% listen at least weekly. U.S.-accented narrators accounted for 37.6% of respondents’ most recent listens, ahead of Australian-accented narrators at 22.1%. Only 16.9% listened without multitasking. The study also found that 81.4% of men and 45.3% of women most recently listened to a book narrated by a male voice. Some 17.4% of respondents had tried AI narration or text-to-speech technology.
The prevalence of U.S.-accented narrators may simply reflect the larger size of the U.S. audiobook catalog, with Australian listeners choosing access to titles over a familiar accent. But it could also indicate that publishers have placed too much emphasis on matching narrators’ accents to local audiences. Different accents may enrich the listening experience by adding variety and exposing audiences to a broader range of voices. The report also highlights a notable gender divide: while women appear equally comfortable listening to male and female narrators, men overwhelmingly listen to male voices.
Manga Goes Direct—One Subscription at a Time
In Business Wire press release, emaqi, a digital manga platform from Japanese startup Orange Inc. focused on officially licensed English-language manga, has launched emaqi Premium, a monthly manga subscription service in the United States and Canada. Priced at $6.99 or CA$9.99 per month, the service offers access to more than 400 manga series and 2,000 volumes from over 10 publishers, including Kodansha USA Publishing, Shonengahosha, and Akita Shoten, with VIZ Media/Shogakukan titles to follow. Around 100 series are exclusive to emaqi, many making their first official English-language debut, and about 100 additional volumes are planned each month.
This launch highlights two notable trends in publishing. First, subscription models continue to expand across different content platforms. More significantly, it reflects the growing commitment of major Japanese publishers to reach international readers directly, either through their own platforms or global digital partners, rather than relying primarily on licensing rights to foreign publishers for local editions.
AI Goes Shopping for German Books
According to Börsenblatt, citing investigations by Germany’s public broadcaster SWR and Switzerland’s public broadcaster SRF, U.S. AI companies are reportedly buying large quantities of second-hand books in German-speaking countries to train large language models. Secondhand booksellers across Germany have observed unusually large orders from the Canadian–American company Zoom Books, reportedly focused on nonfiction and specialist titles published from the 1970s onward that carry an ISBN. The books are said to be scanned and then destroyed.
Tübingen bookseller Roger Sonnewald told SWR that while the purchases are legal, the suspected destruction could result in the loss of cultural heritage. SRF also reported that AI companies are increasingly turning to older specialist books as freely available online texts become scarcer, with some reportedly viewing the purchase, scanning, and destruction of physical books as a way to rely on the U.S. fair use principle.
There have been previous reports of AI companies acquiring large numbers of print books in the United States to train their models. What makes these reports noteworthy is that the practice appears to be extending into foreign-language markets. The reported focus on out-of-print, second-hand books also suggests that AI companies are looking beyond current publishing catalogs in search of training material. If confirmed, such practices represent a development that deserves attention from the publishing industry.
Island Nations Have More Than Football to Show the World
Publishers Weekly reports that Latoya West-Blackwood, director of the Jamaica Book Festival, has launched the Caribbean Collective, a new publishing organization representing Antigua, the Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. The initiative aims to strengthen the region’s publishing infrastructure and create more opportunities for authors to build careers without relocating abroad. The collective has already debuted a shared stand with 30 exhibitors at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and presented a smaller exhibition at the Beijing International Book Fair, with plans to expand to French and Spanish-speaking Caribbean markets.
The recent fascination with small island nations through the FIFA World Cup has shown how places such as Curaçao and Cape Verde can capture global attention. Publishing can achieve the same, helping smaller territories become international success stories. The Caribbean Collective is a welcome initiative, enabling individual markets to gain greater visibility by working together. As globalization and technology continue to reshape publishing, the flow of opportunities should be two-way: while major markets expand into smaller ones, publishers from smaller territories can also strengthen their presence on the global stage.
When 800,000 Books Are Lost, a Ukrainian Publisher Carries On
According to Chytomo, a warehouse operated by Ukrainian publisher BookChef’s logistics partner, Denka Logistics, was damaged during a Russian attack on Kyiv, destroying approximately 800,000 of the publisher’s books. No employees were injured. BookChef described the loss as the result of years of work by authors, translators, editors, illustrators, designers, printers, and other publishing professionals. The publisher has temporarily suspended promotions with retail partners while it rebuilds inventory but said it will continue operating and urged readers to support its recovery by purchasing its books.
The war in Ukraine has had a profound impact on the country’s book industry, with bookstores, publishing houses, and libraries damaged or destroyed by military action. The loss of 800,000 books ranks among the largest single destructions of books since the full-scale invasion. At the same time, BookChef’s determination to remain operational underscores the resilience of the Ukrainian publishing industry, which continues to publish—and even grow—despite the war. That commitment deserves recognition and support.
Brexit’s Latest Publishing Twist: A €3 Book Fee
According to The Bookseller, leading U.K. publishing organizations—the Publishers Association, Professional Publishers Association, Booksellers Association, and the European Publishers’ Council—have urged the U.K. government to seek an exemption for books, journals, magazines, and other print media from new EU customs duty rules. The request follows the introduction of a €3 ($3.42) customs duty on all imported goods entering the EU from July 1, 2026, replacing the previous exemption for parcels valued below €150 ($171). The organizations argue the measure conflicts with the 1950 UNESCO Florence Agreement and note that the European Commission has said the reforms are intended to address low-value Chinese e-commerce imports rather than reading materials.
While the new customs duty may have been designed to address low-value imports from China, it also serves the traditional purpose of tariffs: protecting domestic industries. European publishers have increasingly faced competition from imported English-language editions, which often reach readers before local translations are available, undermining the market for translated works. From that perspective, the new fees may also help protect local publishing and could be doing exactly what tariffs are intended to do. It is also worth noting that, had Brexit not taken place, these customs charges would not exist.
From KDP to NYC: Pocket Opens the Door
According to Publishers Weekly, Simon & Schuster is relaunching its historic Pocket Books imprint as a dedicated home for bestselling self-published and hybrid authors. Led by Anh Schluep, formerly of Amazon Publishing, the imprint will focus on commercial fiction—particularly romance—and will no longer publish mass market paperbacks. Instead, Pocket will acquire self-published authors for print editions, with plans to release two to three trade paperback titles per month beginning in January 2027.
The appointment of a former Amazon executive is a logical choice, given that many acquisition decisions are likely to be informed by authors’ success on Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). It is also notable to see one of the Big Five publishers making such a clear commitment to the self-publishing sector by dedicating an established imprint to it. However, will independent authors value having a dedicated home, or would they prefer to publish under Simon & Schuster’s established imprints and benefit from the recognition those brands already command?
A Glass of Port, a Shelf of Pride
According to Expresso, singer Dua Lipa and Livraria Lello have opened the “Manifesto Library,” a new space within the Porto bookstore dedicated to books that have been banned or censored. Launched during the Babell literary festival, the collection features around 100 titles that challenge power, censorship, exclusion, and dominant narratives. According to Dua Lipa, the selection includes books banned by schools over racial or sexuality-related themes, works written for LGBTQIA+ readers that have been removed from display, and titles whose authors faced severe persecution for their writing. Livraria Lello Brand Director Francisca Pedro Pinto said the project reflects the bookstore’s long-held belief that “the book is a technology of freedom.”
This project brings together Dua Lipa, one of the world’s most influential book influencers, with what is arguably one of the world’s most celebrated bookstores: Livraria Lello. It also carries a discreet irony: J. K. Rowling wrote parts of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone while living in Porto, and the city is believed to have inspired aspects of the novel. And. today, Porto’s most iconic bookstore is prominently promoting books with LGBTQIA+ themes, while Rowling has become a controversial figure because of her views and statements on transgender rights.
What Else Caught My Eye
A drive-through bookshop. A BMW crashed into the front of the Buchhandlung Isartal bookshop in Germany after its driver reportedly mistook reverse for drive, causing around €70,000 in damage—€20,000 to the car and €50,000 to the shop. According to Börsenblatt.
A synced shelf. Rakuten Kobo has become the first e-reader platform to offer native integration with StoryGraph, allowing readers to automatically sync their reading progress, finished books, and statistics between the two services. The launch was just announced on LinkedIn.
A non-Amazon bundle. Digital reading platform Skeelo has partnered with Mercado Livre, Amazon’s main e-commerce competitor in Brazil, to bring one e-book and one audiobook per month to subscribers of the retailer’s Meli+ programme. According to PublishNews.
An Uzbek president. Mutolaa CEO Sirojiddin Olimov met with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to present the Uzbek reading platform’s rapid growth to 4.7 million users and its expanding impact on the country’s publishing industry. According to Olimov’s LinkedIn post.
A second chance. French used-book company Recyclivre has launched a service that lets independent bookshops accept used books back without handling pricing, storage, or resale, rewarding customers with in-store vouchers instead. According to Livres Hebdo.
A borrowed patron. Japanese bookshops and libraries are increasingly working together, with some bookshops allowing customers to pick up and return library books in-store—a service that can also lead to book purchases. According to TV Asahi News.
The writer of this column is fascinated by islands. Long before Curaçao and the splendid Cape Verde captured the world’s imagination with their remarkable FIFA World Cup campaigns, he spent a summer on Catalina Island, off the coast of Los Angeles, and later enjoyed his honeymoon in Brazil’s Fernando de Noronha archipelago. He has also spent three days admiring the moai on Easter Island and a week on the tiny French Polynesian island of Mataiva, where he was the only tourist among its 180 residents. And as he visits Sardinia every summer, he becomes a little more Sardinian each year. One of his remaining dreams is to visit Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic—because, apparently, the more difficult an island is to reach, the more irresistible it becomes.
Perhaps more relevantly, the writer of this column believes that accents are to audiobooks what local flavors are to islands: they give them identity, authenticity, beauty, and character. He wishes publishers would celebrate regional and national accents more often, instead of smoothing them away in pursuit of a boring standardized sound.