Around the Book World: Monday, November 9, 2026

Publishing analyst Carlo Carrenho kicks off the week with a review of the headlines from across the international publishing world.

By Carlo Carrenho, Contributing Editor

Google's Gemini Notebook: Free Textbooks, Anyone?

Google is expanding its AI-powered research and learning tool, Gemini Notebook, by making hundreds of textbooks available to students at no charge. As announced on Google's official blog, the collection includes educational titles from U.S. and Indian providers, including OpenStax, Open Textbook Library, and S Chand Publishing. The initiative builds on Google's recently introduced Expert Intelligence program, which already allows users to incorporate eligible ebooks purchased through Google Play Books into their notebooks. Students can now select textbooks directly from Gemini Notebook's source catalog and use Gemini's AI capabilities to explore their content, ask questions, and generate study materials. Google says the AI-generated answers are grounded in the selected textbooks, with inline citations and links back to the original sources.

What makes Google's move particularly interesting is how it brings together an AI-powered educational tool with actual published textbooks. Two of the three providers mentioned in Google's announcement are U.S.-based open educational resources: OpenStax produces peer-reviewed textbooks available free of charge, while Open Textbook Library aggregates openly licensed titles from different authors and publishers. Neither operates as a traditional commercial publisher. S Chand Publishing, however, is an established Indian educational publisher producing school and higher education textbooks, making its participation particularly interesting from a commercial perspective. The arrangements behind such partnerships, and how they might evolve as the catalog expands, will certainly be worth following.

Sweden and Norway Disagree Again -- This Time Over Fixed Book Prices

As reported by Svensk Bokhandel, Norway's book law is dividing publishers and audiobook streaming services. The law requires fixed prices for all book formats for 12 months, during which ebooks and digital audiobooks can only be purchased individually, keeping new releases out of subscription services. Alexander Even Henriksen, CEO of Bonnier Norsk Forlag, is critical of aspects of the law but also recognizes its benefits, arguing that it helps sustain Norway's 460 physical bookshops, compared with 290 in Sweden, despite Norway having roughly half the population.

BookBeat CEO Niclas Sandin sees the restrictions as an obstacle to streaming growth, while Nextory's Jacob Martinelle questions whether limiting audiobook availability actually encourages print sales. English-language audiobooks, which are exempt from the law, account for 18% of audiobook consumption in Norway, compared with just 6% in Sweden. Supporters argue that the law preserves publishing diversity and nationwide access to bookshops, although Norway has lost around 100 stores over the past decade.

Fixed book prices undoubtedly help protect publishing diversity and bookstores, and Norway's higher number of bookstores per capita is a good illustration, even if other economic factors also play a role. But regulation comes with consequences. As Henriksen pointed out at a Swedish book industry event earlier this year, keeping new Norwegian titles out of streaming services means losing relevance in the very channels where new readers and listeners are found.Meanwhile, with English-language content facing no such restrictions, it is hardly surprising that its share of audiobook consumption is growing.

Norwegian book prices have also historically been higher than those in Sweden, another factor worth considering, even if fixed prices are not necessarily the only reason. With Poland now discussing a similar book law, the debate should consider not only the benefits of regulation but also its wider economic consequences.

An AI-Assisted Novel? Robert Laffont Will Publish It

As reported by ActuaLitté, French publisher Robert Laffont is taking a different approach to AI-generated manuscripts from rival Gallimard. Robert Laffont's managing director, Frédéric Martin, opposes the use of AI detection software to screen submissions, arguing that the relationship between authors and publishers should be based on trust. Gallimard's parent company, Madrigall, meanwhile, plans to introduce AI detection for submitted manuscripts in January 2027. Robert Laffont is also preparing to publish Les Touches fantômes, an AI-assisted novel by Sébastien Bailly, in February 2027. Bailly generated an initial draft largely with Claude before spending a year rewriting and refining the manuscript through some 30 versions.

Robert Laffont's approach to AI goes against the prevailing trend, and while it may raise some eyebrows, it also offers an interesting perspective on how AI and publishing might work together in the future. After all, the use of AI in writing is far more nuanced than a simple distinction between human-written and AI-generated books. One of the challenges going forward will be understanding where AI assistance ends and authorship begins, and whether that distinction can always be clearly drawn. In that context, publishing a novel initially drafted with Claude, while being transparent about the process, is an interesting experiment worth following as the book reaches readers.

Polish Comics: Everyone Counts

Poland published 2,294 comic book titles in 2025, according to the first annual Comics Market in Numbers report from Komiksopedia.pl, a Polish comics industry portal launched in January 2025. As reported by Rynek Książki, the figure is considerably higher than the 1,579 titles recorded by Poland's National Library, as Komiksopedia also tracks small-print-run publications, collectors' editions, and independent releases. Five publishers -- Egmont, Waneko, Studio JG, Hachette, and J.P. Fantastica -- accounted for 51.64% of all titles. The average cover price was PLN 59.65 ($15.16), while the report also identified the country's first three AI-assisted comics (which received a negative response from artists and publishers).

The difference between the two figures is a good reminder of how much independent and self-publishing activity can be missed by established industry reports and statistics. And this is not just an issue in major international language markets such as English, but also in markets centered on a single national language, such as Polish. Komiksopedia deserves credit for going beyond the usual sources and putting together a more complete picture of what is actually being published. Another interesting finding is just how concentrated the Polish comics market is, with two major international players, Danish Egmont and French Hachette, among the five publishers responsible for more than half of all titles.

HarperCollins Posts Strong Q1 Results. Are You Listening?

HarperCollins reported a 9% increase in revenue to $582 million in the first quarter of its 2027 fiscal year, with EBITDA rising 29% to $79 million, according to Publishers Weekly. Parent company News Corp attributed the performance to strong demand for print and digital books across general trade and children's publishing. Digital sales increased 6% percent, supported by a 13% rise in audiobook revenue, which the company credited to its partnership with Spotify and efforts to improve the profitability of audiobook listening.

Backlist titles accounted for 66% of consumer revenue. The earnings increase also benefited from the absence of a $13 million write-off related to the collapse of library distributor Baker & Taylor in the previous year. Meanwhile, News Corp CEO Robert Thomson discussed the company's dual approach to artificial intelligence: defending its intellectual property against unauthorized use while exploring opportunities to reduce production costs, improve products, and expand into new markets.

Perhaps the most interesting takeaway is the strength of audiobook sales. Double-digit growth in a market moving toward maturity is remarkable, and HarperCollins' performance offers a good illustration of just how important Spotify has become in the audiobook market, particularly in challenging Audible's longstanding dominance. Equally interesting is News Corp's desire to defend the industry against AI companies engaged in unfair practices while embracing AI's potential to improve productivity and create new business opportunities.

Bookstores in Decline? Tohan Didn't Get the Memo

Japanese book distributor Tohan has helped open 80 new bookstores in just two years through HONYAL, a program launched in October 2024 to support small independent booksellers. According to the company, the initiative now serves 105 operating bookstores, including 25 existing retailers, with another 44 contracted locations preparing to open. HONYAL makes opening a bookstore easier by offering weekly deliveries, limiting returns, and generally waiving security deposits and guarantor requirements. The model is attracting interest across Japan, with 894 inquiries from all 47 prefectures. Most participating stores are tiny: 78% have less than 33 square meters (355 square feet) of selling space, while 64% combine bookselling with other activities, such as cafés, galleries, or coworking spaces.

It is refreshing to see some good news about bookstores at a time when so many markets around the world are struggling with closures and a shrinking bookselling landscape, Japan included. Tohan's initiative deserves attention and recognition. By making it simpler, cheaper, and less bureaucratic to open a bookstore, or even to add bookselling to an existing business, the distributor is going against the trend and showing that it is still possible to expand the number of places where people can buy books.

Move Over, Coffee and Roses. Colombian Books Are Going Global

As reported by PublishNews Spain, Colombia's National Library and the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Knowledge have launched the first phase of Memoria que Conecta (Memory That Connects), an initiative bringing the country's public library network onto OverDrive's digital lending platform and its Libby reading app. The program also includes Colombia's traveling rural libraries, with offline reading capabilities intended to reach communities with limited internet connectivity. Beyond expanding domestic access, the agreement aims to bring Colombian literature and cultural heritage to international readers. Through the Biblioteca Digital de Colombia (Colombia Digital Library), the National Library plans to make digitized works from its collections and local authors available abroad, subject to copyright permissions.

Perhaps the most significant aspect of this agreement is that Colombian content from the National Library's collections will now have a route to readers around the world through OverDrive, helping turn the flow of digital content into a two-way street. For too long, the digital highways have largely carried English-language content into other markets, with much less traffic in the opposite direction. This initiative is therefore particularly welcome. Equally important is the attention given to rural libraries and offline reading. Internet access cannot be taken for granted in many parts of Colombia, Latin America, or the Global South more broadly, and solutions that allow readers to access books without a continuous connection deserve recognition.

Peru's Jerziobuk: Small Beginnings, Big Ambitions

Peruvian audiobook startup Jerziobuk officially launched on October 30, 2026, offering individual audiobook purchases, and planning to introduce a subscription model as its catalog grows. Founded by Pablo Alonso Cotrina and Aldo Incio, the platform hopes to establish a foothold in Peru before expanding into other Spanish-speaking markets. In an interview with Stakeholders, the founders outlined plans to secure distribution agreements with publishers and international rights holders, offer audiobook production services, and eventually develop original content.

For now, Jerziobuk is probably best described as a minimum viable product (MVP), but its two Peruvian founders deserve credit for their courage and perhaps their timing. Spotify's recent entry into the Latin American audiobook market should help raise awareness of the format as music listeners discover audiobooks on a platform they already use. This could be an ideal moment for a dedicated audiobook service to attract more avid listeners looking for better value. The founders also seem to have realistic ambitions as they tackle the classic catch-22 of digital bookselling: growing a catalog to attract listeners while building an audience that justifies expanding the catalog.

In Japan, the Cliffhanger Still Pays

In Japan, nearly 60% of digital comics readers primarily consume content for free, according to a survey published by Oricon, the Japanese media research company best known for its music charts and consumer rankings. Based on responses from 8,668 users, the study found that 59.3% mainly read for free, while 40.7% pay for content. The proportion of paying readers varies considerably by age, from 29.1% among teenagers and people in their twenties to 46.3% among readers in their forties and those aged 50 and older. For 68.9% of primarily free readers who have made purchases, the main motivation is simply wanting to know what happens next after a free preview.

Perhaps the most interesting lesson from Oricon's study is that, at the end of the day, good stories still matter most. The fact that the main reason free readers decide to pay is simply to find out what happens next says a lot about the power of storytelling. It is the old cliffhanger strategy of television series, back when audiences had to wait a week for the next episode. And it suggests that, when it comes to converting free readers into paying customers, compelling stories may be more effective than discounts or promotions.

In South Korea, Books Are Literally Selling (Like) Cream Buns

As reported by The Korea Times, South Korea's "text hip" trend, which has turned reading into an expression of personal taste and lifestyle among younger generations, is now making its way into the food industry. On the book consumption side, the article cites data from credit card company Samsung Card showing that bookstore sales rose 8.5% in the first nine months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, with consumers in their twenties and thirties accounting for 26% of sales. But perhaps more interesting are the partnerships emerging between publishers and food companies. For example, Minumsa, one of South Korea's largest publishing houses, teamed up with convenience store chain GS25 to launch literary-themed cream buns accompanied by collectible bookmarks featuring classic book covers. The result? Two million buns sold in less than two months.

The first reaction to this story is simply: Wow! At a time when reading habits are under pressure and declining in many parts of the world, South Korea's "text hip" phenomenon is something almost every book market must envy. Just imagine books becoming so fashionable that they help sell food, with poetry and book covers turning into marketing tools for entirely different products. It is remarkable, and perhaps something other markets should be looking to emulate. At the very least, it's something worth dreaming about.

What Else Caught My Eye

A centerfold feast. Kouneli Media, publisher of the German editions of Playboy and Sports Illustrated, has entered book publishing with Meer auf dem Teller, a Mediterranean cookbook produced entirely in-house, reports Börsenblatt.

A silver marketplace. Publishing-industry platform Publishers Marketplace turned 25 on November 2, marking a quarter-century since Michael Cader switched it on in 2001, he writes in Publishers Lunch.

A COVID cashback. New York's Strand Book Store has agreed to pay $1.48 million to settle allegations that it was ineligible for a $932,350 pandemic loan because its controlling owner is married to a U.S. senator, according to the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

A Tonie invasion. German children's audio company Tonies has opened its first French shop-in-shop at Fnac Ternes in Paris, according to a LinkedIn announcement.

An innocent drawing. A Casablanca court sentenced 22-year-old Moroccan cartoonist Yasser Mounbir to four years in prison for publishing caricatures of King Mohammed VI on Instagram, reports ActuaLitté.

An audio-print duet. US publisher Capstone and children's audio platform Yoto have paired 52 decodable books with matching audio cards in a classroom bundle for beginning readers, reports Publishers Weekly.

An airborne audiobook. United has become the first airline to let passengers log into their personal Spotify accounts on seatback screens and continue audiobooks where they left off, according to a Spotify announcement.

A manga avant-première. Kadokawa's new World Manga label lets international readers access free English translations of the opening and latest chapters of selected Japanese series before collected editions appear, according to a company announcement.

A syllabus migration. Kenya's Longhorn Publishers recorded its largest annual loss since joining the Nairobi Securities Exchange after curriculum changes reduced demand for its older textbooks, reports Datapoint Daily.

The writer of this column visited South Korea in 2015 as a guest of Digital Book Fair Korea. Two memories stand out. First, the subway: with the fair and his hotel in Incheon, his nightly trips to Seoul meant three hours underground every day. He got to know Korean subway life rather well. Second, the country's extraordinary French-style pâtisseries. The upscale Paris Croissant impressed him, but being a man of the people, he fell for its more affordable sister chain, Paris Baguette, which he still affectionately calls "Paribá," in the best Korean fashion.

On a completely different note, this week the writer discovered a fantastic musician on Spotify and has been listening to his songs almost nonstop. The music sometimes evokes U2, sometimes the sounds of the 1990s, and is consistently excellent. The artist goes by the name Darkness Entirely, and here comes the surprise: he's a former colleague with whom the writer worked on digital publishing projects. Little did he know he was working alongside such a talented pop-rock composer! Curious to know who's behind Darkness Entirely? You'll have to click here and listen to his music on Spotify to find out. Just one hint: he's neither Swedish nor Brazilian. Check out the songs "One. Self." and "Words & Tongues".