AGP Executive Report

Film-to-page buzz: Lauren Asher’s sports romance Throttled is getting a feature film, with Off Campus star Josh Heuston set to lead—fans are already reacting to the F1 love story’s big-screen move. Publishing & media: Remain is landing as a new M. Night Shyamalan thriller-romance hybrid, adapted from Nicholas Sparks’ supernatural love novel. Book culture & community: Emporia’s baseball legacy gets a literary spotlight as Ken Ohm’s Brown Enough draws movie interest. Local literary life: Nelson’s Elephant Mountain Lit Fest is hosting a free “Writers Cubed” reading and panel with veteran authors. Crime & digital privacy: Pakistan’s cyber crime investigators say they arrested two suspects in Lahore over a fake “Mini NADRA” site, alleging sale of data tied to millions of citizens. Libraries & kids: A new Lauren Sánchez Bezos children’s book, The Fly Who Flew to the North Pole, is set for a November release. Thriller reading: Josh Malerman’s Pictures of You continues the hostage-thriller momentum with a gripping, uncanny premise.

Publishing Appointments: Pan Macmillan names Saira Nabi editor at Pan Non-Fiction, a fresh steer for the imprint’s nonfiction slate. Indie Crime Spotlight: West Yorkshire detective-author Roshan Pitteea launches Gris Gris Publishing, adding another imprint to the UK’s growing crime ecosystem. Romance & Thriller Awards: The Mo Siewcharran Prize 2026 shortlist is set with five writers, focused this year on romance and psychological thrillers. Crime Fiction Honors: McIlvanney Prize 2026 finalists include Tariq Ashkanani, Gavin Bell, Frances Crawford, Philip Miller, and Zoë Rankin. Book-to-Screen Buzz: The Love Hypothesis trailer turns the popular lab romance into a film moment, while FX/Hulu’s The Drop: A Snowfall Saga heads to TV on Sept. 8. 9/11 Archives: Former NYPD helicopter pilot Greg Semendinger shares aerial photos from 9/11 that are finally resurfacing for the anniversary. Community Reading: Brussels opens Le Refuge, a new city-centre bookstore specializing in outdoor sports and nature titles.

Publishing & Book Culture: A new true-crime title, The Girl with No Name, has Catherine Fogarty back in the spotlight, discussing her investigation into the 1969 murder of LA’s Reet Jurvetson. Adaptations & Screen Buzz: HBO released a second teaser for its Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone series, debuting Christmas 2026, with a full cast lineup. Sci-Fi & Dystopia: Apple TV’s Silo is set for a final Season 4 in summer 2027, with the show’s last chapter closing out Hugh Howey’s bunker mystery. Games & Storytelling: Don’t Nod warned it may not have enough funding to keep operating past January 2027, while Ultima VII: The Black Gate continues to get fresh retrospective love for its open-world design. Community Reading: Surrey’s Crime Stoppers fundraiser will “arrest” community members for a Jail and Bail event, and Rockland Public Library’s Friends group is gearing up for a big Book and Bake Sale. Book Marketing: One indie thriller author argues for “Stop Marketing Your Book. Start Marketing the Question,” shifting promos toward reader-driven dilemmas. Author & Publishing Industry: Authors are pushing back on claims tied to Anthropic’s settlement, as publishers and agents weigh in on who gets what.

BookTok & Copyright Tensions: Authors say publishers are claiming more than their share from the Anthropic copyright settlement, after writers reported unexpected emails about payment claims. Legal & Publishing Rights: A new Indian Supreme Court privacy ruling (Puttaswamy) reiterates privacy as central to life and liberty, reshaping how rights are framed in the constitution. Cultural Representation in Film: An academic paper argues Bollywood repeatedly uses Kashmir as a romance backdrop while sidelining Kashmiri identity and lived narratives. Privacy & Publishing Policy: A new e-book from Asia News Network spotlights Asia’s heritage and innovation, steering readers away from geopolitics toward cultural history. Reading as Community: Jakarta’s “silent book club” trend spreads, with groups gathering in public spaces to read together without talking. New Fiction Spotlight: Gail Anderson-Dargatz’s time-travel novel The Atlas Keeper follows a woman who uses an atlas to visit turning points in her life. International Book Events: Korea launches “K-Book Week” in Paris to promote Korean titles and rights deals. Sci-Fi & Adaptations: Dungeon Crawler Carl expands into a new board game, adding another format to the LitRPG phenomenon.

AI Copyright Fallout: Authors say publishers are claiming more than their share of Anthropic’s $1.5B copyright settlement, with complaints that credits and “employer” claims don’t match older rights reversion. Publishing & Rights: The dispute hinges on how $3,000 per pirated title is split between authors and publishers, including cases where rights reverted or books went out of print. True-Crime Spotlight: Octavia Spencer won a Creative Arts Emmy for narrating Investigation Discovery’s Lost Women of Alaska, adding to her awards run as the series revisits the “memory card murders” and systemic failures. Book-to-Screen Buzz: Netflix is developing Lucy Clarke’s thriller The Surf House as a TV series, turning a Morocco cliffside disappearance mystery into a binge-ready adaptation. Sci-Fi/Thriller Entertainment: Apple’s Silo Season 3 is topping streaming charts again, even as it diverges from the Hugh Howey books; meanwhile, Channel 5 confirmed Forever Home for Sept. 14. Local Reading Life: Savannah Metro libraries list a full slate of kids’ events, including D&D, anime clubs, and Nintendo game days.

Publishing & Rights: A U.S. appeals ruling says First Amendment protections can cover creating AI-generated sexual images of minors if no real person is depicted and the material stays at home, leaving other charges in place. Reading Under Pressure: In Scotland, a new push to modernise abortion laws keeps spotlighting how public debate can spill into everyday reading and public space. Genre Buzz: The Hugo Awards went to a mix of big names and fresh voices, including a graphic-novel win tied to Ursula Le Guin. Sci-Fi on Screen: Apple TV’s Silo Season 4 teaser confirms a 2027 premiere and ramps up the final-season conflict. Crime Fiction & Courts: South Africa’s KZN police chief alleges criminal networks infiltrate legal practice, raising fresh questions about the justice system’s integrity. Book Culture Online: Hyderabad police warn that “rent-a-romance” services are spreading via social media, with fraud and safety concerns. Local Book Life: A Wrexham author’s debut cat story, The Taming of Tigris, leans into humour and cross-ocean “email” adventures. Crime-Adjacent Media: A viral Gujarat police video shows an accused allegedly beaten during a crime-scene reconstruction, sparking outrage and demands for accountability.

Crime & Courts: A Delhi court denied bail to former Reliance ADAG executive Amitabh Jhunjhunwala in a money-laundering case, citing fears he could influence witnesses. Publishing & Reading Culture: New Mexico will send two fire-lookout books to the National Book Festival—Caroline Starr Rose’s The Burning Season (youth) and Philip Connors’ The Mountain Knows the Mountain: A Fire Watch Diary (adults). Kids & Community Books: Maine author Kayla James’ The Chronicles of a Guinea Pig 2 lands in Cundy’s Harbor, continuing a pet-inspired series. Books Meet Media: Ann Patchett recommends four backlist reads, while a new Harry Potter release spotlights Lily and James. Sci-Fi/Thriller Adaptation Buzz: Apple TV’s Dark Matter returns with strong early reception, and Reacher won’t adapt Lee Child’s “61 Hours” due to its snowbound setup. True Crime/Crime Fiction Spotlight: A new steamy Agatha Christie adaptation, Tommy & Tuppence, blends romance with mystery.

Publishing & Community Events: Omaha Public Library is rolling out free fall author talks and Q&As, plus writing workshops for adults and kids across branches, including memoir and “Tails of Adventure” sessions. Crime, Courts & True Crime Books: A Whitfield County jury convicted Kenneth Allan Jones of armed robbery after prosecutors presented two alleged confessions, with Flock camera tracking central to the case. Book Reviews (Thriller/Romance): Nora Roberts’ “The Final Target” spotlights a romance thriller with stalking and assault themes, while Avni Doshi’s “The First House” digs into grief and the unraveling of an elite marriage. Literary Spotlight: Colson Whitehead’s “Cool Machine” closes his Harlem trilogy, shifting Ray Carney into the 1980s with crime and cultural theft at the center. Book-to-World Culture: Jeff Bezos tells William Shatner that Star Trek toys, sci-fi reading, and Moon-landing inspiration all fed into Blue Origin’s origin story. Tech & Reading Habits: A Steam-topping free-to-play MMORPG, “Longevity: Path of the Immortal,” markets in English but offers no English support, raising accessibility questions for readers-turned-gamers.

Author Events: Flutterbuy Books & More will host a signing with C.A.M. Muñoz for his psychological thriller “The Compulsive Writer,” where a simple story spirals into obsession and reality-bending danger. Publishing Education: The Louisiana Book Festival opens registration for Oct. 30 WordShops led by Jill Christman, Donna Everhart, and Emily Nemens, with craft sessions for writers at every level. Book Sales: Friends of the Library in New Albany plans a Sept. 12 outdoor sale with thousands of titles plus media and collectibles. Adaptations & Screen Rights: Venice’s Book Adaptation Rights Market (Sept. 4–6) shows studios and streamers pitching catalogs early, with screen deals increasingly discussed before publication. TV/Genre Buzz: “Heated Rivalry” Season 2 adds Paul Gross, Milla Jovovich, and Kevin Zegers, drawing inspiration from Rachel Reid’s “The Long Game.” Crime Fiction Spotlight: Clacton author David Evans announces “Discontent,” the fourth installment in his 1970s Essex detective series. Industry Watch: HarperCollins is set to publish Sonia Gandhi’s memoir “Belonging” after a dispute over edits.

Publishing Spotlight: HarperCollins India will publish Sonia Gandhi’s memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love on Nov. 10 after Penguin Random House India backed out amid an editorial dispute that sparked allegations of political pressure. True Crime & Ethics: A Massachusetts trial over Lindsay Clancy’s children’s deaths is drawing renewed scrutiny over how social media and media coverage can turn victims into background noise. Crime Justice: Colorado’s appeals court granted an 80-year-sentence inmate a hearing to pursue postconviction DNA testing in a 1992 shooting case. Publishing Deals: Templar Books acquired two more titles in Harriet Howe and Katie Cottle’s Little Wolf series, expanding the picture-book world with sibling-change and first-day-at-school stories. Books to Screen: BBC/RTÉ’s The Murder of Mr Moonlight adapts Catherine Fegan’s book, dramatizing the 2011 disappearance and 2019 trial of Irish DJ Bobby Ryan. Genre Buzz: TikTok BookTok users in Brazil are driving a surge in Dostoevsky’s novella White Nights, with sales jumping sharply year-on-year. Community Reading: A Bluewater Rise family built a front-yard lending library to share children’s books and YA fiction with neighbors.

Festival & Community Reading: On the Same Page Literary Festival returns Sept. 15–18 in West Jefferson, spotlighting North Carolina writers with readings, workshops, craft talks, and a live podcast. New Book Sale: Friends of the St. Marys Library will run a four-day donation book sale Sept. 23–26 to fund programs and collections. Publishing for Jewish Voices: Canary Publishing, a new nonprofit for Jewish/Israeli/Zionist adult fiction and nonfiction, is now taking submissions, aiming to publish work sidelined by mainstream outlets. Local Book Retail: Leaves & Lore opens in West Chester, a curated fantasy shop that nearly sold out on day one. Bestsellers Watch: Michelle Good’s Eliza Sunshine tops Canadian fiction; Cory Doctorow’s The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI stays No. 1 in Canadian nonfiction. Screen-to-Page Buzz: Heated Rivalry adds Kevin Zegers, Milla Jovovich, and Paul Gross for season 2, based on Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series. Crime & Law (Publishing-adjacent): A bipartisan bill would make staged crashes a federal crime, while tenant advocates push Baltimore eviction “abandonment” rules as unconstitutional.

Publishing Losses & Shifts: The Saturday Evening Post will end its print edition after 200+ years, moving to online-only in January 2027, citing rising costs, weaker ads, and changing reader habits. Author Spotlight: Kentucky agrarian writer Wendell Berry, author of 40+ books including Nathan Coulter, has died at 92. Romance Debut: Gilbert wedding photographer Nikki Hutchings turns her own “happily-ever-after” into fiction with debut romance A Second Shot. Health System Friction: A New Zealand commentary argues Health New Zealand leadership and its workforce aren’t “on the same page,” framing the gap as a culture clash. AI in Publishing: Pangram Labs’ AI-text detector is being treated like a verdict by publishers and universities, with claims of extremely low false positives raising fresh debate. Tech & Media: Netflix renews its entire podcast slate and orders more exclusives, signaling podcasts as a bigger part of its content strategy.

Northern Berkshire Book Festival: More than 50 authors are set to gather Sept. 9 at the North Adams Public Library for a free, multi-floor event spanning memoir, fiction, graphic novels, cookbooks, and philosophy—built to connect local writers with readers. Thriller Buzz on Bestseller Lists: Linwood Barclay’s new thriller “Not a Word” leads Toronto Star fiction rankings, while Jennifer Hillier’s “Heart of Glass” and Liane Moriarty’s “Big Little Truths” keep the crime-and-secrets momentum going. New Speculative Suspense: Franklin County author Ever James will debut “Senders: Discovery,” a telepathy-tinged suspense novel launching a four-book series. Publishing Awards Watch: Massachusetts Book Awards named Jill Lepore’s “We the People” nonfiction winner and Stuart Nadler’s “Rooms for Vanishing” fiction winner. Book-to-Screen Fantasy: Apple TV sets Season 2 of “The Sisters Grimm” for Oct. 2, continuing the fairy-tale sleuthing adventures. Library Life: Gwinnett County Public Library kicks off Library Card Sign-Up Month, spotlighting kids’ e-resources, tutoring, and career help.

Screenwriting Breakthrough: Sarantos Melogia landed three projects as Final Draft’s 2026 Big Break quarterfinalists—Born to Fail (drama), X9 (thriller-horror), and The Last Blessing (TV pilot). Publishing Charts: Freida McFadden hit another UK bestseller peak with Brain Damage, her ninth number-one of 2026, while Jason Arday continues to lead non-fiction. Genre & Worldbuilding: Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn RPG sourcebooks are set for Fall 2026, including a handbook and world guide, with play options spanning Era One and Era Two. Book Culture & Community: A new bookstore in Ganshoren, Belgium—Aux Iris—opens this autumn with a Chinese-medicine focus alongside crime and other genres, plus events and readings. Reading for the Screen: Netflix’s The Early Spring keeps climbing globally, driven by workplace-romance buzz and its popular novel roots. Literary Recognition: Zimbabwean YA author Blessing Musariri is the only African finalist for the $50,000 2026 Kirkus Prize. Fan Events: London’s Science Museum plans a Star Trek Day record attempt for the largest simultaneous Vulcan salute.

Courtroom Press Access: Albania’s Gazeta Tema says a special court has published journalist accreditation forms that it argues are harder to qualify for than “a visa to North Korea,” warning internal rules could effectively override constitutional press freedom. Local Gambling Policy: Barking and Dagenham plans tougher gambling premises licensing, citing harm prevention and public health as residents complain about the borough’s high concentration of betting shops. Rock Memoir Buzz: Tears for Fears’ Roland Orzabal’s bestselling “Welcome to My Life” lands as an “astrological memoir,” with publisher Dey Street Books leaning into the book’s birth-chart framing. Rural Crime Debut: Minnesota writer James Arlen Anderson’s first novel, “The Storm Next Door,” is a slow-burn rural crime thriller about a sex offender move-in and a tornado that leaves two missing. Genre Screen Tie-Ins: HBO Max teases the next Harry Potter TV trailer drop, while LEGO Harry Potter’s Switch 2 release date is set for Oct. 16. Thriller Publishing: Spines announces “The Shadow’s Ledger,” a new CIA-linked conspiracy thriller about contract killers uncovering corruption at the top. Community Reading: WWNO’s “The Reading Life” host Susan Larson is ending her long-running book radio show.

Publishing Deals: Greenfinch (Quercus) has pre-empted Clare Faulkner’s Regency romance-themed elimination puzzle novel Emma’s Perfect Match, while HCG snapped up a young fiction series by Caroline Crowe and Ben Mantle. Screen-to-Page Buzz: Prime Video set Maxton Hall Season 3 (final season) for Dec. 9, based on Mona Kasten’s trilogy, and Lionsgate is moving ahead with The Housemaid’s Secret, adding Off Campus star Stephen Kalyn. AI & Books: Canadian used bookstores are bracing for “destructive scanning” bulk orders as fears grow that physical books are being bought, chopped up, scanned for AI training, and trashed. Crime & Culture: A Las Vegas jury convicted Duane “Keffe D” Davis of orchestrating Tupac Shakur’s 1996 murder, with prosecutors pointing to his own past statements. Literary Community: A Nigerian writer, Mary Ipeh Osise, won Brittle Paper’s 22-word flash fiction contest, imagining a 2158 world where writers still matter. Obituary: Wendell Berry, the Kentucky poet-farmer and conservationist, died at 92.