Global Perspectives

At this year’s Sharjah International Book Fair, African publishers spoke out about the unique challenges facing the continent’s literary ecosystem, from infrastructural gaps to the tension between catering to local readers and Western ones. Globe Pequot continues its hot streak of acquisitions with the purchase of Rio Nuevo Publishers, marking its fourth deal this year. Amazon MGM has landed movie rights to Fourth Wing author Rebecca Yarros’s romance novel The Last Letter, and pop star Sabrina Carpenter and director Lorene Scafaria are teaming on an Alice in Wonderland movie musical for Universal, per the Hollywood Reporter. Random House has denied accusations that a recent illustrated edition of George R. R. Martin’s A Feast for Crows includes AI-generated artwork, reports Gizmodo. Meanwhile, PW correspondent Thad McIlroy takes a comprehensive look at how AI will affect the book business over at the Future of Publishing, including the question of whether publishers should sign licensing deals. In France, the Angoulême International Comics Festival is facing criticism and boycotts from participating comics publishers over the involvement of 9e Art+ owner Franck Bondoux, the Beat reports. And AUPresses rounded up all the events taking place around the globe to celebrate its annual University Press Week.