Paper Trail

Despite the growth of digital formats in the last decade, the majority of U.S. adults still prefer reading print books, a revealing new Pew survey found. At the Bologna Children’s Fair, we talked kid lit trends with some of the publishing pros in attendance and stopped by the ceremony for this year’s Bologna Prize for children’s publishers. Back stateside, a coalition of publishers, booksellers, librarians, and more have signed a letter opposing a proposed national book banning bill. Laura Heimert is stepping down from the helm of the Basic Books Group, with Brian J. Distelberg tapped to succeed her as president and publisher. And the Center for the Art of Translation plans to open a first-of-its-kind literary and cultural space in San Francisco next year. Plus, we’re continuing our rollout of Bookstore and Sales Rep of the Year finalists, shining a spotlight on Book Worm Bookstore in Powder Springs, Ga., and S&S telesales rep Alex Yokom. In other news, Whoopi Goldberg is launching her own imprint at Blackstone Publishing, per the AP. The boycott of Canada’s Giller Prize has ended after more than a year after the literary award cut its sponsorship ties with Scotiabank and the Azrieli Foundation, reports CBC. The Times of London reports that U.K. publishers are increasingly experimenting with a “paperback-first strategy” in response to reader preferences. And for the Atlantic, Rebecca Ackermann pens a rousing defense of human ghostwriters in the age of AI.