By Carlo Carrenho, Contributing Editor
Among the week’s headlines: IFFRO releases a report on copyright and AI; Comics are surging in Italy; BookBeat posts strong growth; and digital books continue to grow in Russia.
AI Is Here. Readers Wanted. Previous Experience Not Required.
A new study by the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFRRO), reported by Publishing Perspectives, found that more than 90% of nearly 2,000 respondents believe generative AI has negatively affected rightsholders’ earnings, while 96% consider existing copyright protections inadequate. Similar concerns emerge from a survey of 1,785 literary translators by the European Council of Literary Translators’ Associations (CEATL): 37% have considered leaving the profession, while nearly 30% report losing work or income opportunities they attribute to AI. Furthermore, 32.5% had been offered work editing machine-generated translations, but 67.3% of those declined, citing lower pay, tighter deadlines, and insufficient recognition.
Meanwhile, a survey by the UK’s Association of Illustrators (AOI), reported by The Bookseller, found that 46% of illustrators had lost commissions to generative AI, up from 32% in 2025. More than half reported declining illustration income, with 22% experiencing reductions exceeding 50%.
AI is clearly replacing jobs in publishing, from translators and illustrators to other creative professionals. New technologies have always eliminated some jobs while creating others, but the fundamental challenge is that AI allows the industry to produce the same number of books with fewer people and resources. Keeping these professionals employed within publishing would therefore require producing more books, or developing new activities that depend on greater demand.
The question is: who will consume all that extra content? Reading is declining in many parts of the world, and books face growing competition for consumers’ time, particularly from other content and entertainment industries that will also become more productive with AI.
One possibility is that AI could improve access to education worldwide, increasing literacy and bringing millions of new readers into the market. Another, perhaps even more Utopian, is that productivity gains could finally translate into shorter working hours rather than simply greater wealth accumulation, giving people more leisure time to read. Both scenarios could increase demand for books and help offset job losses. Unfortunately, those scenarios remain closer to dreams and wishful thinking than realistic expectations at this time.
Here’s a Scary Thought: What If Readers Like AI Books?
Publishing industry analyst Jane Friedman argues that the recent wave of scandals involving authors accused of using generative AI may soon subside. In an article on her website, Friedman suggests that many controversial books were written and edited in 2024–2025, before publishers and literary agents began systematically screening manuscripts for AI-generated content. By the time these books reached the market in 2026, detection tools such as Pangram had become more sophisticated and widely adopted. She expects publishers and agents to increasingly identify potential issues before publication, while authors adapt their writing practices to avoid triggering detection tools. Looking ahead, Friedman believes the more significant disputes will concern copyright protection and the degree of human authorship required for AI-assisted works.
It’s a no-brainer to agree with Friedman, but one question seems consistently overlooked: what do readers think? Much of the industry assumes readers prefer books driven by human creativity, believing them inherently better. But what if readers simply don’t care?
Consider the case of South African author Coral Hart, who uses AI extensively and claims to have sold more than one million copies of 371 books in just 20 months, reportedly earning over $1 million in 2026 alone, according to Eyewitness News. If readers embrace AI-generated content, their preferences, rather than industry assumptions, may ultimately shape the market.
Friedman is also right about copyright, especially since AI involvement isn’t black and white. Using AI to proofread a manuscript is fundamentally different from generating an entire book from a prompt. With so many degrees of human involvement in between, determining where copyright protection applies is a formidable challenge.
Italian Librarians Are the New Comic Book Heroes
Italy’s comics market grew 14.9% in value during the first nine months of 2026, reaching €68.3 million (USD 76.5 million), with 7.1 million copies sold (+12.4%). Figures presented by the Italian Publishers Association at Lucca Comics & Games and published in Giornale della Libreria show that comics accounted for 10.1% of print book sales by volume through trade channels. Graphic novels led growth (+34.8% in value), followed by manga (+11.7%) and children’s comics (+6.7%), while comic strips declined 6.8%. Comics significantly outperformed the overall Italian book market (+3.2%), with purchases supported by a government library funding program playing a crucial role. Interestingly, the number of new comics titles published in 2025 fell 4.4% to 3,339.
It’s encouraging to see comics, a category sometimes dismissed as less serious or culturally significant, gaining ground worldwide, including in Italy. Particularly noteworthy is the role of a government-funded library purchasing program in this growth. The government provided the money, but libraries chose which books to acquire, including graphic novels. Those decisions definitely made Italian libraries more attractive to younger readers. That’s something worth celebrating—complimenti!
Another interesting contrast is manga: while sales have largely stabilized in neighboring France after years of rapid expansion, they continue to grow in Italy. Two neighboring markets, two different stages of the manga boom.
BookBeat Keeps Dancing in the Nordics, but Germany Is the New DJ
Swedish audiobook subscription service BookBeat reported revenue growth of 13% at constant exchange rates during the first nine months of 2026, with growth across all ten markets. According to a company press release, Germany recorded the largest increase in new users compared with 2025, driving subscriber and revenue growth. CEO Niclas Sandin said increased investment by global competitors has helped stimulate audiobook demand in Germany, while acknowledging that competition from international players has slowed BookBeat’s growth in the Nordic markets. The company now has more than 1.2 million paying subscribers and expects full-year revenue of SEK 1.7 billion (USD 171.3 million).
Two interesting developments emerge from these results. First, Germany appears to be the standout audiobook growth market of 2026. Storytel also described Germany as its biggest positive surprise of the year, as I recently reported in Publishing Perspectives, suggesting that the market is gaining momentum across platforms. Then there’s Sandin’s acknowledgment that competition from international players—meaning, of course, Spotify—has slowed BookBeat’s growth in the Nordics.
Still, it’s surprising that BookBeat continues to grow in some of the world’s most mature audiobook markets. Storytel, meanwhile, has reported no increase in churn or slowdown in growth attributable to Spotify’s arrival. Could Spotify actually be helping expand the Nordic audiobook market by introducing the format to new listeners, some of whom eventually find their way to dedicated audiobook platforms?
Empik Goes Flex: Why Didn’t Anyone Think of That?
Polish retailer Empik Group has introduced Go Flex, a new ebook and audiobook subscription allowing users to choose between one and five titles per month, as reported by Rynek Książki. Prices start at PLN 14.99 ($3.80 USD) for one title, with each additional book costing PLN 5 ($1.27 USD). The five-book package costs PLN 34.99 ($8.88 USD). Unused credits can be carried over for up to six billing periods. Go Flex complements Empik Go’s existing unlimited subscription plans, Go Smart at PLN 39.99 ($10.15 USD) and Go Max at PLN 49.99 ($12.68 USD) per month.
Subscription platforms seem endlessly creative in developing new subscription models, and that’s a positive development. They’re constantly looking for ways to maximize profitability while ensuring that publishers and the broader book value chain also benefit, since their businesses ultimately depend on them. Empik’s new offering resembles a more flexible version of Audible’s credit-based model, an idea that seems almost obvious in hindsight. It will be interesting to see whether other subscription platforms around the world take inspiration from this Polish experiment.
Could Substack Be Self-Publishing 3.0?
Swedish author Jörgen Löwenfeldt has surpassed 5,000 subscribers to his English-language fiction newsletter, The Bagatelles, and won gold for Best Creative Newsletter at Sweden’s 2026 Inbox Awards. As reported by Boktugg, Löwenfeldt chose to publish independently on Substack, inspired by musicians who control both their creative work and their relationships with audiences. Writing in English rather than Swedish allows him to tap into Substack’s international network, and his newsletter now reaches readers in 116 countries. Some subscribers have even traveled to Stockholm to visit locations featured in his fiction.
This approach goes beyond traditional self-publishing. Platforms such as Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing and distributors such as PublishDrive and StreetLib allowed authors to bypass publishers, but left them dependent on retailers, with limited control over reader relationships. Social media brought authors closer to their audiences but offered little control over sales. Now, platforms such as Substack enable authors to monetize their writing directly, potentially ushering in a new era of independence. Authors can control publication, marketing, distribution, and even the commercial relationship with readers. Löwenfeldt’s experience offers an intriguing glimpse of what a truly independent author might look like.
LINE Manga: Three Moves in One Stroke
LINE Digital Frontier, operator of LINE Manga and ebookjapan and part of NAVER-controlled WEBTOON Entertainment, plans to invest ¥10 billion ($63.7 million) over three years in original Japanese manga production, according to a company announcement. The investment will support production studios, partnerships with publishers, manga awards, and independent creators. The company also announced that WEBTOON CANVAS, its parent group’s self-publishing platform for independent comics creators, currently available in seven languages, will launch in Japan in 2027. Meanwhile, WEBTOON Entertainment’s Global Drop initiative aims to expand the international distribution of Japanese manga through simultaneous releases. The strategy draws on a global network reaching more than 155 million monthly users across over 150 countries and 10 languages.
This announcement is essentially three stories in one. The ¥10 billion investment is substantial and reflects the vitality of Japan’s manga market. But perhaps more significant is the planned arrival of WEBTOON CANVAS in Japan in 2027, bringing an established international self-publishing platform to the home of manga for the first time. Finally, Global Drop represents another example of Asian companies developing their own strategies to bring manga to international audiences. That ambition is hardly new, but it continues to gain momentum.
Readwise: Good News, Competition-Wise
Readwise has launched Readwise Books, a new ebook store and reading app offering millions of titles, including catalogs from all five major US publishing groups. In a company announcement, the independent, self-funded U.S. company describes its new service as a combination of Kindle and Goodreads, integrating ebook purchases, reading, highlighting, and book tracking. Features include automatic reading-session tracking, social tools, AI-assisted reading functions, and compatibility with Android-based e-readers. The store also sells print books and audiobooks, although these formats are not yet fully integrated into the app. Ebook purchases are initially available only in the United States.
Competition is always welcome, and it’s encouraging to see a new ebook retailer enter the market with a substantial catalog, a crucial asset for competing in an established market. Readwise’s approach is particularly interesting because it brings together features usually scattered across different services, from highlighting and reading tracking to social tools. Hopefully, the company won’t stop at the U.S. market and will eventually expand to other countries and languages, bringing more choice to readers worldwide.
In Russia, Digital Books Keep Calm and Carry On
A survey of 3,000 Moscow residents conducted by Russia’s Higher School of Economics (HSE University) and the Center for Social Design Platform found that 70% of book readers use digital formats, compared with 61% who read print books, according to RBC. Among readers, 48% read ebooks on smartphones, tablets, and computers, while 31% listen to audiobooks. One-third combine print and digital formats. Among readers aged 18–24, 39% use both print and digital, while 38% rely exclusively on digital formats. The survey also found that 40% of Moscow residents had paid for digital books or subscriptions in the previous year, while 86% reported reading books.
The findings highlight the growing penetration of digital books in Russia, where established platforms such as LitRes and Yandex Books, which absorbed Bookmate’s Russian operations, compete with services including Sber’s Zvuk and MTS’s KION Stroki. This growth is particularly noteworthy given the challenges facing Russian publishing, including the consequences of the invasion of Ukraine, government regulations, and censorship. While industry revenues have grown in nominal terms, inflation and declining print sales have put pressure on the market. Nevertheless, digital books continue to gain traction, demonstrating the segment’s resilience in a difficult environment.
What Else Caught My Eye
A book pub. British indie bookseller Ink & Ember will open a book bar in Nottingham in November, combining a bookshop, café and bar in a Gothic mansion-inspired space, reports The Bookseller.
A Finnish cut. Barcelona educational publisher Vicens Vives could lose as many as 143 jobs—57% of its Spanish workforce—six months after its €40 million (USD 44.8 million) acquisition by Finland’s Sanoma, reports PublishNews Spain.
A curry-sushi pilot. Japan’s Gakken is testing KOKORO DOTOKU, a story-based program on kindness and consideration, with 1,500 fifth-graders at ten Indian private schools, according to a company press release.
An indie quartet. Dutch self-publishing platform Bookmundo has placed four titles simultaneously in the nonfiction top 10 at Thalia, Germany’s largest bookstore chain, according to its founder on LinkedIn.
A nine-to-five bookshelf. Norway’s employers’ associations Virke and Spekter, alongside trade union confederation LO, are promoting workplace book clubs, bookshelves and author visits, reports Bok365.
A Québécois parrilla. Canadian distributor De Marque and Argentine platform Livriz, created by Docuprint, are connecting their systems so Latin American bookstores can sell ebooks and audiobooks through their own online stores, reports PublishNews Spain.
An AI clubhouse. Self-publishing platform Clube de Autores has moved its AI editorial services into KlooBR, a separate brand offering book analysis, editing, translation and ebook conversion, the company announced on LinkedIn.
A cherry-blossom site. Japan’s Visual Industry Promotion Organization (VIPO) has launched a website bringing together translation competitions, forums and grants, according to a press release.
The writer of this column basically learned to read and write through comic books at the tender age of six. His favorite was Walt Disney’s Uncle Scrooge—or Tio Patinhas, as he knew him in Brazilian Portuguese. He also read his fair share of Turma da Mônica, the hugely successful children’s comic series created by Brazilian cartoonist Maurício de Sousa. Brazil has always had a thriving comics industry, but back in the 1970s and 1980s, children’s comics dominated the newsstands, which the young columnist eagerly visited in search of the latest issues. He owes much of his literacy to Uncle Scrooge. Come to think of it, perhaps Uncle Scrooge even had something to do with his decision to major in economics. Though that might be a stretch—or not.
As for AI, the writer of this column tries to see both sides of the debate, weighing the opportunities against the risks. Truth be told, however, he sometimes wishes he had been born 20 years earlier. Not only would he have enjoyed the wild, psychedelic 1960s and 1970s as a young man, but he would also be retiring right about now, enjoying the luxury of not having to worry quite so much about how AI is going to influence and change the publishing industry.
