Following a swift public outcry, Scholastic
will no longer offer an optional collection of diverse books at its book fairs, with president Ellie Berger apologizing for the “pain caused” by the decision “to segregate diverse books in an elective case.” After eight decades on the market, the Little Golden Book brand
is staying relevant with a new line of biographies of icons from Oprah Winfrey to Taylor Swift. Up in Canada, the
indie publishers of British Columbia are carving out their own niche, and
a spate of new literary podcasts are shining a spotlight on the canon of “CanLit.” In her newsletter, publishing expert Brooke Warner calls out
the industry’s “retail price problem,” arguing for publishers to raise book prices amid inflation and rising costs. A new report from PEN America found that tens of thousands of books are currently being
banned or restricted in U.S. prisons, and ahead of a vote by the Oklahoma Textbook Committee on math curriculum in public schools,
eight publishers have withdrawn from consideration due to the state’s increasingly politicized textbook adoption process, reports the
Oklahoma Voice. A24 and David E. Kelley
will adapt Rufi Thorpe’s forthcoming novel Margo’s Got Money Troubles, which HarperCollins will publish in June 2024, per the
Hollywood Reporter.
Nylon looks at how marketing strategies from launch parties to merch drops are
minting a new crop of “literary it girls.” And author Scott Blackwood
has died at 58.