Academic Publishing: Ukrainian researchers say Putin’s sanctioned daughters and six other Russian scientists have continued publishing in leading Western journals since 2022, including titles from German publishers. Children’s Books: Germany’s celebrated children’s author Janosch has died, marking a major loss for young readers and the country’s literary world. Publishing Industry: Warner Music Group has acquired German indie distributor Zebralution Music as it expands its European distribution business.
AGP Executive Report
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Book Fair: Belgrade’s 69th International Book Fair drew 81,898 visitors, down sharply from more than 203,000 two years ago. Germany was among the countries represented; 636 publishers and organizations took part. German Literature: Janosch, the celebrated German children’s author, has died. Publishing: Researchers from 11 European countries will be able to publish free through Open Research Europe, as the platform broadens access beyond EU-funded authors. Book Reissue: A new edition revisits German-born photographer Helmut Newton’s 1976 book Femmes Secrètes, retaining its original image sequence and adding text on his life and work.
Publishing Business: Wolters Kluwer reported 6% organic growth in the first nine months of 2026. Cloud software rose 15%, while declining print sales shaved one percentage point off growth. German Media: Warner Music Group is buying back part of German distributor Zebralution, expanding its reach in Europe’s independent music market. Book Trade: Sharjah International Book Fair opened with 3,212 publishers and exhibitors from 126 countries and 1.7 million titles. German Literary History: A new profile revisits Erika Mann’s reporting in 1945, when Thomas Mann’s daughter set out to interview Nazi war criminals for the Evening Standard.
Digital Distribution: Warner Music Group has bought Zebralution Music from Germany-based Bookwire, returning the digital distributor to WMG and expanding its European reach. Bookwire acquired Zebralution earlier this year; the deal covers its music arm, not its wider audiobook and ebook operations. Book Fair: Sharjah International Book Fair opens with 3,212 publishers and exhibitors from 126 countries and 1.7 million titles. Oman is guest of honour, with a programme featuring writers, workshops and performances.
Book Launches: Mehring Verlag presented Where Is America Going? Fascism or Socialism? at Nuremberg’s Left Book Fair, adding a politically charged title to Germany’s recent publishing scene. Publishing Rules: New EU green regulations for printers and publishers could affect the production landscape across Germany and the wider bloc.
German Publishing: Astragon Entertainment is closing Astragon Development, the German studio formerly known as Independent Arts Software. More than 40 employees are affected as the publisher pursues a strategic realignment. New Release: Schweinerei – The Invitation, a title invoking the fall of the Berlin Wall and an unfinished airport, is now available for pre-order.
New Photo Book: German footballer Merlin Röhl is turning his film-photography hobby into Life With Everton: Behind The Lens, a forthcoming book featuring images from the club’s world. Publishing Rules: New European green rules for printers and publishers could reshape production requirements, putting compliance and sustainability on the agenda for German firms. International Rights: Korean horror novel Hyungdam has landed six-figure deals across 11 countries, a sign of strong international demand for translated genre fiction. German Literary Legacy: A new profile revisits Alexander Kluge, the influential German writer and filmmaker whose work spans literature, history and film.
German Literature: A profile revisits Alexander Kluge, the writer and filmmaker often described as a “time-traveling polymath.” Nuremberg History: Natalie Livingstone’s new book explores women’s overlooked roles around the trials, sparked by their absence from a famous courtroom painting. Publishing Rules: A look at Europe’s new green rules asks what they mean for printers and publishers, including Germany’s book trade. Book Releases: Jason Bell’s Operation Sparrow recounts a WWII spy mission whose three American agents were captured by Nazi forces and fed their captors disinformation.
Central European History: Historian Douglas Smith’s new book traces the destruction of Vienna’s Jewish community under Nazi rule, drawing on hundreds of sources to document a world nearly erased. Publishing Rules: A new report examines what Europe’s green regulations could mean for printers and publishers. Book Covers: A title invoking the “Final Solution” has sparked an outcry, renewing scrutiny of how publishers handle Holocaust-related language.
Publishing and Sustainability: Europe’s new green rules are prompting printers and publishers to assess what compliance will mean for their businesses. German History on the Page: Historian Timothy Ryback’s new book, 53 Days: How Hitler Dismantled a Democracy, traces how Hitler consolidated power between January and March 1933.
Publishing Rules: Europe’s new environmental laws could shift responsibility across printers’ and publishers’ supply chains, especially for packaging and paper. Most printed products are outside the deforestation regulation, but paper remains covered. AI at Publishers: Macmillan staff say the company celebrated an AI workplace assistant before later scrapping it, highlighting the unsettled role of automation in publishing.
New Editions: An expanded English edition of Ales Bialiatski’s book has been released, while a revised edition of Robert Capa’s Death in the Making revisits his Spanish Civil War photographs. Rights & AI: A Korean horror novel has secured six-figure rights deals in 11 countries, as Asian publishers gathered in Seoul to discuss AI’s impact on books. Book-Cover Controversy: Tucker Carlson’s use of “Final Solution for Jews” on a book cover has sparked an outcry. Coming Soon: Sarah J. Maas is set to return with the sixth novel in her A Court of Thorns and Roses series.
International Rights: Korean horror novelist Jeon Gun-woo’s occult mystery has sold translation rights in 11 countries, including Germany; advances have topped $225,000, and US rights went to Zando’s horror imprint. German Publishing Business: Wolters Kluwer agreed to sell its German consumer tax business, Steuertipps, to Buhl Data Service for €40 million, sharpening its focus on professional markets. Print Industry: Early exhibitor sign-ups for drupa 2028 include companies from 38 countries, offering a sign of strong international interest in the major print trade fair.
German-Language Breakout: Nelio Biedermann’s Lázár has sold 200,000 copies across German-speaking markets in just four months. Rights to the novel have reached nearly 30 languages, and its screen rights are also sold. Translation Rights: Korean horror novel Hyungdam has landed deals in 11 countries, including Germany, with advances topping $208,000. Berlin-Wall Fiction: Schweinerei – The Invitation, a novel about three pigs, a computer and the night the Berlin Wall fell, is now available to preorder in German and English ahead of its November 9 release.
Romantasy: Sarah J. Maas’s sixth A Court of Thorns and Roses novel launched with midnight bookstore events. The series has sold 75 million copies in 40 languages, and the release is expected to boost publisher Bloomsbury. Publishing & AI: German publishers will join peers from six other markets at Seoul’s Asia Publishing Week, Nov. 3–6, to discuss AI’s impact on acquisitions, translation, editing and marketing, as well as copyright and adoption strategies.
Graphic Novels: German writer-illustrator Susanne Kuhlendahl has brought Virginia Woolf’s Orlando to life as a 200-page graphic novel, pairing the classic’s text with new illustrations. Reading Rooms: In China’s Xinjiang region, German teacher Steven Dahlke and his wife run a bilingual picture-book space where children explore languages through stories and games.
German Publishing: BMG has signed Berlin-based Australian band Parcels to a global music-publishing deal, drawing on the company’s German headquarters and international network. Book Market: Sarah J. Maas’s new A Court of Thorns and Roses novel launched to midnight parties and eager fans, underlining romantasy’s pull for publishers and booksellers.
German Book Scene: A nationwide solidarity campaign for the Sahrawi people will bring nearly 30 events to German cities through November, including book readings, debates and screenings. New Books: German photographer Tom Hegen’s The Mineral Age collects 247 images documenting the environmental and social costs of mineral extraction. Print & Publishing: Düsseldorf’s drupa 2028 trade fair is off to a strong start, with exhibitors from 38 countries already signed up. Literary Legacy: Recent features revisit Thomas Mann’s continuing relevance and the political thrillers of German novelist Anna Seghers.
Print Industry: Düsseldorf’s drupa 2028 has drawn exhibitors from 38 countries, an early sign of strong international interest in the print and packaging trade fair. Publishing & Corporate Ties: Four US Supreme Court justices recused themselves from a copyright case involving BMG after earning book income from Penguin Random House, whose parent company, Germany’s Bertelsmann, also owns BMG. The recusals left the court without a quorum. German Literary Culture: New coverage revisits Anna Seghers’s communist thrillers, while Goethe-Institut director Cristina Nord is profiled for her work promoting literacy.
German Literary Voices: Anna Seghers’ communist thrillers are back in focus, while a separate essay makes the case for why Thomas Mann matters now. Translation & AI: Book translators describe their work as inhabiting languages, as “human-made” labels gain ground after a publisher dropped a novelist amid a French AI dispute. Publishing Industry: Germany’s Axel Springer is preparing staff cuts at The Telegraph group following its takeover, with its owner warning of difficult choices.
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