Vote of Confidence

Hachette Book Group has declined to voluntarily recognize the Hachette Workers Coalition, which launched last week, setting in motion a union election. In its latest report on the state of book bans in U.S. public schools, PEN America found that nonfiction titles, particularly those with “activist” themes and topics related to health and anatomy, are increasingly being censored. And art book publisher Thames & Hudson’s North American arm has appointed Michelle Komie to the newly created role of editorial director. In other news, Cleveland State University is moving to shutter the publishing arm of its Poetry Center, which has operated for more than six decades and maintains a 200-title backlist, the Cleveland Scene reports. Russell Brand has settled with Pan Macmillan over his failure to write two self-help books for the U.K. publisher, per the Bookseller. The Authors Guild has revised its AI model contract clauses, while Anthropic’s CEO predicts the company could grow 80 times this year, per the New York Times. The Times also profiled Siri Hustvedt, whose new memoir details her 43-year marriage to the late Paul Auster. The Guardian’s Larry Ryan makes the case for ditching hardcover books. Lily King and Robin Wall Kimmerer continue their reign atop the IPC’s Indie Press Top 40 bestseller lists this week. And Open Road CEO David Steinberger talks with Audible CEO Bob Carrigan on the latest episode of the Open Book podcast.