News Roundups

News Roundup, February 17, 2023

News Roundup

February 17, 2023

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In this week’s round up: The HarperCollins strike is officially over, Simon & Schuster seeks a new buyer, Z-Library returns, how romance novels changed book design, and more.

HarperCollins Union Approves Contract, Ends 3-Month Strike
AP News
Striking workers at HarperCollins have voted to ratify the agreement reached last week and return to work on Tuesday, February 21. The deal immediately raises starting pay to $47,500, and it will increase to $50,000 by 2025.

Is the Sale of Simon & Schuster Heating Up?
Publishers Weekly
After its sale to Penguin Random House fell through, Paramount is working with a financial advisor to find new bidders for Simon & Schuster.

Publisher editorial teams experiment with ChatGPT, But Few Use AI Tech in Their Work
Digiday
Digiday surveys six top editors and media executives on the extent to which they are integrating AI technologies into their newsroom workflows.

Z-Library Returns, Aims to Avoid Seizures by Giving Each User a Secret URL
Ars Technica
The book piracy site Z-Library, which has only been accessible on the dark since its domains were seized and its principal operators arrested last year, reappeared last weekend with a new login page and unique personal domains for each user.

Catapult to Shutter Online Magazine, Writing Classes
Publishers Weekly
Catapult Book Group has elected to end its online magazine and writing classes to focus on its book publishing program. The news comes just a few months after the high-profile closure of Astra Magazine, which ended after two issues.

How Failure Defines the Writing Life
The New York Times
An author reflects on whether the writing life ever gets easier.

How Romance Novels Changed Book Design
Fast Company
This essay examines the design, distribution model, and industry impact of romance paperbacks.