In this week’s edition: Free speech organizations team up for TikTok; the publishing industry’s strong start to 2023; war takes its toll on Ukrainian publishing; the romance genre’s vulnerability to AI; and more.

Free Speech Organizations Team Up to Push Back on Potential TikTok Ban
The Hill
More than a dozen free speech advocacy organizations, including the Authors Guild, sent a letter to Congress on Thursday to urge them not to ban the popular platform.

AAP StatShot: US Book Industry Up 3.5 Percent in January
Publishing Perspectives
The publishing industry got off to a strong start this year, according to the Association of American Publishers.

War Has Taken Its Toll on Ukrainian Publishing
Publishers Weekly
The Ukrainian Book Institute reported that the number of titles published in Ukraine was cut almost in half last year.

MIT’s Barry Duncan Demonstrates the Power of Writing in Reverse
MIT News
Meet Barry Duncan, bookstore employee and professional palindromist.

Are Romance Authors at Risk from Book-Writing Chatbots?
BBC News
The BBC asks whether the romance genre, often accused of being formulaic, might be more at risk of being replaced by AI.

Book Fraudster Spared Jail
The Guardian
A junior publishing employee who obtained manuscripts from authors by impersonating industry insiders was fined and faces deportation from the U.S. to the U.K. or Italy.