August 30, 2026

Launchpads

Last week, publishers applauded Google Play for creating an AI application for readers that accommodates copyright protections, while still allowing users to ask questions about and interact with e-books. HarperCollins continued to expand its comics offerings with a new manga imprint, Kazé, launching next fall. OverDrive found its next CTO in Liz Carrasco, who will succeed Jeff Sterling as he takes on a new research and development role at the digital content provider. And illustrated book publisher Insight Editions enlisted former Abrams ComicsArts publisher Rodolphe Lachat to head up Naga Archives, a new imprint focused on the intersection of art, esoterica, and “the unexplained.”

On August 21, Velinxi (l.), author of the popular webcomic Daughter of a Thousand Faces (Inklore), drew live on shikishi boards for a giveaway while answering questions from Inklore’s senior editor Katelyn Hemmeke (r.) at the Javits Center during Anime NYC.

Photo: Ivy Weir, Inklore

Google Launches AI Tool to Add Interactivity to E-books

Expert Intelligence lets readers query e-books bought from the Google Play store, along with other features, and includes more than 100,000 titles, mostly trade nonfiction, from such publishers as Penguin Random House, Macmillan, and Bloomsbury, who noted the tool’s respect for copyright protections. PRH CEO Nihar Malaviya called it “an example of how AI use cases can be developed responsibly.” more

HarperCollins Launches Manga Imprint

Kazé will be led by Andrew Arnold, also publisher of HarperAlley, and will collaborate with the existing Kazé publishers in France and Germany, acquired by HarperCollins last year, to bring manga, manhwa, and manua to English-language readers. more

OverDrive Appoints Liz Carrasco CTO

Carrasco, who previously held high-level technical and engineering roles at Paramount and CBS Interactive, has joined the digital content provider as chief technology officer, succeeding Jeff Sterling, who will take over OverDrive Labs. Among her goals, she tells PW, is “improving our discovery within our apps.” more

Insight Editions Launches New Imprint for ‘Esoteric’ Topics

Former Abrams ComicsArts publisher Rodolphe Lachat will lead Naga Archives, an illustrated book imprint focused on obscure or misunderstood subjects from the fringes of culture. It launches in October with a history of “spirit communication devices.” more

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