Highlights of the week's publishing news from Publishers Weekly.
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July 19, 2026
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Highs and Lows
Last week, a group of publishers including Hachette Book Group, as well as author Scott Turow, have filed a class action lawsuit against Google, alleging that the tech giant unlawfully used titles that publishers had provided for its Google Books feature to also train its Gemini large language models. Bloomsbury is anticipating record profits this fiscal year, with revenue expected to top $474 million thanks in part to two new titles in Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series. Marvel’s comics division is leaving New York City—its home base for 80 years—to join the rest of the company in Burbank, Calif., where, simultaneously, longtime comics editor Stephen Wacker is taking over as editor-in-chief. Novelist Dinaw Mengestu has resigned as president of PEN America over the publication of a report on cultural boycotts and Israeli writers. And California publisher Don Ellis and Pennsylvania bookseller Betsy Rider have died at 84 and 91, respectively
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Earlier this month, Chuck Tingle launched his new horror novel, Fabulous Bodies (Tor Nightfire), on July 7 at Third Place Books’ flagship location in Lake Forest Park, Wash. This year marked the author’s fourth event at the bookstore in as many years, drawing more than 500 people.

Photo: Sean Griffith
Hachette Book Group, Cengage Learning, and Elsevier, as well as author Scott Turow, are looking to block the tech giant from engaging in alleged copyright infringement of millions of texts—including those provided by publishers for its Google Books feature—to develop its Gemini AI models. more
Following a strong first four months of fiscal 2027, the publisher said it expects to post sales of around $474 million, with record profits of $62 million thanks in large part to two new Sarah J. Maas titles and the premiere of HBO’s new Harry Potter TV series. more
Two big announcements for Marvel comics: Stephen Wacker will take over as editor-in-chief, and the comics department is moving from New York City to Burbank, Calif. more
Mengestu, who was appointed in December 2025, attributed his departure to the organization’s “ongoing failure to defend free expression fairly and equitably,” following a report on the “rising isolation and exclusion” of Israeli and Jewish writers. Tracy Higgins, EVP of the PEN America board of trustees, will serve as interim president. more
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