AGP Executive Report

Frankfurt Book Fair Focus: Greece will take part in the 78th Frankfurt Book Fair with 282 titles from 47 publishers, overseen for the first time by ELIVIP, plus English catalogues and a new representation model aimed at boosting rights sales and translation partnerships. AI & Copyright Tension: The ABC told an Australian parliamentary hearing that “do not crawl” robots.txt opt-outs are being bypassed by OpenAI and Anthropic, arguing existing copyright law is the only workable remedy—an issue that will resonate with European publishers watching AI scraping. Industry Dealmaking: Informa plans to buy Clarion Events for $2.96bn and simultaneously separate Taylor & Francis, sharpening its B2B live events push while reshaping academic publishing. Publishing at the Edge of Tech: LOFTAPPS will debut LOFT in Europe at VIEW Conference 2026 in Turin, with a sneak peek at Phil Tippett’s Mad God sequel—another sign of how AI workflows are moving into production pipelines. Cultural Spotlight: A new Minerva Edizioni book, Roma Segreta, revisits Rome through architect Paolo Portoghesi’s “cicerone” lens, pairing addresses with photo storytelling.

Publishing & Books: British bestselling novelist and former Conservative MP Jeffrey Archer has died at 86, with HarperCollins saying he passed “suddenly and peacefully” a day before the global release of his final novel, Adam and Eve. Publishing & Culture: A new Critic piece traces the history of the pen, from cuneiform “nib” origins to modern writing tech, via Simon Garfield’s The Pen: A Human History (Canongate). Book Theft: A 150kg Salvador Dali-designed bronze cover for L’Apocalypse de Saint Jean has been stolen from a contemporary arts centre in central France, though the book itself reportedly remains safe. EU Policy & Tech: Malta-based Comply.Land publishes guidance on when emergency fixes by integrators or service providers can make them “manufacturers” under the EU Cyber Resilience Act. Media/Streaming: Titan OS brings SkyShowtime to Philips and Sharp smart TVs across 22 European markets. IP & Licensing: Brand Licensing Europe opens with new data showing European licensed merchandise and services hit $82.4bn in 2025, up 3.8%, with publishing and sports among the fastest risers. Cybersecurity: ASOS is investigating after thousands of customers received app notifications claiming the retailer’s data was “fully compromised.”

Publishing & Books: Jeffrey Archer has died aged 86; his publisher says he sold 300m books and notes his long author career alongside a scandal-stained political life. Book Theft & Heritage: Thieves stole a 150kg Salvador Dalí bronze book cover from a French museum, a major blow to cultural heritage. AI, Rights & Publishing: A US appeals court rejected a “fair use” defence over AI training in a labels’ fight with Suno, adding pressure to the ongoing legal battle over how creative work is used. EU Policy & Media Freedom: The EU is moving to strengthen journalist protections as threats rise, while Brussels also pushes ahead with AI-related rules affecting creators and platforms. Travel Publishing: Lonely Planet releases a dedicated “Shikoku Pilgrimage” guide, positioning quieter Japan routes as demand grows beyond overtouristed hubs. Industry/Trade: MediaOCD has a deal to sell physical manga editions in Europe, signaling continued expansion of print distribution for Japanese titles. Culture & Events: VIEW Conference 2026 in Turin will feature a world premiere look at “The Angry Birds Movie 3” animation work.

Publishing & Rights: EFJ warns EU journalism funding is skewed toward big players, with Euronews taking €23m (2021-26) while local/community media and NGOs in consortia get €45.4m—an issue the EU must fix before 2028. Media Freedom: EFJ and partners report mounting pressure on French media ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with stalled reforms and rising hostility toward journalists. Books & Culture: Zara pulls a kids’ Halloween costume after complaints it resembled Nazi camp uniforms. Literary Events: A Malaysian official seeks temporary passport release to attend the Frankfurt Book Fair, citing literacy and civil-society work. Travel & Reading Life: Jet2 launches Winter 2027/28 city breaks and Christmas Markets from 13 UK airports to 15 European cities. Rail: Deutsche Bahn makes its €99.99 family ticket permanent from November 1. Defence Tech (adjacent to publishing via policy): European defence-tech VC hits a record $7.4bn in 2026, with mega-rounds dominating.

Publishing & AI Transparency: Essentras says it’s making PR placement pricing visible by listing vetted publishers with real metrics and prices up front, aiming to end quote-only opacity. AI Copyright & Search: Publishers are pushing back on stealth AI scraping and Google’s AI search summaries, while EU talks continue on creator rights in AI copyright rules. Rights & Regulation: The EU is also moving to strengthen journalist protections amid growing threats, and game regulators are probing virtual-currency practices. Books & Culture: Waterford’s Lit Festival returns for its ninth youth-led edition (Oct 9–11). Sports Books/Events: Waterstones Liverpool hosts a discussion on Spanish Liverpool about Rafa Benítez’s impact. History & Reading: A new photo book, Britain in the 1930s, compiles hundreds of rarely seen images from major archives. Controversy: A French feminist influencer faces criminal charges for “public insult” after refusing to call a transgender mayor a woman. Balkans: Biljana Plavsic, convicted for crimes against humanity in the 1990s Balkan wars, dies aged 96.

AI & Travel Policy: Siri co-creator Dr Luc Julia will headline Paris’s Global Travel Futures Forum, focusing on how competing AI systems could reshape travel across different data and trust models. French Politics: Jordan Bardella’s rise is in jeopardy after Mediapart allegations of antisemitic messages from 2013, with the National Rally leader denying and threatening legal action. Reading Habits: A Eurostat-based look at Cyprus finds 75% of 16–24-year-olds read no books in the past year, with e-books and audio included. UK Rail Costs: Martin Lewis’ Money Saving Expert and Trainline both push the “12-week” booking rule for Christmas travel, warning advance tickets can sell out fast. Publishing & AI Ethics: Publishers argue AI translation of classics is ethically wrong, while other coverage flags growing pressure on creators and publishers as AI tools expand. Book Culture: The 2026 Sunday Times Literary Awards shortlist is out, adding fresh momentum to Europe’s literary calendar.

Czechia Travel & Culture: A Prague-to-nature itinerary spotlights Northern Czechia beyond the capital, pairing a Prague Visitor Pass (transit, museums, tours, tram 42, and timed entries) with sandstone hikes, towns, and thermal wellness, while Saxon Switzerland across the border adds big viewpoints. Art & Printmaking: A print-focused show brings Picasso, Miró and Dalí to an Indian audience via original lithographs and etchings, framed as serious craft rather than celebrity collecting. Literary Heritage: A Belarusian scholar’s talk in Vilnius revisits Aliaksandr Fiaduta’s commentary on Karatkevich’s “The Ears of Rye Beneath Your Sickle,” written in KGB detention, underscoring how books survive politics. Publishing & Ethics: A New Yorker review of Florence Hazrat’s punctuation book sparks backlash over claims linking Hebrew punctuation to colonialism, reigniting debate over how publishing handles contested histories. Travel Industry: easyJet holidays’ chief urges UK support for travel, calling air passenger duty a growth blocker and pushing faster sustainable aviation fuel rollout. Sports & Media: Spain’s Lamine Yamal keeps scoring as the country advances in the Nations League, feeding fresh mainstream attention on European football storylines.

Publishing & Culture: Spanish crime writer Alicia Giménez Bartlett marks 30 years of Petra Delicado with Bajo el cielo infernal, returning to Destino with grief at the centre of the long-running series. Theatre & Books: Dublin Theatre Festival stages Zinc, adapted from David Van Reybrouck’s book, using a multilingual cast (including Esperanto) to probe identity and shifting borders. Rights & AI/Media: Sony Music escalates its fight against AI music tools, adding lawsuits over alleged unlicensed training; in Europe, a Munich court has already ruled against Suno for copyright infringement involving GEMA works. EU Policy & Journalism: The European Commission proposes stronger protections for journalists amid growing threats, as Brussels also moves on broader AI governance. Reading & Translation: Italian translator Silvia Pozzi wins a Pisa Book Translation Award for Ghost Town (Città fantasma), highlighting support for Taiwanese literature abroad. UK Books & Society: A Green Party motion urges treating nature loss as a national security issue, pushing for statutory risk assessments and resilience planning. Spain (Culture Access): Spain’s €400 Youth Cultural Voucher application remains open until Oct 31, with expanded spending options for 18-year-olds.

Academic Ethics & Labour: Disgraced theology professor James Orr allegedly had a PhD student cover at least six lectures without Faculty knowledge or proper pay arrangements, raising questions about oversight and right-to-work checks. Amazon & Book Retail: Bristol sommelier Angel Crespo’s debut holiday wine guide, A Toast to the Holidays, hit Amazon’s No. 1 New Release badge within days, available in paperback and Kindle. Luxury Publishing: A round-up of October “love” titles spotlights lavish art and culture books, from Cecil Beaton biography to luxury fashion and nature-themed releases. AI, Art & Copyright: Pope Leo XIV publicly backs an alliance with artists and criticises AI-generated art, adding fuel to Europe’s ongoing creator-rights debate. EU Media Policy: The EU moves to strengthen journalist protections in Brussels as online threats grow. Publishing & Rights: Publishers push for clearer rules on AI web scraping and licensing, while EU regulators continue probing online gaming and in-game spending. Cultural Heritage: Benin’s restitution push gets fresh attention as returned artefacts are presented to Oba Ewuare II, underscoring the politics of cultural ownership.

Publishing & Rights: Google’s AI search payments to publishers fall short as search traffic erodes, while publishers push for AI web-crawler transparency and a clearer licensing model for generative tools. Media Industry: EPTVI’s Stage Two report proposes six steps to make programmatic premium TV easier to buy, sell and measure across Europe. Literary Talent: Daniela Schlingmann Literary Scouting promotes Isabel Martin and Tom Taylor, signalling continued investment in cross-border scouting. Books & Culture: A new 4K re-release of Madness docudrama “Take It Or Leave It” spotlights how music biopics can become proto-Britpop history. Travel & Books (Audience crossover): Jet2 launches winter Christmas markets routes from Liverpool (Krakow, Prague, Vienna), while Viva Cruises unveils its biggest 2028 river programme—useful for readers planning book-and-travel breaks. EU Policy & Society: A French nationality survey finds most applicants wait around one to two years, but naturalisation can stretch to three-plus.

AI & Publishing Economics: Google’s “AI contribution” pilot is paying about 100 publishers for material that feeds AI Overviews, but many see only tiny returns—raising fresh questions for European publishers watching search traffic shift. AI Scraping Pushback: U.S. media executives are backing a Stealth Bot Prohibition Act to force AI crawlers to identify themselves before scraping news sites, a move that could shape how European rights holders respond to similar tools. Rights & Copyright Policy: The EU is reopening AI copyright rules debate over creator rights, while Brussels also keeps probing Big Tech over digital markets and in-game transactions. Nonfiction Spotlight: Patrick Radden Keefe’s London Falling and Anand Gopal’s Days of Love and Rage are among major prize finalists, underlining how European audiences are leaning into investigative books. Publishing & Print Tech: Fujifilm takes operational control of Google Photos printing in the U.S., with Europe next—an example of cloud-to-paper services tightening their grip on consumer print demand. Creator Protection in Music: Ireland’s IMRO CEO Victor Finn receives an Ivors Academy honour for strengthening licensing and copyright protections. Culture in Print: Bulgaria’s Literature Night returns to 12 cities plus one village, using “reading nests” to spotlight less-covered authors.

Nonfiction Spotlight: Patrick Radden Keefe’s London Falling is a Baillie Gifford Prize finalist, putting a spotlight on London’s super-rich and the real-world fallout of power and money. Horror & Anthologies: A new Latino horror collection, Something Followed Us Home, gathers 17 stories shaped by folklore and generational fear, with bilingual editions in English and Spanish. Publishing Rights & AI: Rights Intelligence’s Linda Collin and Åsa Enström question Europe’s “mega-hub” music licensing model as pan-European deals and AI-era distribution reshape royalties. Tech Meets Travel Policy: A coalition of travel and biometrics players urges EU policymakers to keep the “Digital Omnibus” supporting voluntary, secure biometric use without stripping passenger choice. Industry Trade Media: Textile Daily launches as an editorially independent show newspaper for Performance Days (March 2027), aiming to help visitors spot new performance fabrics and services fast. Book Culture & Prizes: The week also features poetry reading picks and a roundup of October literary titles, keeping attention on European-language publishing and translation.

EU Consumer Protection: The European Commission is taking action against nine video game companies over in-game currency and pricing, aiming to curb misleading purchases and protect players—especially children. Publishing & Trade Fairs: Spain’s Liber fair is underway in Barcelona, with 250 exhibitors from 19 countries and thousands of meetings as the sector pushes for stronger international publishing ties. UK–EU Politics: British PM Andy Burnham says he wants the UK to rejoin the EU in his lifetime, though he’s not committing to a near-term move. AI & Copyright/Platforms: EU debate on AI copyright rules is reopening in Brussels, while Google’s early attempts to pay publishers for AI search answers are reportedly struggling. Sports & Culture: Portugal U21s booked Euro 2027 qualification with a 4-0 win over Gibraltar, while the Fury-Joshua heavyweight build-up continues ahead of December 11 in Cardiff. Manufacturing & Supply Chains: RRD says it’s rolling out a SMART connected manufacturing architecture to improve speed, quality and resilience across global print procurement.

Air Travel & Industry: Flydubai’s Dubai–Tel Aviv flight FZ 1073 made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after hijack/emergency signals, with Israeli authorities treating it as a possible terrorist attack involving a violent pilot–co-pilot struggle. Aviation Supply Chain: Airbus Broughton in Wales is set to build wings for FLYONE Armenia’s first direct Airbus order—two A321neo jets—supporting fleet modernisation and route expansion. Publishing & Culture: A new two-part profile series revisits James Joyce’s legacy, focusing on the women who helped shape his work and success. AI & Publishing Policy: A warning grows over AI-detection tools: legal and fairness risks rise when publishers or educators treat scores as decisive proof rather than a starting point for review. Housing & Public Life: Spain’s housing crisis escalates after a Madrid eviction of an 87-year-old sparked mass protests and clashes, turning the case into a symbol of affordability failures. Books & Media Business: The Nerve, a UK culture/politics/tech title, hits 5,000 paying subscribers in its first year, reporting £600k+ income and a new print magazine for members. Tech & IP Finance: Sony-backed blockchain Soneium partners with K-pop firm DayOneDream to tokenize artist IP and revenue streams. Literary Events: Taj Ali’s new book on South Asian resistance in Britain is set for a London discussion event with Vashti.

Goncourt AI row: France’s top literary prize dropped a novel after accusations an author used AI, reigniting debate over authorship and plagiarism in Europe’s publishing world. Book-to-screen buzz: Ali Hazelwood announced a sequel to The Love Hypothesis, with The Two-Body Problem due in 2027, following the film’s Prime Video premiere. Publishing & culture: Apple TV renewed French drama Carême for season two, based on Ian Kelly’s Carême: The First Celebrity Chef book. Literary industry spotlight: A new biography, Elsa Lanchester: Bride of the Hunchback, is set for collector’s edition pre-orders, extending interest in classic screen history. Community reading: A StoryWalk in St. Stephen uses a children’s book posted along a riverside trail in English, French and Wolastoqey—an outdoor twist on library storytelling. Education publishing: Chetan Sehgal’s education distribution push highlights how textbook partnerships are scaling across the Middle East via McGraw Hill.

AI & Publishing Tech: Jindex.ai tracks how European and global newsrooms adopt AI, finding patterns like near a third of implementations coming from small local outlets and a strong gender skew among synthetic news anchors. Digital Media Identity: Sri Lankan publishers unveiled TruePass and a TruePass Media Alliance, aiming to give publishers a shared identity layer for trusted, first-party audience relationships. Retail Media Standardisation: Teads and Koddi announced a partnership to push an open universal OpenRTB approach for onsite retail media inventory across US and Europe, targeting fragmentation and standardisation gaps. Books & Culture: ZDF Studios secured international co-distribution rights for preschool series Be With Zee, created by children’s book illustrator Matt Haworth, with plans for publishing and digital expansion. Publishing Business: Smiths News lifted its full-year outlook after strong H2 demand, boosted by the Men’s FIFA World Cup, and flagged a national distribution footprint by 2027. Literary Controversy: France’s Goncourt Prize dropped Thélyson Orélien’s debut over AI and plagiarism accusations, with his publisher pausing promotion. Travel Reading Tie-in: BookTok is driving “book-to-trip” tourism, with European tour operators already building themed experiences around viral novels.