- 2026 Feb 11
Montana Gets a New Indie
Romantasy bookstore Late Night Chapters has opened in Billings.
CLMP Constellation Award Winner
Host Publications in Austin, Tex., is this year’s recipient of the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses’ $10,000 prize for an independent literary press that champions the writing of people of color.
- 2026 Feb 10
Golden Kite Award Winners
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators has announced this year’s Golden Kite Award winners across eight categories.
Waterstones Children’s Prize Shortlist
The British bookstore chain has announced 12 shortlisted titles across three categories for this year’s Waterstones Children’s Book Prize.
- 2026 Feb 09
From the Bookseller
Hachette UK restructures its children's division with the launch of three new imprints.
From Arts Hub
Andy Griffiths has been appointed as the Australian Children's Laureate for 2026 and 2027.
From the Bookseller
See the shortlist for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2026.
From the Guardian
"Gruffalo Granny is coming to stay": new story to be released in September.
From the Guardian
Magic Beach by Alison Lester named Australia's best children’s picture book.
From the New York Times
My Kids Love Raina Telgemeier Books. What Should They Read Next?
From 100 Scope Notes
7 Upcoming Graphic Novel Adaptations of Beloved Books.
Wisconsin Bookshop’s New Life
The Paper Crane Bookstore in Two Rivers will reopen as Uncorked Book Lounge this spring.
Wisconsin’s Winter Blooms
Flora Shelves recently opened in Appleton, offering books and flowers.
New Indies to Land in Florida
Novel in the Neighborhood and Inchstone Books will both open in New Port Richey this spring.
Amazon Layoffs Impact Comixology
The tech giant announced 16,000 layoffs recently, and most of the remaining Comixology staff may have been among them, per the Beat.
- 2026 Feb 08
TokyoPop Forays Into Audiobooks
The manga publisher is debuting its first-ever audiobook line, featuring select titles based on its catalog of light novels, published under the brand’s LoveLove imprint. RBMedia will distribute via its Dreamscape Media audio brand.
O’Neil to Lead Mad Cave Marketing
Cara O’Neil has joined Mad Cave Studios as its new director of marketing. She most recently served as VP of marketing at Dark Horse Comics.
DSTLRY Hits the Pause Button
DSTLRY said it is putting its publishing program on pause. This follows over a year of distributor disarray in which the publisher went from Lunar to Diamond to PRH, per the Beat.
Will Eisner Week to Return This March
The annual series, will return from March 1-7, with more than 200 organizations signing up to celebrate the pioneering cartoonist with events at libraries, schools, bookshops, and other venues around the world.
- 2026 Feb 06
Atlanta’s Hearse Bookstore Settles Down
The Grim Reader will open its brick-and-mortar location next week on Friday the 13th.
Poetry in Translation Prize Winner
Osdany Morales’s Security Questions, translated by Harry Bauld, is the inaugural winner of the Poetry in Translation Prize, jointly presented by New Directions, Fitzcarraldo Editions, and Giramondo Publishing.
Chicago Bookshop Reopens
Pilsen Community Books, a worker-owned bookstore, has opened its new storefront.
- 2026 Feb 05
Chicago Bookstore to Shutter
Open Books will close its doors after less than three years in the city’s Logan Square neighborhood, citing financial challenges.
Indiana’s First Mobile Bookshop
Black Worldschoolers Mobile Bookstore has hit the road in and around Indianapolis in celebration of Black History Month.
French Bookstore Lands in New Orleans
Nous has opened in the city’s French Quarter.
- 2026 Feb 04
From Publishing Perspectives
The Power of Reading to Children.
From Deadline
Gossip Girl Author Cecily Von Ziegesar to Pen Blair Waldorf Standalone Sequel Novel for Alloy.
From KCRA3
Black History spotlight: Dr. JaNay Brown-Wood inspires young readers, one story at a time.
From the BBC
Letters from Winnie-the-Pooh author to be auctioned.
From the Kelly Clarkson Show
Jeff Kinney Reveals Next Diary of a Wimpy Kid Cover.
From the Guardian
"I was so, so stupid": how Animalia and The Eleventh Hour made Graeme Base an unlikely bestseller.
From ABC7
11 must-read children's books by Black authors in honor of Black History Month.
From Literary Hub
Ten New Children's Books That Embrace Joy and Celebrate Community.
From Book Riot
7 Must-Read YA Books by Latine Authors.
Indie Bookstore Lands in Minnesota
Acorn Bookshop has opened in St. Paul.
Libby Book Award Finalists
Sophie Elmhirst, Allegra Goodman, and Patrick Ryan are among the finalists for this year’s Libby Book Awards, presented by Libby Life.
Nebraska Bookshop Weathers the Storm
Chapters Books and Gifts in Seward reopened after storm damage forced a temporary relocation this past summer.
Bookstore-Bar to Open in Kentucky
Yer Mom’s will offer books, wine, and small bites once it opens in Louisville this spring.
Colorado Feels the Love
Romance bookstore Cherry On Top will open in Fort Collins next week.
- 2026 Feb 03
Minnesota Bookshop Changes Hands
The manager of Zenith Bookstore in West Duluth will take over the business as its new owner.
PEN/Faulkner Award Longlist
S.A. Cosby’s King of Ashes and Lily King’s Heart the Lover are among the 10 longlisted titles for this year’s PEN/Faulkner Award.
Ukrainian Awards Proceed Amid Blackout
The third edition of the Chytomo Awards, which honor the best in Ukrainian publishing, took place January 29 in Kyiv, despite frigid temperatures and a blackout resulting from Russian drone attacks.
Queer Bookstore to Expand in S.C.
Queer Haven Books in Columbia is slated to move to a bigger location.
Idaho Bookshop Also Expands
Shared Stories in Caldwell recently increased its footprint amid strong community support.
Minnesota Bookstore’s Community Mission
Garden Party Books in Rochester donated a day’s worth of earnings to rent relief for immigrant families, in support of last week’s National Shutdown strike.
Pittsburgh’s First Romance Bookshop
Passionate Pages opened in the city’s Lawrenceville neighborhood last week.
- 2026 Feb 02
From Legacy.com
Longtime children's bookseller Ellen Mager, former owner of Booktender's Secret Garden Children's Bookstore in Doylestown, Pa., died on January 28.
From the New York Times
Poet and educator X.J. Kennedy, author of two dozen books of verse for children, has died at age 96.
From CBS News
Activists Gloria Steinem and Leymah Gbowee on their new children's book and inspiring the next generation.
From NPR
The author and illustrator of the kids' book The One About the Blackbird are big Beatles fans.
From the Guardian
"People were starving for it": Mem Fox on the incredible, surprising success of Possum Magic.
From Book Riot
Romantic YA Dystopian Books That Prove Love at the End of the World Is Possible.
Maryland Bookshop Supports Refugees
The Novel Refuge in Laurel is raising funds for local refugee and immigrant services.
- 2026 Jan 30
Texas Bookstore to Bid Farewell
Ante Books in McAllen will close its doors next month due to economic uncertainty.
PEN America Literary Awards Finalists
The free speech organization has announced 50 finalists for this year’s Literary Awards, including Siddharth Kara, Yiyun Li, and Joy Williams.
N.Y. Bookstore-Bar Temporarily Shutters
Rough Draft Bar & Books in Kingston closed this week after burst pipes flooded the building.
Hans Christian Andersen Award Shortlist
The International Board on Books for Young People has announced the award’s shortlisted authors and illustrators, with winners to be revealed at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair.
Spotlight on California Bookshop
Scribble, Scrawl & Smirch Books opened in Gustine this past summer.
- 2026 Jan 29
Audie Award Finalists
The Audio Publishers Association has announced the finalists for its annual prizes across 28 categories, including Audiobook of the Year.
Omaha Bookshop Deals with Construction
The reconstruction of a nearby bridge has caused foot traffic to decline at the family-owned Next Chapter Books and Gifts.
New Canadian Award to Recognize Editors
Former Greystone Books associate publisher Nancy Flight has teamed with the Writers’ Trust of Canada to launch a $25,000 prize for nonfiction editing, endowed by Flight.
Oregon Bookstore Gets Historic
Heppner’s Flood Town Books has teamed with antiques store One Suitcase to open a joint storefront.
Georgia’s ‘Purrfect’ Bookstore
Second Thoughts Bookstore in Tifton has partnered with a local animal shelter to introduce its readers to adoptable cats.
- 2026 Jan 28
From PEN America
Authors and Illustrators Are Paying a Steep Price for Book Bans.
From Mississippi Free Press
Educator Fired for Reading I Need a New Butt! to Students Must Be Reinstated, Mississippi Court Rules.
From the New York Times
Op-Ed: Why Gen Z Doesn't Love Harry Potter.
From Deadline
Amazon MGM Developing Elise Kova’s Bestselling Fantasy Novel Dragon Cursed for Film.
From the New York Times
Broadway’s New Musicals Keep Losing Money. Except for The Outsiders.
From Nippon.com
Tarō Gomi: The Everyone Poops Author Looks Back on a Life in Picture Books.
From Literary Hub
Where Are They Now? Baby-sitters Club Edition.
From People
Super Bowl Champion Malcolm Mitchell Announces New Kids' Book My Super Duper Me.
From Book Riot
That’s Unfair!: Children’s Books About Intelligent Disobedience and Challenging Norms.
From the New York Times
Picture Books About Snow That Will Melt Your Heart.
ALA’s Carnegie Medal Winners
Megha Majumdar and Yiyun Li are the respective winners of this year’s Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction, presented by the American Library Association.
A New Bookstore in Upstate New York
MoJoe’s Book and Brew, which aims to open in Cortland later this year, will feature a taproom and retail space.
Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize Winner
Migwi Mwangi has won the annual prize for Desire Path, selected by judge Terrance Hayes. The University of Pittsburgh Press will publish the collection as part of its Pitt Poetry Series in September 2026.
- 2026 Jan 27
Florida’s Newest Bookshop
Midnight Moon Books and Boutique has landed in St. Augustine.
- 2026 Jan 26
Pennsylvania Bookshop Grows
The 185-year-old Otto Bookstore in Williamsport will nearly double its footprint this spring.
Michigan Feels the Love
The Next Chapter, a new romance bookstore, has opened in Clio.
South Dakota Books-A-Million to Shutter
The chain has announced that it will close its Rapid City location.
Cassandra Pelham Fulton Rises at Graphix
Cassandra Pelham Fulton, previously editorial director, has been promoted to associate publisher of Scholastic’s Graphix imprint.
SDCC Bans AI-Created Art
After coming under fire on social media, the organizers of San Diego Comic-Con changed the event’s policy to ban artworks generated by artificial intelligence, reports the Beat.
Eisner Hall of Fame Inductees Selected
Nineteen individuals—eight deceased comics pioneers and 11 living creators—were selected to be inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame for 2026, per Comic-Con.
- 2026 Jan 25
MoCCA Arts Festival Set for March
The MoCCA Arts Festival will return to Manhattan for its 24th edition this March, presented by the Society of Illustrators in partnership with the School of Visual Arts and CalmerCon NYC.
Pennsylvania Bookshop Grows
The 185-year-old Otto Bookstore in Williamsport will nearly double its footprint this spring, a move that will increase the size of its comics section, per NorthcentralPA.com.
- 2026 Jan 23
Wisconsin Bookshop Vandalized
A suspect has smashed the door of Bound to Happen Books in downtown Stevens Point due to the store’s focus on political activism.
- 2026 Jan 22
Former Mississippi Mayor Gets Bookish
Former Jackson Mayor Kane Ditto plans to open a used bookstore in the city’s downtown area.
Science + Literature Selected Titles
The National Book Foundation and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation have named the three titles to be featured for the fifth year of the Science + Literature program.
Indie Bookstore Settles Down in Nevada
Moss & Midnight opened its doors in Genoa earlier this month.
Minnesota’s Comic Book Boom
Comic shops in Duluth, including Collector’s Connection, have seen a sharp rise in sales.
- 2026 Jan 21
From School Library Journal
Minnesota School Librarians Supporting Students and Peers.
From the San Antonio Current
Texas parents voice anger after school district cancels visit by Chris Barton, whose nonfiction book about the history of glitter and plastic was deemed too radical under Texas's anti-DEI law.
From WBUR
How Wimpy Kid is changing the face of Plainville, Mass.
From the Disney Insider
Flat Stanley Feature Film in the Works at Disney+.
From People
Sunrise on the Reaping Gets New Paperback Editions.
From the New York Times
Jeff Kinney's Favorite Funny Books for Young Readers.
From 100 Scope Notes
That's So Meta! 10 New Metafictional Children's Books.
California Bookstore at Risk
Planet Books in Signal Hill is facing sudden closure after its landlords decided to sell the property.
PEN/Hemingway Award Longlist
North Sun by Ethan Rutherford and Blob by Maggie Su are among the eight debut novels longlisted for this year’s PEN/Hemingway Award for Fiction.
Drue Heinz Literature Prize Winner
Patricia Grace King has won this year’s Drue Heinz Literature Prize, presented by the University of Pittsburgh Press.
