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Opinion from The Bookseller and other columnists. To pitch a comment piece email Molly Flatt.

Editor's Letter

A federal structure is about the bond as well as the profit

As the headwinds that swirl around book publishing remain strong, portfolio publishing does not always work as recent redundancies at Hachette division, Octopus, evince.

READ LETTER IN FULL

A sovereign state of mind

by David Cairns

Why even a queen should reconsider science fiction.

A chain of radical acts

by Elizabeth Day

Why I’m launching Big Day Books, and why marketers matter so much.

The barriers are holding firm

by Daisy Griffiths

In 2022 I wrote an anonymous piece on whether working-class access schemes were working. Here’s my view four years on.

Editor‘s Letter

A federal structure is about the bond as well as the profit

As the headwinds that swirl around book publishing remain strong, portfolio publishing does not always work as recent redundancies at Hachette division, Octopus, evince.

READ LETTER IN FULL

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Bringing British bookselling to Sicily

by Mia McTigue-Rodriguez

Will an English indie approach work in a rural Italian town?

It’s time to lean in for the right to be heard

by Philip Jones

Sarah Wynn-Williams, an author resident in the UK and published by a UK publisher, has been silenced for more than a year by a US court at the behest of a tech mega-corp, yet where is the outrage?

The evolution of indie publishing

by John Bond and James Silver

Once seen as the book trade’s consolation prize, self-publishing is now its own thriving industry.

At a time when mental health issues are soaring, earnings are plummeting and over half of debut novelists report the experience of publishing had a negative impact on their mental health, systemic solutions are needed.

How to stage Jackie Collins? With dolls

by Natasha Tripney

The first ever theatre adaptation of a Collins bestseller takes a surprising approach.

The cult of youth

by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Publishing’s obsession with shiny new things is limiting for everyone.

Beyond transparency

by Stephanie Attal-Juncqua and Neil Everett

Building the book supply chain of 2035.

News for emerging authors: June

by Maame Blue

A hand-picked digest of news stories from the past month that emerging writers should know about.

We are in the ‘nostalgia’ business

by Philip Jones

While units are down and only price rises keeping the market buoyant, now more so than ever is the time for us to focus on the business of creating readers.

The antidote to AI slop?

by David Shervington

Religious and spiritual non-fiction is flourishing thanks to a uniquely human trait: soul.

Reading against the statistics

by Louise Powell

I was a Free School Meals kid, and reading transformed my future.

Publishing needs a cultural reckoning

by Paul Bulos

The book trade needs to bridge the gap between its values and the lived experience of its workforce.

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The party season this year is about ‘togetherness’

Jun 19, 2026by Philip Jones

The summer party season offers more than just champagne and gossip.

Is scholarly publishing going south?

Jun 17, 2026by George Cooper

If we lose regional diversity, we lose so much more too.

The green shoots of a reading recovery should embolden us

Jun 12, 2026by Philip Jones

According to the National Literacy Trust’s 2026 survey, there has been an uplift in reading for pleasure among children and young people.

Sometimes we need to follow instinct, not logic

Jun 5, 2026by Philip Jones

With the Hay Festival turning 40 next year, and what with publishing continuing to be a messy business, some would argue that festivals featuring actual authors talking to real-life readers will become a thing of the past – but I beg to differ.

Ode to the unfashionable

Jun 3, 2026by Natasha Tripney

Could Samantha Harvey’s adaptation of Barbara Pym encourage theatre-makers to revisit underestimated books?

Can we be partners with Big Tech?

May 22, 2026by Philip Jones

Viewing Big Tech through the prism of the book business proved to be a mistake, because it is not doing us any favours.

The Nibbies weaponised the book, and rightly so

May 15, 2026by Philip Jones

A dangerous corporate overreach met with a chorus of disapproval at this year’s British Book Awards, and not a moment too soon.

The power of books to bear witness

May 14, 2026by Sarah Wynn-Williams

The British Book Awards’ Freedom to Publish joint winner Sarah Wynn-Williams on Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s extraordinary courage and the power of the book.