Dear readers, writers and those who are curious, 

Welcome to February 2026 News for Emerging Authors! Maybe February has been short and sweet for you, maybe not? Either way, the news has been very revealing and has provided a reminder that sometimes we really just need to go back to basics. For example:

Literary agents urge writers to avoid AI as they see "change in nature of submissions"

“A number of literary agencies are adding amendments to their submission guidelines urging authors not to use AI in their submissions, as agents report that its use across query letters and manuscripts is becoming more prevalent.”

Trust me when I tell you, every author knows the emotional stress of submitting to literary agents for the first, third or even fifth time. It is a mammoth task making sure your cover letter "sells you", getting that synopsis perfect, and making sure the formatting on those first three chapters is exactly as requested. We’re writers – we want to have written the thing and then have someone immediately just know we’re brilliant without having to package ourselves up, but submitting to agents has always required a certain number of hurdles and that isn’t changing anytime soon. And if you’re not feeling confident in your sellable abilities, maybe you have considered using the Fake Intellectual (AI) to "help you along", thus defeating the point entirely because as this article aptly puts it, “AI editing tools can really flatten your writing” and that is the last thing you want.

If you feel such a temptation, perhaps question why that is. Do you fully understand the job of an agent and what your expectations should be when you finally get one? Are you having trouble writing the synopsis because you’re not clear on what the whole story is yet? Is it difficult to draft that cover letter because you haven’t decided on the kind of writer you want to be? If any of these questions are ringing bells for you, it might be that you’re not quite ready to submit. But give it time and work on it, and eventually you will be, no bad tech required.

Do you fully understand the job of an agent and what your expectations should be when you finally get one?

But speaking of good tech:

Bookshop.org partners with Draft2Digital to sell self-published e-books through indies

“The new partnership means hundreds of thousands of self-published titles from Draft2Digital will be available on Bookshop.org’s e-book platform, which launched in the UK in October 2025.”

If you don’t know by now, self-published books are becoming a mainstay in the book charts and providing many authors with a viable and sustainable source of income. And we love options over here, which is why the news of self-published e-books now being available through your local independent bookshop should be news to your ears.

Maybe you’re already self-published, maybe you have a promo plan in place for getting your new self-published book out there, or maybe you want to learn more about what being self-published looks like. Whatever stage you are at, researching places like Draft2Digital could help you take that next step to getting published. And as with the previous headline, every route to publishing isn’t a one-size-fits-all and you have to find the path that suits you best. What’s great about self publishing for one might be extremely off putting for another; just choose the one that you can get the most out of, that brings you the least amount of anxiety for the highest reward, if such a thing exists.

And if all else fails, get creative:

GAIL’s Bakery and Penguin "expands partnership" into Knead to Read campaign

“The partnership was launched by brand partnership agency mostra in autumn 2025 as Great Reads, featuring "in-bakery conversations" with Penguin authors. The new campaign Knead to Read kicks off on World Book Day with the release of Leodora Darlington’s debut The Exes at GAIL’s Southwark bakery.”

This is your sign to get out there and think outside the box during this National Year of Reading with your own book promotion. First and foremost, yes, go to your local bookshop and sign copies of your book if they stock it, offer up events to help sell your books and work with booksellers to come up with fun ideas to engage readers. But also, leverage your own networks and get creative – does your local bakery have a spot where you can talk to people about your book while they are buying their sausage rolls? Could you partner with a foodbank to donate some books and do a reading, especially if you write for children? Could you talk to your local florist about doing a book and flower gift deal if you are in the business of writing romance?

You probably have about 10 other much better ideas than these and there is no better time to try them out than during the year when we should all be reading more than we ever have, and encouraging others to do the same.

Take this as a note to expand your book lists, and the places you might list your own book too.