News for emerging authors: June

Dear wonderful emerging authors, illustrators, creatives and anyone reading this who just likes to be in the know; welcome to my June News for Emerging Authors.

The month has come and gone with literary scout AI email scams, controversial prize winners and a disappointing sales dip for Black authors. But you know what, there is still a lot going on in the industry that is worth paying attention to, hence my rummage through the headlines for the following gems:

Canongate moves to quarterly royalty payment system in ’revolutionary’ move

Canongate is to begin paying author royalties quarterly in a "revolutionary" move that has been welcomed by agents. The publisher will make the first of its quarterly payments – for the period January to March 2026 – at the end of June. This improved accounting schedule will be applied to all book contracts, ensuring royalties are paid into its authors’ hands more regularly and swiftly.

If you’re reading this and wondering why this wasn’t already happening across the industry, I’m right there with you. For those of you on the cusp of your first-ever book deal, you may not know that once your book is published, no matter how big or small it was, you need to ‘earn out’ your advance before you receive royalties. That’s often where all your first efforts with book promotion, events, book clubs and so on really pays off (the advance). Once you’ve sold enough books to cover that cost, then the royalties come in, or more accurately, they drip feed in, hopefully turning into a healthy stream as your profile grows. But those royalties tend to only come twice a year; three months after the ‘six-month accounting period’, which means you can’t rely on them for regular income.

Quarterly payments change the whole waiting game, with Canongate proving that switching up their accounting system is good for authors and good for business — who knew! A publisher who puts the livelihoods and careers of their authors front and centre, is one you’ll want to pay attention to when you’re thinking about your future book prospects.

Quarterly payments change the whole waiting game, with Canongate proving that switching up their accounting system is good for authors and good for business — who knew!

And speaking of the future:

Audio ‘fully integrated’ into publishing, say industry bosses amid format’s unstoppable growth

Audiobook platforms, publishers and production companies including Audible, Spotify, Spiracle, Granny Eats Wolf, Penguin Random House (PRH), Macmillan and more have shared with The Bookseller what they see as driving the format’s growth following the Publishers Association’s (PA) recent findings that the UK audiobook market grew by 10% in 2025, to £225m.

Let’s skip the debate about whether audiobooks count as reading – they do – and does it matter what form the story comes in, as long as it gets to you? Anyway, audiobooks are here to stay and as a society that’s had a century of radio dramas, this uplift should come as no surprise. We like the sounds of our own voices, we like playing pretend and who among us doesn’t like being read to? No one that I plan on keeping in my life, I’ll tell you. But this is relevant to you, emerging author, because it really is another way for people to access your books, and something you should pay close attention to when it comes to publication time.

Audiobook deals are becoming a mainstay in book contracts, and they’re no longer just an added link on your pre-order page. They have the potential to help you reach brand new audiences; people who don’t frequent their local bookshop or library, but love a podcast or just listening to a good story. Those people gravitate towards audiobooks first before the physical book, so it is worth discussing with your publisher a promotional plan for the audio adaptation of your book. Plus, with the right voice actors, it could bring your words to life in new and exciting ways, and we could all stand to feel a bit more excitement about life these days, couldn’t we?

Lastly, a thrill for the true book lovers:

Independent bookshop numbers reach highest level since 2012

The number of independent bookshops in the UK and Ireland has risen from 1,025 to 1,086 in the last year, reaching its highest level since 2012, according to new data released during Independent Bookshop Week.

This is fantastic news for those of you who like to go outside, touch grass and buy physical books in real life. The people are indeed reading again and more booksellers than ever are doing their best to answer the call. So here’s what you can do: while the sun is out (maybe too out for many of us so stay protected), head on down to a bookshop you’ve never been to before and scope out the place. See what’s prominent on the shelves, what books they’re recommending that month, and if your own book isn’t there, ask them to stock it.

If your book isn’t out yet, chat with the booksellers anyway, get a recommendation, and take note if the vibe is good, because you’ll probably want to return to it once you’re a published author. Plus, they often have really good aircon and places to perch, so maybe you’ll visit one and be inspired to write something? You never know.