AGP Executive Report

Local Government Finance: Hammersmith and Fulham faces a potential 150% council tax hike after Government funding cuts, with a Cabinet paper outlining three scenarios to plug a major budget gap. Rare Books & Events: The Chelsea Rare Book Fair returns to Chelsea Old Town Hall on Oct 30–31, with free Halloween weekend tours and highlights including witchcraft and occult material plus rare broadside funeral notices. Publishing & Bookselling: UK book market revenue rose 1.5% in H1 2026, with fiction helping drive international growth even as volume sales dipped 1.1%. Legal/Books & Libraries: The Supreme Court in India has asked for a detailed response over the proposed relocation of the 135-year-old Central Secretariat Library, home to 8.5 lakh books, as part of the Central Vista redevelopment. Education & Reading Support: A Cumbria school reports literacy gains from a national reading study, while another England trial finds the Lexia Core5 Reading programme can boost pupils’ reading progress in about 12 weeks. Culture & Adaptation: Meryl Streep’s casting as Aslan in Greta Gerwig’s Narnia film sparks fresh Christian backlash over the lion’s gendered symbolism.

Royal Publishing & Books: Charles Spencer’s new memoir Swan Song is stirring royal backlash, with claims about King Charles’s jealousy and the Palace pushing back on the book’s framing. UK Festivals & Reading Culture: Sheffield’s Off The Shelf Festival of Words (35th year) kicks off, with curator Lesley Webster talking up publisher visits and a programme built around what readers are hungry for. Literary Events (Scotland): A Blether O Books Book Festival lands in Alloway next month, bringing poets and writers to Robert Burns Birthplace Museum. Publishing Industry & Tech: Amazon has launched a redesigned Kindle lineup, including new Paperwhite and Colorsoft models, signalling another push in UK e-reading. Royal Reading Moment: Tom Parker Bowles says King Charles used to do voices for Harry Potter readings with the family—another reminder of how books still sit at the heart of celebrity life. Crime & Media (Book angle): Mike King, author of cult-focused books, is set for a live show in Kitchener exploring how cults form and how to break free.

Publishing & archives: Bolton Archives has uncovered a fragile 1525 land deed—plus rare books, letters and architectural records—highlighting how easily priceless documents can vanish in house clear-outs. Libraries under pressure: Liverpool’s Breck Road Library is closed after a rent row and could be turned into a bookmakers, with campaigners warning the area already has too many betting shops. Public money & reading culture: A Supreme Court case in India flags a 135-year-old library holding 8.5 lakh books, as Central Vista redevelopment threatens its relocation. Care and community: A Highlands and Islands Enterprise report says childcare shortages are hitting jobs, recruitment and population stability in remote communities. Health politics: The Royal College of Nursing ends its commercial partnership with Teva UK after pro-Palestinian campaigners raised concerns. Books & storytelling: Jill Barklem’s Brambly Hedge comes to life at Hidcote in a new immersive trail based on the books.

Publishing & Rights: A US court filing claims Olivia Dean’s “I’ve Seen It” copies Bill Withers’ “Just the Two of Us”, with the publisher seeking a permanent block and seizure/destruction of copies. Literary Culture: “The Coast is Queer” returns to Brighton (Oct 15–18) billed as the UK’s biggest LGBTQ+ literature festival, with New Writing South and Marlborough Productions behind a packed programme. Publishing Industry: Bonnier Books UK appoints Stella Giatrakou as newly created group rights director, signalling a push on rights strategy. Book Talk & Reading Habits: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is highlighted for reaching 1 in 7 US kids under five, keeping early literacy in the spotlight. Controversy in Books: A New Yorker review draws criticism for amplifying a book’s argument that Hebrew punctuation reflects a “brutal colonial system”. Royal/Books: Charles Spencer’s memoir “Swan Song” lands with fresh claims about Diana and the royal family, feeding tabloid-style debate around royal narratives.

Publishing & Books (UK): Terry Deary is set to visit Kemps Bookstore in Malton to discuss his new adult history title, A History of the World in Ten Wars, bringing his Horrible Histories wit to a grown-up format. Book Culture & Reading: A guide to “ephemera” explains why people save old receipts, letters and scraps—and points to the Ephemera Society’s long-running mission to conserve and sell printed and handwritten material. Publishing & Print History: A new history of woodcuts, Ink Paper Chisel Grain, traces woodcut engraving from ancient China through the Renaissance to today, while another review spotlights a refreshed Darwin biography, Darwin: A Biography. Local Community Events: A reading event in Peterborough brings big-name authors Greg James and Chris Smith to schools, underlining how book culture keeps showing up in classrooms. Education Reform (NI): Northern Ireland’s curriculum overhaul is defended as overdue, with critics arguing the current statutory curriculum lacks clear, precise guidance for teachers.

Winchester Books Festival: Historian Dan Jones brings his new book Castles: A Fortified History of the World to The Arc on Saturday, Oct 10, with an illustrated talk spanning 3,000 years of fortifications (tickets £25 or £50 with a signed copy). Publishing & AI illustration: A new children’s title, Directive Detectives: The Freedom Trail Directive, uses AI-generated artwork—prompting debate about who’s “confabulating” and how readers should judge image accuracy. Book industry deals: Tor UK signs debut author Sonja Howard’s A Melody of Bones in a two-book deal. Rights & royalties: Amazon’s redesigned Kindle goes bezel-free, using a grip-detection “dead zone” to stop accidental page turns—another reminder of how device design shapes reading habits. Literary culture: Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival’s creative writing winners get £800 in books for their school libraries after a bookshop lock-in. Book-related legal drama: Olivia Dean faces a copyright lawsuit alleging her I’ve Seen It copies Bill Withers’s Just the Two of Us.

Publishing Deals: Tor UK has signed debut author Sonja Howard’s A Melody of Bones (plus a sequel) for publication in 2028. Rights & Leadership: Bonnier Books UK appoints Stella Giatrakou as group rights director for adult and children’s trade, from 1 October. Reading Culture: New Writing North’s The Bee launches a special mini issue challenging assumptions about working-class readers in the UK reading crisis. Community & Representation: Bernardine Evaristo and Margaret Busby become patrons of the Black British Book Festival. Literary Careers: A Brockhall writer, Jon Malysiak, leaves ghost-writing to launch his own literary agency, JFM Literary and Editorial. Books & Media: The Express rolls out a new weekly royal video podcast, Royals Unscripted, with Emily Ferguson and Carole Malone. Fiction Spotlight: Amandeep Singh announces his Hachette India debut Mere Khayal Tumse Nahi Milte, a poetry-and-reflection collection on love and modern relationships.

Publishing & Prizes: Patrick Radden Keefe’s London Falling is among six finalists for the Baillie Gifford Prize, the UK’s leading nonfiction award, with the shortlist spanning biographies, history and revolution. Publishing Business: Mail Metro Media has promoted Dominic Williams to CEO, signalling a push to “innovate” and strengthen partnerships as the media market keeps shifting. Books & Tech: A new report highlights how AI answers are changing search-driven discovery, with publishers and other businesses worrying they’ll lose traffic and bookings as readers get direct answers. Reading for Kids: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is expanding into Upshur County, continuing its free monthly book model across the UK and beyond. Culture & Books: The Royal Shakespeare Company will stage Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi and Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway, bringing major literary titles to the stage. Property & Print Industry: Thomson Reuters and KKR have completed a joint venture for Global Print, a reminder that print infrastructure remains a live publishing battleground.

Royal Shakespeare Company: The RSC will stage Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi and Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway, both tackling “inner life” on stage, with Mrs Dalloway opening in April at the Swan Theatre. Publishing & bookselling culture: Retro gaming fans get a new creator-backed history in The Arcade 1971-1999 (Bitmap Books), while a separate piece spotlights how a British bookstore has “extended its shelf life.” Library news: Devon’s libraries body says it can’t comment on possible job cuts as an internal consultation begins, and a community event in Queens Public Library pushes library card sign-ups. Book-adjacent media: British film editor John Grover, who worked on six James Bond films and 2001: A Space Odyssey, has died aged 87. UK reading & access: Free Harry Potter audiobooks are arriving on Audible, Spotify and YouTube next month.

Suffolk literary diary: October’s programme in Suffolk is packed with author talks, poetry and kids’ book events, including the Festival of Nature poetry evening (Oct 1) and the Ipswich Book Festival (Oct 2-4), plus Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival (Oct 8-11). Horror as culture: A look at why horror is having a renaissance, arguing the genre “synthesizes a national obsession” and can mirror politics, history and fear. Publishing & subscriptions: The FT’s Marie Goddard explains how new UK subscription rules (from Jan 2027) will force clearer pricing, fewer “stealth” trial rollovers and more in-life reminders—so publishers can’t rely on dark patterns. Royal book row: Piers Morgan posts legal correspondence tied to Earl Spencer’s Diana memoir, reigniting a dispute over claims in the book. Residential school art book: A free digital collection, Art, Truth & Reconciliation, gathers artwork from survivors and descendants of the Indian residential school system. Local planning notices: Enfield considers an HMO for up to seven people at Stewartsby Close, while other councils publish further loft and monitoring applications via the Public Notice Portal.

Publishing & markets: A new Bookseller commentary argues British publishers should treat Southeast Asia as more than a “market”, building deeper relationships with writers and publishers there. Deal of the week: Footnote Press (Bonnier Books UK) has bought Saraid de Silva’s second novel, Men I’ve Killed In My Sleep, after it was longlisted for the Women’s Prize. Royal book row: Earl Spencer fires back at Buckingham Palace over claims in his Diana memoir, with the Palace saying grief can “cloud reason” while Spencer calls the response “very aggressive” and accuses “gaslighting”. Local reading culture: Maidstone LitFest returns for its fourth year (Oct 1–11) with authors, illustrators and a full children’s and teens programme. Book-world events: CJ ENM’s “Curated Korea 2026” lands in London in October, mixing K-drama screenings with creator talks and literature tie-ins. Grief & children’s books: A Newton Aycliffe youngster’s Hugsy Brightheart and the Missing Star has won a grant after being shared with the Ricky Hatton Foundation.

Royal & Publishing Buzz: Charles Spencer’s Diana memoir “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister” keeps driving headlines, with claims about Charles’s alleged remarks and fresh talk of whether Prince Harry was involved—plus reports Harry will avoid high-profile Remembrance Day events to avoid “pulling focus.” Books & Culture: “Paddington the Musical” confirms a second-year West End cast and extends its run to 2028, keeping Michael Bond’s stories firmly in the spotlight. Community Reading: A Darlington teenager, Florrie Trusler, is celebrated in a new feature after her 1910 endurance swim record—an old-school reminder of how local stories become lasting reads. Industry Watch: Travel Weekly reports compliance concerns as agents are urged to double-check AI-written social posts, since the tech can miss key rules. UK Talent: London’s Bodhana Sivanandan becomes the youngest-ever female chess grandmaster, another feel-good win for young readers and future bookish prodigies.

Crime & Publishing: Scottish crime writer Peter May has died at his holiday home in the south of France, aged 74, with his final novel Island of the Dead due in January 2027. Libraries & Reading Culture: North and West Northamptonshire’s LibraryPlus is launching an adult Book Bingo challenge, funded via the National Lottery/Arts Council England, running until March 13, 2027 with a £50 book-token prize draw. Publishing Tech & Media Risk: News UK is investing in ClearDraft, an AI legal clearance platform for newsroom lawyers, aiming to speed up publication risk checks. Retail & Bookselling Context: The BRC-NIQ shop price index shows shop price inflation easing to 1.4% in September, with non-food inflation down to 0.8%—including discounts on back-to-school essentials like books and stationery. AI & Society: A Hexagon study says Britain’s “robot generation” is forming fast, with 80% of children excited about robots versus 47% of adults. Royalty & Books: Earl Spencer denies Prince Harry’s involvement in his Diana memoir Swan Song, saying he kept it out of the family circle until release.

Publishing & Books: UK FCA has accepted binding commitments from 11 “day traders” in a commodity futures antitrust probe, ending its investigation into alleged coordination via shared trading arcades—another reminder that information barriers are now a compliance priority. Royal Books & Memoir Fallout: Charles Spencer’s Princess Diana memoir “Swan Song” keeps sparking headlines, with claims around Prince Harry’s lack of involvement and criticism of King Charles’s response. Media Trust: A survey on Hong Kong residents’ views says over 60% distrust mainstream media, while the BBC faces fresh backlash over how it labels dead people in the Israel-Gaza conflict. Reading Culture: The National Videogame Museum launches a UK-wide survey on game preservation, asking developers and publishers what archives and materials they still hold. Local Literary Life: A community event will mark the John O’Groats Trail’s 10th anniversary with talks and a short film at Waterlines heritage centre. Crime Writing Loss: Tributes continue after Scottish crime author Peter May’s death at 74, with his final novel “Island of the Dead” also in the spotlight.

Books & Publishing: Chrysalis Investments has sold its remaining Klarna stake for £34m after the fintech’s share plunge, and will return £25m to shareholders via a buyback—another reminder of how volatile the UK’s fintech-and-investment ecosystem can be for publishing-adjacent investors. Books & Community: Hearts of Gold/Corazónes de Oro is expanding a prison book donation project, aiming to improve reading access and offer Spanish books, board games and puzzles for women in Azogues. Author Spotlight: Matt Haig says walks helped his recovery after a “sudden” breakdown, as he discusses mental health in a BBC Radio 4 appearance. Publishing Culture: Carlo Gébler’s memoir No One Tells You reflects on grief and ageing after Edna O’Brien’s death, blending literary tribute with prison-teaching insights. Kids & Reading: Dobbies’ Little Seedlings Club runs a free fungi/mushrooms workshop in Lisburn, with hands-on activities and take-home art. UK Media & Power: The News Media Association argues journalism must be treated as essential public infrastructure, not just another commercial sector.

Scottish Libraries Push: The Scottish Greens want £3.54m to fund Dolly Parton-inspired unstaffed lending libraries in one in four primary schools still without library provision, pairing 500 books per school with furniture and early-reading support via Ayrshire Housing’s Imagination Library links. Royal Memoir Buzz: Charles Spencer says Princess Diana is “on my side in tricky moments”, describing cufflinks she gave him and adding fresh regret about whether he could have done more to protect her amid public pressure. Archaeology Spotlight: New work at Orkney’s Ness of Brodgar is reframing the area from “empty ceremonial space” to a long-lived settlement with preserved stone buildings. Outdoor Safety: A guide to autumn mountain hikes flags why rescues are rising on Snowdon, from viral “honeypot” routes to flip-flops, poor planning and the assumption someone else will save you. Publishing & Culture: Liverpool’s Subculture Gallery opens behind the Baltic Triangle door, showcasing film and literature artefacts including Clockwork Orange material and rare first editions. Care Reform Politics: Andy Burnham vows NHS-style universal free social care at the next election, but faces scrutiny over funding and the impact of fresh energy-price data.