AGP Executive Report

Publishing & Books: A new biography of Stephen Hawking by Graham Farmelo argues the “dark side” of genius was long overlooked, including sexism and controlling behaviour, even as it celebrates Hawking’s scientific drive. Books & Migration: Colin Grant’s What We Leave We Carry gathers interviews with 70+ people who migrated to Britain, exploring what migrants perceived, carried, missed, and how they were received. Publishing Industry & AI: SPUR’s “NATO for news” push continues, with publishers working on a shared way to understand how AI scrapes and uses content so licensing deals can be fairer. Local Culture & Heritage: Carlisle’s Tullie museum transformation is marked by visitor numbers and sales, with a new display of photographs and architectural drawings showing how the site was stitched together. UK Travel & Borders: Warning issued that more than a million UK passports may fail Schengen entry rules unless issued within 10 years and valid for 3 months after departure. Tech & Security: Scotland’s biometrics commissioner calls for a new public-space surveillance strategy as AI analytics and facial recognition outpace the 2011 CCTV framework.

Publishing & Books: Audible previews a multilingual, seven-language adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula at Venice, with Jonathan Bailey as Dracula and Maggie Gyllenhaal as Van Helsing, pitching Mina as the story’s driving force. Books & Culture: Stephen Walker, former BBC Northern Ireland political correspondent and author of acclaimed biographies of John Hume and David Trimble, has died aged 61, prompting tributes across Northern Ireland politics and media. UK Bookish Life: Scottish Book Trust is donating 30,000 Gruffalo books to children across Scotland, continuing its push to get more kids reading. Literary Events: Heritage Open Days returns (Sept 11–20) with thousands of free history and culture events, including Suffolk’s 202 listings under the theme “Everyday Histories.” Sports & Storytelling: The Walker Cup’s next UK venue is Princes Golf Club in Kent (2030), while future sites in the US are mapped out through 2052.

Railway Heritage & Kids’ Books: Heighington station marks the Stockton & Darlington Railway’s 1825 opening with hard-hat tours, steam attractions, blacksmithing, and a new children’s book launch, plus archaeology digs and a possible “world’s first platform” dating mystery. LEGO Money-Saver: An AI LEGO sorter (Brick-O-Matic) claims 11m UK households are sitting on unused sets worth big money, with millions never checking what their bricks are worth. ISA Warning: Savers are urged to avoid a simple ISA-switching mistake that can mess up tax-free allowance rules when moving money. Publishing Picks: A roundup of autumn reads spotlights new fiction and non-fiction, including Colm Tóibín’s The Bridge, Louisa Young’s The Golden Hours, and Rebecca F Kuang’s Taipei Story. Book Culture Online: BookTok/Bookstagram is credited with getting a new generation reading more and cutting screen time. Local Publishing Deal: Stalybridge publishing star lands a Bloomsbury deal for a debut novel. Women’s Rights in Scotland: A campaign pushes to modernise Scotland’s abortion laws, with a focus on decriminalisation and reform.

Privacy & Competition: Apple faces a proposed £2bn UK collective action over App Tracking Transparency, with thousands of developers alleging the rules unfairly favour Apple’s own ads and cut their revenue. Publishing & Books: Goodreads editors have shared their 5 September book picks, while a new Meg Mason novel (“Sophie, Standing There”) tops the September must-read list. Local Community Reading: High Life Highland is rolling out free bat detectors to borrow from libraries in Thurso and Wick, pairing wildlife learning with ranger events. Books & Culture: A new children’s book in The Gambia spotlights business leader Muhammed Jah, aiming to distribute 10,000 copies via schools and libraries. Literary Adaptations: Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence lands as a modern, steamy 6-part series that breaks the usual format.

Publishing & Books: A new historical research project reveals how a 19th-century estate agency used a “cosmorama” to let London buyers “inspect” distant properties with painted, lens-based illusion—an early answer to today’s property tours. Royal & Culture: Queen Camilla made a surprise stage appearance at Letters Live, reading an emotional, never-before-seen letter from the Queen Mother about grief and poetry. Books & Society: A Guardian blind-date column spotlights how readers keep finding connection through conversation—plus a reminder that the UK’s literary calendar is still packed. Film & Publishing Crossover: Danny Boyle’s Murdoch tabloid drama “Ink” is generating buzz ahead of wider UK attention. Local Bookish News: A new book launch at Evesham Festival of Words promises a fresh royal-history twist with “Prince George & Master Frederick,” exploring a possible secret firstborn son of George III. Community Reading Push: Scotland’s Book Trust is donating 30,000 Gruffalo books to children across the country.

Publishing & Books in Film/TV: Venice’s Book Adaptation Rights Market is drawing publishers and agents to pitch whole backlists early, showing studios are hunting literary IP before books even hit shelves. UK Crime Fiction: Clacton author David Evans will release Discontent, the fourth instalment in his 1970s Essex historical crime series, as a hospital porter’s disappearance spirals into secrets, abuse and misconduct. Children’s Reading & Royals: Queen Camilla visits Liverpool’s Speke Hall with Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler to celebrate The Gruffalo and reinforce her National Literacy Trust patronage. Fashion Meets Pop Culture: IKEA teases a Skyrim collaboration for Sept 9, hinting at a rune-adorned Kallax/Allen-wrench style tie-in. Design Awards: Thousand Trails’ TrailBlazer magazine wins a GDUSA in-house design award, spotlighting its outdoor lifestyle visuals. Literary Loss: Irish Times critic Brian Fallon dies aged 93, remembered for decades of accessible arts criticism and editing. Assisted Suicide Debate: Campaigners urge the Home Secretary to block “Dr Death” Philip Nitschke’s UK demonstration of the Kairos “suicide collar” ahead of MPs’ assisted suicide Bill vote. Sports (Not Books, but UK Culture): Katie Taylor’s final bout at Croke Park draws massive ticket demand as her career heads for a “final curtain” moment.

UK Publishing & AI Policy: The EU is asking publishers whether Google’s AI search opt-out is actually working, as regulators weigh how to handle publisher complaints and rankings. Tech Meets Publishing: OpenAttribution argues the UK should treat “telemetry” as the key to valuing and measuring content in the AI economy, pushing for a licensing-first approach. Competition Law: Apple is hit with a $2.7bn London lawsuit over alleged unfair app tracking rules, with developers claiming App Tracking Transparency restricts third parties more than Apple. Local High Street Support: A Maldon MP urges the new PM to extend business rates relief to more high street businesses, including booksellers. Community Books: A family in Bluewater Rise has launched a front-yard lending library for children’s books and YA, already boosted by local donations. Heritage & Free Culture: Heritage Open Days returns with thousands of free events across England, including major museums and unusual local history stops. Local Disruption: The Far North Line closes after an “emergency incident” between Dingwall and Invergordon, cancelling and revising services.

UK Publishing & Books: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library keeps proving it’s more than a feel-good story: the programme has sent out 300m+ books since 1995 and is active in the UK (with local partners handling sign-ups and distribution). Publishing Industry & Tech: Apple is hit with a £2bn London lawsuit at the Competition Appeal Tribunal over App Tracking Transparency, with claims it unfairly restricts third-party app developers and harms British businesses. Local Democracy: Wandsworth residents are being urged to have their say on roads, closures and traffic changes, with councils required to publish traffic management orders so people can object before decisions land. Children’s Reading & Libraries: Ayrshire schools are set to share £150,000 from the School Library Improvement Fund, backing projects aimed at reading for pleasure, equity of access and digital literacy. Culture & Feminism: Tributes continue for Gloria Steinem, with Jane Fonda praising her “special place in history” and her work empowering women’s voices.

Minimum Wage Crackdown: The UK Government has published lists of employers named and shamed for failing to pay the National Minimum Wage, with around £4m repaid to 27,000 workers by 658 firms and penalties totalling £7m. Pensions Politics: The North West Pensioners’ Association is urging a campaign to defend the State Pension “Triple Lock” ahead of the Autumn Budget, warning pensioners shouldn’t pay for fiscal pressure. Heritage & Libraries: Barrow Library is set for £400k upgrades while staying open, and the public gets rare access to a Thomas More family painting under a National Trust “heritage science” project. Publishing & Books Events: York’s National Book Fair returns with 100,000+ books for sale, plus rare maps and prints. Literature Festival: FILIT in Iași announces major international guests including Booker winner Paul Lynch and David Foenkinos. Books & Society: A new children’s book project backed by British Gas highlights female footballers’ impact on girls’ reading and sport. AI in Education: Norway’s plan to ban generative AI in classrooms for younger pupils adds to growing UK and global debate over AI’s role in schools.

Publishing & Media: Danny Boyle’s Venice Film Festival opener Ink turns the origin story of Rupert Murdoch’s The Sun into a fast, lurid publishing drama, with Jack O’Connell as first editor Larry Lamb and a clear message that stories are “dangerous” to authoritarians. Free Speech & Censorship: A Free Speech Dispatch report highlights Hong Kong and China prosecutions tied to Tiananmen memorial activism, warning that repression is spreading beyond borders. Books & Reading Culture: A UK-focused piece looks at what to read for America’s 250th anniversary, spotlighting University of Chicago Press titles on the Declaration era and the ideas that followed. Industry Watch: EU antitrust regulators are pressing publishers over Google’s AI search opt-out proposal, keeping the spotlight on how AI platforms handle publishing rights. Community & Literacy: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library continues to expand, with local programmes enrolling thousands of children and renewing the push for early reading access.

AI & Search Regulation: The European Commission has asked publishers for their views on Google’s AI search opt-out, after an antitrust push that would let sites refuse having content used in AI overviews without losing rankings. Classic Literature in the Spotlight: Emily Wilson is set to retranslate The Odyssey from scratch, less than a decade after her acclaimed first version and following her sharp criticism of Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation. Publishing & Books in the Real World: An Oxford author’s family history project has reconnected him with relatives in Saskatchewan, showing how books can spark real-life links across continents. Local Book Culture: Featherbed Books in Houghton, Sunderland, is expanding with a cosy reading snug after four years as an independent shop. Community Heritage: Forres Heritage Trust is working to make a rare 1934 local history tome more widely available, after receiving original copies and related documents. Energy & Policy Backdrop: A new book on British energy history argues gas boilers became ubiquitous thanks to a state-run rollout that shaped homes for decades.

EU Antitrust & Big Tech: EU regulators are asking publishers for their views on Google’s AI search opt-out, a move that could shape an ongoing investigation and potential fines if publishers fear traffic and revenue losses. Publishing & Rights: The UK antitrust watchdog previously ordered Google to let publishers opt out of AI features, and the EU is now probing how the opt-out would work in practice. Local Community & Infrastructure: SSEN Transmission says residents near Banniskirk Hub are being thanked for their “patience” as ground investigations begin, with limited, carefully controlled blasting possible. Transport Safety: Stagecoach East in Cambridge plans extra training for bus drivers to recognise and respond to violence against women and girls. Books & Culture: A new Historic England history explores the British cemetery’s changing design, symbolism and social role. Education Policy: “Section 28 2.0” concerns grow as new England school guidance is criticised for pushing non-affirming treatment of trans pupils.

Copyright & AI: The UK Copyright Office says an AI system can’t be named as the author, even if its output is protected—an issue tied to Stephen Thaler’s DABUS case. Independent Book Retail: Oxford’s Gulp Fiction has plans for a bigger city-centre shop with a cafe-bar and events, moving from its Covered Market base. Publishing & Tech: Amazon is accused of buying and destroying rare books to train AI models, reigniting fears about print-to-data pipelines. Royalty & Culture: A piece argues Britain could follow the US in naming an airport after Queen Camilla—while Dolly Parton’s literacy legacy keeps popping up in UK charity and reading campaigns. Local Books & Community: A Bayeux Tapestry fan has spent nearly 40 years creating his own version and is selling a companion book for charity. Scotland Public Services: John Swinney faces warnings that parts of government may need to “stop or be consolidated” as cuts loom. Wildfire Preparedness: Scotland’s wildfire response can’t rely on goodwill alone, with a report warning of dangerous exposure and volunteer strain.

Publishing & Competition: Google has agreed to pay £260m to settle UK Play Store commission claims from app developers, with £160m for eligible sales (Aug 2018–July 2026) and £100m for costs, pending tribunal approval on 15 Sept. Tech & News Distribution: Google also changed its search-spam enforcement so manual actions won’t hit results inside the EEA from 30 Aug, a move tied to EU pressure under the Digital Markets Act. Books & Culture: The National Trust for Scotland says major conservation work at Hill House is progressing, with the original cement roughcast removal completed to tackle moisture damage. Reading & Community: A new fabric colouring book line for toddlers launches from eatsleepdoodle, aiming to make repeatable, washable creativity easier for parents. Human Interest: Former MI6 officer Matthew Dunn describes how his role was so secret he couldn’t even tell his family what he did.

UK Publishing & Books in the News: A new eBook series from Parallel Histories is pushing schools to debate the “polarising” British Empire from competing viewpoints, with a free resource built around source-based arguments. Crime & Culture: Clwyd Crime Fest returns with author panels and talks at Mold and Wrexham libraries, led by Simon McCleave and featuring Tom Hindle, Alex Hay and others. AI & Copyright: Sony Music and Warner Chappell have sued Anthropic over claims that Claude was trained by scraping copyrighted songs, seeking up to $150,000 per track. Global Books Under Fire: Russian strikes have destroyed 12 million books in Ukraine, including a Kyiv printing press producing schoolbooks. Independent Bookshops Under Pressure: Hong Kong’s independent bookstores face closures and arrests tied to national security crackdowns. Literary Spotlight: Switzy by Emma Cline lands as a Booker-listed novel about a man’s final days, with Alzheimer’s at its core. Community Reading: Evesham Vale of Tales brings children’s authors and illustrators into local primary schools, with free signed copies for participants.

Publishing & rights: A UK reader in Estepona says a newspaper subscription kept charging after a three-month trial and refused a clean cancellation—another reminder that online sign-ups can trap people in hard-to-exit billing loops. Gaelic culture & archives: Restored 1890s posters marking the first Royal National Mòd editions will go on display at the West Highland Museum in Fort William from 8 September, after painstaking conservation saved rare surviving promotional materials. Local community & books: Geilston Garden’s September Sundays includes “Geilston Gnomes” hiding free books for children to find and take home, alongside choir performances and storytelling. Health & fundraising: A Wick darts fundraiser has donated an IV scanner (vein-finder) to Caithness General Hospital’s day case unit, aimed at helping patients with difficult vein access. Independent retail: Edinburgh’s Grassmarket tops a UK list of best areas for independent shops, beating other famous districts for business longevity and local variety. Crime & media: A new Irish-language thriller, Aontas, has been chosen to represent Ireland at the 2027 Oscars.