With Melissa away at YALC, Jamie and Naomi tackle the week's biggest publishing controversies, industry trends, and adaptation news.

Episode Breakdown:

• James Patterson's Co-Author Contracts: Author Gina Maxwell alleges Patterson offered a flat $10,000 with no royalties for a romance novel and contractually threatened to remove her name if he significantly edited the manuscript.
• Baldur's Gate 3 Fandom Outrage: T. Kingfisher's Astarion prequel novel faces intense online backlash over IP-mandated backstory changes and narrator Neil Newborn's jarring third-person audiobook delivery.
• The "Trad Wife" Literature Trend: Exploring the Waterstones Book of the Year 2026 shortlist and the sudden wave of fiction deconstructing traditional housewife communities, driven by hits like Yesteryear.
• Sarah J. Maas Formatting Drama: Fans express frustration that Bloomsbury printed the highly anticipated Splintered Harmony noticeably taller than previous books in the series.
• David Walliams Industry Fallout: The children's author is dropped from a major animated movie and loses independent bookshop shelf space as misconduct allegations continue to impact his backlist.
• Hollywood's "Safe" Adaptations: Discussing upcoming screen versions of Dolly Alderton's Pride and Prejudice, Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun, and John Gwynne's completed epic fantasy series The Faithful and the Fallen.
• Bridget Jones Prize: Helen Fielding launches a £2,000 Northern Comedy Writing prize to support unpublished writers from the North of England.
• Publishing Q&A: Advice on navigating the mental toll of losing literary representation multiple times and how to successfully leverage past agency experience when querying new agents.

@naomigwrites - Naomi Gibson, author of Every Line of You, Game Over Girl, Man Muse Monster

@melliver - Melissa Welliver, author of The Undying Tower, My Love Life and the Apocalypse, Soulmates and Other Ways to Die, To the Death

@writeandwrongpodcast - Jamie Greenwood, creator & host of The Write and Wrong Podcast

With Jamie away modelling for romance book covers, Melissa and Naomi take the reins to break down the biggest publishing news, fantasy adaptation castings, and industry controversies of the week.

In this episode:

• James Patterson Enters Romantasy: Discussing Patterson's unexpected genre shift co-authoring "Fire Dance" with Hazel McBride, slated for a June 2027 release.
• HarperCollins' "Wild Lit" Imprint: A look at the new New Adult imprint and the AI-generated art controversies already sparking backlash around its launch.
• Society of Authors AI Backtrack: Unpacking the SoA's withdrawal from an ethical AI charter and the impossible task of keeping the writing process completely air-gapped from AI tools like Grammarly and Copilot.
• Fantasy Adaptations: Reacting to Francis Lawrence directing the Red Rising movie and the Fourth Wing casting announcements featuring Ewan McGregor's daughter as Violet and Emilio Sakraya as Xaden.
• Sally Rooney's UK Distribution: Why UK distribution of Rooney's books was paused over her support for Palestine Action, and how readers are bypassing this by ordering from Irish indie bookshops.
• YouTube Audiobooks: Breaking down YouTube Premium's planned 2027 move into the audiobook market and how royalty payouts might compare to platforms like Audible and Spotify.
• Social Media vs. Creativity: Exploring Leigh Bardugo's comments on how algorithms, echo chambers, and direct reader expectations stifle the author creative process.
• Publishing Q&A: Is it a red flag if a literary agent refuses to "nudge" editors while a manuscript is out on submission?

@naomigwrites - Naomi Gibson, author of Every Line of You, Game Over Girl, Man Muse Monster

@melliver - Melissa Welliver, author of The Undying Tower, My Love Life and the Apocalypse, Soulmates and Other Ways to Die, To the Death

@writeandwrongpodcast - Jamie Greenwood, creator & host of The Write and Wrong Podcast

Jamie, Melissa and Naomi are back. Naomi's shares her first FantasyCon experience before they get into the publishing news, which this week features curious revenue increases, political red tape and AI controversies.

In this episode:

Book Sales vs. Revenue: Fresh data shows UK book market revenue increased by 1.5% in the first half of 2026, but the actual volume of books sold fell by 1.1%. The hosts discuss how expensive special editions are driving profits and debate whether buying books and reading books have become two completely separate hobbies.

Playing It Safe in Publishing: With Hachette UK attributing a 4% revenue growth largely to mega-authors like Rebecca Yarros and Freida McFadden, the hosts explore how publishers are abandoning the "shiny debut" in favour of risk-averse, established IP. They also look at how this trend is bleeding into retail, with Waterstones increasingly opting for older, proven hits for their Book of the Month.

Defining "New Adult": Following Grace Walker's win of the inaugural New Adult Book Prize for The Merge, the hosts try to pin down exactly what the "New Adult" genre actually is. They explore how it differs from YA and whether it serves as a "second coming of age" for characters navigating independent life.

AI Accusations & The Caine Prize: A prestigious African short story prize has instituted human-centered vetting after its recent winner faced high-profile AI accusations. Melissa highlights the near impossibility of proving AI usage and the danger of these accusations being weaponised for racial profiling.

The Sally Rooney & Faber Controversy: The hosts untangle the complicated bureaucratic mess surrounding Faber ceasing the UK distribution of Sally Rooney's books. They discuss the anti-terrorist charter that sparked the mutual decision after Rooney pledged financial support to Palestine Action, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the UK government.

Author Q&A - Are Writing Courses Worth It?: A listener asks for the hosts' collective opinion on paid writing courses like Curtis Brown Creative. Naomi and Melissa share their experiences, concluding that while courses are wonderful for building community and finding structure, they are absolutely not a mandatory expense for securing a traditional publishing deal.

Naomi Gibson, author of Every Line of You, Game Over Girl, Man Muse Monster

Melissa Welliver, author of The Undying Tower, My Love Life and the Apocalypse, Soulmates and Other Ways to Die, To the Death

Jamie Greenwood, creator & host of The Write and Wrong Podcast