A superb podcast with @alisonjones.com interviewing my friend and colleague @jamesspackman73.bsky.social on books and the business of persuasion—the points about playful experimentation and chains of enthusiasm are pure gold for anyone looking to sell a book.

100% this.

He's my friend and I'm very biased, but a new book from @tomabba.studio is a thing, and two of them is an event.

Early start and over to Oxford to give an AI presentation at Worcester College for the Oxford International Centre for Publishing.

It's a wrap at our Autumn Conference! Thanks to all our brilliant speakers, chairs, supporters and everyone who joined us, in London or online #ipgac

L’esprit de l’escalier, but we should have called this #ipgac session Have Your Click and Feed It.

Thanks to everyone who came to our session at #ipgac. Lots of questions at the time and over lunch underline how important this issue is for publishers. The exam question: how to balance control over web traffic/bots and use of content with being visible in AI outputs.

If you see this, quote the energy you bring to Bluesky

IPG President @ogadsby.bsky.social opening the @independentpublishersguild.com Autumn Conference #ipgac in London. This promises to be an excellent and thought provoking day.

Universally applicable.

As ever, amazed at how people behave in public/co-working spaces: this lunchtime the competition is between the person who brought a ring light and USB microphone, and the person on Zoom loudly discussing padding a bid with someone from the relevant (very identifiable) funder.

I like the new Observer more and more. Naomi Alderman's review of Nick Clegg and Tim Berners-Lee's new books is a wonderful piece of writing. observer.co.uk/culture/book...

Notwithstanding my own contribution, this is a phenomenal course line up from the @independentpublishersguild.com this autumn: Rebecca, Viviane and Simon are leading experts in their fields, and there's something here for every publisher to learn from.

So, that opinion piece in @thebookseller.com: "The book trade must redefine its purpose in an AI age." I have issues with this in terms of accuracy and line of argument. Personal opinion, not necessarily that of any of the orgs I'm associated with. With that said...

So the Remarkable Paper Pro Move is almost exactly what I wished for. The only thing I can see that's missing is keyboard support—with that, it would be the e-ink Psion 5 successor I've wanted for years. remarkable.com/products/rem...

There are moments in Nick Clegg's interview with Emily Maitlis that feel like the "don't do this" section of a media training course. www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAYM...

Very nerdy publishing metadata joke (is there any other kind?): a colleague of mine has started using 'Women sleuths!' as a mild curse, as the Thema code for Crime and mystery: women sleuths / detectives is... FFS

Getting ads for a reMarkable product announcement next week. Niche view, but if they made a pocket/Boox Palma-sized device I would use the hell out of that, alongside my full-sized tablet.

Good catch up with @suw.bsky.social this afternoon, discussing the state of the world, designing and selling training courses, and this great line on customer feedback from Tobias Zwingmann.

Can anyone help @guywalters.bsky.social with a bookish filming location?

A very significant development in Bartz v Anthropic, with the AI company reaching a preliminary settlement with authors:— www.wired.com/story/anthro...

Youngest daughter starts Sixth Form next week, has a read/watch list to prepare. For A Level Business Studies, her teacher is suggesting watching The Social Network, The Founder, The Big Short—all not bad calls. And then there's the recommendation for The Internship...

Recently I spoke to a PhD candidate who had been told their first journal submission should be rewritten in more academic language. Today, I came across an AI startup translating academic papers into plain English. Tom Fishburne called this one in 2023... marketoonist.com/2023/03/ai-w...

Walking to the office in the rain. An abrupt transition from summer yesterday to autumn today.

Interesting longlist for the FT/Schroders Business Book of the Year. Don’t judge, but this is my Booker and always shapes my autumn reading. 🤓 A few opinions follow:—

As a summer project, I did some research using Companies House data to size and plot the UK book and journal publishing industries. I've published a write-up on my website, alongside some preliminary analysis of the data. www.georgewalkley.com/UK-Publishin...

Our policy advisor @georgewalkley.com has filed his August round-up of important policy developments including the Government’s new Small Business Strategy and late payments consultation. Now available for IPG members to read (you will need to be logged in to see it) 👉 buff.ly/ZrcykFj #publishing

As a summer project, I did some research using Companies House data to size and plot the UK book and journal publishing industries. I've published a write-up on my website, alongside some preliminary analysis of the data. www.georgewalkley.com/UK-Publishin...

After a few days experimenting with GPT-5, I've noticed a pattern: having provided an output, it consistently ends by offering to go further, more extreme, more provocative. E.g. here from recent prompt outputs. Don't recall it being as pronounced in earlier models. Anyone else seeing this?

Google introduced a new feature called Storybooks in Gemini, which creates individual picture books from user prompts. I tried it so you don't have to: let's just say that its attempt to explain Generative AI isn't going to trouble the Carnegie shortlists... blog.google/products/gem...

Black Shuck, also immortalised in the Usborne Book of the Unknown, terrifying a generation of 70s and 80s children. www.theguardian.com/books/booksb...

The great thing with news channels interviewing experts over Zoom rather than in the studio is that they often position themselves in front of their bookshelves and the choice of prominent books is often highly revealing.

However, this does give me an excuse to repost my favourite Tom Wolfe/publishing story, from this New Yorker profile: www.newyorker.com/culture/cult...

3pm? Amateurs. The Times is clearly unfamiliar with publishing summer Fridays. www.thetimes.com/business-mon...

A bold little grass snake sunning itself on the asphalt outside my office this afternoon.

I'm a British guy writing an email in late July. It amazes me that Outlook/Copilot suggests 'Thanksgiving' as the most probable next word...

100% this

I made a lighthearted, passing reference to the Cambridge Latin Course in my newsletter this week and I've never had so many people email back about something. Talk about finding your tribe.

Busy day of meetings, the highlight of which was a visit to the office from @evocatusuk.bsky.social and a chance to try @gmtgames.bsky.social In the Shadows, which @antsharman.bsky.social picked up regrettably quickly.

Reading the US Government's AI Action Plan, published today. Have a guess at a word that doesn't appear once... (reposted to add alt-text)

MLA-LGW, late. Idle speculation, but watching angry passengers wrestle ridiculous bags into the overhead lockers, I’d love to know what proportion of delayed flights could be avoided if airlines actually used those size gauges at check-in/boarding.

LGW-MLA

Age verification? A New Hope got its cinematic release the day I was born. My daughter would like me to clarify this is a coincidence, not a flex.

Won't last.

This feels about right 🤓

Make sure you come to @bodleianlibs.bsky.social to see our autumn/winter show ‘Tradecraft’, out first show drawn from the John le Carré archive. Weston Library from 1 October www.theguardian.com/books/2025/j...

Off to London for the PLS Conference, where I’m speaking later on threats and opportunities from AI. Looking forward to seeing colleagues from the @independentpublishersguild.com and the industry. www.pls.org.uk/news-events-...

A phenomenally good round-up, and not just for linking to my recent podcast with @smellinsconsulting.bsky.social 😀

Almost missed the anniversary, but five years of running my own business yesterday. Grateful for clients and colleagues who’ve made it such a rewarding experience. Now on to year six.

My cartoon in this weeks @newyorker.com