President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against Penguin Random House, the New York Times, and four Times reporters. Quoting from the lawsuit, the Times reported that Trump alleges articles in the Times and a Penguin Press book published by two of the reporters were "specifically designed to try and damage President Trump's business, personal and political reputation" and were timed a year ago "at the height of election season to inflict maximum electoral damage against President Trump." The book and articles, the lawsuit continued, were published with "actual malice" and caused "enormous" losses and damage to Trump's "professional and occupational interests." Filed in Florida, the lawsuit seeks damages of at least $15 billion. 

Lucky Loser will be released in paperback next week.

The Times reporters are Peter Baker, Russ Buettner, Susanne Craig, and Michael S. Schmidt. Buettner and Craig's book is Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father's Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success, which was published September 17, 2024, exactly a year ago, by Penguin Press. A paperback edition is coming out next Tuesday, September 23. The lawsuit called the book "false, malicious, and defamatory."

A PRH spokesperson said, "This is a meritless lawsuit. Penguin Random House stands by the book and its authors and will continue to uphold the values of the First Amendment that are fundamental to our role as a book publisher."

A spokesman for the Times commented: "This lawsuit has no merit. It lacks any legitimate legal claims and instead is an attempt to stifle and discourage independent reporting. The New York Times will not be deterred by intimidation tactics. We will continue to pursue the facts without fear or favor and stand up for journalists' First Amendment right to ask questions on behalf of the American people."

In a note to staff, Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger called the lawsuit "frivolous" and said that "everyone, regardless of their politics, should be troubled by the growing anti-press campaign led by President Trump and his administration."

The lawsuit cited three Times articles that Trump maintains were part of "a pattern of falsehoods and defamation." The first, according to the Times, was an article adapted from Lucky Loser "about how producers of Mr. Trump's reality television show, The Apprentice, helped fuel his rise to the presidency."

Another article, by Michael S. Schmidt, was based on interviews with John F. Kelly, the former U.S. Marine Corps general and a chief of staff during Trump's first term. As the Times wrote, in that article, "Mr. Kelly warned that Mr. Trump might rule like a dictator if he were re-elected, and he confirmed a previous report that Mr. Trump had referred to American soldiers who died on the battlefield as 'suckers' and 'losers.' Mr. Trump has denied making those statements."

A third article, by Peter Baker, was "about how no major party presidential candidate had been accused of wrongdoing so many times."

The lawsuit comes at a time when the president has sued many media companies, and the administration has threatened and tried to intimidate the media's coverage of him and his policies. This year Paramount paid $16 million to settle a suit over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris (at a time when Paramount was seeking approval of its sale to Skydance) and ABC paid $16 million to settle a suit over a George Stephanopoulos interview concerning E. Jean Carroll, who Trump was convicted of sexually assaulting but not raping. Trump has also sued the Wall Street Journal for at least $10 billion over its reporting about a lewd birthday greeting he apparently sent to his friend at the time, pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

As Reuters pointed out, "In order to win a libel suit in the U.S., a public figure must demonstrate the offending statement was made with 'actual malice,' meaning with knowledge it was false or with reckless disregard as to whether it was false." Truth is a solid defense.

Following its debut as a pop-up store this spring, Love & Legends Books has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help open a bricks-and-mortar storefront in Brooklyn, N.Y., this fall. The 850-square-foot store, at 667 Washington Ave. in Brooklyn Heights, will specialize in fantasy and romance titles.

Savanna Sturkie and Jack Peeples in front of their future bookstore.

Co-owners and married couple Savanna Sturkie and Jack Peeples are planning a November opening and are hoping to raise $55,000 through their Kickstarter campaign. Raised funds will go toward fixtures and accessories, rent and occupancy costs, opening inventory, computer and POS equipment, and other expenses. Backer rewards include store-branded enamel pins, custom reading lists made by Sturkie and Peeples, and a fantasy-style map of Brooklyn illustrated by a local artist. So far the campaign has raised more than $14,000 with 28 days left to go.

Sturkie plans to have an opening inventory of about 4,000 all-new titles. While the store will sell primarily adult books, there will be a small selection of children's titles and larger middle grade and young adult sections, with Sturkie remarking that she and Peeples "fell in love with fantasy in elementary and middle school ourselves." 

Compared to the Love & Legends pop-up appearances, which were about "half and half romance and fantasy," the bricks-and-mortar location will "lean more fantasy" in both inventory and theme. Under that umbrella, Sturkie noted, there will be epic and high fantasy, a "robust" romantasy section, as well as "a bit of sci-fi and speculative fiction."

Alongside books, the store will stock a small selection of tabletop roleplaying games, such as Dungeons & Dragons, and associated items like dice sets. In addition, there will be stickers, cards, enamel pins, tote bags, and gifts for children and adults.

Asked about her event plans, Sturkie said she was "so excited" to expand Love & Legends' event offerings at the bricks-and-mortar space. They already host two book clubs per month, one focused on romance and the other on fantasy, and she and Peeples are considering adding a sci-fi or romantasy book club. They plan to host author signings and book launches as well as a variety of D&D events, such as learn-to-play sessions for children. Initially, events will be held at the store, though Sturkie and Peeples will look into hosting larger-scale events at nearby businesses and community spaces.

Both Sturkie and Peeples have been avid fantasy readers since they were children. The pair met in Athens, Ga., where Sturkie worked as a bookseller at Avid Bookshop. "My husband and I, we love reading and we love books," she said. "We also just really love independent bookstores."

The idea of opening an independent bookstore, Sturkie said, was "always something that felt like a dream." It wasn't until about a year ago that "the wheels started really turning" and she and Peeples thought "maybe we could to that for real."

Love & Legends made its first pop-up appearance in April, and over the succeeding months made more appearances around Manhattan and Brooklyn. Sturkie described the process as a series of "snowballing what-ifs." The first pop-up appearance had "way more people" show up than she imagined, and people were asking if they had a physical bookstore. 

While a bricks-and-mortar was always the plan, they did not think it would happen so soon. Because of the bookstore's strong reception, however, "the steps went much faster than we would have thought."

They looked at potential locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens before the "perfect space" popped up in Brooklyn about 10 minutes from their apartment. It is a former photography studio that has its own back yard, and depending on the speed of renovations, they plan to open the store in late November.

Sturkie recalled that when they announced they'd signed a lease for a bricks-and-mortar store, their Instagram got around 2,700 likes and hundreds of shares and comments. "People are really excited," she said. "It kind of blew us away, to be honest." --Alex Mutter

In a move to expand its efforts in direct-to-consumer (DTC) platforms, data engineering, and product development, HarperCollins is promoting Kate Johnson and Alvar Jover.

Johnson will become senior v-p, DTC and consumer engagement, and will continue to lead HarperCollins Christian and Focus platforms, such as Bible Gateway, Study Gateway, and the Foyer, in addition to the U.S. and Harlequin Trade platforms, including Book Club Girl and Epic Reads. She will also spearhead the unification of the company's TikTok Shop strategy as well as head the revamp of HarperCollins's e-mail and performance marketing strategy. Johnson joined the company in 2020 and has been instrumental in the growth of HarperCollins Christian Publishing's DTC business, nearly tripling revenue.

Jover is taking on an expanded role as global director of growth and analytics, adding the U.S. trade business to his responsibilities. He will bring the strategic analysis, data engineering, and product development tools and processes his team has implemented at HarperCollins UK to the U.S.

With the changes, Jim Hanas, v-p, central marketing and strategy, will be leaving the company. He joined HarperCollins in 2013 as director of audience development and has played a major role in expanding the company's central marketing function.

The company said the changes "will allow for a more unified and collaborative work structure across various HarperCollins divisions and underscore our commitment to reaching readers where they are, strengthening our consumer connections, and accelerating growth across all of our publishing brands."

Sareeta Domingo, author and Jacaranda Books publishing director, died september 12. The Bookseller reported that she "was a passionate champion for diverse voices, and since moving to Jacaranda, she continued her unwavering advocacy of under-represented voices."

Sareeta Domingo

Domingo began her publishing career at fiction packager Hothouse Fiction and Harlequin Mills & Boon before moving to Trapeze, an imprint of Orion, as editorial director in 2022. She became publishing director at Jacaranda Books in 2025, and in July was named one of the Bookseller's Rising Stars. 

As an author, her novels include The Nearness of You (2016), If I Don't Have You (2020), and most recently, Possibility (2025). She was also the creator, editor, and contributing writer of Who's Loving You? (2021), a celebration of love written by women of color. 

Valerie Brandes, founder and CEO of Jacaranda Books, commented "Sareeta was a brilliant publishing professional and a cherished friend whose beautiful smile, extraordinary creativity and kind generosity inspired us all who had the privilege of knowing her and working with her. Personally, I was deeply excited to begin this next chapter with her at Jacaranda and saw the spark and intention she brought to her role, which confirmed that the vision for the mission of Jacaranda was not just safe in her hands but would be expanded and built upon in the best ways possible. Beyond her professional brilliance, Sareeta's contribution to literature and culture was extraordinary. Through her own writing and her editorial work, she was a keen supporter of underrepresented voices, championing stories of love, identity and belonging that too often go unheard. She was committed to ensuring that readers could see themselves reflected, and in doing so, she helped reshape the literary landscape to be more inclusive, authentic and rich with diversity. Her work opened doors, created opportunities, and has inspired countless writers and readers alike."

Katie Espiner, CEO of adult trade divisions at Hachette UK, praised Domingo as "an indefatigable champion of underrepresented voices, particularly those of Black British women, who worked tirelessly to raise others up, to share her platform and to challenge the industry to do better. Everyone who knew her could not help but be indelibly touched by her passion, her determination and her peerless style. We are richer to have known her."

Magdalene Abraha, publishing director nonfiction at Jacaranda Books, called Domingo "a rare and radiant force. To work alongside Sareeta was to experience this firsthand, to witness her extraordinary ability to uplift others and to nurture stories with care. She brought light and depth to the written word every time. Beyond her immense talent, Sareeta carried herself with such warmth and humanity that everyone who met her felt truly seen and valued. Her passing is an immeasurable loss to us all, and we will endeavor to cherish her memory in our hearts and honor her incredible legacy."

This past week, Shelf Awareness sent the Kids & YA Pre-Order E-Blast to nearly 250,000 of the country's best book readers. The e-blast went to 245,502 customers of 62 participating independent bookstores.

The mailing features four upcoming titles selected by Shelf Awareness editors and three advertised titles, one of which is a sponsored feature. Customers can buy these books via "pre-order" buttons that lead directly to the purchase page for the title on each sending store's website. A key feature is that bookstore partners can easily change title selections to best reflect the tastes of their customers and can customize the mailing with links, images, and promotional copy of their own.

The pre-order e-blasts are sent the second Wednesday of each month; the next will go out on Wednesday, October 8. This is a free service for indies. Stores interested in learning more can visit our program registration page or contact our partner program team via e-mail.

Ad spots are also available in the Kids & YA Pre-Order E-Blast. For more information contact sales@shelf-awareness.com for details.

For a sample of the August Kids & YA Pre-Order E-Blast, see this one from Neighborhood Reads, Washington, Mo.

The titles highlighted in the pre-order e-blast were:

We Fell Apart: A We Were Liars Novel by E. Lockhart (Delacorte Press)
Partypooper by Jeff Kinney (Amulet Books)
Coach by Jason Reynolds (Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books)
Goodnight, Crayons by Drew Daywalt, illus. by Oliver Jeffers (Philomel Books)

P.E. Moskowitz (r.) launched their book Breaking Awake: A Reporter's Search for a New Life, and a New World, Through Drugs (Atria), at Powerhouse Arena in Brooklyn, N.Y.; Julia Hava was the moderator. More than 200 people attended, with a line down the street and around the block. (photo: Drew Adler)

Yellow Dog Bookshop, Columbia, Mo., posted on Instagram: "Have we mentioned how nice the weather is right now? Have we all looked at the weather coming up?! Let's enjoy every last second of it. We’re open 10-6, Monday-Saturday and 12-4 Sunday!"

Independent Publishers Group is adding four publishers to its sales and distribution clients:

HarperCollins Publishers India, which has published some of the finest writers from the Indian subcontinent and around the world. HarperCollins India has won seven Publisher of the Year Awards and is the publisher of notable works such as The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga. (Distribution, effective January 1, 2026.)

Invader Comics, which specializes in comics, graphic novels, and hybrid novels concentrating on the weird, the strange, and the ignored. Under the slogan "protect your shelves," it works with the biggest names in the industry and unknown creators alike to put a spotlight on the stories that say something different. (Sales and distribution, effective October 1.)

mo'media, a Dutch publisher that focuses on stylish, content-driven nonfiction books in the travel and leisure industry, particularly travel, lifestyle, and visual culture--with a strong emphasis on design, clarity, and usability. (Distribution in the U.S. and Canada, effective January 1, 2026.)

Shackleton Books, a Spanish-language publishing house specializing in nonfiction, covering history, philosophy, psychology, and general knowledge for adults. Shackleton Kids includes books on mythology, history, cosmology, biographies, and other subjects designed to inspire young minds. (Distribution in the U.S. and Canada, effective January 1, 2026.)

Lauren Moye has joined the Tor Publishing Group as an associate marketing manager. She was formerly a marketing associate at HarperCollins, managing corporate social accounts and strategy while supporting genre fiction campaigns, and earlier was a marketing coordinator at Abrams, focusing on children's and YA titles.

Wicked Strange: Your Guide to Ghosts, Monsters, Oddities, and Urban Legends from New England by Jeff Belanger, with photography by Frank C. Grace (New Page Books).

Tomorrow:
Good Morning America: Angeline Boulley, author of Sisters in the Wind (Holt, $19.99, 9781250328533).

CBS Mornings: Chris Colfer, author of Roswell Johnson Saves the Galaxy! (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $18.99, 9780316515429).

Also on CBS Mornings: Eleanor Hamby and Dr. Sandra Hazelip, co-authors of Here We Go: Lessons for Living Fearlessly from Two Traveling Nanas (Viking, $29, 9780593832301).

The View: Terry and Tammy Bradshaw, co-authors of The Bradshaw Family Cookbook: Our Favorite Recipes for Game Days, Weekdays, and Any Day (Flatiron, $34.99, 9781250344939).

The first trailer has been released for Lionsgate's The Housemaid, based on Freida McFadden's 2022 novel, the first in a trilogy that includes The Housemaid's Secret and The Housemaid Is Watching. Directed by Paul Feig and written by Rebecca Sonnenshine, the film stars Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar, and Michele Morrone. The film is produced by Todd Lieberman for Hidden Pictures, with Feig and Laura Fischer also serving as producers. It hits theaters on December 19. 

The Housemaid "follows Millie (Sweeney), a young woman who finds herself working as a housekeeper for the wealthy Winchester family," Variety wrote. "Trying to find her footing after a brief stint in jail, Millie works diligently inside the family's house and becomes closer to the married couple. As she starts to get more familiar with the Winchesters, she soon sees behind the facade of the seemingly perfect family, and finds herself unraveling in the dark secrets that lurk beyond the family's decadence."

Earlier this year, Sweeney said that she could not put the novel down, adding: "I ended up reading all three in one week. There's characters that are flawed, and they are messy."

Joint winners have been named for the 2025 Bread and Roses Award, organized by the Alliance of Radical Booksellers and hosted by Lighthouse: Edinburgh's Radical Bookshop. This year's prize, which celebrates "radical, accessible, and politically-left nonfiction which offers new perspectives and insights," went to Pleasure Gardens: Blackouts and the Logic of Crisis in Kashmir by Skye Arundhati Thomas & Izabella Scott and Intervals by Marianne Brooker.

The judges said: "Intervals, by Fitzcarraldo's own definition, blends 'memoir, polemic and feminist philosophy.' With its poignant writing on care, illness, and what makes a good death, topics that concern all of us, Intervals speaks to urgent conversations happening currently in the U.K., and is grounded in strong socialist and activist traditions. Intervals highlights the relationship between class and access to healthcare. It is simultaneously a moving tribute to Brooker's mother as well as a rallying cry. In the context of the changing law around Assisted Dying we urgently need to hear more from those affected by it, and Intervals is an excellent example of this.

"Pleasure Gardens is not only a necessary read, but Izabella Scott and Skye Arundhati Thomas also play with form in a way that is innovative and makes it accessible to more readers, using a diary format to build tension," judges said. "The book shines a spotlight on the hidden side of the politics of Kashmir, disrupting a highly curated narrative by the national government, and the judges hope this publication will open the door to Kashmiri voices being published. This publication is a symbol for transnational solidarity, at a time where many Kashmiri authors have been banned by the Indian government. While the judges were surprised at the lack of submissions that discussed today's global crises, we appreciated that Pleasure Gardens highlights the links between the Indian and Israeli governments, and represents the evolving conversation around this topic."

photo: Cosette Carlomusto

Martin Cahill is an Ignyte Award-nominated writer of fiction and nonfiction living just north of New York City. His short stories have been published in Reactor, Lightspeed, Clarkesworld, and elsewhere. He is a contributor to Critical Role: Vox Machina--Stories Untold and the author of Critical Role: Armory of Heroes. His debut novel, Audition for the Fox (Tachyon Publications, September 16, 2025), centers on a trickster god and the underachieving acolyte who challenges him.

Handsell readers your book in 25 words or less:

Terry Pratchett arm wrestles Aesop while Nghi Vo sneakily steals their respective wallets, Catherynne Valente sings a raucous fight song, and there's, weirdly, random confetti everywhere.

On your nightstand now:

The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow; The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri; The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes; King Sorrow by Joe Hill; Queen Demon by Martha Wells; Happy People Don't Live Here by Amber Sparks; Tell Me Yours, I'll Tell You Mine by Kristina Ten; You Weren't Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White; Spread Me by Sarah Gailey; Fate's Bane by C.L. Clark; Dead Hand Rule by Max Gladstone; and A Ruin, Great and Free by Cadwell Turnbull!

Favorite book when you were a child:

The Redwall series by Brian Jacques! It made me deeply invested in the inner workings of animals, and to also seek out a cherry and dandelion cordial, for science. It didn't hurt that it was the first time I'd ever seen the name Martin as a heroic name.

Your top five authors:

Kelly Link
George Saunders
Karen Russell
N.K. Jemisin
Sofia Samatar

Book you've faked reading:

I don't think I've faked reading a book, but I do think I've been yelled at for NOT reading Dune by Frank Herbert more times than I can bother to count!

Book you're an evangelist for:

Saint Death's Daughter by C.S.E. Cooney--700 pages of true, unbridled delight, prose that has the bite and sweetness of honey butter on crunchy toast, and characters I would shield from as much harm as I could.

Book you've bought for the cover:

It was sent to me for review consideration but if I had simply seen the cover for Hellions: Stories by Julia Elliott, it would absolutely be coming home with me on sight.

Book you hid from your parents:

I didn't tend to hide things from my parents; I would just grab whatever caught my eye off my parents' bookshelves and they'd eventually see me reading it. One time my dad saw me reading the first volume of Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra when I was about 12, said, "Should you be reading that, bud?" and when I said that I was already on the last issue of the graphic novel and it was too late to stop, he went, "Ah, understood," and let me finish.

Book that changed your life:

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin. I read it in a single sitting on a beach day, absorbing every tremendous and brilliant page from one of the best in the business, and left the beach that day a changed reader and writer. Just one of those books that draws a line in the sand and challenges you to step up to meet it, as a reader and writer of the fantastical.

Favorite line from a book:

"No voting on who gets to be people." --N.K. Jemisin from The Obelisk Gate. I have a lot of quotes but especially these days, this is the one I always come back to; it has never been more important.

Five books you'll never part with:

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 1 from Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley; it's signed, a first edition, and is a piece of my heart from childhood.

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison; it's my old college book from when I did a course on Toni Morrison's work and August Wilson's, and this book of hers in particular altered my creative brain chemistry. Astounding work.

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado; a signed ARC from BookExpo America in 2017, and the mutual joy we shared as I received a copy and she gave it to me with the green ribbon bookmark built in was palpable, and a moment of magic between reader and author.

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone; signed hardcover first edition, signed the summer it came out at Readercon and they signed in different inks, in different directions, and while that was special as it was, who knew how tremendous and beloved the book would become years from then?

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez, a bound manuscript sent to me to blurb; it is truly one of my favorite books, and having been given such a nascent copy of it feels like being given a grimoire that would only grow in power through the ages.

Book you most want to read again for the first time:

The Book of Love by Kelly Link. You can truly only know this kind of pure, unfiltered magic once; I would love to go back and, unknowing, discover it, facet by facet, once again.

In Broken, the exceedingly talented X. Fang (Dim Sum Palace; We Are Definitely Human) passionately describes a dramatic incident in which Mei Mei breaks Ama's cup. How the cup--and Mei Mei--are subsequently made whole again involves glue, understanding, and the perfect hug.

Mei Mei is bored while visiting Ama. So, "naturally," the child decides to scare Ama's cat, Mimi. Mei Mei jumps out with a loud "BOO!" and bumps into a table; Ama's patterned yellow mug flies "up, then down, down, down, until CRASH!" It breaks into three pieces. Mei Mei doesn't know what to do, so runs "far away." Alone and worrying on Ama's doorstep, Mei Mei believes that Ama will get mad or yell, but fondly, "with a smile," Ama asks Mei Mei to come back inside for tea and cake.

The mug is gone from the living room floor, but Mei Mei's guilt remains. "Mimi, you naughty cat!" Ama says while cuddling the cat, "You broke my cup!" But Mei Mei and Mimi know the truth. Mei Mei tries to eat the cake, but Mimi stares directly into the child's eyes over Ama's shoulder. And then "Mimi stare[s] even harder." Finally, the guilt overwhelms Mei Mei, who runs to a dark closet and huddles there. Ama finds the overwhelmed kid and Mei Mei confesses. Even though Mei Mei cries so hard it seems "the entire closet [will] flood," Ama isn't angry. Ama, who is a "fixer," glues the cup back together "piece by piece": "every repair tells a story" and now the cup has one, too. Finally, there is cake.

Fang's child-centric picture book speaks directly to the heart. Strong text, strong feelings, and strong art all acknowledge that mistakes are made (endpapers show the cat is not exempt either!), but kindness and compassion rule the day. Direct, first-person narration in the voice of tempestuous Mei Mei holds nothing back, and the digitally colored, graphite pencil-on-paper illustrations include plenty of extreme closeups, child's-eye-views, and even one invitation to turn the book 90 degrees for dramatic effect. The art is composed mostly of saturated blues, oranges, and yellows, accompanied by plenty of white space, keeping the pages from getting too dark. Ama's cheerful warmth nicely balances Mei Mei's passion, and readers will surely feel all Mei Mei's feels, then cheer when the child finally gets cake. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author

Shelf Talker: Broken, yet another winning picture book by author/illustrator X. Fang, describes a passionate, child-centered experience that includes boredom, crisis, redemption, and... cake!