Wendy N. Wagner has announced that she will be stepping down as editor-in-chief of Nightmare Magazine to focus on writing, with the December 2026 issue being her last. Wagner wrote,
On the plus side, I’m simply returning the reins to our founder, John Joseph Adams. I am absolutely thrilled to see what he’ll do now that he’s had a bit of rest; his amazing work as a horror short fiction editor is what got me excited about short fiction in the first place! You can all look forward to a 2027 packed with thrilling and chilling new horror and dark fantasy.
I expect to spend the next few months feeling sad to say to goodbye and excited for the future. This magazine is such a special place, and the work we do here is so full of magic and delight. For a place called “Nightmare,” it’s actually a dream.
Wagner has also stepped down as senior editor at Lightspeed and is named Emeritus staff. In her place, associate publisher Christie Yant will assume the role of senior editor.
For more information, see the official announcements in Nightmare and Lightspeed.
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Ampersand, Erin: Time to Play (Tor 978-1250470171, $18.99, 368pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/18/2026)
SF LitRPG novel, the first book in the Apocalypse Parenting series. A mom has to teach their kids how to fight after Earth is transported to an intergalactic game show, and everyone is given supernatural powers.
Andersen, Kurt: The Breakup (Penguin Random House/Random House 978-1984801371, $30.00, 576pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/18/2026)
Near-future satirical/dystopian political SF novel. In 2045, a couple with a failing marriage is brought together to tour colleges with their seventeen-year-old. They road trip through a broken America that’s been reshaped by a civil war.
Anonymous: Dreams Divine (Flame Tree Collections UK 978-1835627952, $30.00, 416pp, formats: hardcover, 08/18/2026)
Fantasy romance anthology. Features stories from Benjamin Adams, Aishatu Ado, Dee Alberts, Danielle Marie Cahill, Bella Chacha, Victor W. Clubb, Irene W. Collins, K.S. Dearsley, H.L. Docherty, Philip Brian Hall, and many more.
Anonymous: Of Swords & Roses (Flame Tree Collections UK 978-1835627969, $30.00, 416pp, formats: hardcover, 08/18/2026)
Fantasy romance anthology. Features stories from Erica Barnes, Keyan Bowes, Kim Chance, Deborah L. Davitt, Sarina Dorie, Umenyi Chisomaga Evelyn, Jonathan Ficke, Jess L. Freed, M.A. Gardner, and many more.
Blackwood, Lauren: The Queen’s Bodyguard (Penguin Random House/Delacorte 979-8217092413, $32.00, 307pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/18/2026)
Fantasy romance novel. Queen Theora selects Argos to be her bodyguard during negotiations, and while they’re technically married, she has no plan to have their souls bound together, but over time she begins to change her mind.
Fantasy novel. Anya is invited to work for the de Witt family, one of the most important film dynasties in LA. It’s there where she finds herself oddly attracted to Jude, and discovers a family curse that lives within the walls of their villa. Simultaneous with the Tor UK edition.
Cantor, Jillian: The Season of Light and Darkness (Simon Pulse 979-8347107285, $21.99, 352pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/04/2026)
Young-adult dystopian SF novel. Ellie and her family decide to freeze themselves cryogenically in order to escape a dictatorship. When the government finds the lab, Ellie is the only one who gets unfrozen, and she must become “initiated.”
Cavendish, Catherine: The Ghosts of Chanterlands (Flame Tree Collections UK 978-1787589919, $26.95, 272pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, 08/18/2026)
Horror novel. In the year 1940, Pamela Courtney is evacuated to Chanterlands, where her aunts live, but secrets are stirring in the house, and greater danger is awaiting Pamela as the safety her mother hoped for is not gaurunteed.
Young-adult slasher horror novel, fourth in the Clown in a Cornfield series. Sabrina Alvarez is cast as the final girl in a horror movie, but things feel off as this movie based on real events begins to feel like it might repeat itself.
Collection of 21 stories that look into human connections to each other, to technology, to the world, and to themselves. Includes stories such as “Once Upon a Time at The Oakmont,” and “Split.”
Post-apocalyptic SF novel. As the world is falling apart, a couple is falling in love, and when they realize they’re some of the only people in the world who can still have kids, the government does too. Simultaneous with the Orbit UK edition.
SF novella. On a faraway planet, inscrutinator Shameesh Kulkarni must find out why a linguist has died, but no one wants to help her besides a digital copy of the victim, and an octopod.
Hallow, S.M.: The Halls of the Dead (Harper Voyager US 978-0063446984, $30.00, 352pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/18/2026)
Gothic fantasy novel. Irene Haley has been practicing necromancy her entire life, and when her love, Agnes, is hanged, she decides to perform a resurrection, something that hasn’t been done successfully in two thousand years. A first novel.
Young-adult fantasy novel, fourth in the Guardians of Dawn series. When Min Suhwa leaves her convent for the first time in her life, she finds herself having to flee from a Huntsman who’s trying to take her life. Simultaneous with the Titan Books UK edition.
SF romance novel. Blair is captured by aliens, and taken to their planet where she is to be put into a breeding program with the arrogant king Osid. Together, they must complete increasingly difficult, and dangerous challenges
Young-adult fantasy novel. Harper goes to Black Mountain Academy to discover more about her new powers, but as she digs deeper, she realizes that the academy has sinister secrets beneath the surface. A first novel.
Moronova, K.M.: Once Written in Gilded Blood (Sourcebooks/Bloom Books 978-1464279041, $29.99, 336pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/18/2026)
Fantasy romance novel, second in the Cruel Fates duet. Alira married the Blood Knight in order to end the war, and prove that peace between demons and demigods is possible, but the gods are restless and people keep fighting. Simultaneous with the Penguin Random House UK edition.
Pacton, Jamie & Podos, Rebecca: Homeward for a Spell (Penguin Random House/Del Rey 978-0593873670, $18.99, 368pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/18/2026)
Cozy romantic fantasy novel, second in a series. Sage and Araphi go on a life-changing adventure together with a team of ragtag explorers. As time goes on, Sage and Araphi begin to develop great chemistry together. Simultaneous with the Penguin Random House UK edition.
Horror novel. Mia Voss must finish the unfinished manuscript of her late teacher, Ryder Wakefield. Mia abandons her girlfriend to work in Ryder’s home, where she begins to unpack with the complicated bond she had with him.
Pratt, Tim: The Jewel and the Comet (Angry Robot UK 978-1836730224, $18.99, 400pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/18/2026)
SF novel, the second in the Nigh-Space multiverse. Glenn is pulled out of his normal life to navigate through the multiverse, while his girlfriend, Vivy, is called on a scouting trip to stop a comet.
Pulley, Natasha: The Salt King (Bloomsbury USA 978-1639737291, $29.99, 464pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/18/2026)
SF novel. Former Jesuit priest Avelyn Brocken teams up with Jericho, a doctor, to protect the world from salt light, a dangerous substance that’s been turning people into salt. Simultaneous with the Orion UK edition.
Sandeen, Del: These Walls Remember (Penguin Random House/Berkley 978-0593955666, $30.00, 352pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/18/2026)
Horror novel. Strange things begin happening to sisters Mickie and Delilah after learn ingmore about the history of the house they inherited. Mickie must save her sister before they’re both changed forever by the house.
Historical fantasy novel set in 12th-century Ireland. Angus, the Crown Prince of Faerie, must travel to the human world in order to find a maiden who can become the next Queen of Faerie, despite how much he doesn’t want to.
A first novel.
Paranormal romance novel. Talula Smith runs the worst coffee shop in town, but that’s the point. The true purpose of the café is to protect and provide new identities for magical beings that are at risk. A first novel.
Singh, Amal: Slow Burn (Flame Tree Press UK 978-1787589889, $26.95, 224pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, 08/18/2026)
Fantasy novel. Failed actor Rishi Tripathi is sent to an inverted version of Mumbai. In this world, he’s a superstar, but when the actions of his doppelganger start having consequences, he’s forced to make a hard decision.
New adult SF novel. Cyprin cheats her way into getting a job in the divine gardens, and starts working with her rival, Purcell. They begin to form a bond that might ruin Cyprin’s life. A first novel.
Young, E.G.: A (Dead) Thing Like Me (Holiday House 978-0823461066, $19.99, 352pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/18/2026)
Young-adult ghost novel. A ghost named Hot Dog is summoned by Logan, an artist grieving the death of her best friend. Hot Dog hopes this will make her feel alive again, but she’ll need to confront the reason behind her death. A first novel.
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The most prominent debut this week is Hannah Nicole Maehrer’s Adversary to the Villain (Entangled: Red Tower Books), fourth in a series, ranking #1 or #2 on three trade paperback lists.
Also, the latest by Robert Jackson Bennett, A Trade of Blood (Del Rey), debuts on all four fiction hardcover lists compiled here.
The sixth volume of Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series now has a title: A Court of Splintered Harmony (Bloomsbury, due Oct. 27th).
The table shows the current rank of each book and the change since last week, where:
= same as last week
+/- change since last week
+ back on list
++ new on list
x no longer on list (number of x’s: weeks off list)
All lists rank hardcovers and paperbacks separately, except for the USA Today list, which is a single list combining fiction and nonfiction in all formats. Dates shown are posted dates, except those in parentheses, which are dates compiled. New York Times posts its list one week in advance of print publication.
Note that some sources do not compile paperback bestsellers, and some exclude YA books (like the Harry Potter series) from their hardcover and paperback fiction lists.
The International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) has reported a theft at the offices of antiquarian bookseller L.W. Currey, Inc. in Elizabethtown NY. The theft was the third targeting L.W. Currey, including one in February 2026. New York State Police are investigating the case.
145 books were reported as stolen, including at least ten books by Isaac Asimov; at least 15 books by H.G. Wells; at least five each by Ray Bradbury and William Hope Hodgson; a $25,000 first edition, first printing of Dune by Frank Herbert; a $15,000 first edition, first issue, first binding of A Voyage of Arcturus by Lindsay David; $25,000 and $15,000 first edition copies of The Shadow over Innsmouth and The Shunned House by H.P. Lovecraft; and a $17,500 first edition of Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.
Currey said,
Break-in was last night bypassing security last night — total thefts over a quarter of a million. Most books are identifiable and some are unique.
Thief or thieves are knowledgable and target specific authors and genres. This is under active investigation and lists have been sent to stolen book database. I would like to publicize this for warning others.
ILAB has requested that its offices, those of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA), or the booksellers John W. Knott, Jr. or L.W. Currey be contacted if the items reappear in the trade.
KUZHALI MANICKAVEL is now represented by Michael Curry at Donald Maass Literary Agency.
KATH RICHARDS is now represented by Bethany Weaver at Weaver Literary Agency. Fangs with Benefits resold to Sam Brody at Forever via Jessica Purdue at Sphere.
The Horror Writers Association will partner with Raw Dog Screaming Press to publish HWA Poetry Showcase Volume XIII and future volumes.
KATHERINE LOCKE is president of the executive board of Authors Against Book Bans as of July 1, replacing Maggie Tokuda-Hall after her term.
BOOKS SOLD
CLAIRE MCKADE sold The Bridge to Nowhere and Everywhere, set in a postapocalyptic world with a mysterious skyscraper stretching into space with a televised gauntlet, and two more books to Laura Schreiber at Voyager at auction via Laura Rennert of Andrea Brown Literary Agency.
JAMIE CASS’s Starfall, first in the historical fantasy Oxford Book of Magick series, and two more titles went to Chelsea Villareal at Podium Publishing for six figures at auction via John Baker and Julie Gourinchas of Bell Lomax Moreton Agency.
TRINITY MONTOYA’s “feminist techno-thriller” Kitsune 2.0 sold to Gemma Creffield at Solstice in a pre-empt via Barbara Zitwer of Barbara Zitwer Agency.
ANTOINETTE VAN SLUYTMAN sold The Red Then to dave ring at Neon Hemlock via Julie Crisp of Julie Crisp Literary Agency.
R.A. SANDPIPER resold romantic fantasy To Touch a Silent Fury and sold an untitled sequel to Gretchen Durning at Berkley XO via Alyssa Morris of Trellis Literary Management. UK rights sold to Alexa Allen-Batifoulier at Del Rey UK via Maddalena Cavaciuti of David Higham Associates on behalf of Tori Clayton and Allison Malecha of Trellis Literary Management.
REBECCA ZAHABI sold The Monkey Queen, “a gender-flipped retelling following the trickster god Sun Wukong,” and another title to Toni Kirkpatrick at Diversion Books via Alice Speilburg of Speilburg Literary Agency.
CASSANDRA KHAW’s “cozy fantasy” Sweet Saints sold to Mika Kasuga at Union Square & Co via Michael Curry of Donald Maass Literary Agency.
MICHAEL SIMON sold Dark Passage, Lost Nexus, and Chosen Destiny in the Stellar Crossing series to Marilyn Kretzer at Blackstone Publishing at auction via Michelle Hauck of Storm Literary Agency.
CAMILA URIOSTE’s “speculative literary novel” Fearsick, set in a Midwestern town on the anniversary of a school shooting, went to Jim McCoy at University of Iowa Press via Veronica Goldstein of Dunow, Carlson & Lerner.
JAMIE KILLEN sold The War of Hours, “an anti-capitalist time-travel novel,” and its sequel to Nidhi Pugalia at Viking at auction via Elizabeth Pratt of Trellis Literary Management.
JANNA MILLER’s contemporary fantasy Blessings from War Island sold to Darian Bianco at Apex.
ANNE BISHOP sold the third novel in the Isle of Wyrd series to Anne Sowards at Ace via Jennifer Jackson of Donald Maass Literary Agency.
ASHLEY POSTON sold Elodie and the Dark Lord, first in a fantasy duology, and another book to Amanda Bergeron at Berkley via Holly Root of Root Literary. UK rights went to Priyal Agrawal at HQ.
ELLIOT GISH’s “historical speculative novel” Ruby and Jude, set in an underground 1960s lesbian bar, went to Jen Sookfong Lee at ECW Press via Geffen Semach of Westwood Creative Artists.
ZANDER WOOLLEY’s How to Raise a Human, “set in a galaxy rebuilding after a devastating war,” sold to Peter Joseph at Crown via Sarah Scarlett of Penguin Random House UK. UK rights went to Jorgie Bain at Michael Joseph via Sam Edenborough of Greyhound Literary.
KHALIA MOREAU’s Tainted, about a cursed young woman whose attempt to defect from her militarized unit goes wrong, sold to Ashlyn Inman at Keylight via Sara Megibow of Megibow Literary Agency.
J.D. ROBINSON sold When Tomorrows End, about a man who is stuck in time and must ally with a fellow time-traveler to escape a temporal storm and get home, to Marilyn Brigham at 47North via Brandi Bowles and Ethan Schlatter of UTA.
JOANNA RUSS’s The Collected Stories went to Jeanne Thornton at Feminist Press via Diana Finch of Diana Finch Literary Agency.
LASHAWN M. WANAK sold collection The Works of Her Hands to Patrick Swenson at Fairwood Press via Kristopher O’Higgins of Scribe Agency.
WILLIAM SHUNN’s collection Scouring the Deep Skies sold to Patrick Swenson at Fairwood Press via Barry Goldblatt of Barry Goldblatt Literary.
JAMES VAN PELT’s collection Slow Dance at the High School and Other Imaginings went to Patrick Swenson at Fairwood Press.
CALLIE ROWLAND sold Gate of Nightmares to Elizabeth Agyemang at 47North via Safae El-Ouahabi of Rogers, Coleridge & White.
CHARLEIGH FREDERICK’s Pete Versus the Heroes, following a notorious antihero in a world where superheroes have absolute power, and two more titles went to Anna Stileski at Bow’s Bookshelf.
LEE A. EVERETT’s The Oaths that Bind Us went to Gwyn Jordan at Rogueheart Press via A.J. Van Belle of Booker Albert Agency. Chelsea Karol will edit.
PAUL CORNELL sold historical fantasy Oh Fortuna!, set in an alternate Britain, and another book to Marcus Gipps at The Broken Binding Press via Stacia Decker of Dunow, Carlson & Lerner.
BASIL TALBOT sold Soulstones to Hannah Graves at Olive Press. Kelley York will edit.
KYLIE CHEUNG sold “speculative, autofictional, literary novel” Genesis to Christoph Paul at Clash.
N.E. Davenport (2020)
N.E. DAVENPORT’s Immortal Empire, first in a dark romantasy duology, and a second title sold to David Pomerico at Voyager for six figures via Emily Forney of BookEnds.
BRITTNEY ARENA sold Prince of Night and another title, a romantic fantasy duology “about a chronically ill sculptor caught dreaming in a land where dreams are forbidden,” to Viengsamai Fetters at Erewhon at auction via Jennifer Azantian of Azantian Literary Agency. UK rights went to Vicky Leech Mateos at Bloomsbury Archer UK for six figures; Sam Bradbury will edit.
TIFFANY DAUNE sold Love is Dead, first in a five-title paranormal romance series with a vampire hunter, and four more books to Jasmine Callaghan at Boldwood via Kayla Bramante of Storyteller Talent Agency.
KRISTINA FOREST sold The Unrequited Love Department, “a workplace romance with a light speculative twist,” to Emilia Rhodes at Atria via Sara Crowe of Sara Crowe Literary.
BETH MERLIN and DANIELLE MODAFFERI’s A Kingdom of Skyscrapers and Fire Escapes went to Marilyn Kretzer at Blackstone Publishing via Mark Gottlieb of Trident Media Group.
CORAL VEGA’s A Dance of Fire sold to Jean Lowd at Creative James.
MILA FINCH resold previously self-published Runebreaker and sold two more books to Alessandra Roche at Bloom Books at auction via Haley Heidemann of WME. UK rights sold to Calah Singleton at Voyager UK in a pre-empt via Kimberley Atkins of WME.
RUBY RUNE’s “dark academia romance” A Game of Cat and Witch and another book went to Ghjulia Romiti at Forever in a pre-empt via Angie Ojeda Hazen of Lunar Literary Agency.
TASHA SOLOMONS’s Blood Goddess, first in a dark academia romantasy duology, went to Sydney Collins at Delacorte Press in a pre-empt via Ariele Fredman and Kelly Karczewski of UTA on behalf of Sue Armstrong at C+W.
JENNY L. HOWE, writing as LUCY HELEN HOWELL, sold A Frenzy of Fae and Feelings and Kaiju and Kisses to Elora Hartway at Titan Books via Katelyn Detweiler of Jill Grinberg Literary Management.
SOFIA AVES’s That Time I Fell for a Sea Monster and at least one other book went to Emma Grundy Haigh at Boldwood via Nicky Lovick of WGM Atlantic Group.
LILY X’s “sapphic time-slip rom-com” Loched in Time and another book sold to Junessa Viloria at Forever at auction via Patrice Caldwell of The Caldwell Agency.
ALEXANDRA KENNINGTON, writing as A.A. KENNINGTON, sold “sapphic horromance” The Minotaur Project to Gabrielle Pachon at Ace via Bethany Hendrix of Spencerhill Associates.
LORA SENF sold Death No. 114 to Ardyce Alspach at Union Square & Co via Ali Herring of Spencerhill Associates.
KEALAN PATRICK BURKE’s Nightlights for Eyes, set against the Satanic Panic and following a group of teenagers who “mess with the occult in the ruins of an abandoned church,” sold to Alan Lastufka at Shortwave.
GABE CONVERSE sold The Body Remembers, “in which a trans man’s pre-transition body washes up on the beach in his hometown and is coaxed back to life by his transphobic family,” to Rebecca Brewer at Bloomsbury Archer via Mara Hollander of Azantian Literary Agency.
Rudy Ruiz (2014)
RUDY RUIZ’s “Southern gothic horror” Diablo Creek went to Marilyn Kretzer at Blackstone Publishing via Laura Strachan of Strachan Literary Agency.
TR ROWE sold “queer horror romance” Backsliders to Katie McGuire at Crooked Lane via Dorian Maffei of Kimberley Cameron & Associates.
SARAH UNDERWOOD’s The Changeling Rule and another book went to Kristin Daly Rens at Storytide for six figures via Catherine Cho of Paper Literary. UK rights to both books and a third went to Sarah Levison at Electric Monkey, also for six figures.
BRIDGETTE WAY sold How to Seduce a Dark Lord, “about a famous necromancer hell-bent on becoming the trophy husband to the most dangerous man in New York,” and another title to Esi Sogah at Berkley and to Stephanie Alleyne at Random House Canada on behalf of Amanda Ferreira at auction via Cheyenne Faircloth and Courtney Miller-Callihan of Handspun Literary. UK rights went to Elora Hartway at Titan Books via Tawanna Sullivan at Berkley.
TESSA STONE sold “paranormal suspense” book Strange Neighbors and at least one other title to Kreceda Tyler at Black Odyssey Media in a pre-empt.
JOE KOCH sold “cosmic-erotic slasher and queer anti-murder mystery” Dead Boys Don’t Cry to Christoph Paul at Clash.
NEAL SHUSTERMAN’s second and third books in the First Blades series sold to Justin Chanda at Simon & Schuster Children’s via Andrea Brown of Andrea Brown Literary Agency.
ANN LIANG sold speculative novel The Lost Life of Sylvia Song to Claire Stetzer at Harper Children’s via Kathleen Rushall of Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Sara Schonfeld will edit.
SASHA PEYTON SMITH sold The Fox Bride and another title to Erica Sussman at Harper Children’s via Hillary Jacobson of CAA. UK rights sold to Sarah Levison at Farshore via Sarah Mitchell of CAA.
R.M. GRAY sold The Bloodwolf Trials, “pitched as Spirited Away meets Wednesday,” and another book to Alexandra Hightower at Little, Brown Children’s via Gwen Beal and Peter Steinberg of UTA.
ROZ MACLAREN’s Burning Skye, second in the fantasy trilogy Ruined Skye, went to Sofia Aves at Evernight Teen.
S.M. DAVIS’s Disconnected, set in a future of shared knowledge through neural implants when a teenager finds his connection is failing, went to Sofia Aves at Evernight Teen.
SADIE SUKSIRI’s The Undoing, in which girls are born with a magical gift they must give up in adolescence, sold to Katherine Harrison at Knopf Children’s at auction via Molly Ker Hawn of David Higham Associates.
MARISA URGO sold The Midnight Coven, involving a celestial curse at a haunted boarding school, to Afua Antwi at Puffin UK via Moe Ferrara of TriadaUS Literary Agency.
S.G. PRINCE’s YA fantasy No Glory for Thieves went to Kortney Nash at Godwin Books via Haley Casey of Creative Media Agency.
MARIANNA SHEK’s “time-traveling dystopian adventure” The Wrangler’s Daughter sold to Shalu Vallepur at Chicken House.
GABRIELA MARTINS’s Love at First Bite sold to Carolina Mancheno Ortiz at Avon A.
DANA GRICKEN sold paranormal fantasy Ghost Game and mystery The Lost Pharaoh to Sofia Aves at Evernight Teen.
SASHA HIBBS and CHRISTINA HOOKER sold paranormal romance The Wicked Door to Sofia Aves at Evernight Teen.
Vickie Lan (2020s)
VICKIE LAN’s debut But First Take Off Your Shoes, “in which a biracial daughter and her estranged Vietnamese mother try to reconcile as cities crumble, green laser beams rain down, and old grudges reemerge,” and another title went to Ardyce Alspach at Union Square & Co in a pre-empt via Ali Herring of Spencerhill Associates.
KIRSTEN GARRISON’s The Godbound King, debut and first in a “dark quest fantasy duology,” and another title sold to Jela Lewter at Saga Press via Jane Chun of Transatlantic Literary Agency.
DANI RAANAN’s debut fantasy novel The Crafter’s Wife sold to Ian Whates at Newcon Press via John Jarrold of John Jarrold Literary Agency.
HELENA BAILACH ADSUARA’s debut Monstrous Alchemy, a “dark academia fantasy,” went to Kirsiah Depp at Grand Central at auction via Hayley Steed of Janklow & Nesbit UK. UK rights went to Sania Riaz at Harvill Secker via Steed.
SALLY HAMILTON sold debut fantasy The Greenglass Guide to Magical Antiques to Brianna Fairman at Putnam in a pre-empt via Sara Crowe of Sara Crowe Literary.
AUGUST PONTHIER’s debut Everywhere Isn’t Texas, “blending speculative, horror, sci-fi, and Western elements,” sold to Pilar Garcia-Brown at Dutton in a pre-empt via Julie Flanagan of CAA.
SHANNON RAMPE sold debut Gods of Sky and Dust, pitched as Empire of Silence meets Final Fantasy, and another title to Toni Kirkpatrick at Diversion Books via Susan Velazquez Colmant of JABberwocky Literary Agency.
CARRIE KWIATKOWSKI’s debut, historical fantasy The Bindery Guild went to Stephanie Stein at Wildthorn at auction via Alexandra Machinist of CAA. UK rights sold to Gillian Green at Wildthorn UK via Daisy Arendell of CAA.
SADIE NICOLE sold A Haunted House Is Not a Home, pitched as Get Out meets Practical Magic, and another book to Sam Brody at Forever via Jessica Faust and Keifer Ludwig of BookEnds.
SHAYA LIN SUSAN sold debut There’s Something Wrong with the Girls, pitched as “The Stepford Wives for the TikTok girls,” to Abby Knudsen at Gallery via Thais Afonso of Azantian Literary Agency.
CLAIRE WELLS sold debut, “apocalyptic rom-com” Shoot Prey Love, and another book to Maxine Shen at Alcove Press via Sandra Sawicka of Marjacq Scripts.
ALEXANDRA RENWICK’s debut Horn, “reimagining the unicorn myth,” went to Olivia Zavitson at Hyperion Avenue via Jennifer Weltz of Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency.
KRASH MEGIDDO’s debut, SF Pax Bin Yil sold to Bloom and Nectar Books.
J.I. LOCATELLI’s debut, YA horror Little Sisters, Big Lies, “about a freshman sorority pledge investigating a fellow pledge’s disappearance… as she begins to literally lose parts of herself in seductive sorority bonding rituals,” went to Tyiana Combs at Penguin Workshop via Rebecca Matte of Bradford Literary Agency.
NICOLE CREMEANS sold debut Deities and Calamities, Conquer Your Demons, and Bound by Law to Sabine Berlin at Roan & Weatherford via Bonnie Swanson of FinePrint Literary Management. Lindsay Flanagan will edit.
ZIN E. ROCKLYN delivered a novella tentatively titled Blue Plate to Claire Eddy and Oliver Dougherty at Tordotcom via Arley Sorg of kt literary. Mal Frazier will edit.
JAMES PATRICK KELLY, JOHN KESSEL & JONATHAN LETHEM sold Ninety Percent of Everything, which will contain the story of the same name, and “a separate new or rare story from each author,” to Patrick Swenson at Fairwood Press via John Silbersack of the Bent Agency.
Chesya Burke (2022)
CHESYA BURKE sold Let’s Play White, Too, “exploring the existence of Black women in America” with horror fiction and nonfiction essays to Jason Sizemore at Apex.
SILVIA MORENO-GARCIA and illustrator STEPH C. SOLIS sold a graphic novel adaptation of Mexican Gothic to Sebastian Girner at BOOM! Studios via Eddie Schneider of JABberwocky Literary Agency for Moreno-Garcia and via Jane Chun of Transatlantic Literary Agency for Solis. Maya Bollinger will edit.
K-MING CHANG sold “speculative essay” Ghostworld: On Girlhood to Lizzie Davis at Transit Books via Julia Kardon of HG Literary.
BOOKS RESOLD
KATE ASHER resold Crown of Olympus, Blood of Olympus, Blade of Olympus, and another book to Christine Ebbs at Penguin Australia via Saffron Dodd of ASH Literary.
MICHAEL SWANWICK’s fantasy book The Iron Dragon’s Daughter resold to Caroline Tew at Saga Press via Danielle Bukowski of Sterling Lord Literistic.
MARIAH MONTOYA and GRACE PEARCE resold the Guardians & Monsters duology to Alessandra Roche at Bloom Books via Rikki Bergman and Caitlin Mahony of WME. UK rights sold to Natasha Bardon at Voyager UK via Francesca Ali and Suzannah Ball of WME.
SHIM EUNJUNG and CHOI HYUNYU resold The 25:00 Magic Lantern Express, translated by Gene Png, to Anne Sowards at Ace in a pre-empt via Stella Giatrakou of Bonnier Books UK.
SAM MILLER resold previously self-published SF collection Still Lost to Nidhi Pugalia at Penguin at auction via Angeline Rodriguez of WME. UK rights went to Ben Brusey at Del Rey UK via Francesca Ali of WME.
JULIANN GAREY resold Grace, Falling to Mark Doten at Soho Press via Paul Bresnick of Bresnick Weil Literary Agency.
JIM BUTCHER resold The Law to Kate Runde at Podium Publishing via Jennifer Jackson of Donald Maass Literary Agency.
PUBLISHING
KATIE DENT has been appointed commissioning editor at Orbit UK. She was previously fiction editor at Titan.
FAYE IOSOTALUNO has been appointed as president and chief operating officer of Entangled. She was previously CEO of Tinder.
NINA LEON has joined Hardman & Swainson as literary agent, “focusing on romantasy, YA, upmarket, and contemporary romance.” Leon was previously at Pérez Literary & Entertainment.
GABRIELLE PACHON has been promoted to associate editor at Berkley/Ace Books. #noinsta
Ready to discover your next great read? Our August 11, 2026 new releases roundup brings together a fresh selection of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Young Adult novels arriving on shelves this week.
Whether you’re in the mood for sprawling sci-fi adventures, immersive fantasy worlds, dark and unsettling horror, or engaging YA stories, there’s plenty to explore in this week’s lineup. We’ve highlighted some of the most noteworthy new titles to make finding your next read a little easier.
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The winner was announced at an award ceremony in London on August 12, 2026.
The 2026 judges are Eliza Filimon for the British Science Fiction Association, Tiffani Angus and John Coxon for the Science Fiction Foundation, and Esther Stewart for the SCI-FI-LONDON film festival. Andrew M. Butler represented the Clarke Award directors as non-voting Chair of the Judges.
Butler says,
“For forty years, the many Arthur C. Clarke Award judges have made the difficult choice of best sf novel. For our anniversary year, they picked E.J. Swift’s near future When There Are Wolves Again, a story of environmental change and possible recovery. If the industry continues producing such awesome novels, the ten years between now and the award’s 50th anniversary will be worth watching out for.”
Award Director Tom Hunter said,
“Sir Arthur was always passionate that the award’s definition of science fiction be as diverse and open as possible, and he would have applauded the record levels of new SF being published today and been delighted by this year’s winner. Following Sir Arthur’s passing, the award faced the real possibility of being forced to close after its 25th year. I am delighted that we have been able to steward the award successfully all the way to its 40th anniversary, and am happy to report the directors are already making plans for celebrating in 2036.”
SF/F fan and bookseller Dave Nee, 73, died August 6, 2026 of an apparent heart attack.
David Chin-Kuo Nee was born in 1953. He attended high school in the San Francisco Bay Area and studied at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1974, he co-founded The Portable Bookstore with Debbie Notkin and Tom Whitmore as a service running books to local organizations. It would be renamed The Other Change of Hobbit and became a physical store in Berkeley at the suggestion of Sherry Gottlieb, founder of the eponymous bookstore A Change of Hobbit. The physical store relocated multiple times over the decades, finding homes in downtown Berkeley and El Cerrito, before closing in 2014.
Besides bookselling, Nee wrote bibliographies for Thomas M. Disch and Michael Bishop in 1982 and 1983. He also had a long-time involvement with San Francisco Pride, being chair of the SF Pride Safety Committee.
He is survived by his husband, David Scott Marley.
The table shows the current rank of each book and the change since last week, where:
= same as last week
+/- change since last week
+ back on list
++ new on list
x no longer on list (number of x’s: weeks off list)
All lists rank hardcovers and paperbacks separately, except for the USA Today list, which is a single list combining fiction and nonfiction in all formats. Dates shown are posted dates, except those in parentheses, which are dates compiled. New York Times posts its list one week in advance of print publication.
Note that some sources do not compile paperback bestsellers, and some exclude YA books (like the Harry Potter series) from their hardcover and paperback fiction lists.
SF novel. Azad is being hunted across the galaxies by the Vitruvian Authorities because he exposed the dark past of his world. Azad and his team need to team up with a space pirate to start a revolution.
Tie-in anthology of Critical Role, stories based on the livestreamed roleplaying game. Nine different tales of some of the most memorable characters, including: Essek Thelyss, Isharni, and Pumat Sol. Simultaneous with the Penguin Random House UK edition.
Ayinde, M.H.: A Dance of Burning Blades (Simon & Schuster/Saga Press 978-1668086858, $22.00, 688pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)
Epic fantasy novel, the second in the A Song of Legends Lost series. Tension is growing everywhere across the nine lands. The people hope to find out the secrets the king has been keeping from them.
Bennett, Robert Jackson: A Trade of Blood (Penguin Random House/Del Rey 978-0593723852, $32.00, 400pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)
Fantasy mystery novel, third in the Shadow of the Leviathan series. Ana Dolabra must prove the innocence of the heir of one of the Empire’s most powerful families, and if she doesn’t, the Empire will fall apart. Simultaneous with the Hodder & Stoughton UK edition.
Kim, Bo-Young & Bowman, Sophie: A Plagued Sea (Tor/Nightfire 978-1250380753, $24.99, 102pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)
Horror novel. An earthquake on the coast of Haewon, a small seaside village, released a plague that turns its victims into fish monsters. Mu-young has been doing everything she can to survive here for the past three years.
Horror romance novel. After an accident that nearly cost his life, Jordan’s grip on reality seems to be slipping. After getting ghosted by a woman named Lilith, things start to get even weirder. Simultaneous with the Titan Books UK edition.
Supernatural romantic comedy novel, the second in the Supernatural Entanglements series. Gwen Wexloff can see the future, but not when it matters, until one day, she experiences a world-changing vision, and she needs to find help.
Doty, Max: The House that Eats the Dead (Macmillan/Tor Nightfire UK 979-8217092239, $20.00, 336pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/18/2026)
Horror novel. Claire discovers that her family’s new house eats anything that used to be alive. When she exploits this power, she forms a bond with the house, but its hunger starts to grow.
El-Arifi, Saara: Earthbound (Penguin Random House/Del Rey 978-0593723067, $29.99, 384pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)
Fantasy novel. Alder returns to the cave he was born in to discover more about his past, and the truth has him shaken. In the fae court, Yeeran is trying to create a peace treaty with the elven army.
Goodman, A.B.: House of Atreus: Orestes’ Return (Planetary Books 979-8188214753, $19.99, 144pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, 07/20/2026)
SF novel, third in the House of Atreus series. Agamemnon’s exiled son, Orestes, has finally come of age, and must prove himself to Apollo, as he returns home to the kingdom.
Hanrahan, Gareth: The Dungeon Book (Orbit US 978-0316595421, $19.99, 352pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)
Fantasy novel. After Bait is captured by a dragon, and left for dead in a dungeon, she’s taken in by a family of goblins, and is given the chance to decide where she belongs. Simultaneous with the Orbit UK edition.
Young-adult fantasy romance novel. After seeing Zain kill a man, Roxana realizes that demons (and also angels) exist, but she can’t help her attraction towards him.
Johnston, E.K.: The Third Period Comeback (Penguin Random House/Dutton 979-8217110421, $17.99, 176pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)
Upper middle-grade “magic-tinged” novel. Hayley Rilko is cursed to ruin any hockey team she plays for, but it doesn’t go into effect until she’s no longer a kid, so she becomes determined to break the curse.
Kelly, James Patrick: The Book of Bots (Fairwood Press 978-1958880418, $19.99, 302pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 08/14/2026)
Collection of 12 stories about robots and AI that come in all different forms. Some are in the shape of a car, some are from the far future, and some only exist in cyberspace.
Critical non-fiction focusing on the films, looking at the world of Oz as a reflection of American society, exploring how beliefs about heroism, villainy, ethics, and truth change between the classic film and the recent Wicked films.
SF horror novel. A doorway to a parallel dimension malfunctions and causes infinite parallel Earth’s to collide with our’s. Abby Corman is the only one who knows how to stop this, but an alien hunter is determined to stop her.
Okungbowa, Suyi Davies: Season of the Serpent (Orbit US 978-0316428996, $19.99, 368pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)
Epic fantasy novel, the third book in the Nameless Republic trilogy. The Nameless Republic and Kangalaland are on the verge of war, and everyone must pick a side. Lilong lost her power, and is doing everything she can to get it back.
Contemporary fantasy novel. After the disappearance of Zahara’s sister, no one remembered she even existed in the first place, besides her. Four years later she finds evidence of her existence, and hires a private investigator to look into her past.
Ribay, Randy: Nest of Tongues (Penguin Random House/Random House 979-8217024346, $19.99, 384pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)
Young-adult paranormal horror novel inspired by Filipino mythology. Lily and her brother Caleb are vampires, but choose to keep it a secret, until one day when a monster hunter kills another vampire.
Smith, Jasmine: Death Card (Penguin Random House/Putnam 978-0593858295, $13.99, 304pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)
Young-adult contemporary fantasy novel. Mikaela Broussard has a vision of a customer stabbing her in the heart. She decides to spend time with the customer, Joelle, in order to gather more information, but starts to find her irresistible. A first novel.
Spotts, Isabelle: Saint Delilah (Penguin Random House/Berkley 979-8217189816, $30.00, 311pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)
Horror novel. Delilah, a ghost, is trying to clear her unfinished business, and she needs to start with finding who her killer is, so she teams up with the owner of a strip club she used to dance at, and a stranger who can hear and touch her. A first novel.
Tchaikovsky, Adrian: Preaching to the Choir (Rebellion/Solaris UK 978-1837867301, $32.99, 176pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/13/2026)
SF novel, second in the Terrible Worlds: Transformations series. Ross asked Elena to come with her to a mysterious family gathering for moral support, despite the fact that spouses aren’t invited, and they uncover dark secrets.
Tooley, Adrienne: There Are Ghosts Here (Penguin Random House/Delacorte 979-8217027897, $19.99, 272pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)
Young-adult speculative horror novel. Willa Childs forgets the details of the accident that sent her to the Dorsey House, and the others stuck there, Caroline and Ivy, are intending to keep it from her.
Walter, Heather: The Witch Queen (Penguin Random House/Del Rey 978-0593598399, $30.00, 560pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)
Fantasy novel, second in the Crimson Crown duology. Queen Ayleth knows that having the kingdom under her rule isn’t perfect, and she’s consumed by fears that the witches will come to remove her, or that people will find out her secret. Simultaneous with the Penguin Random House UK edition.
Whitten, Hannah: Reliquary (Orbit US/Run For It 978-0316579537, $30.00, 320pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, 08/11/2026)
Horror novel. The estranged family of Claire’s late fiancé, Elias, reaches out after his death, and invites her to a three day stay at Harrow Point. While she’s there, she uncovers the reason behind her traumatic connection to the ocean.
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John William Crowley was born December 1, 1942 in Presque Isle ME, where his father, a doctor and captain in the Army Air Corps, was stationed. The family moved several times until settling in Indiana in 1953. He earned an English degree from Indiana University in 1964 and moved to New York City and worked in photography and documentary film writing. Crowley became a freelance writer in 1966, married his wife Laurie Block in 1984 and had twin daughters, and began teaching fiction at Yale University in 1993.
Crowley’s first novel, SF The Deep,was published in 1975. He soon published Beasts (1976), Engine Summer (1979), and Little, Big (1981), his first published work of fantasy and perhaps his best-known work, once called “a neglected masterpiece” by critic Harold Bloom. The novel won a World Fantasy Award and a Mythopoeic Award and was a finalist for a Hugo Award, a Nebula Award, a BSFA Award, and a Seiun Award. He went on to write the highly ambitious Ægypt series, beginning with Ægypt (1987) and followed by Love & Sleep (1994), Dæmonomania (2000), and Endless Things (2007); and he wrote other standalones including The Translator (2002), historical novels Lord Byron’s Novel: The Evening Land (2005) and Four Freedoms (2009), Mythopoeic Award and Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire winner and Locus and World Fantasy Award finalist Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr (2017), and Flint and Mirror (2022).
Crowley’s shorter fiction is also celebrated, most notably “Great Work of Time” (1991), a World Fantasy Award winner and Nebula Award finalist for Novella. He wrote Hugo and Nebula Award nominee “Snow” (1985) and Locus Award winner and Hugo and Sturgeon Memorial Award finalist “Gone” (1996). His short fiction has been published in F&SF, Omni Best Science Fiction, Interzone, and Asimov’s, and collected in World Fantasy Award-winner Novelty (1989), Antiquities (1993), Novelties & Souvenirs (2004), Totalitopia (2017), and And Go Like This: Stories (2019). Some of his non-fiction was gathered as In Other Words (2007) and Reading Backwards (2019). His work was the subject of critical study Snake’s-Hands: The Fiction of John Crowley, Michael Andre-Driussi & Alice K. Turner, eds. (2003).
Crowley’s numerous awards include an American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters Award in Literature (1992) and a World Fantasy Life Achievement Award (2006).
The winners of the 2026 Aurora Awards for works by Canadians were announced in an online awards ceremony on August 9, 2026, hosted by Elizabeth May Anderson and Mark Leslie Lefebvre.
Best Novel
WINNER: The Downloaded 2: Ghosts in the Machine, Robert J. Sawyer (Shadowpaw) amazon / bookshop
A Shift of Time, Julie E. Czerneda (DAW) amazon / bookshop
Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales, Heather Fawcett (Del Rey) amazon / bookshop
Direct Descendant, Tanya Huff (Astra House; DAW) amazon / bookshop
A Palace Near the Wind, Ai Jiang (Titan) amazon / bookshop
“In the Gardener’s Service”, Michèle Laframboise (Asimov’s 7-8/25)
The First Thousand Trees, Premee Mohamed (ECW) amazon / bookshop
“The Lure of Stone”, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Uncanny 9-10/25)
Best Short Story
WINNER: “The Stone Played at Tengen”, R.H. Wesley (Clarkesworld 11/25)
“Hunted To Extinction”, Premee Mohamed (The End of the World As We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King’s The Stand)
“What If We Kissed While Sinking a Billionaire’s Yacht?”, Rachel A. Rosen (Antifa Lit Journal, Volume 1: What If We Kissed While Sinking a Billionaire’s Yacht?)
“the love song of house and lake”, Gillian Secord (On Spec 9/25)
“I Ain’t Your Doll Face”, Jacqueline Thorpe (Polar Borealis 3/25)
Best Graphic Novel/Comic
WINNER: Shark Girl, Kate Beaton (Quill and Quire)
“Bonds of the Forest“, Ally Rom Colthoff (Augur 8.3)
Questionable Content, Jeph Jacques (self-published)
It Never Rains, Kari Maaren (self-published)
Atana and the Jade Mermaid, Vivian Zhou (HarperAlley)
Best Related Work
WINNER: Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction: Volume Three, Stephen Kotowych, ed. (Ansible) amazon
Augur 8.1-8.3, Azure Arther, Kerry C. Byrne, André Geleynse, Toria Liao & Kelley Tai, eds.
On Spec Vol 35, #131-134, Diane L. Walton, ed. (The Copper Pig Writers’ Society)
The winners for the 2026 Prix Rosny Aîné have been announced. The prize is awarded to SF novels and short stories written in French and published in print in 2025.
Best Novel
WINNER: Sintonia, Audrey Pleynet (Belial)
La Dernière Tentation de Judas, Phillipe Battaglia (Atalante)
The Science Fiction Research Association (SFRA) has announced the 2026 winners of its annual book awards.
The SFRA Award for Lifetime Contributions to SF Scholarship
Istvan Csicsery-Ronay, Jr.
The SFRA Innovative Research Award
“Growth, Resource, Population: The GRP Triangle in Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction by Female Writers.” , Regina Kanyu Wang (SFRA Review Summer ’25)
Thomas D. Clareson Award for Distinguished Service
Patrick Sharp
Mary Kay Bray Award
Paromita Sarkar for the review of The Blaft Book of Anti-Caste SF (SFRA Review Summer ’25)
SFRA Book Award
Black Apocalypse: Afrofuturism at the End of the World, Tavia Nyong’o (University of California Press)
Student Paper Award
“‘I Must Put Things in My Mouth:’ Loving Trans Children in Octavia Butler’s Adulthood Rites”, Franklin Mitchell (University of Colorado Boulder)
The awards, selected by a committee of SFRA members, are given in recognition of “members of the SF community who exhibit outstanding scholarship, pioneering viewpoints in the science fiction discourse, and lifetime contributions to SF research.” Winners were announced at the SFRA conference banquet in East Lansing, Michigan.
Looking for your next unforgettable read? This week’s lineup of new releases for August 4, 2026 delivers an exciting collection of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Young Adult novels that are making their debut today.
From epic adventures through distant galaxies and imaginative fantasy realms to chilling supernatural tales and compelling YA stories, this week’s selection offers something for every speculative fiction fan. We’ve gathered some of the standout releases to help you discover your next favorite book without the hassle of searching through endless lists.
If you enjoy keeping up with the latest releases, be sure to subscribe so you never miss our weekly new book roundups. Thanks for watching, and we’ll see you next week with another collection of exciting new titles!
Clive Barker and Joyce Carol Oates have been announced as the recipients of the 2026 World Fantasy Awards for Lifetime Achievement, presented annually to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding service to the fantasy field. The final ballot for the 2026 World Fantasy Awards was previously announced.
The awards will be presented during the 2026 World Fantasy Convention, to be held October 22-25, 2026 in Oakland CA.
For more information, see the World Fantasy Convention website.
The Dagger in Vichy, Alastair Reynolds (Subterranean)
Best Poem or Collection
Entropocene, Jean-Paul L. Garnier (Space Cowboy)
Best Editor
Toni Weisskopf (Baen)
Best Literary-Critical Work
Playing at the World Volume 2, Jon Peterson (MIT Press)
Best Historical Work
Dreaming of Autonomous Vehicles: Miloslav (Miles) J. Breuer: Czech- American Writer and the Birth of Science Fiction, Jaroslav Olša, Jr. (Space Cowboy)
Best Fan Writer
Lloyd Penney
Best Fan Editor
Bob Jennings (Fadeaway)
Best Non-N3F Fan Publication
The N3F Fan Gazette
Best Fan Artist
Jose Sanchez
Best Pro Artist
Bob Eggleton
Best Fan Website
The FANAC: Fan History Project
The awards are presented irregularly by the National Fantasy Fan Federation (N3F), “the oldest (founded 1941) national science fiction club in the world.” For more information, see the N3F website.
The Queensland Writers Centre (QWC) has updated the entry guidelines for the 2026 Aurealis Awards, established to recognize the best in Australian speculative fiction, making changes including expanded terms for entry fees.
The Aurealis Awards were established in 1995 by Chimaera Publications, the team behind the magazine Aurealis. The Awards later partnered with different organizations to administer them. According to the Aurealis Awards web page, these have included “Fantastic Queensland, SpecFaction NSW, Conflux Inc. (ACT), the Western Australian Science Fiction Foundation (WASFF), Continuum Foundation (Vic), and the Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild (CSFG).” In August 2025, the Aurealis Awards announced “new overlords” on a web page no longer available, and the QWC later established the new web page for the Awards, in which they note that the QWC is “anchoring the awards ceremony within the vibrant programming of GenreCon.”
According to online sources, when the WASFF started overseeing the awards, fees were introduced for titles entered into all novel categories, as well as anthology and collections categories, each entry incurring a $10 cost. However, as of this time, the prior Aurealis Awards website now forwards to the QWC website, which does not show archival pages for the old website, making authoritative verification challenging.
The 2026 entry guidelines set entry fees as $30 for Best Science Fiction Novel, Best Fantasy Novel, Best Horror Novel, and Best YA Novel; $5 for the four short story categories; and $20 for other categories, with “belonging discounts” for QWC members and GenreCon ticketholders.
In response to the changes, authors Alan Baxter and Matt Tighe shared an open letter to the QWC expressing concerns about the entry fees:
The change to the fees is onerous, and a large change compared with the full history of the awards. This is perceived by many as a ‘pay to play’ situation that favours those able to absorb the cost, and disadvantages self-publishing authors and small presses as well as authors whose publishers won’t take on the costs. The new structure will ensure that many works worthy of consideration will not be submitted, and favours larger publishers and well-established authors.
As well, the reduced fees for QWC or GenreCon members is perceived as a clear conflict of interest between award management and the financial operation of the Centre, as well as a disadvantage to authors in regional, remote, or interstate areas for which the above is not practical nor feasible. No costs to enter an award should be passed onto the authors, and especially no preference given to some authors over others.
The letter also expresses concerns about changes to rules, in particular arguing there is “lack of clarity around judge autonomy” and highlighting the rule that works shortlisted for multiple categories can only win in one, saying, “This is an impeachment on judge impartiality and artificially restricts works that blend genre or that cross categories.” The letter requests that the guidelines should also include a “clear statement that AI-generated work is not eligible.”
The letter was sent July 18, 2026 “with almost 250 signatures,” including authors and editors such as Leigh Blackmore, Jeff Clulow, Gabino Iglesias, T.R. Napper, Cat Sparks, and Kaaron Warren.
On July 20, the post was updated to report a reply to the letter: “Thank you for sharing this finally. Because it is so close to our Management Committee meeting we will hold it over for their consultation on the 28th. We will be in touch after that. I will update as and when we hear more.” The meeting was reportedly later delayed to August 10.
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Wendy N. Wagner has announced that she will be stepping down as editor-in-chief of Nightmare Magazine to focus on writing, with the December 2026 issue being her last. Wagner wrote,
