Industry News

On March 28, 2026, a significant legal battle began that could reshape how authors and publishers protect their work in the age of artificial intelligence. Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe, the German publishing division of Bertelsmann, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI Ireland Ltd. at the Munich Regional Court. The dispute centers on Der kleine Drache Kokosnuss (The Little Coconut Dragon), a beloved German children’s book series by Ingo Siegner.

Kindle Unlimited in Germany is not what it was three years ago. A flood of AI-generated content has fundamentally changed the landscape, and as a serious indie author entering the market, you need to understand what's happening — and how to position yourself above the noise.

If you want to succeed in the German book market, two events stand out every year: the Leipzig Book Fair in March and the Frankfurt Book Fair in October. While Frankfurt often grabs international attention, Leipzig is where the heart of German reading culture beats strongest. For indie authors, Leipzig is becoming an essential platform to connect, learn, and grow. The year 2026 promises to be historic for this fair, offering new opportunities that indie authors cannot afford

In February 2026, Loewe Verlag, a leading German book publisher, introduced a new label called "Ohne KI" (Without AI). This label appears prominently on book covers in online shops to clearly indicate that the content was created without the use of artificial intelligence. This move marks the first time a major German publisher has taken a visible, unilateral stance against the growing flood of AI-generated translations and content.