China is updating its **Regulation on the Management of the Publishing Market** to address the increasing role of e-commerce, social media, and livestreaming in book sales. The draft revision, open for public feedback until September 30, 2026, would require online platforms to verify the identities and licenses of sellers, keep records of transactions for three years, and take action against violations such as selling pirated or banned books, misleading marketing, and unfair pricing. Platforms would also be required to stop providing services to sellers who commit at least three violations within a year. These changes aim to bring online book sales under the same regulatory framework as traditional publishing, building on a 2016 rule that required platforms to verify sellers and keep records for two years. The proposed reforms follow a decline in Chinese book retail sales by 1.63% in the first half of 2026, even as "content commerce" through livestreams and social media has grown by 22.21%. The National Press and Publication Administration (Nppa) has linked the decline to the rise of e-commerce and direct-to-consumer sales, which have disrupted traditional retail models. The new rules would also prohibit selling books below cost to drive out competitors or monopolize the market, and platforms cannot impose unreasonable fees or restrictions on sellers. In July 2026, twelve major online platforms announced steps to improve seller verification and remove fake or counterfeit books from their platforms. The draft regulation would require platforms to provide authorities with seller identity information, publication details, and transaction histories during inspections. Violations could lead to warnings and fines of up to 30,000 yuan, though no higher penalties are currently outlined in the regulation. The 2016 version of the regulation remains in effect until the new rules are finalized, with no set implementation date for the revised version. In France, a 1981 law allows publishers to set retail prices for new books, and since 2023, orders with less than 35 euros of new books must be charged a minimum of 3 euros. The European Digital Services Act requires online marketplaces to verify seller reliability before allowing sales, but it does not specifically address books or livestreaming. Meanwhile, discussions around AI-generated content are growing in the publishing world. In China, Huaxia Publishing House has started adding warnings to some books, stating that their content cannot be used to train AI models, though there are no technical barriers to prevent this. In the U.S., a study found that 20% of fiction ebooks sold on Amazon contain more than 25% of text generated by AI, raising concerns about authorship and quality. AI is also being used in audiobook production, with companies like Spotify and ElevenLabs integrating AI tools to create audiobooks, while e-reader manufacturers like Kobo and PocketBook are launching new devices and features to expand their reach. The publishing and digital media landscape continues to evolve, with ongoing debates about copyright, pricing, and the impact of AI on content creation and distribution.