@katemachon
Active 1 day, 18 hours ago-
Terrie replied to the topic Monthly competition- November 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 6 months ago
I popped in a few times but sorry, didn’t managed to post anything for the monthly comp . I’ve been really busy sorting and emptying the kitchen as sparkly new units, sink and other gizmos are being fitted in the new year. the old one is over 20 years old and it’s turned into a major refit having to move pipes, wiring and other thin…[Read more]
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly competition- November 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 6 months ago
Sea, I well remember, a couple of years ago admiring your shorter haircut when you picked me up at Markinch station, Promise I wasn’t thinking of the competition we might meet at Craigievar! I did hope to do something more inspired for this great prompt, but ran out of mental space, so well done Ath.
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Libby replied to the topic The latest in vanity publishing in the forum Marketplace 1 year, 6 months ago
Yes, it’s the old vanity approach of taking advantage of unaware writers’ naivety. There’s a common belief that editing more or less equals proofreading without so much as a beta read along the way. I imagine all vanity publishers will be using AI in the same fashion.
I think what’s notable about Spines is the number of books they plan to…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic The latest in vanity publishing in the forum Marketplace 1 year, 6 months ago
I’m not surprised by this. For some time there have been AI editing features available with Prowritingaid, Grammarly and so on. I have the former, and although I seldom use the AI features, some of which are behind an additional paywall, I have given them a spin in the past. What you get from one of the reports does appear to be a reasonably…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly competition- November 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 6 months ago
Argus 26 November 2024
Brighton man grows hair for five years for special reason.
I remember the blonde hair on the windowsill. My hair’s brown, so it must have come from Taz. Her hair is, or was, I should say, long, and rich, and blonde. Curious, I ran my fingers through my hair a few times and then examined what had come loose. Not a lot,…[Read more]
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Libby replied to the topic The latest in vanity publishing in the forum Marketplace 1 year, 6 months ago
Hi @janette
I agree it could bring self-pub into disrepute though the large number of self-pub books on Amazon that seem not to have had human editing, regardless of the availability of AI, is already doing that.
The publishing industry can seem very off-putting. I’ve never tried to be published by it so I haven’t been through that particular…[Read more]
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Libby replied to the topic The latest in vanity publishing in the forum Marketplace 1 year, 6 months ago
If you haven’t seen it before this report from April 2022 on paid-for publishing is interesting and depressing. I can’t remember if it mentions AI. A questionnaire was sent to authors who’d paid for an all-in editorial and publishing package. These weren’t indie authors paying for their own editors, cover designers etc and doing the hard work of…[Read more]
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Libby started the topic The latest in vanity publishing in the forum Marketplace 1 year, 6 months ago
It was only a question of time. I’m surprised it’s taken this long. Perhaps there are other ‘offers’ that haven’t hit the newspapers.
Writers condemn startup’s plans to publish 8,000 books next year using AI | Books | The Guardian
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I share your sentiments, Libby, as I do the statement from Bluesky (in the body of the report). This is wholly about money, bypassing the love of writing and reading altogether. Sadly, I feel it could also have a knock-on effect on self-publishing, causing increased distrust in the quality you can find there. I hope I am wrong, but I’m becoming…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic New BBC Radio 4 book programme in the forum Blogs 1 year, 6 months ago
Looks very promising. I shall be donning the headphones when I set about cooking dinner.
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Athelstone replied to the topic Is a social media Christmas appeal worthwhile? in the forum Blogs 1 year, 6 months ago
If it has any impact at all on the publishing world, I would be pleased. I can see that it is galling when an author with a genuine passion for writing, say for a young audience, hones their craft and achieves moderate success, and then watches a celeb waltz in like an unoriginal bargain-basement Roald Dahl, have a small fortune spent on…[Read more]
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I wholly agree, though in a fit of madness, I thought that an increased gathering of writers might at least get our voices heard, if not have any bearing on sales. It would be a start if some regulation was brought in regards being able to blatantly claim someone else’s work is your own – but too many influential people are on the opposing side to…[Read more]
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Libby started the topic New BBC Radio 4 book programme in the forum Blogs 1 year, 6 months ago
Take Four Books starts today. Looks interesting. An author will talk about the influence of three different writers on their own writing. First up is Graeme Macrae Burnet discussing his Gorski trilogy.
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Libby started the topic 20% discount for Emma Darwin's Itch of Writing on Substack in the forum Marketplace 1 year, 6 months ago
https://emmadarwin.substack.com/9f42c2c1
To celebrate the Itch’s first birthday on Substack and help spread the word Emma is offering 20% off all new annual or monthly subscriptions. Click the link before 6th December:
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Sandra replied to the topic Is a social media Christmas appeal worthwhile? in the forum Blogs 1 year, 6 months ago
My view is that publishers are in it for the money, and celebrity sells more – and more reliably – than as-yet-unknown novelists (potentially supplying a profit which might enable them to take more chances on unknowns?) It might be seen as ‘not fair’, but in my view is more honest to trust readers’ appreciation of well-written novels than bombard…[Read more]
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Sandra, it isn’t so much a bombardment campaign, rather a sharing of a meme to ask for support. I appreciate the view that regular novelists are enabled to be taken on because of the success of celebrity books, but the avalanche of them in such an unlevel playing field is instrumental in creating this huge imbalance, and I think the dishonesty is…[Read more]
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I suspect, lacking conviction in my opinions, I’m not a campaigner.
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I have bowed out of this. My intention was to be supportive, but the feelings stirred and opposing views given have me concluding that I should leave it to published authors and their representatives to fight the battle. Lesson learned.
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly competition- November 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 7 months ago
This is not my take on the headline, but I’ve posted it here because I could not come up with anything more ludicrous.
“Short hair hints may be ‘sabotage” study finds.
Publishing her research on the ’Science Direct’ website, under the heading ‘Personality and individual Differences’ Danielle Sulikowski details how women were asked to giv…[Read more]
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Terrie replied to the topic Monthly Comp – October 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 7 months ago
Thank you for setting Octobers comp, Knicks.
I enjoy seeing how differently we all approach the monthly challenges. this months were wonderfully varied.
Congratulations to Seagreen for such an atmospheric winning offering.
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly Comp – October 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 7 months ago
Congratulations to Seagreen, and to everyone else who supplied an entertaining and impressive piece to October’s comp. And to Knicks for setting it,
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Libby replied to the topic Monthly Comp – October 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 7 months ago
Congratulations, Seagreen! Thank you, Knicks, for a great prompt and your judge’s insights.
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Knicks replied to the topic Monthly Comp – October 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 7 months ago
Heya lovelies,
Apologies for the day-late decision making. I’ve been oout and aboout with my egg, enjoying our midterm break from work and school, and foolishly saved the reading until the final day of the month because I wanted to take in each piece at the same time, rather than read as submitted, and also to give everyone who could, a chance to…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly Comp – October 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 7 months ago
Darn it! Missed it! A fab selection though.
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly Comp – October 2024 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 7 months ago
Apologies, Knicks, I’m not going to submit anything this month – torn three ways with something that will not knit.
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