Who Owns Your ideas?

 

 

In Publishing News this week.

 

Calling all writers who have been caught up in the Anthropic AI mess. The lawyers in the legal case against Anthropic want your name for a class action. If you have had books pirated, this is your must read article from Publishers Weekly. Act quickly you don’t have much time.

 

Mark Williams is also highlighting the case against Open AI in India. They are in the Indian courts trying to prove fair use. These big court cases are being watched by countries around the world. Copyright and AI use, every country has to make a decision over their meaning.

 

I try to have balanced viewpoints on AI in the blog. This is an interesting post from Mythcreants about not falling for AI. There are some good points here. Be very sure why you might use AI. It can be a useful tool but it shouldn’t do the creative work.

 

Publishers and educators advocating for freedom to read are cheering. They have received a positive judgement on the book banning that has been happening in Florida schools. The judge agrees with them. Hopefully this will start the ball rolling the right way in other states. Meanwhile Book Riot have some resources for people trying to navigate the supreme court decision on allowing parents to opt out of school programmes. 

 

The Diamond Comic Distributors case is taking another twist. At issue, the assets. Liquidators want a fire sale of the comics, but Diamond doesn’t own them and a Judge made that ruling. Bankruptcy law, if the item is sitting in your warehouse, then it’s an asset regardless of who actually owns it.

 

The Nordic countries are often held up as the model everyone should follow for happiness and lifestyle. Denmark is suffering a literacy crisis just like everyone else. They have a great way to promote book reading. Make it cheaper!

 

Agent Richard Curtis has an interesting article on Clout. When agents have it and what it actually means. 

 

James Scott Bell responds to an email saying that his book deserves to reach a larger audience. I got one just like it last week. The AI scams are alive and well. He discusses the difference between the terms writer and author. Apparently, they mean different things.

 

Barbara Linn Probst has an interesting post on Writer Unboxed. Are you a planned writer or a summoned writer? Just where do your ideas come from? 

 

Lesley Krueger has an interesting article on her response to a viral post of hers. Why I won’t chase the post that went viral. This is about authentic writing and figuring how to engage with readers without selling your soul.

 

How do you manage your Zone of Proximal Development? Jenny Hansen has a great post on the magic zone where all your learning takes place. This is where seeking the right kind of help in your writing can accelerate your craft learning.

 

In The Craft Section,

Character healing from an emotional wound- Angela Ackerman

5 conflict management styles- K M Weiland- Bookmark

5 tips to enhance your story atmosphere- Nick Bailey- Bookmark

The power of dialogue- C S Lakin

How to use iteration in your writing- Gabriela Pereira-Bookmark

 

In the Marketing Section 

How to maximize the return on your newsletter- Linda Dunn

Book Marketing tips- Mindset Joanna Penn – Podcast excerpt- Bookmark

How net galley makes your book more visible- Rachel Thompson- Bookmark

How to get more of the right readers- Sandra Beckwith

How to build a reader funnel- Written Word Media – Bookmark

 

To Finish

Roger Hyttinen has a great post on the 16 things that writers love. I laughed when I read number seven as I had just done it. One of the things he didn’t have on his list was the new video game Tiny Bookstore. Instead of heading to a remote island to manage one you can stay at home and play bookstores from your couch. You can even recommend real books.

A writer must have thought of the game idea, while procrastinating.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

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Photo by Jacek Dylag on Unsplash

The End Of...

I’m a day late in blog posting.

Excuse #1. We were traveling up the country.

Excuse#2. It is the end of the world...and I had more important things to do...like traveling to spend time with relatives.

Around the blogosphere there as been the usual look back at the past year...who saw those mergers coming?

and the usual what writers  want for Christmas...not necessarily a new notebook and pen...try writing retreat.

And then there are the predictions for publishing in 2013...that’s if there is a 2013.

Uber Agent Richard Curtis has his trends list which he sees as a direct result of publishing house mergers. As I run my eye down it I am struck by how many I can see beginning now...and this was a list put together a few months ago...before the end of the world.

Another Lit Agent with her eye firmly fixed on the future, Laurie Mc Lean, has her predictions...mobile... cloud... folding screens?

Mike Shatzkin has his take on where he thinks publishers should be putting their energy in the future...The Reader The Reader The Reader...or verticle marketing.

Renee Pawlish has a blog article looking at 2013 Amazon and the Indie author...What now for Indies when Amazon removes reviews, changes ranking algorithms and starts own imprints...or dies a fiery death as the chasm opens up and the...

Publishing Perspectives believes in the future and has their wish list for 2013...what do you want to improve in publishing in 2013...(please give us a deal like Hugh Howey...)

In Craft,

How Stephen King writes imagery?

Jody Hedlund's ten techniques for tension.

Supporting characters- Make them interesting!

Finding the perfect writing spot.

6 Tools that change the way you write and publish. (sit down with a Christmas beverage of your choice to mull over these possibilities...)

In Marketing,

Innovative marketing of your book...make a game.

Tools of Change has 7 key features of a good online community...are you a member of one?

How Kickstarter changed my career and my life (very interesting article)

To finish,

Writers Digest has the 19 best articles on writing from this year...that should keep you going while I take a two week holiday or start living my life in a bunker as it is the end of the world...

Written by Maureen,  December 21^st 2012.

@chuckwendig New Zealand, on the other hand… zip! Gone! The ocean, she is empty. And on fire.
— Adam Christopher (@ghostfinder) December 20, 2012

Quick...It's Thursday...

The day started with the realization that it was Thursday. I’m still on holiday, now in another city from last week. Things are much busier here, more distractions. Then I also realized that I had not touched a computer since I got here.

What was the blog post going to be about? Still being on holiday? How wrinkly a child can get when water sliding? The Tennis on TV?

So a quick look into Twitter…to look for items of interest.

Rachelle has tale of woe about what happens when a publisher has a preconceived notion of a book and before reading it plans the marketing of it.

If you are looking for a chewy article to help you understand new media and how our habits are changing around the web and what it means to you, the author, read this article, The Web Is A Customer Service Medium.

Bookbuzzr is posting a great series of articles about book marketing mistakes. This one is on Tag lines. This is a very good article.

Publishers Weekly has an article up on whether We Have Reached The Tipping Point Where Self Publishing Is Better Than A Book Deal.

Still on this topic….

Richard Curtis has been looking at Whether Authors Make Good Publishers…

Richard and JA Konrath are going head to head over this…go on be a spectator and read the comments on this article. This is probably going to be a big issue of 2011. Publish yourself or stay with the traditional model…..

If you are thinking about book trailers this year here is a YouTube resource list for you.

I'll be back home next week...Keep an eye on Craicerplus (My Amplify Page) for new content.

Off to watch the Tennis....
maureen

Classic Thoughts

At our Wellington Children’s Book Association club night this week we looked at classic books, specifically our favourite all time book. 

As we all have a passion for children’s books none of us could stop at one. The two I picked I couldn’t bring to the meeting because various small members of my family wouldn’t let me borrow them for the night.... So I grabbed some others. 

I was interested to find that, for most of us there, our classic book was the first book we read on our own that made an impact in our young lives...generally at age seven. It seemed to be a recurring theme. The classic book was the first book where we, as children reading, wanted to climb inside the book and totally live in that world.

Oh to write such inspiring words for young readers. (yup...maybe one day)

This thought has been encouraging me all week as I take myself back to Mars and think about character motivation...Getting inside some of my characters heads is hard work...it doesn’t help when it’s forty below and there is a solar flare about to fry everybody....

Today I read a great blog post tackling the question If Your Life Is Boring, Can Your Novel Be Great? This fits my mood of persevere...it will work out.

Greg Rucka has an interesting essay on how he researches his books. How to research a novel -Hardcore advice. Read a snippet here on Media Bistro. I use the internet and the library a lot! I’ve never thought about YouTube tho.

Mary from Kidlit.com was on a publishing trends panel recently and the talk quickly turned to the future of publishing. This is an informative blog post. One, because Mary (agent) was on it as well as Meg Cabot and Two because Lisa Holton of Fourth Story media (Amanda Project) was on it. Oh and publishing trends...if you could predict them you would be rich! (zombie fairies in a dystopian world?)

Richard Curtis, one of the leading agents in the world, has an extremely good article on his blog about timing. When is the right time to go to a bigger publisher...a bigger agent...and why sometimes the writer gets it wrong.

Jeff Sexton has written a compelling blog post about the Psychological Principles Behind A Marketing Success In A Networked World. Do not let the title put you off. This is a very good look at a sleeper hit...and how it happens...(this post has appeared on best of the week lists all over the place.)

Kristen Lamb of Warrior Writers has written a reassuring post to authors about Social Media and why you don’t have to slavishly be on everything. After all you want to write don’t you? She does point out what you should be concentrating on tho.

Over on Craicerplus (my Amplify Page) I have links to Articles on

To Smashwords or Not to Smashwords (this is interesting if you are thinking of POD)

15 Amazing Literary Tattoo’s

The Only ‘How To Write’ Lesson you Will Ever Need. (lots of interest in this one)

Writing Rules are Just Tools...(this is a timely post for those of us staring at the edit!)

Nathan Bransford introduced a new client of his this week by having a guest post from him. This was a really good idea for lots of reasons. Nathan has a huge readership, so instant success there. Jim Duncan talked about all the crap queries he did before he got picked up. And in honour of this and his new blog, he has a contest to write a rejection letter response to the query rejection.

I missed out on the deadline for subbing mine but if you want to read some side splitting responses check it out.

My response is below...

Dear (insert name here)

Thankyou for your query response on (insert date).

We are currently oversubscribed with offers on our (select appropriate or all... romance, crime, urban fantasy, science fiction, hero quest, paranormal, horror, erotica, western) manuscript.

Please keep us in mind with any further offers you may make. Don’t forget to read our website blog for updates about what we like...our fascination for the colour orange for example is always a  good start in understanding why we might be (select one, unwilling, unable, unnerved)  about accepting your submitted response.

All good wishes for the future,

(insert current pseudonym)

enjoy,

maureen

pic is my classic book...