@ellenmorrisprewitt [Often omitted] "Read not to contradict and confute, nor to believe and take for granted, nor to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider. [Quoted] "Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested." [Often omitted] […]

“Ancient Fire” from Threnody, my second volume of #poetry. One lonely copy needs a home! Get it now at https://www.nihtgengapress.com/product/threnody-new-poems #poem #books #indie

RE: https://indieauthors.social/@indieauthornews/115542640335031487 I'm curious what authors' thoughts are on this AI translation feature. Is this all upside? If not, what's the downside? My two cents--I worked on a project for a large book distributor to pilot AI translation. My survey from […]

Good morning

2/2 Second part is about selling and finding readers (especially what he calls True Fans). He’s very clear that this is not a blueprint/instructions, it’s ideas (a compass, not a map, as he puts it) 1. Lays out lots of options clearly and in one place. Excellent if you’re just starting out […]

RE: https://indieauthors.social/@indieauthornews/115510002108364235 #author #authors FYI

RE: https://discuss.systems/@ricci/115504720054699983 I wonder if the tape is still readable. It would be fun to look at the code. 🤓

Spotify, Add a Damn AI-Filter Already! This Spotify Community thread keeps growing and growing, yet still no "Filter AI Music" setting. As of this toot, 58 pages of Spotify customers pleading for a filter. Most aren't even asking for AI music to be removed--just let users avoid it (no […]

Reading is a helpful anti-depressant / anti-anxiety medication (IMHO). #books #amreading #bookstodon #book

For #fedibookfair, we're going to do an ask us anything. Reply to this post with your questions, and we'll answer them when we get a chance.

Great article by @stocktonsmith on how garbage publishing makes it difficult for readers to separate the signal from the noise (junk). https://stocktonsmithbooks.com/notes#uberization https://indieauthors.social/@stocktonsmith/115476524048274294

🎨 🚫 🤖 I commission artists to create covers and illustrations from my books, I use various artist marketplaces to source artists as my go-to illustrators often have long backlogs (as is expected for real, highly skilled artists). Even with "No-AI" clauses in the contracts, 85% of bidders clearly […]

Do you worry that you "make it weird" ... do you strive to "not make it weird" but you fail and fail and fail? No longer! Today we will reject self-doubt. Jump in there; make it weird. Make it weird on purpose.

When I read authors that are new to me, I sometimes notice odd grammatical ticks. The knee jerk reaction is to get judgey. But then it hits me--what if it's just the author's brand? So, where is the line between non-standard writing style and author brand? Or is there a line at all? What do you […]

We just released Mastodon 4.4.6, 4.3.14, and 4.2.27. These versions contain security fixes, as well as a few other bugfixes mostly related to handling of quote posts. Full release notes and update instructions are available on the GitHub releases page […]

Is there a Romantasy trope guardrail for how many times love interests can inquire, "You okay?" or equiv? I recently read a novel, and counted (I've got issues)--and came up with 37 instances in a ~300 page book. It was a great book (thus the reason for not name dropping) so only slightly […]

Sharing the love to all of the indie authors out there! Thank you for the tales you tell! :boostRequest: Please boost to let them feel the love :boostRequest: #indieauthor #indie #selfpublishing #author #bookstodon #books

A new first. I searched and bought an audiobook, not because of the author, but because I enjoyed the narrator so much. Suzy Jackson is an awesome narrator! https://www.audiobooks.com/browse/narrator/26681/suzy-jackson #audiobook #books #bookstodon #amreading #suzyjackson

If your book(s) were, or are pirated on LibGen and subsequently used by Anthropic to train its AI models, the courts have ordered them to pay a minimum of $1.5B. Authors might/could/perhaps get an estimated payment of $3,000 per work (based on current estimates of the # of pirated works trained […]

My favorite time of year is soon coming upon us. Where our characters come to life and their is no shame in pretending (as if there ever should be). 🎃 :vampbite: 👻 🦹 ⚔️ :trek_ds9_sisko: 🦴 @indieauthors #amwriting #books

Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake. It is not easy. It is not a gift given, but a choice made, and the choice may be a hard one. -- Ursula K. LeGuin, "The Tombs of Atuan", Book #2 of #earthsea

Salvation Comes in The next Breath, Numb hands Reaching for The surface. I do not fear Death, but Death in life. #poetry

All the books I've read and don't remember in detail, have been firmly pressed into the foundation of who I am. You can't tell the individual books apart under the weight of the later experience, but they are there, shaping who I am, planting the seeds of today's thoughts and decisions. Every […]

Serious question: was this article meant to be a joke (see the X Screencaps)? If not...%^&%@&@!!!!! […]

that feel when you read a near-future sf novel written like 15 years ago and holy shit did things go better in that now-AU of our reality #sf #sff #reading

Do tears ever fall as you're writing moving scenes? (It happens to me --am I am ananomoly?) #ttmd #scribesandmakers @SJHoodlet

What do you think the top 5 ingredients are in a sexy romance that make readers love the story? @indieauthors #romance #romancelandia #amwriting #fantasy #author #scribesandmakers #writerscoffeeclub #wordweavers

#scribesandmakers Aug 1/Alt: Word? "Mergants" Mergants: Bat-like creatures resembling night gaunts from which they get their name. Found in the valleys of the volcanic ranges of Mercury. Dewling on Mercury, they are fire-resistant, and their mere touch will set earthly materials on fire. They […]

"You gotta be scared to be brave"--Pete the Cat. S104 E5. https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B086VWM6C7 If you've never done it before, the idea of writing a novel can be terrifying. All of the "What if"'s and "How do I"'s can stifle the wonderful […] [Original post on indieauthors.social]

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” --Mary Ann Evans (George Eliot) Steaphan's 2-cents: break free the chains of author stereotypes and let loose the writer within without shame or apology. #quote #quotes #author #writers #writersofmastodon #amwriting #books

People of this blue rock can be so shortsighted. The great Alexandria library is believed to have held up to 700,000 scrolls. Ships docking in Alexandria were sometimes required to allow any scrolls they carried to be copied in order to drop anchor. A […] [Original post on indieauthors.social]

I love it in Egypt. Everywhere I go here,.there are ancient stories to be told. Even picking up a handful of desert rubble: who walked upon that soil? What structures did its mortar hold together? Who's ancient flesh long eviscerated? #history #ancientegypt #historicalficton #story #amwriting

#phantastikprompts 9/7: Denkst du beim Lesen anderer "das kann ich aber besser!" (und tust es dann?) Ich glaube nicht, dass ich jemals ein ganzes Buch besser schreiben könnte als der ursprüngliche Autor. Manchmal entdecke ich kleine „Aha-Momente“ in den Texten anderer. Meistens mache ich mir […]

Meta's AI will also see any post shared on the Fedi if it was shared on Threads. #fediverse #activitypub #threads #ai

Every post you’ve ever made anywhere within Meta’s ecosystem. Every photo you’ve ever shared. It doesn’t matter if you thought it was “private” or shared only with yourself — the AI has access to everything. As the old saying goes: "All your base are belong to us!" #ai #artificialintelligence […]

Our AI has access to everything — and I do mean everything. If you’re using any Meta product or service, there’s no escaping the AI. #ai #meta #facebook #threats #instagram #whatsapp

I realized I am a tool hoarder. I loves my writing tools. Minimal text editor, thesaurus, dictionary, research databases, grammar checker, book layout formatter, book cover ruler/guide, document converter, marketing genre/keyword checker and on and on […] [Original post on indieauthors.social]

#scribesandmakers June 21st: What sort of environment makes you feel the most creative? A dark writing cave (no lights). Incense burning. A sweet can of energy drink. Moving melodies playing in the background. Artwork near.

So it is. #amwriting #amwritingfantasy #indieauthor #writersofmastodon

Amazing SciFi Here: https://www.queerscifi.com/join-our-maillist/ @indieauthors #scifi #queer

More and more I see that fiction authors are the theoretical physicists of the human psyche. And readers recognize the eloquence and precision of this in great authors' storytelling. :thinking_fox: #books #amreading #amwriting #writers #writersofmastodon #author #bookstodon

One thing I can't stand is when book reviewers post reviews about books that AREN'T in their target genre, Why for the gods' sakes? These reviews almost always start with "I had to DNF it, I just wasn't into the [ insert genre/trope characteristic]. But if you are into it you might find it an […]

[Adult BookTok Commentary] An excellent discussion of BookTok Dark Fantasy shaming by FunkyFrogBait, covering: - Misogyny in dismissing romance genres - Stereotypes about women's reading habits - Double standards in evaluating erotic content by gender - Judging books by their covers (e.g […]

Genre Popularity Among Self-Published Authors - Romance dominates, making up 27% of self-published books on Amazon, followed by fantasy, thrillers, and sci-fi. - Audiobook and ebook consumption are growing rapidly with 1.1 billion readers expected to […] [Original post on indieauthors.social]

Get your lifetime Publisher Rocket license now, because in a few days it will be subscription only. This news came via Dale L. Roberts. He as a a deal too if you sign-up for his course: https://rocket.thrivecart.com/special-publisher-rocket/?affiliate=selfpubwithdale But what is it: Publisher […]

Book Award Pro offers a service to help advocate for targeted readers to provide Amazon book reviews THAT DOESN'T violate Amazons paid reviews terms. I wonder if this will fly and if so, for how long? In the BAP blog post they state that they are matchmakers for authors and readers. This service […]

Thought about using writing prompts? A thoughtful exploration of how writers can overcome resistance to prompts and use them as "containers for expression" rather than limitations. The piece includes practical examples of how constraints can actually spark creativity […]

Simon Tolkien on Literary Legacy J.R.R. Tolkien's grandson shares his journey of overcoming the "double-edged sword" of a famous literary inheritance in a compelling piece about finding his own voice as a fiction writer. He discusses how his grandfather's towering legacy initially held him back […]

#authors, #writers, and #writersofmastodon I have created an IFTTT applet that is able to "simulcast" Mastodon toots across any of the IFTTT connectors (e.g.,, Meta/FB, X, Blogger, SMS, Discord, several Google Workspace Services, LinkedIn, Teams, Reddit. Slack, TikTok, Tumblr and many more). I […]