This is an occasional reminder to follow @victoriastrauss.com and subscribe to Writer Beware if you're a writer, trad or indie published, for invaluable info - Unhappy Returns: Harper's Bazaar Short Story Contest, America Star Books writerbeware.blog/2026/02/06/u...

Every time I get a new email about the Anthropic class action settlement I just want to fucking cry because it's a reminder that I (and a ton of other writers) have been excluded from even having this tiny crumb of justice because our publishers didn't take the extra step of registering copyright.

generative AI has become widely available in the summer of 2022 and entered mainstream in 2023 people are working themselves up in a frenzy, convinced they're utterly helpless without software younger than still-fresh canned tuna. we have been making art for at least 50,000 years, get a grip

@mattjwagner.bsky.social Just followed you , but I checked first to make sure it was really you 😤 What a world.

Farewell to the mass market paperback (gift link) www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/b...

Since Trump 1, Josh has consistently had the best takes on Trump and why he does what he does—just really insightful analysis that often diverges from the mainstream, but always (IMO) hits it right.

A quick update on Bookshop.org distribution: erotica isn’t excluded. It simply requires additional safeguards to ensure books reach the right readers. That work is underway, and support is coming soon.

New #WriterBeware blog post: the return of two "bewares" that I thought had been resolved: a short story contest conducted by Harper's Bazaar magazine with author-unfriendly guidelines, and a notorious scam name risen from the dead (though with different intent) writerbeware.blog/2026/02/06/u...

Apropos of the rights licensing discussion that has blown up here over the past day, I'm re-upping my blog post on some of the ways writers act against their own interests when faced w/ a publishing offer. It's about publishing contracts, but it applies to TOS too writerbeware.blog/2020/05/29/e...

Good to see a rewrite is happening. I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Another IngramSpark impersonation is going around. "Tailored proposal" = fees, which the real IngramSpark doesn't charge.

It turns out that some restrictions come with the new D2D/Bookshop.org collaboration

Um, wow.

Venerable magazine Harper's Bazaar is running its short story contest again, with the winner receiving "the chance" of publication in the magazine. Just one catch: per the wording of the guidelines, _just by entering_ you transfer copyright ownership of your story to Harper's parent, Hearst. 1/3

Hideous licensing agreement from Red Ogre Review, but what really jumps out at me is the moral rights waiver

Bookshop.org is teaming up with Draft2Digital to allow self-publishers to sell ebooks on the Bookshop platform www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

The destruction of an institution--so sad to see. www.npr.org/2026/02/04/n...

Hey @bookriot.bsky.social, you're being impersonated by a book club scammer who is emailing authors (the goal is to charge a fee). Let me know if you want me to forward one of the emails.

A handy tracker for the many state legislation efforts to address AI chatbots in 2026 www.transparencycoalition.ai/news/ai-legi...

Yes. Solicitation is the #1 way that scammers target writers (Facebook ads are a close second).

The opt-out deadline for the Anthropic copyright settlement has changed again--to February 9. The wording has also been changed to make clear that if one person opts out, they also automatically opt out every other rightsholder www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/dates

LOL

New #WriterBeware blog post: More gen AI-driven scams from Nigeria, aimed at tricking writers into paying for editing. As with other Nigerian AI scams, they're very roundabout, involving several intervening steps before getting to the editing referral writerbeware.blog/2026/01/30/t...

Not a gift article, unfortunately.

Some very cool writerly items in this publishing-organized auction to benefit organizations in Minnesota, including Immigrant Law Ctr of Minnesota and Dios Habla Hoy Church food distribution. Auction runs Jan. 28-30 www.32auctions.com/publishingfo...

A brand-new monthly market report tracking news, changes, and markets open for submission in the speculative fiction and poetry fields

This offer is doing the rounds. Sound tempting? Don't miss the last line: it's pay to play and will set you back $350.

You know me I don't share fundraisers unless I can tell you I trust them with my whole heart and my own wallet. This one gets protective gear to legal observers in Minneapolis / Saint Paul www.gofundme.com/f/help-equip...

For those absolutely awed by Minnesota, this is the site organizers set up to support all of the efforts from mutual aid to direct resistance: www.standwithminnesota.com

This is pretty remarkable

I’ve heard about this anecdotally but here’s official confirmation. If, like me, you’ve already submitted a claim, you’ll need to contact the Anthropic claims administrator about amending it to include this declaration

No good deed. arstechnica.com/ai/2026/01/n...

Boosting.

The @authorsguild.org offers guidance on the proliferating solicitations from lawyers/law firms urging authors to opt out of the Anthropic settlement with the (highly speculative) promise of more money authorsguild.org/news/opting-...

The operator of WorldCat has won a default judgment against pirate site Anna's Archive directing it to delete WorldCat data and stop storing, scraping, or using it; assumption is it won't comply arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...

The snow-laden shrub off our back deck looks magical with uplighting

How you know your priorities are off: when you can't remember to take your iron pills every other day but instantly recognize the name of a scammer when you encounter it 13 years later

Two authors have gone public about their experience with Totally Entwined aka Entwined Publishing. Issues include alleged contract breaches and rights reversion problems www.lisahenryonline.com/blog/stateme...

Must Read Magazine's statement on changes to its contract (Writer Beware has not yet seen a copy of the new boilerplate) file770.com/must-reads-m...

For opt-outs, there are just 86 so far, covering 208 works--despite the efforts of groups like ClaimsHero to recruit authors to opt out and launch their own lawsuits.

For those who are following developments in the Anthropic settlement, a case management statement filed Jan. 15 includes some interesting info about claims numbers and opt outs.

This is why we need regulations

New #WriterBeware blog post: my annual look back at the topics the Writer Beware blog covered in 2025. Scams, of course, but also contracts, copyright, generative AI, and more. If you missed any of our posts last year, here's your chance to catch up writerbeware.blog/2026/01/16/b...

Pls don’t flame me for reposting this article. I do so not to endorse any of these methods but because it’s an interesting thought experiment about AI use disclosure. Like other authentication methods, tho, its fatal flaw is that it depends on people being honest

Things in publishing are taking longer than ever, and I updated my post on when to follow up with agents accordingly. But you should still follow up, unless otherwise specified:

It's been a long ten years and I finally get to talk publicly about what happened behind closed doors. Please take the time to read this letter and please avoid working with these people. You are more valuable than an opportunity for people like them to use you as cash cow for your work. 🧵

The New York Public Library is offering a very cool creative writing opportunity for NYC teens: www.nypl.org/spotlight/us...

Disturbing but not surprising—more confirmation that LLMs are copying machines

Heads up

I just donated.