Customers of the week: Old lady who yelled at me for 10 minutes because we weren't holding the book she put on hold - at another location. She then returned it in our store days later and pretended she didn't recognize me.

This morning's spam from a scammer claiming to be Andy Weir, asking me to send a link to my own work and maybe he'll check it out (aka the opening salvo to sending the scammer money) and I'm all, look pal, I know Andy's read my stuff already, he said so WHEN WE WERE DOING A FUCKING EVENT TOGETHER

•ABC: fires Kimmel for mocking Trump •CBS: fires Colbert for mocking Trump •ABC: fires Moran for slamming Stephen Miller •MSNBC: fires Matt Dowd for saying “hateful thoughts lead to hateful actions” •FOX: Champions Brian Kilmeade as he calls for Nazi state murder of America’s 600K homeless people

I've recently requested Fantasy Horror queries and I'm getting mostly modern day demons, so I thought I'd open a dialogue to clarify what I'm looking for exactly. What I'm specifically looking for is a Fantasy world with a Horror plot.

SCAM ALERT: If by chance you get contacted by a group advertising themselves as the “Crazy Old Bats Book Club” who would like to charge you for reading your book in their book club, and who claim I am one of the Satisfied Authors, and furthermore give you an email address for me—it’s not me.

A lit agent giving advice on the internet is like that story from church about the man who waited on the roof of his house during a great flood, waiting for his god to save him - and he completely ignored the people who came by in boats and helicopters.

It's time for this chart again

When a "state of the art" art exhibit turns deadly... How far would you go to protect your art? Can't wait for y'all to meet these characters. Sam and Vika are a power couple solving murders in Fall of 2026!

So after attorney fees, if you're still in print vs out of print, or self pub, then publishers taking a cut, and whatever else factors I'm immediately forgetting, the class action settlements will be more than half of the projected $3k per book, and I'd bet dollars to donuts it's going to be less.

I have written and deleted so many responses. It comes down to this: Gun violence is bad. Hate mongering mouth pieces are also bad. Two things can be true at the same time.

It is only 11:50 AM here and I am already exhausted from the day. Send coffee...and sweets.

My most recent article for SFWA's Planetside! Copyright is a complicated subject about which there are many myths and misconceptions...in this article, I try to untangle some of them.

But my favorite part is this: despite all the cheery “not for profit” language on the website, the registration number they list shows they’re registered as a private limited company — a for-profit business: find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/1572...

WELL REGULATED WELL REGULATED WELL REGULATED WELL REGULATED WELL REGULATED WELL REGULATED WELL REGULATED WELL REGULATED WELL REGULATED WELL REGULATED WELL REGULATED WELL REGULATED WELL REGULATED WELL REGULATED WELL REGULATED WELL REGULATED WELL REGULATED WELL REGULATED WELL REGULATED WELL REGULATED

It’s funny because promoting and marketing a book in any way, shape, or form is actually NOT the author’s job. At all. It is unpaid labor we’ve been forced to do for so long the expectation has mutated like a virus into “okay now you also have to be a TikTok sensation to do this as a job.”

Second, Anthropic agrees to delete PiLiMi and LibGen from its records after establishing the contents in order to determine payouts. There is no future-looking license. There is no ability to sub-license.

The absolute gems I have found in my query box this year is incredible. I am in awe of all the talent out there! Keep em comin

1. Here's the motion for preliminary approval of the settlement in Bartz v Anthropic class action suit. Anthropic will pay $1.5 billion, an "estimated gross recovery of $3,000 per Class Work" & destroy the two datasets of pirated works once litigation ends storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

In a lovely demonstration of irony I just saw an ad for an AI service that can detect if a writer is using AI.

The uptick in “our book club wants to read your book!” followed by expensive fees to share with their members is absolutely wild. Be careful? These scams wouldn’t be so prolific if they didn’t work every now and again.

Ironically, there are a lot of workers who deserve to be celebrated by Labor Day, who are working today...

@itsamia.bsky.social signing at #dragoncon

The movie quote I keep hearing in my head: "Can you believe it?"

I feel I can confidently speak for all of publishing when I say, "Yikes."

You know it's a damned good manuscript when you start writing the pitch and making notes about potential editors before you even finish reading the book.

Wearing a posture brace to stop my from slumping at my desk and have never been more uncomfortable lol How am I supposed to read without slumping? This is madness

I've never seen Fast Times at Ridgemomt High and just watched a half hour of it... So, this is a classic example of no plot, all vibes. 😄

If school districts and book clubs could just shoot their local bookstore a reading list a few weeks in advance it would save so much heartache.

I actually know someone who tried this when they lived by the beach in Venice and an un-homed person squatted in her car and refused to leave ...

If I see one more manuscript that mentions how witches were burned at the stake in Salem I'm going to spontaneously combust. They did not burn witches in Salem. Drowned, hanged, and squashed... Yes. Burned, no. You're thinking of the medieval witch "trials" in the UK. You're welcome.

This, this, a thousand times this. People get curious about stuff and think they want it explained but explaining it is bad actually.

We urge all authors who believe their books may have been unlawfully downloaded by Anthropic to visit the website and provide the requested information. www.lieffcabraser.com/anthropic-au...

A federal court ruled that ANTHROPIC illegally copied MILLIONS of books to train its AI. All authors and publishers whose books were downloaded by Anthropic from pirate websites are subject to receiving compensation. This could involve your work. For more info: authorsguild.org/news/anthrop...

New Books Today!! Finally, I can let go of Feral & Hysterical and let her run screaming into the void... @isabelcanas.bsky.social Ania Ahlborn, Joe Lansdale @tkingfisher.com @markmatthews.bsky.social (Aug. 15) @cgolden.bsky.social @briankeene.bsky.social

Was sent this. I dig it.

For others who have followed back @allkidsbooks.com. I have unfollowed and am going to block/report. Thanks to @victoriastrauss.com and @pitest.bsky.social (and to my friend @lawrenceschimel.bsky.social for the heads-up).

Girls with thick hair getting their locks into a clip...

If you see this, post a bad woman you love

PLEASE BE WARY OF SCAMMERS! Someone has decided to impersonate me, reaching out to aspiring authors either as my assistant or offering unsolicited author agreements. Please be aware that I don't have an assisstant or secretary, and I would not just send out an offer of representation. Be careful!

Hi Everyone. I'm Becky's agent and can verify that this is NOT Becky. Please do not fall for scams like this.

I feel like this goes without saying, but sending me a link to your substack is not the same as a query. I'm not clicking that link. Do I LOOK stupid? [don't answer that]

January-July 2025 Book Reviews!

Dream Report: My house is on the water next to a ferry dock. (It's not but roll w/ it). Stayed home from work & the HOA opens my home for public use. Me: "YOU CAN'T HAVE A CLASS HERE! GET OFF MY SOFA! THAT'S NOT A PUBLIC RESTROOM! THIS IS A PRIVATE RESIDENCE. GET OUT!" over and over and over again 😂

Happy to announce I have my debut horror coming out in 2026! Exciting times!! @annetibbets.bsky.social

This one sold after only 2 weeks on submission! It's creepy and somehow also heartwarming and so scary! I can't wait for you to meet @emilyzinnikas.bsky.social Emily Zinnikas! Congratulations Emily!!! 🎉

Boundless is going under, it’ll cease trading by end of day. Archna has emailed Neem Tree Press authors about this but not Unbound ones :/ Authors, a couple staff members are working hard to get reversions, subcontracts, and files to us—if you need them email NOW before the lights go off

Writers should never modify their own prose as a reaction to what stupid fucking generative AI is doing -- that shit stole from us, and it stole poorly, incompletely, and has none of our magic and zero of our humanity, our experience, our wonder and fear, and it never ever will. Fuck AI. You do you.

TSUNAMI ADVISORY

hi! somebody is sending emails to authors right now pretending to be ashley poston, but it is NOT ashley, and it seems like a set-up for some sort of scam. if you're not expecting an email from ashley, delete and move on; and if in doubt, check the email against the one on her website. thank you! 😠