#at that point i might as well just publish traditionally

[whumpitisthen]

Is your book available anywhere besides Amazon? I looked but couldn't find it. (I share an Amazon account with the 'rents :) )

I'm sorry but no, only on Amazon unfortunately. I looked into publishing elsewhere too, but the problem with that is that I would need to purchase an ISBN number of my own (and another if I were to sell the ebook version too) and that costs money I don't have :( Amazon gives a free number, that's why I went with it.

BUT guess what I just found out! You can hide your purchases from other people who you share an account with :) (I can't rly test it seeing as I have my own acc but you may as well try if it works, I just googled it like every other time I run into any minor issue in my life and this is the first thing that popped up)

First, log in to your Amazon account and then click on “Returns & Orders” in the top right corner.

Here you’ll see a list of what you’ve ordered over the past three months.

You need to scroll through this list to find the item you want to hide.

You can also search for the item in the search bar.

Then, click “View Order Details”.

Next, click “Archive Order” twice when the option appears.

Whatever you ordered at the same time as the item will also be archived. This removes the item from your orders list. It’s still technically viewable in archives though.

Seems it's still viewable in archives, but who the hell looks in there! Test it with sth you've already ordered in the past maybe? Thank you for the very good question <3

[pleasantboatpress]

so, you wanted to start bookbinding?

so @princetofbone mentioned on my post for "factory settings" about wanting to know more about the binding style that i used for it. so i thought i might make a post about it.

i was as terrible as i always am for taking in progress shots, but i can link you to the resources i used in order to make my book. i would also like to point out that "factory settings" is my 120th bind, and i have been doing bookbinding as a hobby for just over 3 years now. unfortunately this means some of the methods that i used for that bind aren't particularly beginner friendly, just in terms of the tools and methods i have used, but i would love to point you in the right direction when it comes to resources. i dont say this to sound pretentious which i fear i might come across, just so that youre fully informed. getting into this hobby is fun and rewarding, but it can definitely be intimidating.

with that caveat, heres a list of links and resources that i have used for bookbinding in general, with additional links to methods i used specifically in regards to this bind.

ASH's how to make a book document. it gives you a great introduction into typesetting fics (where you format the text of fics to look like a traditionally published books) and then turning them into a case-bound book (the style i used for "factory settings"). it is comprehensive, and explains how to use microsoft word to do your bidding. it was invaluable to me when i was just starting out! currently i use affinity publisher to typeset/format my fics for printing, but i only bought and learned how to use that after i had been binding books for a year and a half. i made some beautiful typesets with word, and some of my close friends use it still and design stuff that i never would be able to in my wildest dreams (basically anything by @no-name-publishing)

DAS Bookbinding's Square Back Bradel Binding. a great style to do your first bind in! this method requires, when making the case, to attach the cover board and the spine board to a connecting piece of paper, which makes it so much easier to match the size of the case to the size of the text block (your printed out and sewn fic). using this method is what allowed me to get much more accurately fitting cases, and made me much more confident with the construction of the books i was making. a well-made book is something that is so wonderful to hold in your hands!

DAS Bookbinding's Rounded and Backed Cased Book. This is the specific method that i used to create my bind for "factory settings"! even before i could back my books, i found that watching DAS's videos in particular helped me see how books were traditionally made, and i was able to see different tips and tricks about how to make nicer books.

Book Edge Trimming Without... i trim the edges of my text block using my finishing press and a chisel i have sharpened using a whetstone and leather strop with buffing compound on it. i follow the method for trimming shown in this video!

Made Endpapers. i follow this method for my endpapers, as i used handmade lokta endpapers, and they can be quite thin, but they look beautiful! i used "tipped on" endpapers (where you have your endpaper and then put a thin strip of glue on the edge and attach it to your text block) i used for a very long time before this, but these feel like they are much more stable, as they are sewn with your text block.

Edge Sprinkling. this is the method that i used for decorating the edges of my text block. but the principle is basically clamping your text block tight and then sprinkling the edges. i do not believe you need to trim the edges in order to do sprinkles on the edges, and that's what makes it accessible! i personally just use really cheap acrylic paint that i water down and then flick it onto the edges with my thumb and a paint brush.

Double-Core Endbands. i sew my own endbands, which i followed this tutorial for. that being said, it's kind of confusing, and this video is a bit easier to follow, but it is a slightly different type of endband.

Case decoration. i used my silhouette cameo 4 to cut out my design for "factory settings" in htv (heat transfer vinyl). i also used my cameo 4 to cut out the oval of marbled paper on the front, as i honestly didn't want to try my hand at cutting an oval lol. i also glued some 300 gsm card with an oval cut out of the centre of it onto the cover before covering it with bookcloth, to get a kind of recess on the cover. i then glued the oval of marbled paper onto the top of the recessed area once it was covered with bookcloth, so that it was protected. the images i used were sourced from a mix of rawpixel, canva and pixabay. a more accessible way to get into cover decoration is by painting on a design for your cover as described in @a-gay-old-time's tutorial just here. or even doing paper labels, which look classy imo.

physical materials. sourcing these will depend on your country. i am located in australia, and have compiled a list with some other aussie bookbinders of places to buy from. here is a great post describing beginning materials for getting started binding.

@renegadepublishing. this tumblr is great! its what got me started bookbinding, and being in the discord has been inspiring, motivating, and honestly just one of the best online experiences i have ever had. it is full of resources, and most people in there are amateur bookbinders, with a couple of professionals thrown in. the discord is 18+, and anyone can join!

i'm sorry this post got so long, but i hope that this has a lot of information for you if you would like to get started bookbinding. its one of the best hobbies ive ever had, and i genuinely believe i will have it for the rest of my life.

[ceilidho]

This is in no way of hating but i want to know why do you enjoy writing noncon/rape? When I first downloaded tumblr which was couple of months ago i was surprised by the amount of noncon fics here. I eventually came to enjoy them which makes me question myself. Whenever i read a noncon fic and enjoy it i feel like im betraying women who actually went through those traumatic events. Plus I actually don't really like dark romance books? I love cod dead dove and that is mainly because i really love the characters and the authors are so talented. I rambled so much and i hope you don't get this in the wrong way i don't mean to hate AT ALL i love the stuff you write. Maybe i shouldn't think too much and let myself enjoy what im reading lol

first of all, no worries! i wasn't sure about your tone/intentions at first, but by the end i was totally fine with the question.

i actually don't mind talking about this stuff - i just sometimes avoid it on main because i prefer chatting about it privately.

second, i'm no psychologist or sociologist, so i probably won't be able to give you the most satisfactory answer, but i think there are a lot of different reasons. i can only name a few. one thing i should mention right off the bat is that rape fantasies are very normal (and this is true whether you're a survivor of SA or not) and writing/reading fiction can be a safe way to process those thoughts/feelings.

one of prevailing reasons is, of course, that many survivors of SA use noncon/dubcon literature/art as a way of processing their experiences and taking ownership of their trauma.

and look, people are going to go back and forth on this point (i've seen it all before - many people refuse to believe that engaging with noncon lit/art is helpful, and in fairness, it's NOT helpful for everyone because every person is different), but at the end of the day, if a survivor tells you "writing/reading this was helpful in my recovery" then that's that!

additionally, for many women and non-binary folk (i can only speak as a cis woman, but i'm sure this is a shared lived experience across many different people), we're also taught from a very young age to suppress our sexual desires / that being open about our sexuality is morally reprehensible and shameful. and a lot of people carry that shame for years, impacting them well into adulthood. so dubcon/noncon fantasies can be a way of being able to enjoy sexual scenarios where you don't have to be the initiator, thus taking away some of the emotional weight and shame.

plus, at the end of the day (and im sure many people will disagree with this take, it's something that i'm still figuring out myself), there is a kind of weird underlying consent implicit in dark fics. like, you might be reading a fic or novel that's ostensibly noncon, but you're also actively seeking out that literature (hopefully it's not just sprung on you - i do very much agree with tagging to the fullest extent and my lukewarm take is that I think all books, even traditionally published ones, should come with content/trigger warnings too).

there are a medley of reasons why someone might write or read dark fiction/dark romance. again, i'm just one person and i can only speak from my own experience!

i think at the end of the day, the important thing to realize is that fiction is fake, and as long as the writer appropriately tags their work and ensures that the audience is aware of what they're getting into when they start reading, they're not coercing the reader into something they aren't prepared for.

and it's totally fine if you have limits (like, you can read and enjoy dubcon, but not noncon) or can't engage with the material at all, but it's also unfair to say that it reflects someone's real life values - the same way that we don't say that the people who enjoy crime fiction must love murder.

and the last thing i want to say because this got a bit out of hand lol, is that, yes, for some people dark fiction is genuinely harmful, whether or not they're a survivor. it's not for everyone and that's completely fine and i'm aware of that, which is why i agree that you should tag as much as possible (even if you feel like you're overdoing it sometimes), but someone else's discomfort doesn't give them the right to tell you how to process your own emotions/experiences/desires/etc.

as long as no one's getting hurt, there's no issue as far as i'm concerned. and sorry but, no one's getting hurt by reading a fic or a novel unless the author didn't give proper content warnings - if you "forgot" to read the tags or read anyway DESPITE being warned, im sorry but that's life.

[drchucktingle]

It’s Carly Tingle’s big day, the release of her first traditionally published horror novel, Camp Damascus. Unfortunately, Carly’s having trouble enjoying this moment as fear and chaos begin to swirl around her. She wants the book to do well, of course, but it slowly becomes apparent there’s more to Carly’s ambition than meets the eye.

Things get clearer when Carly revisits an old erotica short she’d written, titled Eaten Right By The Physical Manifestation Of My Pride And Excitement That The Lead Character Of My First Traditionally Published Horror Novel Is On The Autism Spectrum Just Like Me. This sets off a chain of fourth-wall breaking events that will send Carly on an adventure unlike any other.

Now at the book shop, Carly will come face-to-face with the beautiful physical manifestation of her pride and excitement as an autistic artist, culminating in an erotic lesbian encounter that could inspire generations to come.

This erotic tale is 4,300 words of sizzling human on sentient physically manifested excitement in the form of a punctuation mark action and lesbian autistic pride love.

----

please enjoy EATEN RIGHT BY THE PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF MY PRIDE AND EXCITEMENT THAT THE LEAD CHARACTER OF MY FIRST TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED HORROR NOVEL IS ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM JUST LIKE ME out now for free but asking for donation to AUTISTIC SELF ADVOCACY NETWORK

MORE ABOUT THIS TINGLER:

hey there buckaroos i would like to use today to talk on something that is very important to me. i have talked a lot about my journey as a bud on the autism spectrum, and about how I LOVE BEING AUTISTIC.

my story on the spectrum is not a struggle. my way was diagnosed in early twenties, but because of way of masking VERY FEW BUCKAROOS WOULD EVEN NOTICE. it has given me ability to hyper focus and get large amounts of writing done, to find creative ideas neurotypical buds might miss, and to have a unique perspective on life on this timeline.

HOWEVER as man name of chuck my pride in this way used to make me uncomfortable, thinkin i should not share my story. there are many buds on this spectrum who have a MUCH harder time than chuck, and i want to respect the VERY IMPORTANT AND VERY REAL struggles of my fellow autistic buckaroos. for long time i did not feel like it was my place to share and say ‘personally, i wouldnt change my autistic trot for anything. i think being autistic is very cool’

but as tingleverse got more fans and buckaroos started listening to my words more i started thinking: THIS is an opportunity to prove love. part of the reason i am PROUD of my spectrum way is because FIRST INTERACTION with idea of this trot (was called aspergers way back then) was to realize that ALL MY HEROS were on this spectrum: david byrne of band TALKING HEADS being number one.

my FIRST INTERACTION with this idea was not ‘whoa this is tragic’ it was ‘whoa the coolest buckaroo on the PLANET is the same as me’

POINT IS i have been on this timeline a while now and now i am in this position myself. i can be the one buckaroos see when they learn this about themselves and think: WOW LOOK AT THIS WILD ARTIST I ADMIRE BREAKING THE NORMS AND CHARTING A NEW TROT THROUGH THIS TIMELINE WE ARE BOTH AUTISTIC THIS IS THE HECKIN COOLEST

most of the characters i write are probably a little on the spectrum because they are comin from inside chucks head. i look back and notice this and laugh, but other than a single tingler i rare actually OUTRIGHT SAY this character is autistic. i decided that FIRST BIG HORROR NOVEL WITH A TRADITIONAL PUBLISHER was a good time to change this. while i write erotica most of the time which means NO YOUNG BUCKAROOS ALLOWED, horror is a little different. buckaroos young and old can read CAMP DAMASCUS and think ‘i see myself in this autistic hero and I FEEL COOL’

EVEN WRITING THIS NOW makes me get teary eyed and emotional, because these feelings of belonging and positive representation were SO IMPORTANT to me. i would not be trotting here without these autistic heroes, and now i have been given the chance to create one of my own with CAMP DAMASCUS and WITH MYSELF just by being chuck and talking openly about my joyful, exciting, artistic trot on the spectrum.

WITH ALL OF THIS IN MIND i am releasing a brand new tingler called EATEN RIGHT BY THE PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF MY PRIDE AND EXCITEMENT THAT THE LEAD CHARACTER OF MY FIRST TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED HORROR NOVEL IS ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM JUST LIKE ME for free. HOWEVER i am requesting that if you choose to read you send your three dollars (or whatever donation you would like) to the AUTISTIC SELF ADVOCACY NETWORK. this way 100 percent of all profits will go to them. (WARNING this is actual erotica so no young buckaroos allowed for this one).

all ages (who are old enough to read horror) can preorder CAMP DAMASCUS at any bookstore. i also have a tingler name of NOT POUNDED BY THE PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF SOMEONE ELSE'S DOUBT IN MY PLACE ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM BECAUSE DENYING SOMEONE'S PERSONAL JOURNEY AND IDENTITY LIKE THAT IS INCREDIBLY RUDE SO NO THANKS that is pound free so all ages can read so check that out if you would like.

thank you for blessing me with a space to explore these ideas. i am so thankful to be here with you and you have treated me so well. i am eternally grateful for our tort together and look forward to the future we craft on this timeline.

LOVE IS REAL - chuck

[chut-je-dors]

Now I'm curious cause of your tag. What did Swedish media say about the eurovision thing?

Oof yeah, here's a post detailing it ... here another... Basically they've absolutely flipped over the fact that Finnish public didn't give Loreen points at all (which I find absolutely hilarious) and suddenly started wielding such rhetoric as "the former eastern part of our kingdom" referring to Finland, which is???? like??? do I even need to say how Not Okay that is?

It might seem to some that the Finnish people are reacting to Sweden's (unfair) win and them being sore winners (which, points to them, I didn't know was possible!) with too much drama, but it's all tied to our history together. Finland has traditionally seen itself, and has been seen by other countries (Sweden included) as the sort of "little brother" to the more advanced, better-faring, glorious Sweden. While Sweden to my knowledge doesn't much care about what Finland gets up to (perhaps overlooking/ignoring us and our merits), Finland is always comparing itself to Sweden and trying to live up to it. It's a very common rhetoric and sort of, the atmosphere over here. We know more about Sweden than Sweden knows about us; we're constantly conscious that Sweden exists. Sweden gets talked about in international news; Finland, if mentioned, is often tied to - you guessed it - being Sweden's neighboring country.

We used to be part of Sweden for 600 years. During that time, Swedish was implemented as the language of the culture and the "civilised" whereas the finns living in the eAstErn pArT oF tHe kiNgDoM were seen as "wild" and "uncivilised" and just, generally a lesser people to the Swedish speaking population. We haven't been under Sweden's rule for some 200 years and STILL we can't seem to shake their influence on us. Swedish is still a mandatory language to learn at school (and I have many opinions on that, but that'd be another post). Finnish as a language has been disregarded for its whole existence. Our leading national thinkers and poets in the 19th century, who were the first ones to really push for the Finnish identity instead of us seeing ourselves as part of Sweden or Russia, wrote in Swedish. The first novel in Finnish was published in 1870.

So this is monumental to us, to have the whole word watching Finland and not Sweden. Finland has a lot of merits, especially considering how small a people we are (just 5,5mil). To have a song in our language, in Finnish be this popular, is something we couldn't have imagined. We as a people are humble to the extreme, so much that we might easily scorn anyone who is too successful (not a good thing!), and this is the first time in my life that I'm seeing the whole country rally behind someone like this. When we say "Our Jere" we mean it with our whole hearts. We're so so proud of him, everyone is, and for once Finnish people seem to think in unison that someone deserves all the praise and the success.

SO, to have Sweden in this UNIQUE moment of Finland raising its head and being "we're so amazing", with the rest of Europe going "yes you're so amazing!!", spew rhetoric like this, is just, unbelievable to me. Like I can't just believe that in the 21st century there are people in Sweden who hold up 200 year old thought patterns of our country. It's been shocking 'cos though there's always been rivalry, it's felt more... tongue in cheek. We "love to hate" Sweden over here. It's been "I hate Sweden (affectionate)". But now we find this unbelievably condescending and belittling attitude towards us raising its head, and we wonder, we thought we two were okay?? But have they always held these beliefs???

So there's a sense of betrayal in the air as well. And just, full on disbelief. And maybe we're starting to see that it has been like this all along, but we've decided to turn a blind eye to it? True colours shining through? Perhaps not... but yeah.

Sweden not looking good here!

(here's one more post that says the same that i did but was better at making it SHORT oops)

[jupiterswasphouse]

WASPS OF THE WORLD - A REVIEW

[Image ID: A photo of the cover of the book 'Wasps Of The World: A Guide To Every Family' by Simon Van Noort and Gavin Broad, a black and white cover with 12 in color photos of wasps of a multitude of different families /End ID.]

Howdy everyone! and happy Wasp Wednesday!

Yesterday, I finished reading through this book, and figured I'd share my thoughts and reasons to recommend it, given how recently published it is as of writing! (February 6th, 2024)

Read under the cut!

So, How Extensive Is It?:

The cover doesn't lie, for the most part, covering every family that one might traditionally consider to be wasps as of the publishing date, and more! Despite being simply titled 'Wasps Of The World', you may be surprised to learn that this book essentially covers all of Hymenoptera, to an extent.

The taxonomically minded of you might expect ants and bees to get at least a passing mention, also being wasps themselves, although their sections are less extensive than other well known families, and the bee families are not covered individually (I cannot yet speak for the quality of these books but this book recommends the publications 'Ants, A Visual Guide' by Heather Campbell and Benjamin Blanchard, and 'Bees Of The World' by Laurence Packer for more extensive reading).

What you might not expect however, is the section on suborder Symphyta, which is to say, sawflies! Each family of this suborder is covered in pages 30 - 59, just as extensively as those in Apocrita (Covered in pages 60 - 233). I must say this was a pleasant surprise!

How Is It Covered? (Extensiveness Continued):

The length of each segment tends to depend on how much is actually known about each family and how unique each species or subfamily is from each other within, and may range from a short paragraph to up to 4 pages. Images, with descriptions, are provided for each family, sometimes just one but usually two or more, as well as a section covering; Distribution (with geographic map), Genera, Habitats, Size, Activity, Reproduction, and Diet

Of course, with the species richness of an order like Hymenoptera, not everything about each family can be covered in a 200+ page book, but this book provides an absolutely fantastic framework of knowledge from nesting and parasitizing behavior, to their vast ecological benefits (or pest statuses in the few cases where applicable), as well as a glossary of some of the more technical terms used (Page 234) and suggested further reading (Page 235)

The book also contains a wonderful introductory section (Pages 6 - 29) covering generally common behaviors, anatomy, diversity, biology, conservation, classification, and even how wasps are photographed! (bonus points for the mention of iNaturalist)

Would I Recommend It?/How Good Is It For Someone Like Me (The Reader)?:

The short answer is Absolutely/Great!

The longer answer is yes, I would recommend it, as already mentioned, it provides an extensive amount of knowledge for those just getting interested in Hymenoptera or entomology in general, and provides plenty in the way of extra information that even someone who's been invested in the study for quite a while may not yet know, including more recent developments in each family's classification.

As the title might suggest, the book may also see some use as a field guide, or as an aid to teach others about wasps!

The book is also relatively cheap comparatively to some textbooks, available for $25 - $30 for an outright purchase

In Conclusion:

This is a wonderful book and I'm very happy with my purchase! It feels weird giving a star rating to non-fiction publications but if I had to give one, it would be

5/5

[physalian]

On self-publishing, and why I did it

Based on the research that I have done, following other indie authors across multiple platforms, I think I've made an approach to this that is a lot less... shall we say, *intense* than people make it out to be? I've seen some YouTube videos acting like picking one route or the other might be the worst mistake of your author career.

I mean, I guess?

Back a few years ago I had a manuscript I was querying around and couldn't find any takers. Couldn't find any publishing houses that were accepting open submissions to pick up my manuscript either. So many of them had clauses in the application verifying that you were submitting to them and only to them and to expect a reply within 8-10 months. Coooool.

I did not have time for that.

—

The manuscript I had was 120k words. Baby’s first novel sitting at 120k words is not attractive to publishing houses. It’s a risk. I was younger and didn’t know much about finding an agent and all that jazz, so I had looked into self-publishing and was staring down an editor bill of about $3k minimum because of my word count. I did not have the money for that.

So that manuscript got shelved, meanwhile I wrote the sequel and got halfway through book 3 before writer’s block took hold.

Enter February 2024. I have an idea for a new book. 31 days later, I have that book’s first draft done—Eternal Night of the Northern Sky, on sale from draft to publication in seven months.

This time, I didn’t consider for one second trying the traditionally published route. ENNS is 111k words, it’s a doorstopper of a book, but the bulk wasn’t the only reason I decided to bootstrap myself to the finish line.

I wanted complete, absolute creative control every step of the way

If I have to market myself anyway, why am I splitting profit with a publishing house?

I *really* don’t have time to wait around hoping the right person sees my manuscript. I have a new job coming that’s going to eat up all my free time and could either delay ENNS a year or more, or get it out while I still had time to do so

I didn’t do this for money

I think that’s what makes so many of those rather intense arguments for one or the other so harrowing—the pressure is a lot higher if you invested all this time, money, and effort expecting returns to break even, if not actually turn a profit. Publishing with a publisher doesn’t guarantee people will buy your book, mind you, but it’s a helping hand nonetheless. If I even want to break even, let's say just on royalties from the ebook, I'd have to sell over a thousand copies.

Breaking down my above points:

I’m a firm believer in “if you want something done right, you do it yourself,” which does bite me in the ass from time to time, this I know. I didn’t want to get caught up in contracts or editors telling me what I could and couldn’t do or what I had to change. If ENNS fails, I will have no one to blame but myself, and I am at peace with this. If ENNS fails, and I’d gone through the trouble of signing my book’s soul away to a publisher, then I’d probably be a little resentful. 100% of ENNS is mine, even the cover. I had an image in my head of what I wanted the cover to look like, and I sat down and I drew it and it matches perfectly. Aside from the feedback implemented from betas and editors, my story is told the way I wanted to tell it. If it fails, I am at peace with this.

On marketing, I am not a person who does well with social media. Maybe it’s autism, idk, but trying to keep up with an Instagram is exhausting. I just don’t get anything from tiny text posts and blurbs and doomscrolling through influencers and advertisements. Social Media is, for me, exhausting. Tumblr is different, because writing is my strong point and this blog exists to share and curate something useful. But either way, I’d have to market this book alone, so why not do so with full creative control? If it fails, I am at peace with this.

I have a new job coming very quickly. My current job allows me about 5 hours of free time during my 8 hour shift on a good day not including the time outside work, and I work from home. ENNS was written in 31 days thanks to this job. The new one? Not so much. Seeing “please allow 8-10 months” and “please ensure this is an exclusive submission” on so many little publishing houses, and I did search far and wide, was incredibly disheartening. For me, personally, it wasn’t worth the gamble of waiting all that time, following the rules, and being told no or just being flat-out ghosted. Nor did I want to sit around querying agents into the void. This time, I didn’t have time to sift through agents. ENNS had to get out on the shelves as quickly as I could get it, and all that time (five goddamn months of editing, 500% of the time it took to write it) was spent perfecting the manuscript that it is, *not* waiting around trying to find an agent. If it fails, I am at peace with this.

And lastly, I don’t care if I make absolutely nothing from this book. I didn’t do it for the money, I did it to say I could. I have a day job, and I’m about to have a much higher paying day job. Maybe I’m lucky enough to have that, but I am under no illusions that putting in the hard work guarantees success. Success as an author is a crapshoot and being an amazing book is not the metric sales are measured in, if no one wants to read it. I’d like to make money, I didn’t do it for charity. It’s going to be priced exactly the same as another fantasy book of its caliber. But if only one person buys it, and finds something good from it, something in it that changes their life, then I will have succeeded, profit be damned. If all else fails, I am at peace with this.

—

This is not a post meant to sway people one way or the other. I know I didn’t do enough research or scour the internet hard enough to find a good agent. All of this is irrelevant when time was the most important factor in my debut novel. I was in a position where I could drop that $3k on an editor, so I did. I’m a capable enough artist to draw my own cover, so I did. I might be abysmal at managing social accounts, but less than a year ago this blog didn’t exist and it has over 5k reblogs and 950 followers and I think that’s pretty swell.

I’m 25 years old. I was not about to let it keep sitting around waiting for the golden opportunity with the perfect publishing house that might not have been coming. I had the means and motive to get it done, and by god, I did it.

If it fails, at least I can say that I failed trying. I am at peace with this.

—

Eternal Night of the Northern Sky is available now on Amazon in ebook and paperback! It is also available through your local bookstore.

Check it out on Goodreads!

[mitziholder]

I find your thoughts on fandom interesting, and in general, I'm really glad to see more discussion of the bad shit fandom can/is doing to young women in radblr spaces. But I mean this as an honest question: Why do you consider fandom not challenging writers/readers such a problem? These aren't professional writing spaces, and the vast majority of fanfic writers don't intend to go into them. Does an artistic hobby *need* to challenge its participants to be worthwhile? I mean this all really genuinely, especially as someone who *does* work in the arts and *does* actively want work that challenges me, and has traditionally prided herself on it -- are these inherent moral goods? Am I a reasonable standard to expect of other people? Is engaging with boundary-pushing art a requirement of healthy maturity? Why? Is, say, a human rights lawyer who spends her free time watching trashy reality shows blighted, somehow, by that fact? What about a cashier who watches the same stuff because she's genuinely not interested in anything else? And, given the vast majority of readers of actual books basically read the way fanfic-only readers read -- the same genres, which use well-worn tropes -- do we think fandom is actually keeping its participants from more worthwhile experiences? (I suspect you might argue this is dumbing down the publishing industry, which I would really disagree with, as someone in publishing -- I know we can all point to Ali Hazelwood or a million YA books that advertise with tropes, but I really can't emphasize enough that this has been the case since modern publishing began, and I think pinning "so-so prose that's The Same Old Shit" on the current young female writer cohort borders on sexism, tbh.) I've been thinking about these questions a lot lately, and I just don't know the answers. My gut wants to say yes, it's good to present challenging work to people, especially women, because art is a key part of the human experience, and can effect all sorts of societal things. But also ... I know very little about the environment, including my immediate natural environment, and if I'm honest, I'm not really inclined to learn. I'm sure learning about it would effect all sorts of change in my life and concept of self. But I'm probably not going to do it because I have a limited amount of time and I'd rather give it to other things. Is that better or worse than engaging with challenging art? Is it better or worse to be me than the woman reading the same old tropey fanfic in her free time? I think what I WOULD argue is that, specifically, fandom as it is reinforces patriarchy and induces a lot self-destruction and alienation in young women, with particularly vile effects on young lesbians, autistic women, etc. But if it didn't do that....would I still have a problem with it? I don't know. But it's interesting as hell to think about, and I'd love your thoughts on it.

hello nona :-) many interesting points, much to consider

>Does an artistic hobby need to challenge its participants to be worthwhile?

no. I’m sure there are plenty of people who enjoy crochet or knitting or something like that for the sake of it or to de-stress. I’m sure there are also plenty of people who write and draw for the sake of it with little interest in grinding for improvement. that’s fine. the problem is when you have people who replace reading and personal edification with endless fluff + pointless indulgence.

reading... things... that are above your level, that actually make you think, is how you increase your vocabulary, your linguistic competence, your critical thinking skills, your ability to express yourself. difficult and complex texts present you with opportunities to broaden your perspective. they stimulate your mind, present you with new ideas; they can help you grow as a person in ways that the Same Old Shit simply won’t/can’t. it would be like benching the bar every day for 10 years straight and expecting to get stronger... I presume. I don’t lift weights.

as I said previously, I don’t think fanfic is going to destroy your brain, but if you read nothing but fanfic, that is on the same level as (or maybe worse than) reading nothing at all. of course I’m going to be critical of a community of people who humblebrag about how they can’t bring themselves to read 25 pages of literature in an academic (non yaoitastic) context.

ya ya it’s a joke they’re joking very funny, but do you see people of other creative pursuits or hobbies joking about how they can’t bring themselves to focus on a piece of actual literature or nonfiction? how they have zero interest in anything outside of anime boys kissing each other? it’s a sign of intellectual stagnation (and eventual regression imo).

I watch a lot of shitty youtube videos, but I acknowledge that they are basically a waste of my time. meanwhile you have post after post singing the praises of how culturally important and worthy of respect Our Beloved Fic Writers are in spite of the fact that their work is, by and large, completely self-indulgent shit! there’s just so much potential that isn’t being tapped into & so much complacency... it’s very frustrating to me. I find it dishonest. red white and royal blue is not going to change the world... lol

for the record, yes, you are right, lots of Real book-readers also read mostly self-indulgent shit. genre fiction is far more popular than anything else... and I don’t care for booktok either. in fairness, literary fiction isn’t always good, and I’m sure there were many women who read nothing but terrible pulp novels 70 years ago too. that doesn’t make fandom any better! not to say this is all women’s fault - I just have zero frame of reference for how “cultured” men may or may not be, and I don’t really care either way. I focus on fandom girlies because they’re what I know, & I want women to be... better, or at least more interesting. this is, of course, sexist by definition. I hold myself and other women to higher standards. I will admit to that. I’ll also admit to the fact that I do not care about men or what they are writing or reading and would not give a shit if they all became illiterate thoughtless slugs. it is what it is.

truthfully, I have no interest in moralizing any of this. I just find it depressing! it’s resulting in more and more women who cannot relate to and have zero interest in anything outside of the narrowly defined fanfic bubble - so, more and more women who can’t relate to me or what I care about. I’m selfish, and I think it’s unfortunate that there are so many young female writers clearly capable of writing something interesting who nevertheless restrict themselves to lowest common denominator coombrained garbage because it’s what’s easy and popular.

do we have a responsibility to pester random strangers about their amateur fanfic? naw. who has the time? all I know is that conversations I’ve had with my female friends about our original works or other women’s writing have been vastly more substantial and enlightening than any argument about who tops or bottoms in supernatural... imo. in my opinion

re: the environment and social responsibility, I also have no interest in debating what matters are the most important and whether you have a personal, moral obligation to educate yourself about them. I recognize that we all have a limited amount of time and energy to dedicate to something which is admittedly fairly peripheral to most people’s everyday concerns (such as... paying the bills). then again, so is almost everything.

at the end of the day, I just think it is an awful shame that some women would - and they freely admit this - rather turn their brains off and do nothing, think about nothing, read the same shit over and over, watch the same shows over and over, draw and write the same things and dynamics over and over... than do anything else. anything different or thought-provoking or uncomfortable. it is a loss for the breadth and the depth of women’s contributions to culture as well as their empathy and intellectual curiosity.

obligatory food analogy: a little bit of junk food won’t kill you, but if that’s all you’re eating, you are probably not... doing... well

and that’s not even getting into the social contagion present within fandom re:mogai, relationships, and gender identity shit (which I would say probably has a lot to do with the underdeveloped critical thinking skills and worldviews of girls who read nothing but fanfiction). I would love to come back to that at some point, but I think this post is long enough, so I’ll just put a pin in it. there’s honestly an insane amount that I have to say about common talking points regarding the value of yaoi/fanfic (in terms of how they portray Marginalized Identities and Relationships and how it supposedly helps women navigate their own trauma through a proxy or some shit like that) oh god this is a horrible run-on .... that’s all for now! send post!

[goodluckclove]

An Open Letter to a Professional Author

I came across a writer here who I imagine will probably never see this, but their presence was enough to make me pretty mad for two days now. I've decided to pen a little statement to this Long-Term, Professional, Full-Time, Published Author who makes a habit out of being deeply unpleasant in a way that apparently has only attracted an audience of other deeply unpleasant people.

People here seem to like it when I get mad. So, uh, enjoy?

Dear Professional Author,

I came across a post of yours on some feed here the other day and enjoyed your commentary. It was one of those writing memes that sort of called attention to actually writing as opposed to just thinking about your project - the kind that people usually respond to with some sort of joke expressing their repulsion at the concept.

You responded with distaste and I generally agreed. The tone was a little aggressive for me, but that kind of humor also leaves me generally confused. I personally ended up concluding that the self-deprecating humor was a coping mechanism for a larger issue that keeps these people from writing - intimidation, lack of confidence, physical or mental pain, things like that. You seemed to think it was a matter of will, which I found to be an approach that at the very least was well-intentioned.

Turns out it wasn't.

First off, I should say that this isn't about your political beliefs. Your political beliefs that are really more like general human beliefs. I don't want to get into that. Instead, I just want to talk about your writing. You are a full-time, published author, as you say in nearly post where you talk about writing. A major point of pride to you seems to be the fact that you are traditionally published. Any other method doesn't seem to be as legitimate to you. That's interesting to me.

You also don't seem to have much of an audience outside of people who mainly come to agree with your politics. I didn't really see a single positive interaction between you and another writer on here for as much as I was willing to scroll through your blog. That's also interesting to me.

I didn't spent too much time on your blog once I realized that you were definitely not the kind of person I would ever want any interaction with. What I did want to do is use your presence indirectly to prove a point that I've been wanting to get into for some time now.

To put it simply, I'll say this: a career in professional writing is not actually as cool or important as you might think it is.

Now I'll be direct and say that I've never been traditionally published for anything longer than a short story or long-term, unpaid column. You don't give any details on any of your writing, as far as I've seen (Once again - interesting!), so there's a chance you've made more in contracts and royalties than I have. But I'm a working writer. I've had a career in ghostwriting and technical writing. I've written and produced plays that have been featured in festivals in multiple states. I'm not speaking from a place of no experience, is what I mean to say.

What I also mean to say is that - while I view writing in many ways as a spiritual and healing act that I couldn't live without - it's also a job. It's not always exciting, and even when it is exciting it's only exciting to me. I consider the best date night to be when my wife works on video game development while I write my draft. I leave the house on a regular basis, but it's mainly to go to different places to write.

In short - I love to write, but I don't think it makes me cool. Or interesting. Or valuable. Or intelligent. Or just generally fun to be around and talk to. These are things I strive to cultivate in other aspects of the way I live and grow as a human being on this planet.

Being a Professional Author in one particular genre doesn't give you authority over the craft as a whole. You can't just throw yourself into conversations and start with I'm a published writer and assume that means you have the final say on any discussion. Believe it or not, in many cases it does not matter.

Lots of people are published traditionally, and it does prove some level of validity in their line of work. But there are a huge variety of people in the world of trad pub. There are people who write books in genres that don't apply to writers here. There are people who write books that aren't very good. There are even people who write trad pub books that are very good, but their careers are sullied by the fact that the authors themselves are not good people.

Being a successful writer does not mean you're a good person. Being a writer at all does not mean you are a good person. I believe in Death of the Author to an extent, but when that author insists on making a presence on a public website and doling out advice and opinions to other writers the lines start to blur considerably.

Writing is a job. You work it over a period of time and learn skills and strategies that work for you. The same applies to virtually every other job, including ones that society views as less romantic as something in the arts. Can you imagine me breaking into your home while you're making lunch and telling you how to arrange your cheese slices based on what I know as a full-time, professional sandwich artist at Subway? You might be interested based on leaning something you didn't know about a place you might've eaten at before. But that does not entitle me to your respect on its own.

I am not entitled to your respect based on how well I learned how to make a sandwich based on my hypothetical career at Subway. Just as I don't deserve it solely because I know two card tricks, can get out a variety of stains, read most of the works of the major beatniks, can make a really good carbonara, or any other specific about my life that ultimately does not play a huge part in who I am as a person.

When I am on my death bed, I hope to god the core of my character was not the fact that I typed stories from my brain until I got carpal tunnel. If my obituary begins and ends at "writer", no matter how positive the qualifier is before that, it will be the greatest failure of my life.

Because I am a writer. But that does not matter. It does not matter if you're a writer. It can be fun and enjoyable if you are, even better if you make a living at it, but it doesn't mean you'll be happy. It doesn't mean people will like you or perceive you to be the leader and teacher you might think you are. It certainly doesn't give you a free pass to throw cruelty at strangers for truly no real reason.

Professional Author, you had a chance to raise up the next generation of an industry I assume you must value. You're choosing not to, and that's fine. You don't have the obligation to. You do have the choice to not get involved and pretend to give advice that ranges from vague to untrue. You seem to be taking that responsibility very seriously.

It's like some twist on crab mentality, where instead of dragging crabs trying to escape the bucket you're swiping at anyone who tries to crawl in with you. Then, as they struggle, you're looking down at them and making comments on how easy it is to get in the bucket, if you only just do it and maybe read some books.

To all of us, I say this: question authority, even in the arts. Especially in the arts. Nobody knows as much as they say. That includes me, but I do know this - any branch of publishing feels really good. It's scary but it's fun. If you're traditional published or indie published or self published, it says nothing about how good your book is or how good you are as a writer or how valuable you are as a human being.

Don't be this lonely bucket crab. They seem mean and I'm tired of talking about them.

Best Regards,

Clove

[literaticat]

Hi, Jenn! My debut is being traditionally published soon, and I’ve been trying to do promo and want to share news about reviews, but my newsletter is basically just my family and friends, and that feels stupid. I know you’re not my M&P manager, but do you have any tips? How do I get OUTSIDE people to notice me?

The thing about a Newsletter you have to figure out is, well, two things actually:

First figure out: What is the point of your newsletter? What are you trying to get out of it? But also, what is the point for the audience? Why should people subscribe?

Basically I'm saying, make it something where people actually might want to not only subscribe to it, but open it and read it. You don't need to send it EVERY time you get a piece of good news -- that's what regular social media is for -- but quarterly or so would be good.

Your newsletter can and should have things about your book all in one place -- like a "good news link roundup", an events calendar, but then also SOMETHING ELSE INTERESTING or FUN or USEFUL. What that something else is? That's for you to figure out. Maybe it's a peek at what it's like to be a debut author, maybe it's writing or editing tips, or interesting publishing news. Maybe it's advice you've learned in your years as a _______ that have informed your writing. Maybe you share resources for teachers/librarians. Maybe it's about something that is important to you that you think might also be important to your audience. Maybe it's NOT writing related but it fits your tone/vibe -- like every newsletter has a cookie recipe where you've tried it, or a "weird product review" or, "wild rabbit hole I went down while doing research." I don't know -- just, you know, make it fun and readable, not overly long or boring, bookish news with a little something extra as a bonus.

Second figure out: How to grow your mailing list? You can't be signing people up without their opt-in -- you need people to sign up for your newsletter themselves without your forcing them to. HOW?

First, if you haven't already, send an email to your family and friend contacts to get MORE of them to sign up. Second, that's what social media is for -- post interesting things on social media, and then, especially if something gets traction, periodically post a link for people to sign up. (Want more news about XYZ? Sign up for my every-now-and-then newsletter! etc.) Have a link to sign up for the newsletter on your website, in the LinkTree on your bio on Insta, etc etc. GIVE OUT THE LINK! Liberally!

Every time you do a bookstore event, gather people's emails if they are interested in your book (especially teachers, librarians, booksellers, etc) -- then send a little thank you note after with a link to subscribe if they want more info on book news, upcoming events, giveaways, etc!

This is not an EASY or FAST task, by the way, and it might take some time to get a good bunch of folks signed up -- but it will probably be EASIER once your book is actually out in the world and people are excited about it, looking it up, etc.

[strangebiology]

So, I just read your post on Myths surrounding Traditional publishing, and as an aspiring writer myself, I hope you don't mind me asking a question. How would I go about getting "experience" to have a better chance at getting traditionally published? I've been writing my whole life, but I haven't published anything, apart from some poetry in a state fair when I was a kid. Do I have to just self publish a book first and then try to find an agent?

Hi! (re: Myths about Traditional Publishing)

My writing experience involved getting jobs at Nat Geo, PBS Newshour, Newsweek, and Bay Nature. Got hundreds of articles published. My grad degree in science journalism, for which I am in $70k of debt, may have had something to do with me getting those jobs, or at least the first one.

You do not have to self-publish a book first; there are many types of writing and places to publish them. Most of what I know about is science journalism, and a tad bit of journalism in general. Here is a list of lists of science journalism resources which probably has a few articles on breaking into science journalism.

Regarding other types of writing, there are literary magazines to apply to and publish in. Not everything has to be a book! I don't know which lit mags are good. I know you can find calls for submissions in the Funds For Writers newsletter, but don't be fooled by the name, it mostly lists not-funds, but contests that you have to pay to enter. I imagine a lot of places that make money from the writers and not the readers could be considered scams or just targeted at people who are happy to pay to be included in a compendium. I don't know, what I see seems sketchy from my side of the aisle, as a journalist, where we expect to be paid for our work, but maybe it's just a different philosophy over there.

If you self-publish a book and then try to find an agent for that book, they will most likely not want to represent you. Trad publishers will make offers on books that have been self-published generally only when those books have sold very well already as self-published books, which is extremely rare. Actually, that sounds a bit of an unfair policy to me, as self-published books tend to sell very poorly even if they are good (it's WAY harder and more work for an indie author to sell their own wares than for a big, established company with lots of distribution lines to sell it.) So there may be exceptions if your book is truly amazing.

Self-publishing is a form of practice so it's sort of a good idea IMO. My book is taking me a year+ to write so I could not and would not self-publish a book and just starve for a year, as the advance for a self-published book is $0 and quite a lot of people lose money in the process paying for editing, advanced reader copies, etc. Agents also often don't want to acknowledge previous self-published books when pitching a new book to a trad publisher, unless those self-pubbed books sold well, which...well, see above.

Some writers will write a novel, stick it on their shelf, then write another, then another, then at some point they'll have the one worth publishing. But, you can't gain popularity or win prizes for the writing that sits on your shelf. Fanfiction seems like a good idea, even though it can't be published for money or put in any lit mags, there is a built-in audience there. If you're doing fiction, some fiction communities might have better advice for you--but ask the person giving advice what their success is, if you can. You don't wanna follow in the footsteps of someone who wants something completely different from you.

(PS. Again, I know self-publishing a book is the best deal for some people and there is a tiny minority that sells them very well, and I'm not trying to encourage trad pub, and a discussion of trad publishing isn't a dig at everyone else, I respect you and your craft, in fact if you enjoyed and/or profited from self-pubbing that's amazing...)

[yoddhasblog]

This might just be the best thing I've read in a while. The Poppy War trilogy is a grimdark fantasy trilogy. It draws parallels with Chinese history, mainly the Sino-Japanese war and the politics with Western powers. The plot throughout the books remained strong with the characters developing in somehow both ways, upwards and downwards, in my opinion. It doesn't shy away from showing the brutalities and heartlessness of wars. Not just on the battlefield but on civilian grounds too. The characters, oh the characters, were some of the most well-developed characters I've read in a while.

This post will be mostly about the characters because they're the main part of books that I focus on. That's not me saying anything bad about the writing because it's R.F.Kuang, the woman is brilliant. The constant presence throughout the three books was of, obviously, our main character,

Fang Runin

“I will die with flames in my hand and fury in my heart."

Fang Runin, nicknamed and mostly called Rin, starts off in the first book as a sixteen-year old girl desperate to escape the looming threat of an arranged marriage with a man about three times her age. She prepares for and aces an entrance exam to an elite military academy. Upon reaching there, realises that just getting into the academy won't do. She needs to survive and thrive in a place where everyone seems to have it out for her based on the colour of her skin. The elite students look down on her for being from the south of their nation. It's basically colorism and racism. But Rin isn't going to let that go. She studies hard, beats up an elite student, burns off her uterus, and awakens the power of gods in her. She turns out to be one of the only two survivors of a dead nation. She calls a god that grants her the power of fire with an addicting hunger to destroy. She gets thrown in a battle before even finishing her academy years. Calls the power of her god and single handedly wins the battle.

But that wasn't going to be the end for her, was it? She fights enough battles that they become a habit for her. She refuses to bow to her opponents, no matter the cost at stake. She becomes a legend that leaves a legacy of destruction in its wake.

Rin is quick to anger, initially prone to trust the wrong people, later becomes too paranoid to trust anyone, goes from a girl scared of the power coursing through her, fearing that she'd lose her mind, but couldn't deny the rush of power and became addicted to it, she is resilient and determined, whether it be about being good at studies or at winning battles. She is willing to sacrifice almost anything in order to achieve her goals. She turns out to be a little naive and a lot like a lost child looking for gaurdians to trust and follow. Those people always let her down. By the end of the last book, Rin, who was pretty much resigned to the fact that she would slowly lose her mind to the hunger of her god, does actually end up becoming what she didn't desire in the beginning. She progressively falls into a pattern of destruction and wars that she couldn't let go off. Her dependence on the power rush and her paranoia develops to such an extent that she realises that she couldn't live like that but also couldn't let go of it. All things said, one of the most well-written female characters in the books published in recent years. I like her because she is traditionally unlikeable and monstrous. She's one of those characters that makes you sad that if she was in different more peaceful circumstances then she could've had a better life.

Chen Kitay

"Power dictates acceptability."

The above photo taken from pinterest explains my feelings completely when it comes to Kitay. The strategic genius with a photogenic memory, Rin's conscience with a strong moral compass, she proposes the plans and he follows her and even when at some point everyone around Rin betrayed her or let her down, he stuck by her. I, just like Rin, would protect Kitay with my life. Rin's character may have gone through a corruption arc but Kitay's character remained steadily stable. He was Rin's voice of reason. A genius meant to be a scholar, who excelled at statesmanship and administration. If you doubt how much I love him, please look at the above given photo.

Yin Nehza

"She’s the only divine thing he’s ever believed in. The only creature in this vast, cruel land who could kill him. And sometimes, in his loveliest dreams, he imagines she does."

Nezha, you little bitch(kind of lovingly). Starting off as a racist bully who got beat within an inch of his life by Rin, Nezha grew on me. If Rin, Kitay and Nezha were on the same side of the war, they would've been unstoppable. Their parallels with the trifecta could've been seen from a mile ago. Nezha and Rin loved each other like Daji and Riga but it was doomed from the start. The Drowning Faith and the snippets from the other books that were from Nezha's pov were great to read. It really puts Nezha's behaviour in perspective. The son that was usually treated with indifference by his father, his mother's intolerance to even look at him for a year after his brother's demise, losing a cherished baby sibling, older siblings hateful treatment, all that but still feeling duty bound to fulfil their ambition. Compelled to support and fight for their cause despite witnessing the destruction brought by it. Even with their nation falling around them, keeping a hope for its better future. Though, regardless of foreign relations and diplomacy and stuff, I really wanted him to punch some imperialists and as Rin said, to have some pride. He loved Rin but also recognized that she is too far gone in bloodshed. I hated how their story ended but it was objectively the best way to complete it.

Spring Venka

"Sring Venka was a prim, spoiled Sinegardian princess turned lethal soldier turned brittle survivor; of course she’d walk into a war zone with red paint on her lips simply because she felt like it."

Venka, my goddess, my main girl, the love of my life. After starting the first book I didn't think I would like her at all. But her character has now latched onto me in a way I think is unhealthy. She is a warrior. She is a survivor. She alongside Rin castrated two men left them to die with their penises in their mouths for attempting to SA a girl. She is an absolute icon. Her snapping at people, giving blunt replies, re-training her archery, staying allied with Rin and Kitay until the end, even though her allegiance at the very end is a matter of question but still, I'm not stopping thinking about her for a long time.

So, that was all. This trilogy was R.F.Kuang's debut books and she fucking nailed it. I had previously read her Babel: An Arcane History, so I had already known I would absolutely love this one too. She has a way to balance the emotional side of the story very efficiently to the dark one. She is extremely talented when writing books with heavy themes like oppression, slavery, racism, colonization, etc as seen in multiple of her books. I'd always look forward to her books.

[trollprincess]

Okay, so one of the things I talked with my therapist about yesterday was that I read “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck.” (I’m participating in the Politics and Prose reading challenge for this year and reading a self-improvement book is one of the challenges.)

Look, I am not a self-help book type of person. I’m not knocking anyone whom they work well for - if you feel it helps and it doesn’t make you cruel, go nuts. It’s usually just a bunch of affirmations and honestly I’d much rather Dan Levy came to my house and told me what a beautiful special person I am.

Anyway, the reason I bought it up was because there was one point where it did actually hit a nerve. Basically, Metallica was about to sign their first record deals, so they kick one guy out of the band and he’s all, “Fuck you, I’ll make my own band!” And he does and it’s Dave Mustaine and it’s hugely successful. But Metallica is WAY more so. And despite his own success, Mustaine is quoted years later that he’s still bitter about the ejection because Metallica made four times the record sales Megadeth did.

And the book’s point is like, the rest of us look at Megadeth’s success and wonder how he could possibly think it not enough. He’s judging it from a way higher standard than the rest of us, though. Not out of ridiculous expectations, but what could have been.

And it got me thinking. Because I’ve been trying to be traditionally published since I was eighteen or so, so a good thirty years of trying and failing. And it makes me feel bad. But y’all, I’ve been writing on something that’s been getting published for eight years now - the podcast. Eight years of research, of dictating notes onto my phone, of watching documentary after documentary, of highlighting a disaster book in Kindle only to go back and delete half of what I highlighted, of switching verb tenses halfway through scripts and trying to decide whether to say fuck it, of trying to explain complicated scientific problems with absurd common experiences, of looking up how to correctly pronounce things like Piscataqua and Denis Villeneuve, of saving the rambling thoughts until the end of episodes so people who don’t want to hear it can easily just stick to the actual disaster story. And I’ve been doing it all with two other jobs for the vast majority of the time.

Publishers might not want me, but listeners seem to like me and my writing just fine. ❤️

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: John McWhorter

Published: Dec 21, 2023

Harvard’s president, Claudine Gay, should resign.

I don’t love thinking so and hoped we would not reach this tipping point in the controversy over whether she should be retained in her position. But a tipping point it is.

Harvard has a clear policy on plagiarism that threatens undergraduates with punishment up to the university’s equivalent of expulsion for just a single instance of it. That policy may not apply to the university’s president, but the recent, growing revelations about past instances of plagiarism by Dr. Gay make it untenable for her to remain in office.

As a matter of scholarly ethics, academic honor and, perhaps most of all, leadership that sets an example for students, Dr. Gay would be denigrating the values of “veritas” that she and Harvard aspire to uphold. Staying on would not only be a terrible sign of hollowed-out leadership, but also risks conveying the impression of a double standard at a progressive institution for a Black woman, which serves no one well, least of all Dr. Gay.

It has always been inconvenient that Harvard’s first Black president has only published 11 academic articles in her career and not one book (other than one with three co-editors). Some of her predecessors, like Lawrence Bacow, Drew Gilpin Faust and Lawrence Summers, have had vastly more voluminous academic records. The discrepancy gives the appearance that Dr. Gay was not chosen because of her academic or scholarly qualifications, which Harvard is thought to prize, but rather because of her race.

There is an argument that a university president may not need to have been an awesomely productive scholar, and that Dr. Gay perhaps brought other and more useful qualifications to the job. (She held the high-ranking post of dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard before the presidency, and so may have administrative gifts, but that job is not a steppingstone to the modern Harvard presidency.) But Harvard, traditionally, has exemplified the best of the best, and its presidents have been often regarded as among the top in their given fields — prize winners, leading scholars, the total package.

As such, the academic writings and publications of a Harvard president and other top university presidents matter, including the integrity of that work. It might seem counterintuitive that university presidents typically begin their careers writing dozens of academic papers and multiple academic books. One might see their current duties — as administrators, fund-raisers, troubleshooters, meeting-havers — as only diagonally connected to the publish-or-perish realm of being a college professor.

This is especially because the world of academic papers and books is a weird and often gestural thing. Beyond the work of the occasional star, this academic material is often read only by a few reviewers (if even them) and university library shelves groan under the weight of countless academic books engaged by essentially no one. As to one of my own academic books — my favorite one, in fact — I am aware of a single person who has actually read it. And that’s about normal in this business.

But the allegations of plagiarism leveled at Dr. Gay come on top of her thin dossier and present a different kind of challenge.

There are indeed degrees of plagiarism. The allegations against Dr. Gay do not entail promoting actual substantial ideas as her own, but rather lifting phrases for sections of dutiful literature review and explicating basic premises without using quotation marks, or changing the wording only slightly, and, at times, not even citing the relevant authors shortly before or after these sections. This qualifies less as stealing argumentation than as messy. Much has been made of the fact that even her acknowledgments section in her dissertation has phraseology transparently cribbed from those of others. Sloppy, again — but still, this is not about her actual ideas.

But there are two problems here. One is Harvard’s plagiarism policy for students, its veritas image and other standards of integrity and conduct. Second is the sheer amount of the plagiarism in her case, even if in itself it is something less than stealing ideas. If the issue were a couple of hastily quoted phrases in one article, it would be one thing. But investigations have shown that this problem runs through about half of Dr. Gay’s articles, as well as her dissertation. We must ask how a university president can expect to hold her head high, carry authority and inspire respect as a leader on a campus where students suffer grave consequences for doing even a fraction of what Dr. Gay has done.

That Dr. Gay is Black gives this an especially bad look. If she stays in her job, the optics will be that a middling publication record and chronically lackadaisical attention to crediting sources is somehow OK for a university president if she is Black. This implication will be based on a fact sad but impossible to ignore: that it is difficult to identify a white university president with a similar background. Are we to let pass a tacit idea that for Black scholars and administrators, the symbolism of our Blackness, our “diverseness,” is what matters most about us? I am unclear where the Black pride (or antiracism) is in this.

After the congressional hearing this month where Dr. Gay made comments about genocide and antisemitism that she later apologized for, and now in the aftermath of the plagiarism allegations, some of her supporters and others have argued that the university should not dismiss Dr. Gay, because doing so would be to give in to a “mob.” However, one person’s mob is another person’s gradually emerging consensus among reasonable people.

I, for one, wield no pitchfork on this. I did not call for Dr. Gay’s dismissal in the wake of her performance at the antisemitism hearings in Washington, and on social media I advised at first to ease up our judgment about the initial plagiarism accusations. But in the wake of reports of additional acts of plagiarism and Harvard’s saying that she will make further corrections to past writing, the weight of the charges has taken me from “wait and see” to “that’s it.”

If it is mobbish to call on Black figures of influence to be held to the standards that others are held to, then we have arrived at a rather mysterious version of antiracism, and just in time for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday in less than a month. I would even wish Harvard well in searching for another Black woman to serve as president if that is an imperative. But at this point that Black woman cannot, with any grace, be Claudine Gay.

And if Harvard declines to dismiss her out of fear of being accused of racism — a reasonable although hardly watertight surmise — Dr. Gay should do the right thing on her own. For Harvard, her own dignity and our national commitment to assessing Black people (and all people) according to the content of their character, she should step down.

[anistarrose]

I saw your(?) post (reblog?) on “underutiilzing” criticism and how it pertains to traditionally published literature (which yeah, it’s a whole different medium honestly, and should be treated as such!), and it made me think of a tangentially related question. In fanfiction— on ao3 specifically, but it might be in other places as well— it’s fairly common to have AU series works be a variation of short stories and longer stories. The series might be organized based on plot progression (there being a singular plot, theme, or set of character arcs that progress with each installment), or just works organized in thematic order that build off each other/reference past works in the series for events, characters, worldbuilding, etc. It’s something I really enjoy about AU series on ao3 because the author gets to explore exactly what they want to, and can skip around considerable amounts of chronological time in their own continuity to do so, even as they don’t have to cut themselves short OR add unnecessary scenes that could get in the way of the story they /want/ to tell just to hit a page/word count.

My question is: is there an analogue for this style in the traditional publishing world? One where you can mix short stories and straight up novels together in one linear continuity, and have them all be published in the same series (not like, as the “main” books and then a short story collection on the side)? I would love to read/write (one day!) a series where the first book is a traditional sorta book that sets up the characters, world, general plot, etc., with the rest being a mix between longer and shorter works that show off snapshots of the world the characters inhabit (and still continue with character arcs and the plot n the like). Or is this series structure only possible in the context of online fan spaces/ao3 and the like?

(Apologies if this is a complicated question— I know it’s a lot— but I’m interested in any thoughts you might have! Also FYI “like a song that won’t leave your head” is STILL making me emotional I am NOT over it and by the last two chapters you had me desperately hoping the Johann you wrote was gonna defy canon and then he didn’t but like it was so much better that way and every time I think about that last chapter I just lose it again, I WILL write a real comment at some point)

That's an interesting question, and I'm putting it out for my followers because I can't think of any examples other than the main story/short story collection. But I agree with you, it's a style of fic series I've really enjoyed. Someone who knows better than me about publishing could probably speak to whether this is something publishing companies would be skittish about (I wouldn't be shocked if this is just, like, something that book deals/contracts are never designed for). Which is a shame because yeah, it's very fun!

(also no rush with the comments but much love for everything you've said about that fic! as a character study enthusiast — who flexed those character study muscles hard all throughout that piece — I can think of no higher praise than the fact that working within canon was what made the ending stick!)

[jimmycarterghostland]

I finished reading Interlude 11e of Worm.

I love Hookwolf as a villain. I know he's a racist jerk, but he has some admirable qualities. Like how he genuinely cares about the people he's leading, and his bravery. So badass.

Wildbow is great at writing multiple point of view literature. His narrators each have a distinct character voice. Hookwolf's racism really pops out. There's a subtle, racist bit too, when he shows dislike for cornrows, hinting at his racism toward Black people. When Wildbow adds subtlety in his writing, he does it well.

These back-to-back interludes showing each member of the Slaughterhouse 9 are pretty good. They're real page turners. Honestly, I was a bit bored with the Merchant stuff, but the S9 have brought back my enthusiasm for Worm. All of this great writing makes me wish I were done with the rewrite of my own web serial, so I could write great content too, instead of just reading some.

The S9 are genuinely menacing villains. They actually feel powerful, and they show it. Especially Shatterbird and Burnscar. Mannequin is pretty tough too(and terrifying).

Burnscar is pretty sympathetic. She's stuck in a lose-lose situation. If she stays with the S9 and keeps murdering people, the S9 won't kill her, but the heroes will keep wanting to. If she leaves the S9, they will kill her.

I like how Worm has a large number of characters, and a lot of them keep showing back up. The world of Worm feels very lived-in. And the characters have very distinct, consistent personalities. Wildbow is pretty good at characterization. I haven't noticed any out of character moments, either. There are traditionally published novels out there that have terrible characterization, things like OOC moments and bland protagonists. Worm doesn't have that.

There's great dialogue in Worm too. And a lot of the characters have their own distinct vocabulary.

Worm is a highly-rated web serial, and I see why. It deserves it. It's not just a great novel, but it's also a great piece of multiple point of view literature. I write multiple POV fiction myself, and did a bunch of research on it to improve my own works. And Worm checks all the boxes of what makes a good multiple POV story. That Brutus interlude is clearly narrated by a dog. When you read it, you definitely get the sense that it's told from an animal's viewpoint. And in Bitch's interlude, the way she sees the world shows in the narration, like when she takes note of the Siberian showing friendliness via body language(Bitch easily understands the social cues of dogs, and the Siberian showed body language that would mean "I'm not a threat" in dog language). It's things like that they give me the impression Wildbow might just be a master of writing multiple POV. Which is good because I love multiple POV literature more than I do single POV.

Anyway, this Hookwolf interlude was awesome, and so is this novel.