more on #copyright and #AI - what is "fair use"?
AI guzzled millions of #books without permission. #Authors are fighting back. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/07/19/ai-books-authors-congress-courts/
#authors
8 posts8 participants0 posts today
WRITER FUEL: A bizarre ancient life-form, considered to be the first giant organism to live on land, may belong to a totally unknown branch of the tree of life, scientists say.
the publisher of some of my #books asks whether it's ok if they #license the content for #AI training - arguing that they may have been pirated already, and that now may be the last chance to establish that we do have rights over our work and should at least get a modest fee for its use. I'd have to opt out to stop this.
My gut feeling is we're screwed either way, so no strong views. Any thoughts from other #authors? #writing #publishing #copyright #technology
Beware of the R Die kleine Betrachtung über eine #Lautverschiebung hat mehr als 300 Zeichen und kann nur mittels eines billigen Tricks in einem einzigen Post untergebracht werden: do the #ALText, #authorsofbluesky, and have a fulfilling day! #writersofbluesky #WritingCommunity #Authors
So here's the first of our #mystery #authors for our #Summer issue – or their #WritersDesk at least.
A classic two-desk, ergonomic chair, inviting vista setup. But whose could it be?
#books #reading #writing #fiction #ShortStories #translation #comics #podcast #bookstodon @bookstodon
WRITER FUEL: Current AI models a 'dead end' for human-level intelligence, scientists agree - in a new survey, 76% of scientists said that scaling large language models was "unlikely" or "very unlikely" to achieve AGI.
What Makes a Story “Bad”? A Guide to Why Your Narrative Isn’t Working by K.M. Weiland
https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/what-makes-a-bad-story/
Helping Writers Become Authors · What Makes a Story "Bad"? A Guide to Why Your Narrative Isn't WorkingWhat makes a bad story? The answer may surprise you. Here's what really makes a story fail—and how to fix it.
Contains sarcasm.
#Writers and #Authors, I love how my #writing, #querying and #IndieAuthor discord is shaping up. We have plenty of SFF, #LGBTQIA+, #neurodiverse and quite a few #ChronicallyIll and #disabled writers and authors.
But I'd love to see more writers from my neck of the woods, and #BIPOC writers from anywhere in the world (I'm also hoping to find a BIPOC co-admin).
So let me know if you'd like an invite, especially if you're an Aussie/ Kiwi/ Islander, Asian (or based in Asia) or BIPOC writer!
Today in Labor History July 19, 1877: In the midst of the Great Train Strike of 1877, Pittsburgh workers drove soldiers out of town. Trainmen took control of the railroads in Pittsburgh to protest wage cuts. Two days later, National Guard moved in, killing 20 people.
In Lebanon, Pennsylvania a National Guard company mutinied. In Altoona, Pennsylvania strikers surrounded the troops and sabotaged the engines, forcing the soldiers to surrender. The soldiers then fraternized with the striking workers and marched home to the accompaniment of singers from an African-American militia company. In Harrisburg, the state capital, teenagers made up a large part of the multi-ethnic crowd.
In Pittsburgh, workers struck against the mighty Pennsylvania Railroad, the largest corporation in the world. Young boys and men from the mills and factories joined in. Again, the militia refused to attack the workers. Many soldiers joined the strikers. So, the Governor brought in the Philadelphia militia. The battle-hardened soldiers from the Civil and Indian Wars had no ties to the Pittsburgh community, and no qualms about shooting civilians. They opened fire on the crowd, killing twenty workers in five minutes.
The crowd retreated, but returned with their own militia. They burned the rail yards to the ground, holding off firefighters at gunpoint. The Philadelphia militia hid in the roundhouse, but the fire forced them to flee. The workers and police fired on them as they ran. In nearby Allegheny, strikers looted the armory. They dug trenches, took over the telegraph and railroad, and controlled all economic and political functions.
Read my full article on the Great Upheaval here: https://michaeldunnauthor.com/2024/03/31/the-great-upheaval/
My novel, Anywhere But Schuylkill, takes place in the period leading up to the Great Train Strike and is the first book in my Great Upheaval trilogy. You can get a copy here:
keplers.com/
https://www.greenapplebooks.com/
Or send me $25 via Venmo (@Michael-Dunn-565) and your mailing address, and I will send you a signed copy!
#workingclass #LaborHistory #railroad #strike #GeneralStrike #pittsburgh #massacre #pittsburgh #pennsylvania #civilians #mutiny #sabotage #wages #novel #books #authors #historicalfiction #writingcommunity @bookstadon
If anyone's interested in a #Writers & #Authors Discord...
Mine is one big community when it comes to #writing, #querying and being an #IndieAuthor.
Within that, we've got channels to help the following writers/ people connect;
GENRE
#SciFi, #Fantasy, #SpecFic &#WorldBuilding
#Mystery/ #Thriller/ #Crime
#Romance
#Horror
#Kidlit
AUTHORS
#Queer
#Neurodivergent
#ChronicallyIll/ #Disabled
Over 50's
#BIPOC
REGIONS
US
Canada
UK/ Europe
#Australia & NZ
Asia-Pacific-Latinx
Anyone want a link?
A California federal judge has ruled that three #US #authors suing #Anthropic for #copyrightinfringement can represent writers nationwide in a #classaction lawsuit, whose #books the #AI startup allegedly pirated to train its #Claude #chatbot.
Judge Alsup said Anthropic may have illegally downloaded as many as 7 million books from the pirate websites, which could make it liable for billions of dollars in damages if the authors' case is successful.
https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-authors-suing-anthropic-can-band-together-copyright-class-action-judge-rules-2025-07-17/
Yup 
Also, one of the worst things about writing is it takes some of the joy out of reading because you've seen "how the sausage is made" 
@writers @writingcommunity @writing @humour @indieauthors @authorindiespeak
#WritingMemes #Memes
#Author #Authors #IndieAuthor #IndieBooks #AmWriting #Writerdons #Writers #Writer #Writing #WritingCommunity #Writinglife #WritersOfMastodon
#BoostingIsSharing
Favorite hiking travelogues/memoirs
While compiling this list, I found myself rather shocked to discover that Bill Bryson’s book about the Appalachian Trail was my least favorite book among these completed. He has long been one of my favorite authors, but somehow A Walk in the Woods did not resonate with me as much as the other books in this list.
Nevertheless there are many great hiking adventures out there to read about. the list below includes the Appalachian Trail (2 books), Colorado Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and the Great Silk Road (3 books). Needless to say, there are many others that I have yet to discover.
If there are such books that you have read and loved, please pass them along. I always enjoy a memorable hiking adventure. Similar lists will be posted over time for published boating, sailing, motor vehicle, bicycle, motorcycle/scooter, train, plane, and mixed travel mode adventures.
Happy trails and Peace!
Source: bookshop.org Source: bookshop.org——-
- Wild: Lost and Found on the Pacific Coast Trail (2012) – Cheryl Strayed
2. Unlost: A Journey of Self-Discovery and the Healing Powers of the Wild Outdoors (2021) – Gail Muller
3. Travels with My Donkey: One Man and His Ass on a Pilgrimage to Santiago (2006) – Tim Moore
4. The Last of the Donkey Pilgrims: A Man’s Journey Through Ireland (2005) – Kevin O’Hara
5. Out of Istanbul: A Journey of Discovery Along the Silk Road (2019) – Bernard Olivier and Dan Golembeski
6. Walking to Samarkand: The Great Silk Road from Persia to Central Asia (2020) – Bernard Olivier and Dan Golembeski
7. Winds of the Steppe: Walking the Great Silk Road from Central Asia to China (2020) – Bernard Olivier and Dan Golembeski
8. Uphill Both Ways: Hiking Towards Happiness on the Colorado Trail (2022) – Andrea Lani
9. I Grew My Boobs in China (2012) – Savannah Grace
10. Hiking the Continental Divide Trail: One Woman’s Journey (2013) – Jennifer A Hanson
11. Journey With a Baja Burro (2000) – Graham Mackintosh and Lowell Lindsay
12. A Walk In the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (2006) – Bill Bryson
Just sent my short (11.5K) sci-fi story off to the editor!! 
This one is going to be part of my first multi-author anthology.
#scifi #amwriting #writing #author #authors
Smashwords July Summer/Winter Sale is on and all my books are discounted. Check it out!
WRITER FUEL: The Extremely Large Telescope will revolutionize our view of the cosmos when it sees first light in Chile in 2028. In fact, it could detect hints of alien life around our closest neighboring star system in its first night of operations, new simulations suggest.
We're always delighted to have a visit from our chum Anya Bergman !
Signed copies of The Tarot Reader of Versailles (pub Bonnier Books), complete with an imprint from Anya's brand-new stamp are available.
2 Books
Finished reading 2 very different books recently by 2 very different authors
Shadows on the Hudson by Nobel Prize winning author Isaac Beshevis Singer, about a circle of Holocaust survivors establishing new lives in America after the trauma of war.
Summer by Pulitzer winning author Edith Wharton (Also nominated for the Nobel Prize 3 times) about a young woman's yearning to escape the constraints of her small town New England life.
I found both of these books fascinating ...