Monday Morning Coffee – 23 January 2023

Here are a few stories to read this Monday morning. Remember back when Kobo had a web reader app for the iPad and other mobile devices? They just launched a new app, this time for all browsers.  Amazon is gutting Comixology – they’re firing half the staff, including the department head. Getty Images is suing Stable Diffusion because it had pirated...

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Monday Morning Coffee – 16 January 2023

Here are a few stories to read this Monday morning. Judging by the PR buzz, Barnes & Noble’s owners are looking for a buyer.  What’s the story behind the HarperCollins strike?  This Italian accountant has the most pointless Guinness world record: he’s typed 81 books, backwards.  Colleen Hoover thought it would be a good idea to make a coloring...

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Upcoming Writer Conferences for 2023

Are you by any chance looking for a writer conference to attend in 2023? You’re in luck! I have pulled together a list of over two dozen writer conferences taking place this. The locations range from Alaska to Florida, and you will even find one on a cruise ship. The list is sorted by month, and I have also included an additional 11 conferences which...

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Morning Coffee – 9 January 2023

Here are a few stories to read this Monday morning. I think the biggest takeaway from this piece on BookTok is that authors should double down on marketing their books based on the tropes in said books.  (This is apparently what made BookTok so influential as a marketing tool.) Katie Carr explains why you shouldn’t use the disabled villain trope....

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Monday Morning Coffee -2 January 2023

Here are a few stories to read this first Monday in 2023. The Guardian delves into why the first of January 2023 is an especially important day in the annals of US copyright.  On a related note, here’s a list of works that entered the public domain today.  The NY Times has an interesting poll and article on words you’re not supposed to use any...

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Monday Morning Coffee – 26 December 2022

Here are a few stories to read this final Monday in 2022. Keith Holyoak asks whether AI could ever write poetry.  Jonathan Bailey is right in that AI doesn’t have to be great, just good enough. The tech is in its early stages, so like any tech it just has to be an MVP (minimum viable product) to succeed. WSJ looks at the suffering of book hoarders...

Dec 2022

Monday Morning Coffee – 19 December 2022

Here are a few stories to read this morning. FYI: Amazon changed the layout of the author pages on its site(s). The old layout was not great, but the new layout is, frankly, crap. (You should go check out your page.) Here are 5 ways copyright has shaped the holidays.  Here’s an interesting journey down the rabbit hole for the phrase “swear like...

Dec 2022

Morning Coffee – 12 December 2022

Here are a few stories to read this morning. Slate goes into detail on the decline and fall of American dictionaries.  The NYC chapter of the Science Writers of America is holding a Zoom webinar on 3 January. The topic is Secrets of Publishing.  Jonathan Bailey points out how AI-written essays aren’t a new problem so much as a new expression of...

Dec 2022

Monday Morning Coffee – 5 December 2022

Here are a few stories to read this Monday morning. Some are up in arms over the new Wordle editor (a word puzzle game) choosing themed solutions to each day’s puzzle. TBPH, I had not even noticed there was a pattern. A new Indie bookstore owner shares his experience.  A couple is touring Wyoming libraries, and plan to chose their next home based...

Dec 2022

Monday Morning Coffee – 28 November 2022

Here are a few stories tor read this Monday morning. That lawsuit accusing Amazon of conspiring with publishers to fix book prices has been refiled. While it may sound nutty, that is mainly the result of how PW framed the lawsuit. Courtney Milan dug through the actual filing (PDF), and she thinks the case has merit. DeviantArt bungled the launch...

Nov 2022