NEWS
Brighton and Hove authors make urgent plea for help following Meta's 'use of pirated books' for AI
Authors from Brighton and Hove have issued an open letter asking for the support of Hove and Portslade MP Peter Kyle, who is also the Government’s Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, following Meta’s use of the shadow library known as Library Genesis (LibGen).
BRIGHTON
5am Writing Club Tickets, Wed, Jul 2, 2025 at 5:00 AM | Eventbrite
Where better to write than a bookshop with a cafe? When better than at 5am? Join other local writers from 5am on the first Wednesday of every month to write as the sun comes up. Coffee, tea and pastries available to kickstart your writing morning.
An interview about podcasting with audio writer, Neil Noon – New Writing South
I’m a big believer that storytelling podcasts (whether via prose, verse or dialogue) will increasingly take their place alongside fringe shows, chapbooks and short films as a way to get work to audiences. Genre work, especially, tends to land really well – and it’s one of the few options available to writers to tell serialised stories.
INDEPENDENT
Behind the Scenes of the Editing Process
In this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast, Matty Dalrymple talks with Kristen Tate of the Blue Garret editing service, a seasoned freelance editor, about the intricacies of editorial services and how authors can effectively engage with editors. The conversation provides insights into the editing process, the role of trust in the author-editor relationship, and how to navigate the often complex landscape of editorial pricing and contracts.
HARDWARE
Where do e-readers go from here? - Good e-Reader
E-readers have matured in the past few years. The Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble NOOK, and Kobo have really maximized what they are capable of; there really isn’t anything further these companies can do with existing technology. Page-turn speed, UI optimization, and software updates to introduce new features are about the only things left.
Amazon launches Kindle Learning Academy - Good e-Reader
Amazon has quietly launched the Kindle Learning Academy. This is an online destination designed to help you learn how to use your Kindle, primarily aimed at new users. Amazon Kindle e-reader and Kindle App users can learn more about how to set up, customize, and engage with new features on their device. It includes how-to videos on customizing their reading experience, adding and removing books, simple troubleshooting steps, and more.
SOFTWARE
Author, is META pirating your books to train AI? Check now and take action! | Welcome to Effrosyni Writes
There is a database of authored works called LibGen and it is used by META to train AI. I searched with my name today, and, to my horror, found one of my books is pirated on there. The Authors Guild provides a ready template for authors to send an email to META and complain.
How to Make Waves
A free resource for anyone wanting to make scripted podcasts - drama, comedy, prose or poetry.
The Current and Future State of BookTok
Indeed, it almost seems impossible to compare the state of book marketing before the onset of TikTok’s popularity. Walk into any bookstore in the year 2025 and you will find a table, most likely front and centre, displaying BookTok’s most popular titles at any given moment. While much of this literary marketing via TikTok is attributed to pandemic lockdowns and people reading more while stuck at home, BookTok is still considered “the dark horse of the economy” according to at least one source.