Getting Down to Business
By Densie Webb | June 3, 2023 |
Stories about AI led the news in May, both the pros and cons, mostly cons. More sad news about book bans, with a highly regarded poem thrown out for good measure, but there are also signs of a growing push back. So, dig in!
AI
We’d all better be paying closer attention to how AI is going to play out in the future, both as writers and as humans. It’s making headlines as the potential for pluses and problems appear to be infinite.
Google’s new editor helping to perfect fakery
Is AI paving the path to email hell?
Scribd changes its terms in response to AI
The best AI-powered apps—if you’re so inclined
UK is launching a review of AI’s impact on consumers
Biden and Harris meet with CEOs about AI risks
Is AI already replacing writers?
A boom in AI-written books on Amazon
Laws governing AI are like the wild, wild west
Hard work, not AI is the key to success
Book Banning
Libraries, inauguration poems, textbooks—book banners have them all in their sites.
Most banned authors of all time
Librarians, publishers, bookstores join lawsuit in Arkansas
Amanda Gorman poem banned in Florida
Publishers suing Florida school district over book bans
Book Banning in America has never been worse
Publishing
Book shows, editorial turnover at New Leaf Books and others, commentaries on the state of publishing, and Trump vs Woodward.
Book business could be a better lgbtq ally
Industry news, trade shows, events from Publishers Weekly
New Leaf issues update for authors
When your publisher gets the cover very wrong
The current state of being a published writer—weird and worrisome
Publishing people roundup—who’s in, who’s out?
Trump vs Simon & Schuster and Woodward
Ten Speed Press launches graphic book imprint
Wave of resignations at Coffee House Press
Bookstores
It’s all about Barnes & Noble. Now that it seems to be on the come back, employees want to unionize.
One take on Barnes & Noble “makeover”
Flagship Barnes & Noble in NYC launches union drive
Social Media
In a head-to-head with Twitter, Snapchat, Tiktok and Reddit, Linked In comes out on top?
LinkedIn driving content discovery for publishers
What say you about AI? Are concerns justified or is the hand wringing unnecessary? If you have any sources on the topic you’d like to share for next month, I’d love to hear about them.
Densie Webb has spent a long career as a freelance nonfiction writer and editor, specializing in health and nutrition and has published several books and tons of articles on the topic over the years. She is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and Red Adept Publishing released her debut women’s fiction novel titled, “When Robins Appear” in 2020. It is available in ebook, audiobook, and paperback formats. Her second novel, best categorized as romantic/domestic suspense, “Breathing in Reverse” was published in 2023, also with Red Adept Publishing. She is currently working (but not fast enough) on novel #3. She grew up in Louisiana, spent 13 years in New York, and settled in Austin, TX, where it’s summer nine months of the year. She’s an avid walker (not of the dead variety, though she loves anything to do with zombies, vampires, or post-apocalyptic worlds), drinks way too much coffee, and has a small “devil dog” that keep her on her toes. And she is thrilled to be a part of the Writer Unboxed family!
What a hero you are, Denise! This post is so comprehensive and creates a quality resource for all writers. The generative AI situation is at the top of my list at the moment, especially with the WGA on strike and demanding protections and transparency. I applaud Neil Clarke of Clarkesworld coming out with his own statement about AI. Thank you, Denise, for keeping track of what must have been an arduous task to share all this news.
Thank you! I’m so glad you’ve found it a valuable resource!
Thank you for the resources…I’m saddened to say that even my hometown (in what I thought was a bastion of freedom in the Northeast) is facing an attempted book ban. So I’ve spent my morning exploring the subject in preparation to make a statement to the school board, and appreciate seeing that authors, publishers, and community members are pushing back!
It’s rewarding to know that my column has contributed to your efforts in some small way!
Thanks once again, Densie. Into my writer’s library it goes. Your efforts free up my time to squander on cheap sensationalist websites.
Happy to be the freeer of time!
What a great list of articles, Denise. Thanks so much for compiling that. I have not used AI at all and do worry that the very individual part of creativity will be lost if people start using it to write fiction. I can see a benefit for help with business letters and other documents, but shudder to think of how fiction will be impacted.
My apologies for the mistake on your name Densie. My bit of dyslexia kicked in.
No worries! It happens about 99.99% of the time! I answer to both. :-)
I’ll be keeping a close eye on AI for sure!