Writer Beware

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Artificial Intelligence and Copyright: SFWA’s Comments to the US Copyright Office

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NOV 10, 2023November 10, 202311 COMMENTS

In August, the US Copyright Office issued a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) seeking public comment on copyright and artificial intelligence. The NOI is part of the Copyright Office's AI Initiative, which seeks to assess whether copyright-related legislation or regulation is needed in response to the rapid development and deployment of generative AI.

The NOI seeks factual information and views on a number of copyright issues raised by recent advances in generative AI. These issues include the use of copyrighted works to train AI models, the appropriate levels of transparency and disclosure with respect to the use of copyrighted works, the legal status of AI-generated outputs, and the appropriate treatment of AI-generated outputs that mimic personal attributes of human artists.

Below is the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association's response to the NOI. It details a variety of harms reported by novelists and short fiction writers as a result of generative AI (including the training of AI systems on vast amounts of in-copyright work without permission), and offers four specific suggestions for protecting creators and their work.

CONTESTS AND AWARDS

Contest Caution: Lichfield Institute Writing Contest

Lichfield Institute writing contest: $10,000 first prize, $5,000 second prize, $1,050 third prize. Promises "important literary feedback from our distinguished judges" for each submission, and monthly stipends and "considered for representation by literary agencies" for honorable mentions

NOV 3, 2023April 3, 202455 COMMENTS

I've gotten several questions lately about a writing contest offering enormous prizes: the Lichfield Institute Writing Contest (screenshot above).

Just about every temptation for a hungry writer is here. Big bucks for the winners. Feedback on every submission from distinguished judges--at least, one assumes they're distinguished, since they're finalists for important literary awards. Monthly stipends! Consideration by literary agencies! What more could a contest offer, even if it does charge a $15 submission fee?

Well...

IMPERSONATION SCAMS

Imposter Syndrome: The Rise of Impersonation Scams

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OCT 27, 2023March 19, 20253 COMMENTS

I'm blogging over at Writer Unboxed again today, with an overview of a type of scam that currently represents 50% or more of the questions and complaints I receive.

The current self-publishing industry has its roots in the mid-1990s, when three startups–Xlibris, Trafford, and AuthorHouse–began selling digital publishing services to individual authors.

(Bear with me: I’m getting to the subject of this post!)

LITERARY AGENT SCAMS

Why Writer Beware Doesn’t Recommend or Endorse Agents or Publishers

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OCT 20, 2023August 23, 20258 COMMENTS

"You warn about so many bad literary agents and publishers, why don't you ever tell us about the good ones?"

It's a question Writer Beware has been getting for almost as long as we've been around, from writers bewildered about where to go for reliable information, frustrated by the abundance of author-focused schemes and scams, or just exhausted by the work of finding a good home for their manuscripts.

I have a standard answer that I provide when people email me with this question or ask me on social media. But with writing scams more prevalent than ever, and writers more beleaguered by fraudulent solicitations than at any time in Writer Beware's history, I thought it would be helpful to offer a more detailed explanation of why we call out the bad guys but don't focus on the good guys.

BOOK MARKETING SCAMS

Vanity Radio and TV: Think Twice Before Paying for Interviews

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OCT 13, 2023December 14, 202426 COMMENTS

In a super-crowded, hyper-competitive marketplace, one of the main challenges for book authors is to stand out. And where there's a need, there are always unscrupulous operators waiting to take advantage. The internet is awash in worthless schemes and outright scams designed to profit from authors' hunger for publicity and exposure.

I've written about a number of these junk marketing products: Hollywood book-to-screen packages, the hugely marked-up PR options offered by assisted self-publishing conglomerate Author Solutions, high entry fee awards programs, offers for book fair "representation", advertising in pay-to-play magazines, faux news segments, expensive paid shelf space schemes.

Today, I'm going to talk about vanity radio and TV interviews.

BOOKSELLING

Cautions: Babelcube, Barnes & Noble Book Order Scams, Audiobook Order Scam (Featuring a Fake Non-Profit)

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SEP 22, 2023July 14, 202625 COMMENTS

Babelcube is a platform that matches publishers and self-publishing authors with freelance translators to produce foreign-language versions of their books. Authors and publishers can post descriptions of their books for translators to bid on; the author can then select the offer they prefer. Translators can peruse book descriptions and bid on books they're interested in. Payment for both author and translator is a revenue share of sales income, with Babelcube taking an administrative fee of 20%.

I've long been a bit skeptical of Babelcube. Book translation is much more than simply rendering words in a different language; both skill and artistry are needed to capture the author's voice and style. Running the text through Google Translate or another translation program won't do that, even with some by-hand tweaking. Also, authors are able to cancel projects if they don't like the quality of the translation--but how do you vet quality in a language you don't speak?

I don't doubt there are honest translators at Babelcube, and satisfied authors too. But the potentially very low pay (revenue-share arrangements are always highly speculative) would seem to attract a lot of non-professionals, with all the quality issues that implies--not to mention the potential for scammers looking to make money with a large volume of quick, shoddy translations. (One example, shared with me by a translator: an English-language book whose title included the word "rake"--as in philanderer--and was translated into Italian using the word for the garden tool.)