WORDS

How The Publishing World Works Systemically

Yes, literature is structured by institutions that serve their own self-interest, but that self-interest requires a lot of other people to give them their labor at a very low cost. And that can only happen if the business does enough to maintain this glow of prestige. - Woman of Letters

Two Crucial Documents From U.S. History Placed With Declaration Of Independence In National Archives’ Rotunda

For the 250th anniversary of the USA’s founding document, the Emancipation Proclamation and the 19th Amendment to the Constitution (the one which gave women the right to vote) have been put on display with the original Declaration, Constitution and Bill of Rights. - The New York Times

The Guardian Launches Its First Experiment With Substack

“(The paper) has decided to experiment with Substack by recreating its weekly food newsletter Feast on the platform. The Substack play is part of Project Berger, the multi-year transformation plan designed to make The Guardian ‘more visual, digital and experimental’.” … Feast has more than 100,000 subscribers and open rates of almost 70%.” - Press Gazette (UK)

New York Times Drops Freelancer After He Used AI To Write Review

The New York Times launched an investigation, during which Preston admitted that he had used AI to assist writing the review and did not spot the sections that were pulled from the Guardian before submitting it. - The Guardian

Finalists For This Year’s International Booker Prize

In a moment in which international relations are dominating news headlines around the globe, three of these shortlisted novels explore pivotal moments in world history: imperialist Japan-controlled Taiwan in the 1930s, Nazi-era Germany and the 1979 Revolution in Iran. - NPR

As US Publishing Deals With Its First AI Scandal, Industry Folk Are Unsure What To Do Or Say

“One week after Hachette Book Group pulled Mia Ballard’s Shy Girl for strong suspicions of AI use, the industry is reeling — and struggling to contend with the implications of the novel’s cancelation.” So far, most publishers are keeping quiet, but agents have plenty to say. - Publishers Weekly

Meet The Voice Of Romantasy

He's the voice of some of the genre's most famous MMCs: aka male main characters, aka the internet's favorite "book boyfriends." His deep, resonant voice makes fans swoon and provides fodder for memes. - NPR

We’ve Been Mispronouncing The Name Of A Foundational American Writer For Decades

“It was a hotly debated thing, and it came to a head with Meryl Streep.” - The New York Times

Han Kang And Arundhati Roy Among Winners At National Book Critics Circle Awards

Nobel laureate Han Kang won the fiction category for We Do Not Part, while Karen Hao took nonfiction honors for Empire of A.I. and Arundhati Roy received the autobiography prize for Mother Mary Comes to Me. Among other honorees were Quinn Slobodian for Hayek's Bastards (criticism) and Kevin Young for Night Watch (poetry). - AP

AI Is Making A Bollox Of The Publishing Industry

As more A.I.-generated writing is put out in the world, more readers will question whether the text they are poring over was penned by a human. We’re barreling toward a rapid erosion of trust between authors and readers, and the publishing industry is unprepared to deal with the consequences. - The New York Times

The People Getting Falsely Accused Of Using AI Because They Write Too Well

Everyone is trying to ­figure out who is LLM and who is human, and sometimes we’re getting it wrong. In particular, people who learned English as a second or third language, working hard to master the strange, unpredictable rules, are accused of using AI precisely because they follow those rules. - New York Magazine

How The London Review Of Books Is Making Money Despite Losing Circulation

The independently-owned title has seen sales decline from a post-pandemic high of 91,000 copies in 2021 to about 78,000 currently. But the LRB has increased income by an average of 6.8% year-on-year since the pandemic and is focusing on revenue per copy rather than discounting to increase circulation. - Press Gazette (UK)

How Iran War Is Disturbing Publishing Industry’s Global Supply Chain

Shipping costs are rising; freighters are being re-routed, interfering with schedules; one shipment was on a vessel struck by a missile. Perhaps worst: insurance policies usually exclude acts of war. - Publishers Weekly

Here’s The Winner Of The First-Ever Hilary Mantel Prize

“The newly established award, launched to honour the legacy of the late Booker Prize-winning novelist, aims to support unpublished and un-agented writers across the UK and Ireland.” The inaugural winner is Florida-born, London-based writer and teacher Anna Dempsey for her yet-unpublished novel This Is About an Alligator and Nothing Else. - The Guardian

Why AI Can’t Write Well

What I learned is that modern LLMs are built in a way that is antagonistic to great writing; they are engineered to be rule-following teacher’s pets that always have the right answer in hand. - The Atlantic

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