Victoria Strauss

Publishers sue 'shadow' library allegedly powering AI chatbots A group of publishers including the "Big Five" English-language book publishing houses — Hachette , Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Macmillan and Simon and Schuster — filed a lawsuit in New York ...

On the heels of lawsuits by Spotify and several record labels, thirteen publishers and the AAP are suing pirate site Anna's Archive (via @publisherslunch.bsky.social ) www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...

Yeah but it's not like it's a real job

I had a cat who love Q-tips. He would carefully extract them from the bathroom wastebasket and carry them around in his mouth. I mean, kind of gross but so funny we began throwing away extra Q-tips

The public won’t know that though. So it’s deceptive (though that’s not the intent). Also, most people don’t even read books. This is really something that’s mostly important to other authors.

I think the more important issue is that the public, not knowing the details, will assume that the certification involves some kind of real test that confirms the absence of AI. Rather than just a pinkie swear.

It's also interesting that the license you have to agree to allows "de minimis" use of AI--examples mentioned are grammar checkers and the like but the lack of specificity seems like a loophole

Authors Guild Expands ‘Human Authored’ Certification Program The program, which launched in beta for Guild members in 2025 and certifies titles as written by humans and not AI, is now open to any author whose books are published in the United States.

No offense to the AG--I'm a member & it does valuable work. But I am irritated by initiatives (this isn't the only one) that purport to authenticate human authorship but when you dig into them really just boil down to an assumption of participants' good faith www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

From: Jennifer Sam <info.jennifer.sam@gmail.com> Date: Tue, Mar 3, 2026 at 9:17 AM Subject: Invitation to Speak – Los Angeles Times Festival of Books 2026 To: [redacted] Dear [redacted], I hope this message finds you well. My name is Jennifer Sam, and I am reaching out to invite you to participate in the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, taking place April 18–19, 2026, at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, USA. With a distinguished career spanning decades as an author of novels, short stories, memoir, and poetry and your publishing history with [redacted] your contributions to literature have made a lasting impact across generations of readers. Your early experience as an editor at [redacted] further reflects your deep understanding of both the creative and editorial sides of publishing. Your voice, perspective, and breadth of experience would offer tremendous value to our audience of readers, aspiring writers, and publishing professionals. Benefits of Participation: Showcase Your Work: Highlight your extensive body of published books and share insights from your long and accomplished writing career. Engage Your Audience: Discuss storytelling craft, the evolution of publishing, and lessons learned across decades in the literary world. Network with Creatives: Connect with fellow authors, editors, historians, and industry leaders across genres. Boost Visibility: Gain exposure through curated promotional opportunities, interviews, and festival communications. Please note that participation in structured sessions and promotional features includes a fee, which helps ensure a high-quality, professionally coordinated experience for all contributors. We would be truly honored to include your voice and literary legacy in this year’s festival. I would be delighted to provide further details and assist with the registration process at your convenience. Warm regards, Jennifer Sam Co-Founder

This scam invite to speak at the LA Times Festival of Books appears to be a variation on the book club invite impersonation scam. If you respond, "Jennifer" (w/ a Gmail address, no web presence, & no word on what she's co-founder of) sends several "spotlight" options, ranging from $299 to $572

I Hired a Book Publicity Firm for £1,800. Here’s What Went Wrong. | Jane Friedman One author reflects on how her desire to not just outsource marketing, but to outsource even thinking about it, led to regrettable results.

How book promotion can go horribly wrong even when the PR firm isn't an out-and-out scammer janefriedman.com/i-hired-a-bo...

...a special shareholder mtg this month. Got a mailer from Paramount today urging WBD shareholders to vote AGAINST the merger (yes, in caps) & to tender their shares to Paramount. I voted FOR, not because I love Netflix or care abt WBD but as a small satisfying FU to the Ellisons 2/2

Today I did something small that will make no difference but still felt worthwhile. Thx to the splitting of AT&T shares inherited long ago as a college graduation present, I'm owner of shares in Warner Bros Discovery. The WBD Board wants to force the Netflix acquisition & will hold... 1/2

Good.

Also a completely intact ear

Exactly. Also, since they solicited me...what did I found? A volunteer project that takes no payments and earns no money. It's all an appeal to the ego, and I can see how people of a certain type can fall for this crap.

Subject: Congratulations to Victoria and Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association Date: Fri, 27 Feb 2026 16:02:52 -o500 From: Chris Meade <c.meade@entrereneurcohort.com> To: [redacted] Victoria, Aaron and I are right now going over our game plan for 2026 and I wanted to connect with you personally because I genuinely believe you'd be a strong fit inside The Founders Club, considering what you're doing at Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association. Looks like you guys are killing it by supporting science fiction and fantasy writers. Almost all of our members join us via referrals and our Instagram, but my co-founder and I do like to personally reach out to people we believe are part of the 6% we accept into the club. Our community is an tight-knit circle of entrepreneurs making waves in their industries who support each other, celebrate wins, and tackle real problems together. It’s a seriously high-caliber club with all founders doing $1M to 10-figures in yearly revenue. If part of your focus for 2026 is upgrading your circle and building relationships that actually move the needle, this might be exactly what you’re looking for. Would you be interested in a quick 15-minute chat about the club? Chris Meade - Co-Founder P.S. If the Founders Club doesn’t sound like it’d be a good fit, just let me know and I’ll make sure not to follow up on this.

This is going around again--seems like a somewhat more deluxe successor to the Who's Who scams of yesteryear. What they don't want to tell you: it costs $791/mo to join www.foundersclubofficial.com/about-us (based on the images on the site, I suggested they change their name to White Founders Club)

Love this album--one of the few from that era that I can still enjoy listening to

This is the end goal of one of the most prevalent AI-driven scams right now. Such a cynical ripoff.

I'm seeing a ton of these (along with fake book club invites and reader review scams). These AI scams really are a plague. Thanks for posting.

I spent a year inside the content moderation workforce in Nairobi and Manila — the human cost of making AI 'safe' is a class story nobody wants to tell - Silicon Canals The people who teach AI the boundary between acceptable and unacceptable content earn $230 a month in Nairobi and Manila. The companies whose products depend on that labor are worth trillions. This is...

“the story of making AI ‘safe’ is fundamentally a story about class, about which humans absorb the costs so that other humans never have to think about them.”
siliconcanals.com/sc-d-i-spent...

Oh. So that’s how he gets to call it peace.

Not Simon & Schuster: Deconstructing an Impersonation Scam - Writer Beware For writers chasing a traditional publishing contract, an email from Big 5 publisher Simon & Schuster inviting submission might seem like a dream come true. Just one problem: major publishers like S&S...

The world is on fire, but if you're in the mood for some light entertainment to take your mind off things, follow along with me as I take apart a bait-and-switch scam impersonating a Big 5 publisher writerbeware.blog/2026/02/28/n...

"Deep respect for safety"

LOL--I didn't catch that.

It's a plague--I hear multiple times a day from writers who are being inundated with these solicitations.

This is a great article that really speaks to me as a writer of both fantasy and historical novels.

I think historians & SFF writers share something else, which is that they work in worlds that hinge on realities, but because they no longer exist/never existed, can be visited only in imagination.

Thank you! Also apologies--my comment wasn't directed at you. I think this article, despite quoting me, has created critical mass for my annoyance at how often I'm given only partial (or no) credit for my work when larger media sources suddenly discover the issue of writing scams.

1 year, 1 publisher, 9,000 books: AI-generated titles flood Korean shelves - The Korea Times For generations, Koreans have regarded books as the most reliable form of information. They're slower than social media, but more carefully made an...

Korea's book market is being inundated with AI-created books, largely produced by a single publisher www.koreatimes.co.kr/lifestyle/bo...

How Book Bans Led to the Postponement of the Diversity Baseline Survey Jason Low, publisher and co-owner of Lee & Low Books, issues a call to action to fellow members of the industry to focus their efforts on fighting book bans.

The times we live in. "[A] demographic survey must take a backseat to more pressing matters" such as "the fight to ban book bans." www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

AI Legislation Tracker Map: Bills in play in 2026 — Transparency Coalition. Legislation for Transparency in AI Now. Use our map to track AI-related legislation in all 50 states.

For those following states' efforts to legislate on generative AI, a useful trackermap. Nearly every US state has AI bills in play in 2026 www.transparencycoalition.ai/news/ai-legi...

I've been writing articles about this problem since last August