There are some among my creative colleagues who view AI as simply a tool, nothing about which to be concerned. I cannot begin to express my disbelief, little say outrage, regarding this blind, uninformed view.
Anyone involved in the publishing industry will tell you there’s just so much to know, and that knowledge has been changing rapidly from the beginning of the 21st century. Now, it seems, I’ve stumbled across another bit of knowledge which has left me surprised.
Was very pleased to be the closing keynote speaker for the 2022 Editors Canada conference held May 29 and 30, 2022.
During a recent discussion with colleagues, a rating for a recent review I’d done was met with surprise. How could I not have given five stars to a novel I had, in fact, very much enjoyed?
For some number of years it has been well-known among indie presses who use Ingram to set up their print-on-demand titles that Amazon, that retailing mammoth, would never play fair. Fair isn’t how you amass billions of dollars in wealth.
Apparently. Throughout my life I’ve thought: am I capable of doing that? Usually, after much research, the answer comes back: Not sure, but why not?
So, it’s year end. Financial statements have been run. And once again I look at the numbers and ask myself why I’m doing this. It’s not pretty, friend. Not pretty at all.
I learned this week, with regret, the closure of another excellent small publisher, Bundoran Press. Headed by Hayden Trenholm, Elizabeth Westbrook-Trenholm, and Mike Rimar, Bundoran had a good run in the SF genre, giving voice to Canadian SF authors, and producing work which received literary acclaim.
It’s been eight weeks now since we’ve undertaken the care of my in-laws. It feels like it’s been eight years.
This past week has been one of turmoil, not all of it good. I find myself at a place on the map marked: here there be dragons. I feel unhinged, displaced. I feel astonished, humbled. I find myself staring into the distance and wondering how I arrived here. Life is a journey. Yes. It is.
In the past few weeks there has been a bit of a tremour run through the small press world in Canada, particularly in the SF&F community. First it started with discussion of lack of payment and royalty statements from one Alberta publisher, along with complaints of unfulfilled contracts, lack of communication, dismissive attitude.
It is with the greatest sadness I have to write about the passing today of one of Canada’s legendary SF&F writers, Dave Duncan.
It is amazing to me it’s been a decade since I published that first book, which was more about dipping my toes back into publishing waters than with a concept that 10 years on I would see Five Rivers Publishing having released over 70 titles.
