Finding a Foxhole and Soldiering On #amwriting

Last week was one of the most turbulent weeks the writing industry -- and in particular the Romance genre -- has ever seen. So much going on, and most of it upsetting or depressing.

Let me just recap the highlights. Or should that be the lowlights? :/

1. Trademark Dispute

I won't go into this in detail because that's been done. And done. And done. If you somehow managed to miss the uproar (lucky you), you can read my previous commentary over the last two weeks:

Like a Cancer Grows #Trademarking #WhenAuthorsAttack

Mind Your Ps and Qs (and other letters)

Although being challenged, it has inspired many other authors and even publishers to jump on the trademarking bandwagon. If this trend continues, or in the extreme off chance some of these trademarks are upheld, it could truly bury the industry in a swarm of trademark claims and lawsuits that would deeply--and possibly irreparably--impact authors, their brands, books and careers.

Let's hope, as some of the legal types have asserted, that this rooster doesn't have a leg to stand on and trademarking rampage will get sane again very, very soon.

2. Kindle World is Closing

Again, this doesn't affect me--I was asked to write for Kindle World, but couldn't find a way to tie it to my series--but it does affect many of my peers. Kindle World was apparently a failed experiment. Only books currently in process will be published, and no one is quite sure if the backlist will remain available or be un-published as part of the Kindle World shutdown. This impacts a lot of authors and that concerns me, even though it has no direct impact to me, personally.

3. RT (Romantic Times) is Closing its Doors

At the annual Booklovers Convention, one of the largest gatherings of authors and writers, it was announced that RT--Romantic Times--is closing its doors. This will be the last RT Booklovers Convention. Reviews will be archived for a year and then deleted. Although a Booklovers Convention (minus the RT) is in the works for next year, it will be a multi-genre affair going forward, which will really change the landscape of the event. It's another sign that the Romance genre is changing very rapidly, though for better or worse, we can't be sure. (See #5 below.)
 
4. Kindle Unlimited Turmoil

I'm not in KU, but the things some of my fellow authors are reporting are downright scary. Actions taken against them with no warning or evidence provided, and canned responses when they try to seek resolution. Page read statuses being cut in half overnight with no explanation given. If true, this is affecting income and in worst case scenarios, accounts are being closed with no recourse by the author, for perceived violations they weren't involved with and for which the Zon provides no proof or remedy. Yet the clickfarms and scammers continue to run amok. There's speculation this may be the fault of bad algorithms or monitoring practices, but whatever the reason, if it's happening, it needs to be addressed. And it needs to stop.

5. Traditional Publishers Cutting Romance Acquisitions

There's a lot of conjecture on this trend. Some are seeing it the doom of the Romance genre, the demise of RWA, and a future slump in the most read genre on the planet. Others are seeing it as a chance for independent authors to step up to the plate and take charge of a market that was once dominated and dictated by the Big Five Publishers (is it still the Big Five or are those numbers falling now too?) They see it as a chance for authors to tell the kinds of stories they've always wanted to tell--stories told from their hearts and not tailored to the current market trends. What do I think? I think time will tell, but it is going to bring about a lot of change and a lot of uncertainty  about where we'll all be when the dust settles.  

6. RWA is Considering Eliminating the Golden Heart Awards

This hurts. As a three-time finalist, the GH Awards involved some of the best experiences of my writing life, and many of the highlights of my last decade. And RWA wants to do away with it because they've deemed it "unprofitable" and of declining interest or importance to unpublished authors. Well, yes, that tends to happen when you cut categories, split it off from the RITA Awards as a red-headed stepchild and demote it to "luncheon" status. No more grand celebration where the next generation of aspiring authors seek out that perfect dress, enjoy special perks, the honor of wearing that "Golden Heart Finalist" badge ribbon and enjoying the status for the entire conference, rubbing elbows with some of the legends in bookdom, and preparing with giddy anticipation for that moment in the spotlight should your name be the one that's called. And that's after seeing yourself and your title up on those enormous jumbotrons. Don't do it, RWA! There are some intangible pluses that just can't be duplicated in our industry. Don't let it fade away...bring it back in all it's glory.  

7. GDPR (General Data Protection Requirements)

These requirements go into effect on May 25th and while it applies mainly to the EU, it also affects every author who interacts with individuals in the EU. Like, um, everyone. End result? Many are in panic mode. I've spent scores of hours trying to bring newsletters, blogs, websites and other interactive "data collecting" machines into compliance. I've already invested time and effort in researching what I need to do and then implementing advice that is often contradictory and not well explained. Summary: It's been a freaking nightmare and the night isn't over yet. 


Holy cow! Troubled times indeed. What's a writer to do?

Well, for this author, the answer is to find a foxhole, hunker down, and write! (Hey. Just like I did back in the good old days.)

Some say don't consider hard times a setback, consider them an opportunity. I see the truth in that. This presents a chance for me to get off the hamster wheel and back away from spending so much time doing things that aren't beneficial to my career, such as valuable time wasted on social media, reading emails, and participating in promotions that can't boost books that aren't yet for sale.
 
It also means I need to cut down my blogging time going forward, too. For the next few weeks (or possibly even months), I'm going to be posting excerpts or blogs centered on what I'm working on and spend a lot less time on commentary, observations, opinions ,and trends.   

I'll just be over here, working on my next books while passing through this current megastorm.

 

Be back with an excerpt next Monday.

Have a great week.



Mind Your Ps and Qs! (and other letters)

Before I dive into this week's blog, I just want to put this out there.

Power to the SF/R community! The petition to #SaveTheExpanse (SyFy Channel has, unbelievably, axed season four--whatever are they thinking?) is gaining momentum and gathering thousands of signatures daily.


This is SciFi television at its finest and having this spectacular series disappear would be a travesty. If you're a fan or just want to fight for the cause of great Science Fiction (with Romance), please check out the petition on Change.org and see other ways you can help. (Link below)

Graphic from petition site

#SaveTheExpanse petition

If you'd like to read my (most recent) blog why this is such a great series, here it is: The Expanse Returns


Mind That Word!
(It's a pun. Horseracing fans will get it.)

Many of us are still reeling and shaking our heads over the mental gut-punch of the whole "cockygate" debacle--and one romance author's actions in trademarking a single word that could, potentially, trigger a landslide that would quite literally bury the industry.

If you're not privy to the upheaval in the writerly Force, let me divert you to this video which recaps the situation and what's potentially being done about in an interview, mentioning the author, Kevin Kneupper, who is stepping up and going to bat for the entire writing community in filing a protest letter (who, BTW, happens to be a retired IP attorney).

Dale L. Roberts on #cockygate

Incidently, one of (our hero) Kevin Kneuppers books is Argonauts--it's science fiction (loosely based on mythology) with romance. Did I buy a copy? You betcha! As well as one of his more recent books. Really. It was the least I could do.

But now that the outrage has simmered down a few thousand degrees, a few are starting to have a little fun with all the idiocy. Comments read (and thieved...you know, because they weren't trademarked) on FB:

"Everything you write CAN and WILL be held against you in someone else's lawsuit."

"Highway to the Lawyer Zone."

"So I have decided...I'm going to get a copyright on my first name as it is on my birth certificate and I own the name. So...starting 2019 we will be canceling the month of April and there will only be 11 months in the calendar year."

And that provides me a wonderful segue from mindlessly-driven ambition to...

Mind-Driven Technology

There's been a lot of angst--and downright fear--about the leaps and bounds forward that artificial intelligence--or AI--is taking, and what it means for humanity. It seems at the very least, the human population will lose jobs and livelihoods because AI can do so many things so much faster and in many cases, better.

But what about the removing the human element from the equation? Will AI eventually network to turn against human civilization because it sees us as the enemy (ala the Terminator franchise, et al)? Or will it take a more benign path and simply deem us inferior and emotionally unstable, and decide the entire population should be--and needs to be--controlled and shepherded like unruly sheep?

Make no mistake about it, AI has the potential to be dangerous. If not carefully managed, it might have the ability to take control of all of our resources--our banking industry, our utility grid, our information sources, and our food and water supply, just to name a few key components. Control these and you control people and governments.

As we've learned from historic scenarios, this can be pretty terrifying when people do this to people on a limited scale...can you imagine AI doing this to people on a global scale?

So, yes, there are a lot of big scary question marks surrounding the potential of AI.

In the Inherited Stars Series--set 1500 years in the future--someone finally got smart. He studied history and, in particular, an incident with an AEI (artificial emotional intelligence) that very well could have ended mankind except for one lucky wild card.

This AEI was able to develop a conscience as a result of having "emotion" added to the AI abilities. But the emotional quotient also resulted in him (and yes, he was a "him"--the AEI was originally a very human-like entity) experiencing what might be described as an emotional breakdown due to guilt and remorse over his own actions. What could have been absolute catastrophe turned out very much to the benefit of humankind. But even so, the powers-that-be realized how close they'd come to the brink.

And as a result, all advanced autonomous AI, including human-like androids and inter-connective "smart" entities--were banned forevermore. But...

This aforementioned history-studying individual started exploring other avenues, specifically mind-driven technology which did not eliminate the human from the formula. He revolutionized a system that utilized the full potential of the human brain, interfacing it with technology via a neuro-connective drive that allowed certain people to do some very amazing things--and to do many of those amazing things simultaneously--once sufficiently trained to multi-task to the nth degree.

That's mind-driven technology. His neuro-connective drive, or con-drive, was essential to pilot FTL ships through a higher dimension. And if you've read Inherit the Stars or StarDog (now being expanded for a 2018 re-release) then you've already been introduced to the concept.

The name of this "studier of history" was Zaviar Mennelsohn--genius, scholar, scientist, ship designer... and father of Captain Drea Mennelsohn.

Inherit the stars, indeed.

Have a great week!