BubbleCow

@bubblecow
25 Followers
67 Following
72 Posts

Developmental book editor (Gary Smailes) with over twenty years experience of helping hundreds of self-publishing writers.

My first 'real job' in publishing was working on the Horrible Histories series, but I started BubbleCow in 2007.

I am also a traditionally published author with twenty plus books in print. My agent is Andrew Lownie.

Websitehttps://bubblecow.com
Gary Smaileshttps://mastodon.social/@garysmailes
BubbleCow15h ago

Today's edit is a gritty fantasy book with a re-imagining of European Medieval society whilst under the power of the Catholic church. Its really good. Reminds me of Joe Abercrombie's The Devils, which is a right good read.

#amEditing #writing

BubbleCow1d ago

Perhaps the best guide to spotting AI writing... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Signs_of_AI_writing

#writing

Wikipedia:Signs of AI writing - Wikipedia

BubbleCow1d ago

Last day of editing this romance novel.

One issue has been a tendency to try and tell the story in the narrative. Often, the writer is moving the dialogue into the narrative summary. This is always bad. Try to keep the story in the words and actions of the characters and not told via the narrator.

#amEditing #writing

BubbleCow2d ago

Started reading The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis over Easter. Only good things to say about this book.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217388147-the-hounding

#books

The Hounding

The Crucible meets The Virgin Suicides in this haunting…

Goodreads
BubbleCow2d ago

Back to editing after the Easter break. This week its a modern romance novel.

#amEditing #writing

BubbleCow2d ago
Dave Dawkins (D. Harrigon)2d ago

I might have to get out my minis and battlemap to deal with this complex part of the story. Too many people and I need to create photo-states for each part so I can keep track. Do any of you have a trick for complex bits?

#writing #WritingTips #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #ttrpg #dnd

Show threadBubbleCow6d ago

@chris_spackman

I think the real issue is that no one really knows. Plus, despite what people would like to thing, it very difficult to spot Ai writing and that will only get more difficult.

I think we are going to see writers (artists) documenting their work process in a way that allows them to prove human creation.

Show threadBubbleCow6d ago

@chris_spackman

My understanding is that work created by AI can't be copyrighted. This is also the worry of book publishers.

https://hbr.org/2023/04/generative-ai-has-an-intellectual-property-problem

Generative AI Has an Intellectual Property Problem

Generative AI, which uses data lakes and question snippets to recover patterns and relationships, is becoming more prevalent in creative industries. However, the legal implications of using generative AI are still unclear, particularly in relation to copyright infringement, ownership of AI-generated works, and unlicensed content in training data. Courts are currently trying to establish how intellectual property laws should be applied to generative AI, and several cases have already been filed. To protect themselves from these risks, companies that use generative AI need to ensure that they are in compliance with the law and take steps to mitigate potential risks, such as ensuring they use training data free from unlicensed content and developing ways to show provenance of generated content.

Harvard Business Review
BubbleCow6d ago

Angine de Poitrine seem to be a perfect reaction to AI created music.

https://www.jazztimes.com/features/profiles/the-off-world-aesthetic-of-quebecs-angine-de-poitrine/?v=97282b278e5d

#ai

The Off-World Aesthetic of Quebec’s Angine de Poitrine - JazzTimes

One cannot look away from Angine de Poitrine (angina pectoris). These masked, strangely hatted, prosthetic-nosed, symmetrically polka-dotted, voice-distorted, oddly gesturing figures who go by Klec … Read More "The Off-World Aesthetic of Quebec’s Angine de Poitrine"

JazzTimes
BubbleCow6d ago

Recently Hachette cancelled the novel *Shy Girl*, worried it was written by AI.

I've linked this below, its interesting.

However, I suspect the reason the book has been cancelled has nothing to do with ethics and EVERYTHING to do with the fact that AI work can't be copyrighted.

Publishers are more worried about protecting their moats than they are about the ethics of AI.

BTW, I write this as an author that has been published by Hachette.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/mar/20/hachette-horror-novel-shy-girl-suspected-ai-use-mia-ballard

#ai #writing #books

Hachette pulls horror novel Shy Girl after suspected AI use

The publisher has cancelled the US release of Shy Girl by Mia Ballard and withdrawn the UK edition after weeks of online speculation about the novel’s origins

The Guardian