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This week, we’re diving into the unmasking of one of the world’s most successful authors. Freida McFadden, the bestselling author behind The Housemaid, has officially revealed her true identity as Dr. Sara Cohen. We wonder 'why now', talk about imposter syndrome, and discuss why authors use pseudonyms.

Plus, we of course chat about some AI-related stories: we go over some of your comments about our last episode on the Shy Girl scandal, talk about the allegation that editors are using LLMs to help them decide which books to pick up, and talk about scam emails again - this people pretending to be editors.

00:00 Intro

00:46 Shy Girl Fallout - Audience Comments

14:17 Chat G-P-Cheat? - Are Editors Using LLMs?

25:05 Something Phishy - Fake Editor Emails Spike

33:58 Not Just The Housemaid - McFadden's Secret Revealed

45:10 Stranger Than Fiction - Nadine's Idea Factory

50:57 Final Chapter - Stellar Adaptations

Links:

Some editors 'uploading confidential manuscripts to Chat GPT'

Scam emails impersonating editors on the rise

The Housemaid author Freida McFadden reveals real identity

Adventures in Publishing-land is brought to you by STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing podcast needs, featuring Page One - The Writer's Podcast, The Conversation with Nadine Matheson and more!

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Watch as a full video episode on YouTube

This week, we lead with the scandal that has the industry in a frenzy, with Hachette pulling the release of Mia Ballard’s horror novel Shy Girl after viral claims that the prose was generated by AI. We discuss the YouTube video with 1.2 million views that started the fire, the author’s defense involving an "acquaintance," and what this means for the future of "human" storytelling.

Staying on AI (when don't we talk about AI?), we discuss the UK government's decision to axe plans for a broad AI copyright exception, and ask if this is a victory for authors. Plus, we chat about the announcement that NielsenIQ and TikTok are launching a monthly Top 20 chart in the UK that combines real sales data with social media engagement.

00:00 Intro

01:24 Victory for Authors - UK Scraps AI Exception

10:36 Not Shy of Shortcuts - Hachette Ditches AI Novel

22:46 Tok of the Pops - Official UK Chart launched

30:06 Off Script: Stranger Than Fiction

36:42 Final Chapter - Pitt-Perfect Drama

Links:

Axed AI Copyright Exemption Welcomed By Book Trade

Hachette Horror Novel Shy Girl Suspended

Official BookTok Chart Set to Launch in the UK

Adventures in Publishing-land is brought to you by STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing podcast needs, featuring Page One - The Writer's Podcast, The Conversation with Nadine Matheson and more!

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This episode of Adventures in Publishing-land dives deep into the battle for the "human soul" of the industry, featuring a frontline interview on the newest weapons in the author’s arsenal. We sit down with Anna Ganley and Sam Blake from the Society of Authors to discuss their new "Human Authored" scheme which launched at the London Book Fair. We explore the strategy behind the new logo and the message behind "Don't Steal This Book," the empty protest volume signed by thousands of authors including Kazuo Ishiguro and Richard Osman.

Speaking of the London Book Fair, we also tackle the "Six-Figure Fever" that grips the industry every spring. If the headlines about massive advances are making you feel disheartened, we discuss why you need to ignore the hype and focus on your own journey. Plus, we look into the class-action lawsuit facing Grammarly and Superhuman, and discuss the latest legal action by publishers against a pirate books site.

00:00 Intro

00:53 The LBF Hype Cycle - Run Your Own Race

07:24 Human Authored - Our interview with the Society of Authors

36:12 Walk the Plank - Suing Anna's Archive

44:20 Grammarly's Gamble - Not So Superhuman

51:57 Off Script: Stranger Than Fiction

Links:

Human Authored - learn more about the scheme and how to sign up

Thirteen US Publishers Bring Suit Against Anna's Archive

Grammarly Superhuman Expert Review Article

And why they are being sued

Adventures in Publishing-land is brought to you by STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing podcast needs, featuring Page One - The Writer's Podcast, The Conversation with Nadine Matheson and more!

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This week on Adventures in Publishing-land, we’re heading to San Francisco to look at Bindery Books. This startup is turning "bookfluencers" into acquiring editors, letting communities choose their own bestsellers. Is this the "Taylor’s Version" of publishing, or a risky bet on "tastemakers"? Plus, we discuss top literary agencies sounding the alarm on "formulaic" and "flattened" AI-generated queries, and also return to the topic of genre snobbery, and why fantasy is making everyone think again about it.

00:00 Intro

01:17 Facile & Formulaic - Agents Ban AI Queries

12:21 The Tastemaker Model - BookTok Becomes The Editor

21.39 Myth-understandings - Fighting Genre Snobbery

34:35 - Off Script: Stranger Than Fiction

39:53 Final Chapter - A Wonderful New Take on Superheroes

Links:

Literary agents urge writers to avoid AI as they see ‘change in nature of submissions’

Bindery Books Influencer-led Publishing Model

Myth, monsters and making sense of a disenchanted world: why everyone is reading fantasy

Adventures in Publishing-land is brought to you by STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing podcast needs, featuring Page One - The Writer's Podcast, The Conversation with Nadine Matheson and more!

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This week, we’re unpacking the controversy surrounding Emerald Fennell’s "Wuthering Heights" adaptation. From historically inaccurate corsets to Margot Robbie’s "raunchy" take on Cathy, we debate how far a retelling can stray before it loses the source material entirely.

Plus, we look at how one writer used AI to publish 200 novels in a single year, allegedly earning six figures. But is she a writer? And after a century of dominance, are paperbacks shuffling toward extinction?

00:00 Intro

01:25 200 'Books' A Year - The AI Romance Gold Rush?

12:48 Pulp Fiction No More - The Death of Paperbacks?

23.35 Raunchy Brontë - Straying Too Far From the Source?

37:38 - Off Script: Stranger Than Fiction

43:15 Final Chapter - Best RomComs

Links:

Can AI Chatbots Write Romance? NY Times Article

The Death of the Mass Market Paperback?

How Different Is Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” Compared to Emily Brontë’s Book?

Adventures in Publishing-land is brought to you by STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing podcast needs, featuring Page One - The Writer's Podcast, The Conversation with Nadine Matheson and more!

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In this week's episode of Adventures in Publishing-land, we dive into the heated debate surrounding Val McDermid and the use of sensitivity readers to revise backlist titles. Should books be treated as historical artifacts, or is updating them a necessary step for modern audiences?

Plus, we’re tackling two massive shifts in the industry: We break down the Society of Authors' "Brave New World" report, which reveals a staggering 86% of creators are already seeing their earnings hit by Gen AI. And the Literacy Crisis: Are we losing a generation of readers? We discuss the alarming reports of Gen Z arriving at college unable to read full sentences and what "scanning" culture means for the future of the book.

00:00 Intro

01:00 Brave New World? AI Already Impacting Creatives

16:23 Editing the Past - Should Old Books Be Revised?

27:52 Can't Read or Won't Read? Is There a Gen Z Literacy Crisis?

39:33 Stranger Than Fiction

44:40 Final Chapter

Links:

All 2.4m of Britain’s creative workers are at risk — and we know why

Brave New World? Justice for Creators in the age of Gen AI

Val McDermid was assigned ‘sensitivity reader’ to cut offensive language from old books

Gen Z are arriving to college unable to even read a sentence—professors warn it could lead to a generation of anxious and lonely graduates

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We're back! On this week's episode, we discuss the show everyone is talking about - The Traitors! With crime author Harriet Tyce's appearance, we chat about the impact it has had on her book sales, and also wonder which reality show we would choose to go on to boost our publicity (there is also some spoiler discussion about this season of the UK Traitors, so be careful if you are not up-to-date!)

Plus, we talk about big money's interest in Romantasy, and whether that will crowd out the market for other genres, and also discuss the rapid rise of scam marketing emails that are being sent to authors thanks to AI...

00:00 Intro

01:34 Dollars & Dragons - Is Big Money Skewing Fiction?

16:52 The Flattery Trap - Predatory Promo Offers

27:30 Killer Marketing? - The Traitors Effect

44:14 Off Script - Nadine finds another stranger than fiction story for inspiration

49:33 Off Script - Final Chapter: What we've been watching and reading

Links:

Chernin Group invests in Romantasy publisher Entangled

Authors hit with deluge of scam emails from fake marketers

Why crime writers make good Traitors contestants

Adventures in Publishing-land is brought to you by STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing podcast needs, featuring Page One - The Writer's Podcast, The Conversation with Nadine Matheson and more!

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On this week's episode, we discuss Ireland's UBI experiment for artists and writers, and why we would love to see other countries follow suit (but aren't holding our breath). Plus, we look at why indie presses are pressing the panic button, and discuss the latest BookTok marketing scheme - theme-scented books (a topic Tariq gets very excited about!)

00:00 Intro

01:10 Luck of the Irish - UBI for writers

13:45 Indie Presses - Time for trade support?

24:34 Smell of Success? TikTok, Trends and Garlic Mayo

39:56 Off Script - Nadine finds another stranger than fiction story for inspiration

46:18 Off Script - Horror Movie updates and True Crime chat

Links:

Ireland's Basic income for the Arts Scheme made permanent

Indie Presses in existential crisis call for support

Garlic Mayo Book Marketing

Nadine's Stranger than Fiction story

Adventures in Publishing-land is brought to you by STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing podcast needs, featuring Page One - The Writer's Podcast, The Conversation with Nadine Matheson and more!

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.