The Awkward Squad
A Readers' Group by Michael Campling
Hello
“In the highest civilization, the book is still the highest delight. He who has once known its satisfactions is provided with a resource against calamity.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
I found today's quote myself, and it caught my attention because I've been thinking a lot about books and their value.
This week it has been hard to avoid the furore in the author community about AI. As I said in my last newsletter, I won't be using AI to plan or write my books, and I'm pleased to say that I've seen many authors adopting a similar stance. But it emerged this week that there are some who are planning to unleash a torrent of fiction that leans heavily on AI.
It's easy for anyone to set up a number of pen names, and it's easy to publish new books. How will we know whether an author has used AI? Unfortunately, it's all but impossible to tell whether a book was planned or partially written by AI. As readers, we'll have to do our own due diligence on authors and publishers and make our own judgments.
It's okay.
We can handle it.
Readers like us have always been picky, and we won't want anything to do with the poorly written books churned out by people without scruples.
For us, books are special, but if that's a principle we want to protect, we may have to think very carefully about where we buy our reading material, and from whom. We've seen indie bookshops close and libraries struggling with low budgets, but there are still lots of great stories out there, waiting to be read, so I'm hopeful for the future of books and reading.
Nobody's going to pull the wool over our eyes; we're the Awkward Squad.
On with the newsletter, and we'll get to the photos soon, but first, here are some words of thanks:
Cheers!
A huge thank you to these kind people who have sent me a mug of tea
via ko-fi.com. I'm raising a mug of Assam in honour of these recent supporters:
Doyle
Tamara
Gloria
Andria
Carole
Michael
and regular supporters: Lara, Cynthia, Lynn.
Thank you all for your encouragement and support.
Want to join them?
Featured Photos
Although we've lived on the edge of Dartmoor for more than 25 years, there's still plenty to explore. On a recent drive onto the moors we decided to pass the usual tourist hot-spots and keep going, letting the road take us where it may.
We found a likely spot and enjoyed a fine walk with Lottie.
There were Dartmoor ponies and sheep, and I don't think we met another soul until we returned to the car park. After our stroll we went in search of a cup of tea, but all we could find was a pub, so we popped in for a quick half of local ale. Dan and Alan would've approved!
There are more photos on the site, especially if you take a minute to register as a member (which is free):
NB: If you don't see a confirmation email after signing up, please check your junk and spam folders, and if you still can't find it, please drop me a line and I'll fix it as soon as I can.
My Podcast
This week I talked about red herrings and the darker side of mysteries. This and older episodes are on my website and wherever you get your podcasts:
Book News
I've made a collection of the first three full-length Devonshire Mysteries, so you can read all three ebooks in one handy volume. It's cheaper than buying the books individually and it includes Valley of Lies, Murder Between the Tides and Mystery in May.
You can find it for sale on my store and most of the main retailers, but not on Amazon as they restrict the price that indie authors can set, and that isn't right. The ebook is already on some library catalogues, but Overdrive are taking their time and they run Libby, so it may be a while before your library service can order the ebook for you.
Here's a link: books2read.com/devonshiremysteriesboxset
For a limited time you can get it cheaper on Kobo.
Kobo are having a boxset sale, offering a discount on ebook collections - lots of genres included. Running from April 20-30, 2023, the discount on offer is a generous 30%, and it includes the first boxset of Devonshire Mysteries I-III.
The offer is available in Canada, the UK, the USA, Australia and New Zealand.
NB to get the discount, use coupon code BOX30
Find the Devonshire Mysteries boxset on Kobo: books2read.com/devonshiremysteriesboxset
If you already have my book, you can always look for more bargains at kobo.com/p/april-sale
Authors Direct bought by Spotify
In other news, audiobook distributor Authors Direct has closed its doors and is offering to allow users to redeem their books on Spotify. I only have a couple of audiobooks at the moment, but I did have an Author's Direct store. This development links with my earlier theme, since it looks as though listeners are being pushed toward Spotify whether they like it or not. Spotify offer a free account, so your audiobooks won't be lost. If in doubt, see the Authors Direct website.
I'll be looking at ways to provide audiobooks direct, but it's more complex and costly than setting up a store for ebooks. I hope to have more audiobooks produced before long, but so far, I haven't had much luck with the production companies I've contacted.
What's Next?
I am very close to finishing the first draft of the upcoming Devonshire Mystery, and I hope I'll be able to share some snippets soon. This one is fighting back, but I will wrestle it into submission eventually. One of us will have to give in soon, and it isn't going to be me.
I'm keeping an eye on the development of serialised fiction, which some people think will be the next big thing. There are already several services doing well, but there are new ones arriving, and some look interesting.
I think most of you prefer to get the book in one go, but I may be tempted to write a serialised story. I already have Death at Blackingstone Rock as a serial delivered by email, and you can sign up for that for free at any time.
Right, I've taken up quite enough of your time for one day. I'd better get back to Dan and Alan before they get themselves into trouble.
Happy reading and take care.
All the best,
Mikey C
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