NEWS | Page 11 of 11 | Jasmin Kirkbride

Bookmachine | AI Authors: Who owns the Rights to the future?

on February 8, 2015February 27, 2015 By jasminonajourney

Bookmachine time again! This week, I’m discussing the possibility that robots might soon be writing our books and the effects that could have on the Publishing industry. As ever, if you want to continue reading, head over to the Bookmachine blog.

We need to talk about AIs, algorithms and Rights. Over the next decade or two these issues are only going to become more prominent and will likely become major concerns for the Publishing industry.

AI authors – fact, not fiction!

On Thursday, Publishing Perspectives posted an article on possibility that AIs will soon writing our books for us.

This is not as far out as it first sounds. Major and minor news outlets across the web are already using AI-authored stories on their websites. These AIs are capable of compiling articles from raw data and, for the most part, they are indistinguishable from those written by humans. While these stories are still cleared by human editors and have certain flaws, such as not being able to include quotes, they can produce stories almost instantaneously, and in multiple languages. What’s more, they can create thousands of news stories in the time it takes a human journalist to produce only one.

Needless to say our friends in Silicon Valley are already working on the next generation of these AIs: ones which can write fiction novels. I scoffed a few years ago when I heard they were going to write news stories, I’m not fool enough to scoff again… [READ MORE]

Bookmachine | Is a royalty-only system the way forward for author payment?

on January 27, 2015February 27, 2015 By jasminonajourney

Another fortnight, another Bookmachine article! This time: how should authors be getting paid? To read on, head over to the Bookmachine blog.

Last year, The 2014 Digital Book World and Writer’s Digest Author Survey revealed that of the traditionally published authors who took part in the survey, 59.3% earned less than £600 per year. A report from the Authors’ Licensing & Collection Society (ACLS), What Are Words Worth Now?, furthered that average author earnings were below £11,000 per year, down almost £3,500 from the previous report in 2005. Not enough to live on and well below the minimum wage.

The debate over how we pay our authors was hot all year, and it looks not less important as we enter 2015. Clearly, many authors are not making enough money to live on, but is this because we’re paying them unfairly or because their content isn’t selling?

How authors traditionally get paid

Authors generally receive payments for their books via a forward, with royalties thereafter. The forward is a lump sum paid to the author by the publisher when the book is first purchased. The author’s royalties are then taken by the publisher and kept until such time as the author has effectively paid back their forward. It is only at this point that they begin to receive royalties. This is termed ‘earn out’.

Most authors, however, will never achieve ‘earn out’… [READ MORE]

Diversity in Publishing: Report from the SYP AGM 2015

on January 15, 2015June 5, 2015 By jasminonajourney

Two days after the Society of Young Publishers (SYP) AGM on Diversity in Publishing, I am still mulling. As the thoughts coalesce, I can’t help but conclude that there are some fundamental problems in our industry barring diversity.

When we talk about diversity, it has so many definitions. Seonaid Mcleod has been working with EQUIP (Equality in Publishing) at the PA, which defines it as diversity of sexuality, gender, economic circumstance, ethnicity, geography, education, pregnancy, maternity – the list goes on for a long time! Indeed, it’s such a broad topic, I hardly know where to begin.

The ‘Diversity in Publishing’ debate panel for the SYP AGM 2015 was composed of Abigail Barclay, Managing Consultant at Inspired Selection; Seonaid Mcleod, PR Executive at the Publisher’s Association (PA); Kyle Cathie, from Kyle Books, and Suzanne Collier, owner of Book Careers. Despite the irony of a panel composed of four caucasian women, the variety of their viewpoints on the industry gave an insightful overall perspective on the issues at stake. The points raised cut the industry to its quick.

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Bookmachine | 3 Top Tips for Staying Safe With eReaders

on January 12, 2015February 27, 2015 By jasminonajourney

Here’s the next instalment of my fortnightly Bookmachine article. To read on, visit the Bookmachine blog.

Over the past few weeks, headlines have been peppered with claims that reading eBooks before bed is bad for your health. A new study, published in the journal of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), has found that reading light-emitting eBook before sleep can compromise the quality and length of your sleep amongst other things.

The Findings

Researchers conducted experiments on 12 subjects, who were put into controlled environments before bed for a period of two weeks. Participants were either given a light-emitting (LE) eBook or a print book to read for four hours before sleep. Those reading LE eBooks fell asleep on average 10 minutes later than those reading print, had suppressed levels of the sleep hormone melatonin, slept less deeply and took ‘hours longer’ to wake up in the mornings.

All this can lead to serious health issues: sleep is crucial to maintaining an alert, healthy body and suppressed melatonin production can lead to an increased risk of certain kinds of cancer… [READ MORE]

Hark Magazine Issue 3 is Live – ‘Dear Versailles’ inside!

on November 26, 2014February 27, 2015 By jasminonajourney

My latest short story, Dear Versailles, has been published in Issue 3 of Hark Magazine. You can read it right here on page nineteen!

There will also be a launch night on the 28th November, at the Washington Pub in Hampstead Heath. I won’t be reading this time (though I may be in the future – watch this space!) but my fangirls and I will be there, so should you!

Here’s a small excerpt to whet your appetites:

Continue reading “Hark Magazine Issue 3 is Live – ‘Dear Versailles’ inside!”

Hark Magazine Publication | ‘Dear Versailles’

on November 10, 2014February 27, 2015 By jasminonajourney

I’m delighted to announce that my latest short story, Dear Versailles, has been accepted for publication in Issue 3 of Hark Magazine, due out later this month.

Hark is a fantastic new publication, full of liminal literarture, short stories and poems, and I’m absolutely thrilled to be working with them. They have a great blog too, and have just posted a set of interviews with all the Issue 3 authors, which can be found here.

There will be a launch event on the 28th November at the Washington Pub in Hampstead, which you are all very welcome to attend. I’m personally really excited that this story in particular has been selected, as it’s very close to my heart and has been a while in the mulling pot, so I really do mean it when I say I hope to see you there.

Third Place for ‘Until Then, Sister’ at the Kilburn Literary Festival

on October 31, 2014February 27, 2015 By jasminonajourney

Last night, there was an excellent and most wine-fuelled literary shindig: the Kilburn Literary Festival Flash Fiction Competition reading and public vote.

What a night. So many wonderful and entertaining stories, lots of talented writers in one room. I am very proud that I got to be one of them and, not only that, but also to have won the 3rd Prize for my entry, Until Then, Sister. Thank you so much to Toni Green read my flash fiction piece out so beautifully and congratulations to fellow-wordsmith Jade Summer on 1st Prize!

Don’t forget the Kilburn Literary Festival is still on for a few more days, so if you’re a lit bunny, do go and check out their upcoming events.

Selection for the Kilburn Literary Festival Flash Fiction Competition

on October 15, 2014February 27, 2015 By jasminonajourney

Ladies and gentlemen, I am thrilled to announce that I have been selected as a finalist for the inaugural Kilburn Literary Festival Flash Fiction Competition!

My entry, Until Then, Sister, has been selected as one of twelve finalists, each one coming to no more than five hundred words. There will be an event on 30th October for anyone who wants to come and hear the stories, which will be read out by professional actors. What’s more, the audience then gets to vote on the winner. That’s right – gulp! – it is that most feared of all things: a public vote!

So come along, hear some stories, vote some votes, and have a gosh-darn literary evening.

For more information, visit the Kilburn Literary Festival website right here.

My first public reading

on April 11, 2014February 27, 2015 By jasminonajourney

Yesterday saw a landmark event for any author: my first public reading. I read out the first few pages of The Yellow Moth, which was recently published on the cover of OpenPen Magazine, Issue 11.

Almost everything about the event went wrong: my mother was late, her partner went for a wander and got lost, the roof fell in on the venue an hour before the shindig began, nobody could get through to anyone else about it. But, by a mix of serendipity and enthusiasm, we all managed to find seats in the trendy cellar of a really cute pancake house. My mother’s partner resurfaced, a spot was found to park the car, people figured out where we were and I discovered the best gluten-free pancakes in North-East London!

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Open Pen Magazine Publication | ‘The Yellow Moth’ & Excerpt

on April 1, 2014February 27, 2015 By jasminonajourney

Very exciting news, everybody: for the first time ever, one of my short stories is going to be published in a proper, grown-up literary journal! Even better, it’s been selected as the Cover Story!

The Yellow Moth, which is about a small girl having her first existential crisis, will be published in Open Pen Magazine, Issue 11, and will be available in all the best kind of independent bookshops in print. There will be an event to celebrate the Issue 11 launch and words in general on April 10th from 7pm, where I will be doing a reading with great amounts of nervousness.

A small sneak-peek of The Yellow Moth is available here on the Open Pen website, but if you want more, I’ve posted a few paragraphs below as well.

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