Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

WoodPig Press

@woodpigpress.bsky.social

490 followers 510 following 92 posts

WoodPig Press is an independent micro-press specialising in speculative fiction and non-fiction. We are a loose collective of creative freelancers who share a belief that humans are more than machines, and there’s more to life than money. WoodPigPress.com

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

WoodPig Press @woodpigpress.bsky.social · Jun 29

Please share:

Do you hate AI?

Are you an editor, proofreader, designer, illustrator, typesetter, marketer, book blogger, audio narrator, reviewer, ARC/beta reader?

WoodPig Press is creating a pool of freelancers for future paid work.

woodpigpress.com/call-for-pub...

#booksky #books #publishing

14 130 280

WoodPig Press @woodpigpress.bsky.social · 7d

In this Guardian article, which does the "on the one hand..." thing they're doing more of these days with AI, there was this phrase: "the market needs more content". That's how tech bros think of art. Meat for the sausage machine.

www.theguardian.com/film/2024/no...

#AI #philosophy #books #art

From the AI companies’ point of view, rather than destroying the creative industries, they are saving them. “The cost of making content has skyrocketed,” explains Cristobál Valenzuela, co-founder of Runway AI, speaking over videocall from the US. “People are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to make films, and that’s not sustainable long term, because the market needs more content. So something needs to happen. And for us, this is the moment where technology can come and help drive the cost of production down.”

Reposted by WoodPig Press

John Wiswell @wiswell.bsky.social · Sep 20

I don't know why I had to make this, but I had to make this.

Three image tiles. The first image tile is part of the cover for SOMEONE YOU CAN BUILD A NEST IN, highlighting the title. The second image tile is Fred Savage sitting in his bed in THE PRINCESS BRIDE, looking wary and asking, "Is this a kissing book?" The third image tile is a xenomorph from Alien, jaws open, looming through steam and darkness, and saying, "...Kind of."

43 250 1.7K

WoodPig Press @woodpigpress.bsky.social · 25d

@chrismarcatili.bsky.social Tried to email you back, but it's getting returned.

WoodPig Press @woodpigpress.bsky.social · Aug 27

Indeed! The faces are the weirdest thing, though. Like they've been created from a generic rumour of what those people actually look like.

WoodPig Press @woodpigpress.bsky.social · Aug 27

This week’s post: on the trials and tribulations of getting reviews as an indie author and publisher. I dive into NetGalley, Book Sirens, and other methods - are they worth it?

woodpigpress.substack.com/p/getting-re...

#booksky

Getting Reviews

Week 9 – in which I try to figure out whether anyone actually reads books any more

woodpigpress.substack.com

1 3

Reposted by WoodPig Press

BERGΛMΛX @bergamax.bsky.social · Aug 19

"Moving Day"

Sue Ellen Ross, American artist, b. 1941.

#art #painting #illustration

46 290 2.9K

WoodPig Press @woodpigpress.bsky.social · Aug 11

This week we look at the various types of printing available to indie authors and publishers, which is right for you, and which one I ended up choosing.

woodpigpress.substack.com/p/finding-a-...

#booksky #books #writing

Finding a Printer

Diary of a Micro-Press, Week 8 – in which I compare various printing options, and finally settle on one.

woodpigpress.substack.com

1 5

WoodPig Press @woodpigpress.bsky.social · Aug 9

This is all very sad. It was an interesting, fresh approach. Awful for the authors. Still, I've learnt a new word: "misfeasance".

Marie Phillips @mariephillips.bsky.social · Aug 9

The Observer takes on the collapse of Unbound - some truly shocking allegations, almost all of which I have seen compelling evidence of as a member of the Unbound author WhatsApp group and through my own experience of being published by them observer.co.uk/news/busines...

Death of a publishing dream: how the Unbound revolution b...

The literary disrupters enjoyed great success with their crowdfunding model, signing authors that other publishers overlooked. And then the money ran out…

observer.co.uk

WoodPig Press @woodpigpress.bsky.social · Aug 8

To be fair, I totally believe that Trump is going to change the name of the first month to "Manuary".

Bob Kopp @bobkopp.net · Aug 8

“A legitimate PhD-level expert in anything,” they said.

“Show me a diagram of the US presidents since FDR, with their names and years in office under their photos,” I said.

A GPT-5 generated diagram of US presidents since Franklin D. “Roesevelt” to “Goorge W Bush”, “Baruck Obama” and Donald Trump. No George HW Bush (though Ronald Reagan looks a fair bit like him), LBJ, or Joe Biden.

1 1

Reposted by WoodPig Press

Claret Press @claretpress.bsky.social · Aug 6

#chekhov #chekhov’sgun

2 7

WoodPig Press @woodpigpress.bsky.social · Jul 31

Ghosts and Monsters, is the first part in the Tidelands series, a dystopian blend of cyberpunk, first contact and Lovecraftian horror.

Now available in ebook and paperback through WoodPig Press and other retailers.

woodpigpress.com/the-tideland...

📚💙 #booksky

Tidelands, part 1: Ghosts and Monsters. In a flooded city, the arcology provides a high-tech haven - for those who can afford it. "An immersive, entertaining and clever piece of science fiction" - Dr Who Online. Available driect from WoodPig Press and all major retailers.

WoodPig Press @woodpigpress.bsky.social · Jul 31

It was good, wasn't it! I'm looking forward to Johnny's new book.

WoodPig Press @woodpigpress.bsky.social · Jul 31

Great interview with author Johnny B. Truant regarding the ways in which indie publishing has changed for the worse, and how we can bring the joy and connection back to writing and publishing.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPKp...

📚💙 #booksky

The Artisan Author | Johnny B. Truant | The BookFunnel Podcast Ep 22

The Artisan Author Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/johnnybtruant/the-artisan-author-your-way-out-of-the-self-pub-rat-race Johnny's Website https://johnnybtruant.com/ Johnny's…

www.youtube.com

1 1

WoodPig Press @woodpigpress.bsky.social · Jul 27

Authors beware...

Victoria Strauss @victoriastrauss.com · Jul 24

Yet. Another. Fake. Literary. Agency: Writers Literary. Among other things, totally false claims about authors and books repped, and images of supposed staff are stock photos. They're sending out fake publishing offers to writers writersliterary.com

Writers Literary

writersliterary.com

1 2

WoodPig Press @woodpigpress.bsky.social · Jul 27

Their About Us page is a real mess. They're home to 50 independent imprints, but also somehow connected to Penguin Random House? And established in 2014, but with "a rich history dating back to the 1800s"!

WoodPig Press @woodpigpress.bsky.social · Jul 27

This is beautiful. I love the colour palette and use of coloured lines.

WoodPig Press @woodpigpress.bsky.social · Jul 26

Depends what feel you want to create. Although the piece itself is very finished, the border makes it feel like a sketchbook vibe and accentuates the handmade quality. Without, it feels more "professional" like it could be a print or published illustration for something. Lovely piece, either way!

1 10

WoodPig Press @woodpigpress.bsky.social · Jul 25

Sounds great!

WoodPig Press @woodpigpress.bsky.social · Jul 24

Interesting guest post by SFF author Johnny B. Truant on @janefriedman.com's blog about "artisanal publishing", where the focus is on the quality of the book, not pricing cheap and publishing frequently.

What do you think?

janefriedman.com/quality-matt...

💙 🪐📚 #booksky

Quality Matters More Than Quantity | Jane Friedman

Many self-publishing authors work with a rapid-release, low-price model—but should that steer the pricing strategy for more artisan books?

janefriedman.com

Reposted by WoodPig Press

Leslie Levings @leslielevings.bsky.social · Jul 23

Just some little guys

4 23 160

WoodPig Press @woodpigpress.bsky.social · Jul 23

That's not to say that no developmental work occurs at the publisher or agent - I'm sure it does. But it's probably a matter of degree and varies between publisher/agent.

WoodPig Press @woodpigpress.bsky.social · Jul 23

I think what you say SHOULD be true, Mike, but most agents and publishers are so inundated with submissions that they can afford to pick and choose. So, faced with a choice between a polished manuscript and one that'll need a lot of developmental work (all else being equal) they go with the former.

WoodPig Press @woodpigpress.bsky.social · Jul 23

Possibly. But feedback is always helpful, at whatever stage. Beta readers can help fill a developmental editing role, to an extent, but I certainly don't think it's a red flag for someone to suggest that you might pay to develop your MS. But I'm not on commission! :)

WoodPig Press @woodpigpress.bsky.social · Jul 23

I think it depends on the type of editing. You certainly don't want to pay for proofreading, and probably not copy-editing. However, if developmental editing fixes some story issues, or line editing adds some polish, then it might help you stand out to an agent - who are inundated with submissions.

Reposted by WoodPig Press

Jonathan Edwards @jontofski.bsky.social · Jul 23

Edris House. Painted 10 years ago this week! Watercolour. Still available as a print (A3 and A1) in my shop.

8 210 1.1K