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James McConnachie

@jamesmcconnachie.bsky.social

1.6K followers 1.2K following 860 posts

Writer. Reviews non-fiction for the Sunday Times, edits The Author magazine. Books about the Kamasutra, Conspiracy Theories, Nepal and, next, a Himalayan mountain. Books, singing, wildlife, languages, running...

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James McConnachie @jamesmcconnachie.bsky.social · May 27

I wrote this for the launch of Psyche's new memoir strand: "The girl was lying on a stretcher, wrapped in a blanket, and he reached for a medallion hanging around her neck, showing to me the two words embossed on it: Sourde-Muette." psyche.co/stories-of-c...

Girl in the water | Psyche Stories of Change

I’d saved someone from drowning. Had I done the right thing?

psyche.co

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Reposted by James McConnachie

Keith W. Dickinson @keithwdickinson.bsky.social · 8h

Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.

The Verge @theverge.com · May 26

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

buff.ly

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James McConnachie @jamesmcconnachie.bsky.social · 7h

'“I just don’t know how you go around, asking everyone first. I just don’t see how that would work,” Clegg said.'

It's called a market.

The Verge @theverge.com · May 26

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

buff.ly

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James McConnachie @jamesmcconnachie.bsky.social · 10h

One of the many benefits of my English degree (a degree in language and critical thinking, really) is that I can immediately see how narrow, short-sighted and stupid a policy this is.

Martin Paul Eve @eve.gd · 12h

This makes me so angry. These people view all life as training for lifelong servitude/work. There's no room for interest, enjoyment, and culture in their bleak vision of education. At least she'll never be in power to see it through. Though Reform are probably worse.

Badenoch: Curb students taking "rip-off" degrees such as English. The performing arts, sociology and anthropology are among the subjects the Conservatives would like to cut

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James McConnachie @jamesmcconnachie.bsky.social · 10h

I do this. I find most people are delighted - though people who struggle to process speech less keen obvs.

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James McConnachie @jamesmcconnachie.bsky.social · 10h

'may'

New Scientist @newscientist.com · 10h

Why do we continue to devour some old books, while others that were popular when published never get picked up? AI may have the answer.

Novels with a certain structure are more likely to be classics

Novels need a gripping story to stay popular as the decades pass, but it seems that other less-obvious factors may also contribute to their lasting success

www.newscientist.com

Reposted by James McConnachie

René Otto @aceottorney.bsky.social · 11h

Proud to announce Deviant Legal’s Game Developer’s Guide to Publishing Agreements: a free resource for developers wanting to learn about publishing deals. Publicly accessible, without requiring to provide your data: deviantlegal.com/guide/game-d...

An image about the game developer's guide to publishing agreements feauturing otto the otter

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James McConnachie @jamesmcconnachie.bsky.social · 1d

wonderful. I love the use of the scores as a kind of vocal soft pedal

Reposted by James McConnachie

Aieee-Iain Clark @iainjclarkart.com · 1d

Part of Russell T Davies' speech on being awarded Outstanding Contribution to Television at the Bafta Cymru awards. (via www.instagram.com/baftacymru)

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James McConnachie @jamesmcconnachie.bsky.social · 1d

oh yeah. and maybe you'd have to pay capital gains tax if you sold

James McConnachie @jamesmcconnachie.bsky.social · 1d

would it work differently if you incorporated first? (genuinely don't know)

James McConnachie @jamesmcconnachie.bsky.social · 2d

fab. well done!

Reposted by James McConnachie

Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · 2d

A riddle for @theguardian.com books page.
p.s. My new book 'Physics for Cats' is out this week in bookshops and online. Details at www.tomgauld.com

Title: One door leads to freedom, the others to certain death. You may ask one question.

Image: Three guards with shields and speard stand in front of three doors. One guard sits at a folding table working at a typewriter, his shield and spear leaning against the wall.

Caption: One guard always tells the truth, one always tells lies, and the third always tells an entrancing story that blends reportage with imagination in an attempt to reach a deeper authenticity by moving beyond the narrow categories of fact and fiction.

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James McConnachie @jamesmcconnachie.bsky.social · 2d

excellent - thank you for saying!

James McConnachie @jamesmcconnachie.bsky.social · 6d

Ah but AI licensing is not the relevant split, I think. It's the split for 'copyright enforcement'. The Settlement seems to advise checking for that. More news on this when I get it...

James McConnachie @jamesmcconnachie.bsky.social · 6d

Please see my article on non-paying publishers in the latest issue of The Author.

Reposted by James McConnachie

Lorraine Wilson @rainewilson.bsky.social · 6d

Question for folks who understand the Anthropic settlement - for the many of us whose books were in the database but not the claimant list because of lack of US copyright - does Anthropic still have to remove our books from their model? Or are they only deleting the claimant books?

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Reposted by James McConnachie

Jeremy Noel-Tod @jntod.bsky.social · 6d

On National Poetry Day, the greatest poem I have ever read

A printed poem which reads:

I hav for breakfast Weetabix

I hav for lunch some meat

I have for tea 2 sosajis and thats enuf to eat

Peter Hazel, 5

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James McConnachie @jamesmcconnachie.bsky.social · 6d

love the razor-sharp metre especially.

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James McConnachie @jamesmcconnachie.bsky.social · 6d

quite

James McConnachie @jamesmcconnachie.bsky.social · 6d

Authors should watch out for the 'default' 50/50 split with the publisher. You do not have to agree to this, but you do have to provide evidence as to why it shouldn't apply to you. (Strangely enough my pre-2020 contract says nothing about a split for AI licensing...)

ALCS @alcs.co.uk · 6d

The settlement website in the Bartz v Anthropic class action is now live: www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com.

It includes comprehensive information about the case and settlement, including a searchable tool to see if your books are included in the settlement and a claim form.

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James McConnachie @jamesmcconnachie.bsky.social · 6d

Glad to see Lone Wolf shortlisted. I reviewed it for the Sunday Times: "If that sounds like the macho adventurism school of travel writing, it is not... [Weymouth] does not romanticise the world, or the wolf — or himself. Among travel and nature writers, that is rare restraint."

The Bookseller @thebookseller.com · 6d

ICYMI: Jason Burke, Helen Garner, Richard Holmes, Justin Marozzi, Adam Weymouth and Frances Wilson have been shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction 2025 👇 #BookSky

'Eunuchs, pirates, horny wolves, terrorists': Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction 2025 shortlist revealed

ebx.sh

Reposted by James McConnachie

The Bookseller @thebookseller.com · 6d

ICYMI: Jason Burke, Helen Garner, Richard Holmes, Justin Marozzi, Adam Weymouth and Frances Wilson have been shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction 2025 👇 #BookSky

'Eunuchs, pirates, horny wolves, terrorists': Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction 2025 shortlist revealed

ebx.sh

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Reposted by James McConnachie

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · 6d

The Anthropic settlement list is up. Authors, check here to see if your books are included: www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com

ANT Homepage | ANT

www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com

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Reposted by James McConnachie

Jonathan Gibbs @jonathangibbs.bsky.social · 7d

Son just walked downstairs and yelled, "Dad have we got any more of those blue Fitzcarraldo books in the house?" 💪

(He'd just finished One Boat by Jonathan Buckley, having previously read Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico.)

And, in case you were worried: Yes, the answer was yes. Oh yes.

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James McConnachie @jamesmcconnachie.bsky.social · 7d

Ulp. And I've just been reading about their murky origins.