clarkesworld @clarkesworld Twitter profile

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 year

Refreshing our list of other places you can connect with us:

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

Submissions are currently closed. It shouldn't be hard to guess why.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

Just to be clear, this is NOT the number of submissions we receive by month. This is the number of people we've had to ban by month. Prior to late 2022, that was mostly plagiarism. Now it's machine-generated submissions.

clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

Updated version of the graph.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

Debated posting it here, but... This is a problem for short fiction submissions and it's not just going to go away. The link goes into details, but this is a graph of submission bans since 2019. Plagiarism and bot-written spam.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

In an absolutely devastating announcement (right before the holidays) Amazon has informed us that they are ending their Kindle Subscription program in 2023 and trying to get magazines to switch to Kindle Unlimited. Asking for more details, but this is bad.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

@jordanjlloydhq None of the detection tools are reliable enough.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 year

There have been multiple accusations that the cover art used for our recent issue is AI generated. We have removed and replaced the art while we investigate. The artist did sign a contract that included a statement that the work was not generated or assisted.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

5. The people causing the problem are from outside the SF/F community. Largely driven in by "side hustle" experts making claims of easy money with ChatGPT. They are driving this and deserve some of the disdain shown to the AI developers.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 year

It seems that some people are offended by publications saying they don't want "AI" art or fiction, no matter the reasons behind it. Publishers routinely say they don't want things. In addition to "AI", we don't want photos or horror. Those other groups never complain.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

Five days ago, the chart we shared showed nearly 350 of these submissions. Today, it crossed 500. 50 of them just today, before we closed submissions so we can focus on the legit stories. 10% in less than half a day.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

6. Our guidelines already state that we don't want "AI" written or assisted works. They don't care. A checkbox on a form won't stop them. They just lie.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

7. If you want to support the magazine, the best thing to do is subscribe. Anything we do to fight this will cost us in time or money to acquire tools and with us losing Amazon as a subscription retailer later this year, the timing couldn't be worse.

Subscribe to Clarkesworld Magazine

Clarkesworld Magazine - Science Fiction & Fantasy

clarkesworldmagazine.com

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

4 months

So... I apparently won the Locus Award for Best Editor. Stunned. Thank you to all the voters, readers, and everyone I worked with in 2023. Wow!

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

2. We don't have a solution for the problem. We have some ideas for minimizing it, but the problem isn't going away. Detectors are unreliable. Pay-to-submit sacrifices too many legit authors. Print submissions are not viable for us.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

1. We aren't closing the magazine. Closing submissions means that we aren't considering stories from authors at this time. We will reopen, but have not set a date.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

@KrisMacLellan We'll be open again.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 year

If we determine the work was generated, it will be replaced with something more permanent. We stand firmly by our no AI policy and apologize for any distress this situation has caused our community.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 year

After hearing back from the artist, we have decided to go our separate ways. The cover will be replaced with a new piece as soon as possible. (This is not a confirmation or denial. Just the end result.)

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

4. We could easily implement a system that only allowed authors that had previously submitted work to us. That would effectively ban new authors, which is not acceptable. They are an essential part of this ecosystem and our future.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

8 months

One year ago today, we had to close submissions due to "AI" spam. We've long since reopened, but it continues to be a problem for us. Even with the countermeasures we've developed, it is still eating up a significant amount of my time.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

I was definitely on the right track when I first referred to these machine-written submissions as spammy. The whole submission IS spam, not just the attached document. As much as some people would like this to be about quality, it isn't. It's just spam.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

6 months

I just sent out twelve acceptance letters. Six authors are new to the magazine and two of those are first sales. This is one of my favorite parts of the job.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

3. Various third-party tools for identity confirmation are more expensive than magazines can afford and tend to have regional holes. Adopting them would be the same as banning entire countries.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

Updated version of the graph.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 year

I'm tired of waiting for industry organizations to respond to AI issues. Working draft of my own is here:

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

I can say that there are a couple of websites that I have contacted about removing our submissions link from pages on their site. Everyone that has come to us from those sites in the last couple of days is part of this problem.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

It's no longer possible for me to keep up with the responses to this tweet and the others. Want to put a few things out there:

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 year

We're currently experiencing another sharp uptick generated submission spam courtesy of a few "make money online" videos that are specifically targeting us. Laughable, I know, but the people viewing those videos often don't understand that. Nearly 300 in the last week.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

9 months

By the way, we are currently open for submissions. All the publicity was around us having to close, so some people didn't get the word when we reopened last year. If you are hesitating because you don't want to overload us, STOP. Don't let the spammers win.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

Apparently 55 is "too old to be editing one of the leading science fiction magazines" and I should "get out of the way" so someone younger can do it. How's your day going?

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 month

"I want to make a strong protest to you. That is, I hope you die ten years earlier." "it seems like you're bound to go to hell after you die. Haha." "Why haven't you been sent bombs and killed?" Samples from multiple emails titled "kill yourslef." The reason: our no "AI" policy

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

3 years

Spoke to Isabel Fall this morning. Since people have asked, she suggests that those interested in materially supporting her donate money to Trans Lifeline. They've been a valued resource for her.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

If you've tagged us in the last few days and hoped for a response, apologies. I probably haven't seen it. The attention around closing our submissions has been... unexpected and intense. A lot of media attention as well.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

Well... this is interesting.

The Verge

@verge

2 years

The US Copyright Office says you can’t copyright Midjourney AI-generated images

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

6 months

We will not be following their lead.

The Bookseller

@thebookseller

6 months

. @HarperCollinsUK is partnering with audio AI company ElevenLabs to create audiobooks for HarperCollins’s foreign language business 👇

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 year

"AI" companies think that we should have to opt-out of data-scraping bots that take our work to train their products. There isn't even a required no-scraping period between the announcement and when they start. Too late? Tough. Not acceptable. #RequireOptIn

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

We quietly reopened submissions tonight. Already banned someone.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

Seriously? Some of them are emailing me now.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 year

And if today's situation wasn't enough "AI" for you, there's currently a surge in submission spam. Looks like over 50 today and almost exclusively from one country. Ban hammer might break.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 year

They just submit their work were a publisher is looking for that. Oh... And they never try to pretend they are something else either. Something I've never heard: "No, it's not a photo, it's a watercolor. Really."

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 year

Thank you to all the Hugo voters

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

9 months

"AI" developers are not entitled to take what they want and it is not our responsibility to provide them with what they "need." What they want for free, we actually pay artists, authors, translators, narrators, etc. for. They should do the same.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 year

We're not saying that the people using these tools are evil. We're just saying we're not interested in that kind of work.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

Can't sleep and still don't believe this really happened. Thank you Hugo voters!

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

3 years

Thank you @emilyvdw for writing this.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

I've scheduled an appointment to talk with Amazon later this afternoon. Have many questions. Fellow editors of mags on Amazon: feel free to DM/email me. We should be talking.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

Magazine subscriptions are currently guaranteed revenue from each subscriber. KU is not like that. It's not like the subscriptions can be converted either (unless your subscriber is already in KU), so it will effectively cancel thousands of subscriptions.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 year

I've been helping some friends and colleagues block some of the site scraping bots that are feeding "AI" models. Decided to take some of my notes and make something others could use too. It's a work-in-progress. Happy to add to or correct things.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

9 months

I haven't been speaking much about "AI" lately. It's not like the problem has gone away. We're still being hit and have had to adapt to new tactics a couple a few times. I just didn't have the energy to talk about it anymore and needed a break from the public stuff.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

3 years

Our pay rate for fiction is now 12 cents/word. I made the change to the guidelines, forgot to announce it, and then it became a game to see how long it would take for anyone to say something. It finally happened today. :)

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

4 months

The Locus Award for Best Editor has been around since 1989. Prior to last night, only three people have ever won: Gardner Dozois (17), Ellen Datlow (17), and David G. Hartwell (1). Honored to be among them and still very stunned.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

3 years

If there is anyone who would like to apologize to Isabel for their role in these events, please email me. That's the best way to make sure she receives it. My email address is on our website.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

It's hard to even say how much we'd get from a single subscriber. This completely removes our ability to control our price if we want to be in the dominant ebook ecosystem.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 months

It's after 2AM here in Scotland, but I wanted to say thank you to everyone that voted for me in the Hugo Awards. Honored to be this year's Editor Short Form winner. Going to go collapse somewhere now. (I've slept very little this week and it is catching up with me.)

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 year

May's 600th ban was issued today.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

@RayDaleyWriter That model would shut out many legitimate authors that we have never received submissions from before and it would only get worse with time. They are an essentially part of the community and it would be a significant mistake to leave them behind. This is why we don't solicit.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 year

Back from a short vacation. Spent some time swatting at "AI" spam from the beach. Yeah, another spike. Bans are back up to February levels. This says about all I need to: Chart is bans. Not total submissions.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

5 years

Surgery over. No complications. New device functioning. Will be sent home today. 4-6 weeks of recovery ahead.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

4 months

We're still rebuilding subscriptions (since Amazon abandoned them) and pushing back against the generated submissions on a daily basis. We'd like to keep doing so. The path forward requires us to keep shouting from the rooftops, so... Thank you!

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

Just sent out a batch of acceptance letters and contracts. Among them are a high school student and a few first sales. This is one of the joys of my job.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

Short fiction is worth paying for, even if you can get it for free.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

4 years

Someone tried to submit "The Nine Billion Names of God" by Arthur C. Clarke to Clarkesworld. All they changed was the author's name and one word in the title. #plagiarism

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

4 years

Sent out thirteen acceptance letters today and have six more maybes to settle tonight. Of the thirteen, we have nine authors we've never worked with before, eight different countries represented, at least one first sale, and one translation.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

@maxashermiller In addition to being professional suicide (it's VERY frowned on in SF/F), even a small amount creates a barrier for some legitimate authors. We don't want to leave them behind.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

5 years

Wow. Someone just tried to submit the Three-Body Problem to Clarkesworld.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 year

I feel like I've been continually behind this year between "AI" and Amazon breaking subscriptions. Today, it was overdue acceptance day. Twenty-two of them. Nine to authors we've never worked with before.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

4 years

Just putting a thought out there... it might be nice to see some more upbeat or happier/less depressing stories making their way to our slush pile.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

4 years

This is definitely a new record for us. Three cases of plagiarism in slush this morning. Normally, one in a month is a lot. One of the three was a fairly recent Hugo Award finalist by an author I've worked with. Another was a slightly revised section of a Harry Potter book.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 year

Well, that cover letter was certainly different. I don't think I've seen one with a list of "Non-negotiable Terms and Conditions" before.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

It's still here? Whoa.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

6 years

It is my pleasure to announce that Clarkesworld Magazine has received a grant from LTI Korea to publish nine Korean science fiction translations in their 2019 schedule.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 year

Thanks to valiant efforts from our team, we have managed to process all submissions made prior to May 9th. This includes the best part of the job, emailing over 20 acceptances.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

3 months

My Locus Award for Best Editor has arrived. Not an easy thing to take a picture of. Thank you to everyone that voted for me. This means a lot, particularly after everything that happened last year ("AI" and Amazon).

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

Amazon notified subscribers today that they are ending all print and digital subscriptions in September. This is what I was talking about in December. Our current editorial addresses how we're moving forward.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

I have to say that the Spanish language submissions have been a bright spot among all the noise of the last couple of months. Between the "AI" nonsense in the English submissions and the discontinuation of Amazon's subscriptions, it's been rough.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

9 months

My opinion hasn't softened. We continue have no interest in working with authors or artists that embrace "AI" tools. We have no respect for companies like OpenAI that steal from artists and authors. We want opt-in requirements for "AI" training.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

Need to add that one of the strengths of being 55 is knowing not to take things like this to heart, but it's also not the first time I've heard people go after (primarily short fiction) editors in this manner. It's annoying and disrespectful.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

Further information: It sounds like only some magazines are being invited to the KU program after the periodical program ends. Other editors I've spoken with did not receive the same email I did.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 year

This feels a bit familiar.

Alex Masterley

@alexmasterley

1 year

The real threat from AI to writers. #hollywood #WritersStrike

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

3 months

Our first issue was published in October 2006, but this week marks the 18th anniversary of the founding of Clarkesworld. Hardly seems that long ago.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 year

Celebrating 200 issues.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

6 months

I've been monitoring the rebuilding subscriptions post-Amazon for the magazines that have been impacted. Unsurprisingly, it turns out that survival depends on us being more shameless. So... If you like what we do, maybe it's time to subscribe:

Subscribe to Clarkesworld Magazine

Clarkesworld Magazine - Science Fiction & Fantasy

clarkesworldmagazine.com

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

Just putting this out there. If someone decides to create a digital subscription service to fill the void left by Amazon's departure from that space, please reach out to us. Would be happy to support someone providing a reasonable alternative.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

Happy to report our first acceptance from the Spanish language submissions window that opened on the 15th. "La máquina de café" by Celia Corral-Vázquez will be translated and published in Clarkesworld later this year.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 year

There's a myth that most of the people who subscribe to science fiction magazines are writers. It has been frequently refuted, but some people won't let it go. Here's a look at our data:

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

3 years

Someone just tried to pass off a 1950's Frederik Pohl story as one they were submitting on "behalf of a friend."

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

Ever wonder what my inbox is like?

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

9 months

Why do I feel like I'm watching some Saturday morning cartoon villain every time they open their mouths? And where the heck is the hero that is supposed to swoop in and POW! Z-ZWAP! THWACK! them?

Guardian Tech

@guardiantech

9 months

‘Impossible’ to create AI tools like ChatGPT without copyrighted material, OpenAI says

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 year

@Lycaonronnan We're not big on the name and shame thing. If it should be proven, we'll replace the art and have learned a lesson.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 year

Our June 2023 issue is now online at: and features original fiction by Dominica Phetteplace, Carrie Vaughn, Isabel J. Kim, Angela Liu, David Ebenbach, Jana Bianchi, Bella Han, and Rajeev Prasad. Cover art by Pascal Blanché.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

Ok, call completed. Happy to report that I did not shoot the messenger. Received a lot of useful information that will take some time to digest. Also expecting their terms and contract details along with a quote late next week.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 year

We are now blocking another one of OpenAI's scraping bots. You can too. (I don't know if this is the secret one we couldn't block before or if that one is still in use.)

GPTBot: OpenAI releases new web crawler

You can now prevent OpenAI's ChatGPT from accessing your website, or parts of it, using robots.txt.

searchengineland.com

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

11 months

Finally testing COVID-free. Fatigue still hits at unpredictable times, but I've been lucky not to be hit by the respiratory issues, particular with my medical history. Mountain of work to catch up on, but will be pacing myself.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

6 months

Currently on my way to Norwescon. Spending a chunk of the flight reading slush and banning people who are still trying to send us "AI" spam as their own work.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

6 years

Lately I've been concerned that one of the legacies of online magazines (like mine) will be the devaluation of short fiction. It may be available for free, but it doesn't mean it isn't without cost or value. Authors, editors, and staff of these publications deserve to be paid.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

3 months

We're 344 subscribers away from where we were before Amazon pulled the rug out from under their traditional subscription program. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but still much work to do.

Subscribe to Clarkesworld Magazine

Clarkesworld Magazine - Science Fiction & Fantasy

clarkesworldmagazine.com

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

3 months

I didn't plan on making these daily updates, but we crossed into the 200s over the holiday and that seems like a reason to celebrate. Only 286 subscriptions remain before we've erased all the losses caused by Amazon!

clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

3 months

We appreciate the support we're getting here. Today, it's down to 326.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

On my way to the airport with Hugo Award in tow. Left early to deal with the inevitable delay this will cause at security. Wish me luck!

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

1 year

@behm_steinberg Sigh.

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@clarkesworld

1 year

As a result, I've dialed up some the security flagging in our submission system to help with identification. If you are using a proxy or VPN, you may end up with a slower response time as the system will be more inclined to mark it as suspicious. That just changes its priority.

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clarkesworld

@clarkesworld

2 years

I was told it was ok to share, so I will. KU for Magazines is different than KU for books. It will not prevent us from publishing/selling our magazine elsewhere. It is not paid per-paid, but based on an annual projection based on "qualified borrows."

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