Bad Banana

Announcing a new book certification scheme that enables publishers to prove their books are written by humans SamJordison Aug 06, 2025    First, the bad news: We now live in a world where it is necessary to prove that books have been written by humans. We have reached a point where so much generative AI-slop is being foisted on the public that readers are becoming suspicious of what they might be buying. Not least because quite a bit of that slop has been designed to rip-off the genuine article. But now for the better news. There is a solution: A new book certification scheme called Books By People is launching in the UK. Based on careful vetting and testing procedures, it enables publishers to reassure readers that the books they are selling are real. If you want to know a book is genuine, you will soon be able to look for this kite-mark: Before proceeding, I should admit to an interest here. I’m on the advisory board of Books By People 1 Also, I have an axe to grin...

Native Influencer: Author Vanessa Lillie East Sider Vanessa Lillie prepares for the release of her fourth solo thriller, The Bone Thief. Photo by Brittanny Taylor, courtesy of Vanessa Lillie August 1, 2025 Meet Vanessa Lillie on August 18 at Wakefield Books where she’s participating in a thriller panel with fellow authors Jessa Maxwell and Kristin Offiler. For more information and to register, visit WakefieldBooks.com.  By Hugh Minor Th...