The Sanity Project

Worldcon and NASFiC hypocrisy 1

This entry was posted in Commentary and tagged China conventions fandom Orlando on by

Recently I got a strong lesson in how hypocritical some people in fandom are. A while back, I said on a certain Discord channel, replying to an ongoing conversation, that everyone should boycott the China Worldcon because of the nation’s horrible human rights record. One person replied that it’s only necessary to keep quiet on sensitive issues while there and you won’t get into trouble. I responded that a Worldcon is about discussing sensitive issues. He wasn’t convinced, but fine, I don’t have to convince everyone.

More recently, I posted to the same channel a link to a File 770 news item reporting that the Orlando, Florida bid for the North American Science Fiction Convention had been withdrawn, leaving only the Winnipeg bid in the running. When a Worldcon is held outside North America, a NASFiC is held the same year for people who don’t want to travel so far.

The same person who said that ignoring China’s monstrous record is fine went on a rant that he would never set foot in a state as evil as Florida.
(more…)

Can freelance writers work in Lakeway, TX?

This entry was posted in Writing Writing as business and tagged business law writing on by

The Institute for Justice has launched a lawsuit against the city of Lakeway, Texas, over its heavy restrictions on home-based businesses. The business at the center of the controversy is a daycare center, but it got me wondering how freelance writers are affected. The city had nineteen criteria to be met, recently reduced to ten. I can’t find a full list, but the hints I’ve seen suggest that writers are OK in principle. Freelance writers don’t normally have customers come to their homes, make lots of noise, or emit clouds of toxic fumes.
(more…)

The state of business licensing for writers

This entry was posted in Writing Writing as business and tagged business law writing on by

Most writers are freelancers. In many places in the United States, you need the government’s permission, in the form of a business license, to be a freelance writer. Convincing the government to let you earn money writing generally requires paying money. This is a direct violation of the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of the press. You aren’t free if you need to pay for permission to earn a living. Don’t count on the courts to agree with you, though.

If you choose to incorporate, that’s a separate issue; this article applies only to sole proprietorships. By definition, incorporation involves registration with a government office.

Zoning can be another concern. In some places, people aren’t allowed to operate a business from their home, even if it has no impact on anything beyond its walls. You can try to stay under the radar, but a neighbor could snitch on you. I don’t cover zoning issues here.

Some states require a license to operate any kind of business, but freelance writing may or may not be considered a “business” for that purpose. To a large extent, governments realize it would be bad publicity to ban people from writing or fine them for lack of permission, but it can happen. I’ve seen people say on freelancer boards that their state required them to get a license.

Corrections and additional information in the comments are welcome.
(more…)

Another reason to buy from independent bookstores

This entry was posted in Commentary and tagged Amazon books bookstores on by

Depending on which reports you read, Amazon handles a quarter to a half of all book sales in the US. It’s convenient and allows one-stop shopping. But when we become heavily dependent on one source, it’s bad for an open market. There’s less of a market share for independent dealers, which makes sellers more dependent on one business’s whims.

Amazon has exercised various whims over the years. In 2009, it removed a significant number of LGBT books from its sales ranking on the grounds that they were “adult” books. (Strange terminology; I didn’t think of Amazon as primarily a kids’ book dealer.) It blamed The Algorithm and reversed its decision under public pressure.

The same year, Amazon pulled its most ham-handed book removal, deleting 1984 from customers’ devices after they had bought it and refunding their money. It served as a reminder that what you “buy” on the Kindle remains under Big Brother’s, I mean Amazon’s, control.
(more…)

Writing German words in English text

This entry was posted in Techniques Writing and tagged German language technology writing on by

English-language articles sometimes need to use foreign words. Most languages require more characters than the 26 letters of the English-language alphabet that ASCII supports. This shouldn’t be hard, since Unicode provides characters for almost every important language in the world. When you sit down to enter foreign words at your computer, though, you run into issues.

I’ll talk here about German text, since it’s the language I know best next to English.
(more…)

What about sensitivity readers? 2

This entry was posted in Commentary Writing Writing as business and tagged sensitivity writing on by

I’ve never had occasion to deal with a sensitivity reader. As I worked on The Magic Battery, I asked for input from Jewish friends on my treatment of Jewish characters, but my concern was whether I’d gotten it right, not whether I was being “sensitive.” They were helpful, but I couldn’t find a single person who lived in the 16th century to give a Reformation period perspective.

A recent Reason article, “Sensitivity Readers Are the New Gatekeepers” (or “Rise of the Sensitivity Reader”) takes a very skeptical view of sensitivity readers. I don’t know if things in the publishing industry are actually as bad as the article represents, but the concept sounds dubious to me. I don’t write to be “sensitive.” I write to address “What if” questions, to tell a good story, and to give the reader something to think about. That sometimes means hurting people’s feelings. If you want something completely safe and bland, read Winnie the Pooh. (Provided you aren’t acrophobic or melissophobic.)
(more…)

Russian SF writer placed on wanted list for speaking the truth

This entry was posted in News and tagged censorship Russia Ukraine on by

Reuters reports that the Russian government has placed Dmitry Glukhovsky, a Russian science fiction writer, on a “wanted” list. His “crime” was contradicting Russian pravda by saying publicly that Russia is engaging in a war against Ukraine. The Reuters article, dated June 7, doesn’t explain why the Russian government wasn’t immediately able to arrest him. I can’t find any information on his status since then.

Here’s an interview with him, dated 03.06.22. I don’t know if that’s March 6 or June 3.

Update: Metro UK says, in an article dated June 9: “Although his exact whereabouts is unknown, Glukhovsky is not currently believed to be in Russia, but if he is caught and arrested then he faces a substantial prison sentence.”