Penny U
@pennyu.news
An open mic newsletter for writers and artists in your inbox. Edited by @cadumais.com. Submissions opening soon.
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Reposted by Penny U
Fellow authors, I love you, and I know it feels like we don’t have a choice, but B&N and Am*zon both scheduled sales this week to preempt Independent Bookstore Day, a hugely vital source of income for indie bookstores. Please don’t promote their sales; please promote your local indie this week.
April 23, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Fellow authors, I love you, and I know it feels like we don’t have a choice, but B&N and Am*zon both scheduled sales this week to preempt Independent Bookstore Day, a hugely vital source of income for indie bookstores. Please don’t promote their sales; please promote your local indie this week.
Reposted by Penny U
Tomorrow, a certain online mega-retailer launches a book sale, just days before Indie Bookstore Day on 4/26. This is no coincidence; Bookstore Day is one of the largest revenue drivers for indies.
Indies need our support to thrive & build community spaces for all...mega-retailers do not.
Indies need our support to thrive & build community spaces for all...mega-retailers do not.
April 22, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Tomorrow, a certain online mega-retailer launches a book sale, just days before Indie Bookstore Day on 4/26. This is no coincidence; Bookstore Day is one of the largest revenue drivers for indies.
Indies need our support to thrive & build community spaces for all...mega-retailers do not.
Indies need our support to thrive & build community spaces for all...mega-retailers do not.
Reposted by Penny U
Authors, illustrators, screenwriters, poets etc. Please sign this open letter regarding the recent UK Supreme Court judgement on trans peoples’ rights to legal recognition. 🏳️⚧️ docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
An Open Letter of Solidarity With the Trans Community from UK Writers
NOTE: THIS LETTER WILL BE SENT TO PRESS AND RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC ON TUESDAY - UNTIL THEN, PLEASE ONLY SHARE WITH SMALL GROUPS AND TRUSTED INDIVIDUALS.
The UK Supreme Court ruling of 17th April 2025...
docs.google.com
April 19, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Authors, illustrators, screenwriters, poets etc. Please sign this open letter regarding the recent UK Supreme Court judgement on trans peoples’ rights to legal recognition. 🏳️⚧️ docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Reposted by Penny U
This story is up.
Have at it, if you will.
Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe. Wait, no. Just read the story.
PS: The JFK bits are true.
Have at it, if you will.
Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe. Wait, no. Just read the story.
PS: The JFK bits are true.
A young woman is recruited to be part of Nigeria's first ever space mission, but things go awry when the mission is thrown into chaos.
"Liberation" by @tadethompson.bsky.social is out now!
Art by Jenis Littles
Edited by @jonathanstrahan.bsky.social
reactormag.com/liberation-t...
"Liberation" by @tadethompson.bsky.social is out now!
Art by Jenis Littles
Edited by @jonathanstrahan.bsky.social
reactormag.com/liberation-t...
Liberation - Reactor
A young woman is recruited to be part of Nigeria's first ever space mission, but things go awry when the mission is thrown into chaos.
reactormag.com
April 16, 2025 at 1:36 PM
This story is up.
Have at it, if you will.
Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe. Wait, no. Just read the story.
PS: The JFK bits are true.
Have at it, if you will.
Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe. Wait, no. Just read the story.
PS: The JFK bits are true.
Reposted by Penny U
Hey, did you know there's an alternative to ChatGPT that makes sense economically and doesn't destroy the environment?
It's called English majors and they will happily fix all of your documents for the low price of health insurance and a living wage.
It's called English majors and they will happily fix all of your documents for the low price of health insurance and a living wage.
April 14, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Hey, did you know there's an alternative to ChatGPT that makes sense economically and doesn't destroy the environment?
It's called English majors and they will happily fix all of your documents for the low price of health insurance and a living wage.
It's called English majors and they will happily fix all of your documents for the low price of health insurance and a living wage.
Reposted by Penny U
Did someone important spark your imagination with #GreekMythology? Have you felt like you don't belong or have been in another's shadow? MORE ARGONAUTS might be for you. Ebook and paperback. Also on Amazon. www.lulu.com/shop/nichola...
#booksky #writingcommunity
#booksky #writingcommunity
April 9, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Did someone important spark your imagination with #GreekMythology? Have you felt like you don't belong or have been in another's shadow? MORE ARGONAUTS might be for you. Ebook and paperback. Also on Amazon. www.lulu.com/shop/nichola...
#booksky #writingcommunity
#booksky #writingcommunity
Reposted by Penny U
If you’re a self-published author who doesn’t have the money to pay an artist for a cover, just do a stick figure sketch & use comic sans before touching any AI nonsense. I guarantee you the stick figure cover will draw a hell of a lot more attention & shows you respect yourself as an artist, too.
April 8, 2025 at 9:04 AM
If you’re a self-published author who doesn’t have the money to pay an artist for a cover, just do a stick figure sketch & use comic sans before touching any AI nonsense. I guarantee you the stick figure cover will draw a hell of a lot more attention & shows you respect yourself as an artist, too.
Reposted by Penny U
A brand new publication listed in this week's issue! And Pingu GIFs. Always got space for Pingu. freelancewritingjobs.substack.com/p/freelance-...
Freelance Writing Jobs: Nesta, Dispatch, Historic Newspapers
Announcing the FWJ Bursary shortlist.
freelancewritingjobs.substack.com
April 3, 2025 at 10:43 AM
A brand new publication listed in this week's issue! And Pingu GIFs. Always got space for Pingu. freelancewritingjobs.substack.com/p/freelance-...
Reposted by Penny U
If you haven't done something like this before, I have a couple of tips..
-Sell things at a variety of prices. I did a lot of business selling little drawings on index cards as well as a couple of drawings at a much higher cost.
-Be willing to engage with people if they show the slightest interest.
-Sell things at a variety of prices. I did a lot of business selling little drawings on index cards as well as a couple of drawings at a much higher cost.
-Be willing to engage with people if they show the slightest interest.
March 25, 2025 at 8:42 AM
If you haven't done something like this before, I have a couple of tips..
-Sell things at a variety of prices. I did a lot of business selling little drawings on index cards as well as a couple of drawings at a much higher cost.
-Be willing to engage with people if they show the slightest interest.
-Sell things at a variety of prices. I did a lot of business selling little drawings on index cards as well as a couple of drawings at a much higher cost.
-Be willing to engage with people if they show the slightest interest.
Reposted by Penny U
Thrilled that my work was part of the pirated books database Meta used to train its AI. I'm always happy to help small businesses like Meta make lots of money.
Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI
Millions of books and scientific papers are captured in the collection’s current iteration.
www.theatlantic.com
March 20, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Thrilled that my work was part of the pirated books database Meta used to train its AI. I'm always happy to help small businesses like Meta make lots of money.
Reposted by Penny U
Off the shelf: OKA-LECZENIE by Zenon Fajfer and Katarzyna Bazarnik
Here are some of my thoughts on this unusual book...
➡️ www.popculturemustdie.com/p/aren-t-you...
#booksky #writingcommunity #books #reading #popculture
Here are some of my thoughts on this unusual book...
➡️ www.popculturemustdie.com/p/aren-t-you...
#booksky #writingcommunity #books #reading #popculture
March 13, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Off the shelf: OKA-LECZENIE by Zenon Fajfer and Katarzyna Bazarnik
Here are some of my thoughts on this unusual book...
➡️ www.popculturemustdie.com/p/aren-t-you...
#booksky #writingcommunity #books #reading #popculture
Here are some of my thoughts on this unusual book...
➡️ www.popculturemustdie.com/p/aren-t-you...
#booksky #writingcommunity #books #reading #popculture
Reposted by Penny U
Reposted by Penny U
It's another week and it's time for #Authors and #writers totell us a little about yourself, read up on what others are doing, follow and support each other at all times but especially on #WritersLiftWednesday.
#BookSky 💙📚
#BookSky 💙📚
March 5, 2025 at 6:11 AM
It's another week and it's time for #Authors and #writers totell us a little about yourself, read up on what others are doing, follow and support each other at all times but especially on #WritersLiftWednesday.
#BookSky 💙📚
#BookSky 💙📚
Reposted by Penny U
The question you’ll always get as a foreigner is, “Why are you [in Poland]?” . . . my answer was boring: “I was offered a job, so I came.”
But the boring answer was better than what I was thinking: Don’t you feel like everything’s wrong? Like we went to sleep one night and reality was overwritten.
But the boring answer was better than what I was thinking: Don’t you feel like everything’s wrong? Like we went to sleep one night and reality was overwritten.
The Only True Freedom
is freedom from the heart's desires
www.popculturemustdie.com
February 19, 2025 at 1:19 PM
The question you’ll always get as a foreigner is, “Why are you [in Poland]?” . . . my answer was boring: “I was offered a job, so I came.”
But the boring answer was better than what I was thinking: Don’t you feel like everything’s wrong? Like we went to sleep one night and reality was overwritten.
But the boring answer was better than what I was thinking: Don’t you feel like everything’s wrong? Like we went to sleep one night and reality was overwritten.
Reposted by Penny U
Download your Amazon Kindle books before February 26, 2025.
And strip them of their DRM at your leisure.
Details on why here:
youtu.be/iK1ZZInYRHY?...
And strip them of their DRM at your leisure.
Details on why here:
youtu.be/iK1ZZInYRHY?...
Amazon removes your right to download Kindle books
YouTube video by Jared Henderson
youtu.be
February 19, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Download your Amazon Kindle books before February 26, 2025.
And strip them of their DRM at your leisure.
Details on why here:
youtu.be/iK1ZZInYRHY?...
And strip them of their DRM at your leisure.
Details on why here:
youtu.be/iK1ZZInYRHY?...
Reposted by Penny U
Things are bad now, but would you believe that this is the easy part? 👇
"There’s this small village in Poland. Just a few farms, not unlike many villages throughout the country . . . During the war, trains would pass by with wagons packed with Jews on their way to extermination camps."
"There’s this small village in Poland. Just a few farms, not unlike many villages throughout the country . . . During the war, trains would pass by with wagons packed with Jews on their way to extermination camps."
I Had All and Then Most of You
Some and now none of you
www.popculturemustdie.com
February 12, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Things are bad now, but would you believe that this is the easy part? 👇
"There’s this small village in Poland. Just a few farms, not unlike many villages throughout the country . . . During the war, trains would pass by with wagons packed with Jews on their way to extermination camps."
"There’s this small village in Poland. Just a few farms, not unlike many villages throughout the country . . . During the war, trains would pass by with wagons packed with Jews on their way to extermination camps."
Reposted by Penny U
Just saw a post where someone said that use of em dashes (—) was a giveaway that you're using AI for writing. Uh, no. It could just mean you like to use em dashes.
February 9, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Just saw a post where someone said that use of em dashes (—) was a giveaway that you're using AI for writing. Uh, no. It could just mean you like to use em dashes.
Reposted by Penny U
To American writing colleagues: Who has new books coming out this season? I know it's hard to feel celebratory during a constitutional crisis, but I also know the time, effort and heart that goes into each new book. Please comment with the titles of your new publications so readers can support you.
February 7, 2025 at 8:45 AM
To American writing colleagues: Who has new books coming out this season? I know it's hard to feel celebratory during a constitutional crisis, but I also know the time, effort and heart that goes into each new book. Please comment with the titles of your new publications so readers can support you.
Reposted by Penny U
Failure is part of the process. No one cares about your failures. No one wants to talk about your unsold manuscripts or the drafts that didn't work before they finally did. Your successes will define you. So don't be afraid to fail. Fail, fail, and fail again. It's the only way to find success.
February 5, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Failure is part of the process. No one cares about your failures. No one wants to talk about your unsold manuscripts or the drafts that didn't work before they finally did. Your successes will define you. So don't be afraid to fail. Fail, fail, and fail again. It's the only way to find success.
Reposted by Penny U
My friend's amazing book MORE ARGONAUTS: ANOTHER ARGONAUTICA is now available digitally. You should read it and support a wonderful writer.
#writingcommunity #booksky
#writingcommunity #booksky
MORE ARGONAUTS
A sequel to Jason and the Argonauts? The adventures of Herakles's forgotten offspring? A tale of four Gorgons? A late night struggle between an Author and his Muse? Maybe it's all of the above. EBOOK ...
www.lulu.com
February 4, 2025 at 4:52 PM
My friend's amazing book MORE ARGONAUTS: ANOTHER ARGONAUTICA is now available digitally. You should read it and support a wonderful writer.
#writingcommunity #booksky
#writingcommunity #booksky
Reposted by Penny U
Hey Writers, we're looking to add new features to our Associate Programs, supporting #Authors & #Writers further in 2025.
What do you need or miss as a #Writer, or with #Publishing? We want to ask instead of guess, so please let us know in the comments. Chat more soon!
Marta
OPP
#BookSky #Writing
What do you need or miss as a #Writer, or with #Publishing? We want to ask instead of guess, so please let us know in the comments. Chat more soon!
Marta
OPP
#BookSky #Writing
February 4, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Reposted by Penny U
Authors, please ensure that you include all the details of your book when submitting review requests. A title alone is not sufficient, especially if your book is not listed anywhere.
How can we decide whether to review it without any information?
Help us help you.
How can we decide whether to review it without any information?
Help us help you.
January 31, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Authors, please ensure that you include all the details of your book when submitting review requests. A title alone is not sufficient, especially if your book is not listed anywhere.
How can we decide whether to review it without any information?
Help us help you.
How can we decide whether to review it without any information?
Help us help you.
Reposted by Penny U
F*ck writing rules.
Genuinely.
In my opinion, there are no rules when it comes to writing. It’s your book. No one else is writing it & no one else knows your story better than you. Write it your way❤️.
Genuinely.
In my opinion, there are no rules when it comes to writing. It’s your book. No one else is writing it & no one else knows your story better than you. Write it your way❤️.
January 28, 2025 at 5:58 PM
F*ck writing rules.
Genuinely.
In my opinion, there are no rules when it comes to writing. It’s your book. No one else is writing it & no one else knows your story better than you. Write it your way❤️.
Genuinely.
In my opinion, there are no rules when it comes to writing. It’s your book. No one else is writing it & no one else knows your story better than you. Write it your way❤️.
Reposted by Penny U
i feel like you should be allowed to talk about & promote your book for at least as long as it took you to write it
January 22, 2025 at 3:28 AM
i feel like you should be allowed to talk about & promote your book for at least as long as it took you to write it
Reposted by Penny U
okay this is a CALL FOR ESSAY PITCHES!
I'm looking for freelance writers for Reactor Mag, a long-running SFF website (formerly tor dot com not the publisher). Im the senior editor for book content, focusing on contemporary sci-fi, fantasy, gothic, horror, and genre-defying books.
(details below)
I'm looking for freelance writers for Reactor Mag, a long-running SFF website (formerly tor dot com not the publisher). Im the senior editor for book content, focusing on contemporary sci-fi, fantasy, gothic, horror, and genre-defying books.
(details below)
January 22, 2025 at 4:18 PM
okay this is a CALL FOR ESSAY PITCHES!
I'm looking for freelance writers for Reactor Mag, a long-running SFF website (formerly tor dot com not the publisher). Im the senior editor for book content, focusing on contemporary sci-fi, fantasy, gothic, horror, and genre-defying books.
(details below)
I'm looking for freelance writers for Reactor Mag, a long-running SFF website (formerly tor dot com not the publisher). Im the senior editor for book content, focusing on contemporary sci-fi, fantasy, gothic, horror, and genre-defying books.
(details below)