The sad thing about AI is that it was supposed to be an "assistant tool" yet it took no time at all for people to use it to try to completely replace the hard work that creative put into the work they do, which is why they get compensated for it. I truly feel bad for if we get to a point where no one can tell if something was written in an AI program and people start lying about that too
As a Native Hawaiian, I felt that quote "First they wanted to exterminate all of us, now they want to literally be us. When everyone is an Indian, nobody is an Indian."
When I was depressed and broke for the year after my sibling died, all I had was Libby. All I did was read. So whenever people say your not supporting the author sufficiently, that's just ridiculous, libraries buy the books.
Authors would also want people to access libraries as opposed to downloading their books illegally. I think more authors should express that on their socials that libraries/libby is an option.
@carly1628 libraries while a great resource are accessible to everyone. Whether it's a small town with limited books or long waitlists for a single copy of a book. Libraries just aren't created equally. Now let's add in people overseas with limit access to books outside of their native language due to a book not being translated yet and stores/libraries not stocking English books. There's a plethora of reasons why people pirate a book. Reading is a privilege. Having access to multiple sources of books is a privilege.
@@de5072 I'm broke, like only can afford the roof over my head because my parents pay for it. I still don't pirate a book, driving is a privilege as well and people still don't steal cars, and if they do are prosecuted. If you can't afford the privilege you can wait until you can, authors even thoe making millions deserve to be paid for their hard work. Because I doubt you would work for free.
Fr like why shoud i care to read a book nobody cared to write? Ai slop has no thought behind it, curtains not just "just" blue, they're only blue because it's"most statistically probable outcome". People who advocate for ai "art" really don't understand how ai works or how art works.
This is what I do. If they are not an author I’m familiar with, I will try to borrow the book from the library. If I like the book enough to want to reread, I will buy it and then buy other books from the author.
also re: the terrible take about libraries at the end for anyone who doesn't know, in canada (and the uk and i'm sure other countries as well), authors DO get paid for their books being in the library via a public lending right program. so melanie is wrong on multiple levels LOL
I too am old enough to remember explicit content labels on CDs. I'm also old enough to remember that reading a book that is WAAAAAAAAY inappropriate for your age level is a practically a bookworm right of passage.
@@sarahgamireads I had free reign when I was young but I mostly read appropriate content because that’s what interested me. I think parents should pay attention to what their kids read but I don’t want more restrictions to books.
@@Yosoybean I don't disagree, but I think it's a little more easier said than done; most parents aren't going to read every single book their kid does. Ideally a parent would be willing to at least read a synopsis of the book and be available to discuss it with their kid. I also think "appropriate content" gets a little difficult to pinpoint. Most of the "inappropriate" stuff I read as a kid/teen was stuff I picked up as my interests were expanding and my reading level was increasing - I wanted to read about new topics in a way that challenged me, but often that meant adult novels that my 12-year-old brain wasn't going to fully comprehend no matter how smart I thought I was. I do wish I'd felt comfortable talking to my parents about what I was reading, but ultimately I don't think it harmed me to read about adult situations. (I also still read a lot of age-appropriate books as well, so it's not like I was suddenly jumping from middle grade fantasy to Game of Thrones.) Part of growing up is figuring out how to navigate uncomfortable situations by yourself, and I think reading age-level inappropriate books is a step in that direction.
There's a youtuber recapping the Flowers in the Attic series. The comments is everyone realizing how young we were when we first read it lol. Thay series is so not meant for 10-14 year old and yet we all found it.
Ugh the kindle thing. The kindle kickstarted my obsession for looking for an ereader. I was addicted to finding a non kindle which did audiobooks and ereading (if they took library from the kindle in Canada they will in America) and I was on the boox Palma, the kobo, but I didn’t want to waste money. Y’all…. I own an iPad Mini 6 🤦🏻♀️ I turned down the saturation deleted the social media and use it for ambience and books and my Pinterest hoe needs. And the saturation down and grey scale really gave it the ereader experience with my paper like case and the battery last awhile that way. Now I’m getting a fun skin and some stickers. There is my consumerism, not a whole new device. The holiday season is upon us, don’t fall for the stuff traps. You don’t need new things, you WANT new things.
When you strip it down to the essentials, basically all that happened in that scenario is that this person bought a book and didn't like it, then wrote a whole screed about how the entire industry should change 😂
@@wavy6617 no. I think the real core is that audible reviews don’t show true book reviews. Only reviews of audio quality. So if you’re using their interface, you will see star ratings and very little true reviews and buy a book not knowing. When you browse for ebooks online, you can see the Amazon reviews which are more in-depth. I have found that frustrating as well. It’s fricative and reduces ease of use and Amazon should fix it for that reason alone.
I get it. if you're white you feel very vanilla but maybe research your roots rather than making up a history you don't have. I used to know a white girl who claimed she had African roots in her family, when I asked her how she literally said "My uncle married a black woman and they had children together," I told her that that does not mean she is part black at all but she stuck to her guns that she had African blood. She then took Spanish classed in HS then developed an accent. Went to Spain for a missionary thing and came back saying her name would now be pronounced in Spanish. She married a Mexican american so she could have a Spanish last name. So, yeah. There ya go. haha
Went through a weeb phase so my protagonists were initially East Asian (also because back then I thought that I was doing good by having more Asian characters). Now, I focus on things that I know intimately (being queer and AuADHD) for my protagonists.
@@animeotaku307 I understand. I am also Audhd, in my past I did a lot of masking (taking on the energy of those around me). I was recently diagnosed with audhd so even though I felt like an alien I didn't know why I felt different from others when I was younger. I'm in my late 40s with zero interest in impressing others at this point. I've always been an introvert, the diagnoses makes much more sense given all I went through back then.
@@Beafree1975 That’s wild! My aunt married a black man and my cousins are mixed, but I cannot even fathom the idea of claiming blackness in any sense! Sometimes when I’m feeling insecure about being a “white-passing” native I remember ppl like this exist lmao
Tea is piping today! I don’t want to be too spicy but a Native American relative from the 1800s and using that as a basis to write from a Native American perspective makes me a little uncomfortable even if she was right about it…
Right. I have proven Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry through DNA and paperwork. If I wrote a book with a Jewish main character, it would not be own voices, it's not my culture, it's not the culture of any relatives I ever met.
People calling for censorship to 'protect the kids,' when the kids can't read anyway, with the literacy rate so low these days...🤔😭 Priorities people! Come on!
I think you must have a majorly american audience, seeing the reaction in the comments to the ratings. As a European person - and remember that europe is way more lax about children seeing "sexual" content - i don't know how ratings are in any way censorship?? Manga over here frequently has age ratings on the back of the book. It's just so you know whether the content in it is for you or not, if you have children whether the book is suited for them or not. How is that censorship?? And yes you can always research books but when I'm browsing books in a bookstore or library i don't want to be on my phone the entire time!!! If the synopsis sounds interesting I want to be able to take it home without making extensive research and possibly spoiling myself - which i even do bc i am picky with what i read, but i don't think it should be a requirement.... This is about correct marketing and it's already such a huge issue with all the trauma romance books having silly romcom covers. I don't get why people have an issue with this?
I agree. like i don't want to tell people how to spend their money, but THINK FIRST - the demand to mine for cobalt affects those living in the CONGO, and most don't even get to benefit from the cobalt that is being mined
threads is cuckoo bananas. people on there are arguing that any sex in books is bad because the characters can't consent. because they don't exist. honestly I've had saner interactions on twitter than on threads.
As a self-published author, I, personally, have never had an issue with someone getting my books for free if they want to read them and can't access them for whatever reason. However, if I found one of my novels that took me years to write was stolen and made worse by AI for the profit of some prick, I would lose my shit over that! It's not even about the money for me (obviously...I have always been open to giving my books away with no strings attached and I have had some of the best interactions with people that way...). It's the point of it. This is the one case where the "authors put a lot of work into their books even if they suck" argument often used to cry about ratings actually does apply. Even if I don't like the way a person writes, real life work goes into that and stealing it through AI for profit is the same as stealing time a person cannot get back. It's pure bullshit. And I hate it. Speaking of hating things.... The author whining about library lending? Yeah, that's a ridiculous take! Tell me you have never been a poor bookworm without telling me. Libraries of any kind, like public schools, are absolutely crucial to poor people having access to knowledge and books and we desperately need them. I could not imagine being flexible enough to get my head so far up my ass as an author that I would ever say a word against people reading my books through any sort of lending, be it a physical library, Kindle Unlimited lending, Libby, etc. I think this makes me as mad as the AI book thief.... Well, Jess, thank you for raising my blood pressure to a dangerous level (I came to this video straight from the Jake Tapper/JD Vance "interview" so it was teetering on the edge anyway....😂). It was worth it to see your beautiful face (girl, I don't know what you are doing to your skin but it looks flawless and I am jealous... lmao). Much love to you! 💜
I don't see what the big deal would be for books to have a rating system like comic books do. Comics have a little rating by the bar code that lets people know the appropriate age to read them. E - everyone (similar to children's lit) T - 12+ (similar to middle grade) T+ = 15+ (similar to young adult) M - mature 18+ (similar to new adult/adult/erotica depending on the content) I think it could be useful since what is and isn't classified as YA is an ongoing debate. YA used to mean the main target was teenagers in the 13-18 year old crowd. Now YA is including more mature books that should really be classified as new adult, adult, general fiction, romantasy, or erotica. Most books don't have triggering warnings. Some books aren't popular enough to have reviews that list the trigger warnings. Not every parent is in the bookish community or knows how to properly check what books are appropriate for their kids. If a parent isn't a reader how are they going to know the YA book debate when that exist in a niche part of the internet? How are they supposed to tell if something that's marketed as YA is meant for teens or adults when they're all in the same section and YA back in the day used to mean it was safe for teens. Not every teenager knows the full context of the books they're wanting to read, they just know it's popular online and seems cool by what people are vaguely saying about it. Having a rating system on books, and a poster or two in book shops explaining the rating, would clear up so many issues. I don't think that should be classified as censorship tbh.
Based on my own family, I would say even if you have heritage, it isn't your story to tell, especially if the majority of your ancestors are the colonizers of your other ancestors. My great grandfather was from India - he moved to the UK and married a British woman. As a teenager I was penpals with one of my "cousins" (our great-grandparents were cousins, but we don't count the removals) in India and I spent 3 weeks there for her wedding. I would not be comfortable writing a book from an Indian perspective. It is part of my heritage, yes, but it is not my culture. The things I know are ultimately superficial, or things I have heard / witnessed happen to others. It's not my place to tell those stories.
Colby's book was getting bad reviews before this came out. I didn't see an influx of review bombing but I saw people who read the book calling out the abusive nature of the fmc who apparently threw something at the mmc so hard he bled.
Ratings aren’t necessary but we already have terminology like “open door” and “on page” to describe if sex scenes are in the book, and Amazon has erotica categories as well. I don’t think we’re in that “blindfolded” era anymore where Walmart wouldn’t sell explicit cds, and content warnings and age descriptors are fine and a good idea, not for censorship but so people can pick what they want to read and be informed. I’m not into smut, not because I’m a “prude” but bc sex scenes cringe me out, but usually I can tell by the synopsis and genre of the book is gonna be like that
I have indigenous heritage because I’m mixed Puerto Rican (aka ive got Caucasian, African and Indigenous ancestors) and a dna test proves this. But that’s the thing my DNA does NOT make me an indigenous person. I just have indigenous heritage. Just like me having black ancestors doesn’t make me black. I didn’t grow up in a strictly Taino Puerto Rican culture (there’s a blend within the larger culture but my family is not involved specifically), and so point blank I cannot claim to be a part of any indigenous groups. I would NEVER think that gave me enough credibility to write books focused on indigenous characters, or use it to promote my writing and get book deals. It’s disgusting. Even if she did actually have indigenous ancestry it would still be gross and predatory. Honestly sickening.
Thisss!!! My ancestry from my mom's side is predominantly indigenous Mexican. Like well over 1/3 of my total ancestry... but I'm not native. I didn't grow up with the indigenous culture. I grew up with the Mexican culture but not the indigenous culture. I don't even know which tribe my family is even from. I can assume based on where my family is from but I dont know for sure and it would be disingenuous to claim that culture/identity
Commented something very similar. Being indigenous is not just have some indigenous blood, is very much related to the way of living and the belonging to an indigenous tribe. This is why these kinds of organizations that search ancestry are so thorough, their job is to protect and continue their culture. So its very dumb that this woman made this her whole personality, but she wasnt associated with the official organizations. You cannot claim to be indigenous and just not participate in the culture.
Eeeeh I’m native and disagree agree with the take that people who aren’t shouldn’t include indigenous characters in their stories. Telling people to only write characters of their own race is counterproductive, inclusivity is a good thing, I literally want there to be more well-written native characters. What’s important is avoiding perpetuating stereotypes by learning as best you can about any cultures you’re trying to include, and having the material reviewed for mistakes by knowledgeable people.
@ oh for sure! I’m sorry didn’t mean to come off like i was saying people should only write their own race. I definitely don’t believe in that! For me it was odd for her to immediately write books completely centered around indigenous characters BECAUSE she thought she was indigenous I guess? I don’t know if I’m explaining myself right. I think it’s just how obsessed she was on her alleged indigenous ancestry that she wanted to write books focused on indigenous characters and get a huge book deal for that because it’s supposed to be own voices, when she doesn’t have the actual experience to make it own voices? If that makes sense.
@@incuriousgaze All good, I get what you mean 👍🏼 I’ve met many people who get overenthusiastic about having some distant native ancestry, or even people who get obsessed with native stuff without making that claim (what are hippies if not weebs weird older brother, right? lol). I do agree it’s kind of awkward and cringe, I just don’t think it’s like.. nefarious? Like the severity of people’s reaction to it is often disproportionate to the action itself. Imo there’s no harm in someone taking interest in the culture of a distant relative and feeling inspired to write stories related to that, as long as it’s done with proper consideration for the culture/people portrayed. On paper it’s no different than the way writers always pick their topics (find something interesting, get way too obsessed with it, funnel it into a book.) Idk maybe I’m just gullible, but I feel like I see how they get there and I’m not mad at them for seeking a connection with something they’re inspired by. I know “intent doesn’t matter” is a popular saying, but it’s dumb, because intent is context, and context matters. At least in my eyes it’s the stark difference between a person innocent of real wrongdoing and a person guilty of knowingly attempting exploitation. Tbf I don’t know anything about the author other than the info presented in the video, so that’s all I’m going on. It wasn’t specified whether or not the book deal was specifically about being ‘own voices’, or whether she’s personally been involved in the cultures she’s trying to write about (I don’t know enough about the author to police her identity anyway), but I can say on average native people are pretty friendly with people who want to engage respectfully, meaning it’s not unrealistic for a non-native person to learn enough to be able to write native characters well. So I don’t think the author’s lineage really matters, it’s just a red herring or backwards priorities, the quality/accuracy/content of the writing is what matters. It would be far more beneficial if the online discourse instead focused on questions like “Were these well written native characters? Was it accurate or stereotypical? Was it respectful or kinda racist?”… but getting people angry about something surface level is very easy, while getting people to engage in critical analysis of complex and nuanced subjects in media is hard, so I understand hoping for that change in popular discourse is probably not realistic.
I'm a little to no spice kind of girl and I personally think that books do not need ratings on them. All of this is subjective and if a person really wants to know if there is spice or smut in a book there are content warning databases and guides on the internet! Also, many reviewers put content warning and spice ratings on reviews.
Fun fact: There was a chunk of time when hardcover books used to list the recommended reading ages for YA books. (I can’t say whether or not they were on paperbacks bc I do not have any examples.)
i dont see how books being rated is censorship? People saying this is also people who think books should have trigger warnings. What is the difference?
Ratings are generally done through some sort of ratings board, so the concern about censorship is about who would decide what to rate the books and how they would make such decisions. For example, a bad faith member of the board could decide that all LGBT content is adults only, which could mean censorship for a lot of children's and YA books. Theoretically, if authors did their own ratings, the issue then wouldn't be censorship, but inconsistent standards about what a certain rating means. Edit to add: Ratings could also lead to confusion about who a book is for. There are plenty of adult books that could get like a PG-13 rating, but a teen is not an intended audience member for that book and probably isn't gonna get the same enjoyment out of it that an adult would.
To echo the other kind responder, I’d also suggest looking into the history of ratings in general in the US starting with the film and TV industry in the 30s. Ratings have always* been used as a tool of censorship. I am also against mandatory trigger warnings because of this same slippery slope (however I love that authors who wish to use them as a form of compassion to their readers can do so!). The way ratings have historically been used as a means to censor and stifle storytelling from disenfranchised community groups, especially queer people and women is a fascinating and saddening reality. I really strongly believe that as readers it’s our duty to honor this art form by approaching it as the medium where theoretically “anything goes” because of the long form nature and commitment of written work. I hope we can continue to lean on community, and our own personal research to find the books that align with us rather than set the stage for the creation for some industrial authority that will tell us which books are for which “type of person” in the form of a universal rating structure :))
@@skellingtonMCRI appreciate your explanation a lot, it helped me alter my opinion about ratings on books 💐 It's unfortunate that as much as we would like more clarity for the kind of book we're going in to, the people who actually sit and issue out age ratings will likely be heavily biased against themes that they do not agree with and create unfair advantages for some writers while suppressing others. For my own home library I simply make my own small cute stickers to place on my books just in case my cousin's or friends kids come around and I know what books to keep away from them because they are too young or I just don't feel comfortable introducing them to things they may not be ready for.
I just bought two kindles as gifts for two people in my life that can’t afford one and have wanted one for ages- but I bought them second hand and they’re both from 2016! The old ones work just fine. I was using one from 2016 until I spilled oat milk all over it and broke it lol. Then I bought a newer one as a treat for myself, but really kindles do have decent longevity. I also sent a friend in Macedonia a kindle that still had the physical buttons on the side that I picked up for £20! That works perfectly, though you have to manually upload books so it’s not ideal, but it still *works*
Also, opposite point, I bought one maybe two years ago and I have to restart it every time I use it because it freezes constantly. So another vote for buying refurbished
Also, opposite point, I bought one maybe two years ago and I have to restart it every time I use it because it freezes constantly. So another vote for buying refurbished
I had a nook color for like 12 years and only bought a new nook this year because the tablet screen with the glare wasn’t cutting it for me anymore, so it’s just wild to me that people will buy new versions of things they already own every year
Books already have ratings, kind of? They don't put adult novels in the children's, teens' _or_ young adult sections of your library or boookshop. Whatever happened to reading the blurb before reading/listening?
That can depend on who does the shelving. My local bookshop still puts ACOTAR in the teen/YA section despite the series now being considered adult romantasy, because it started off as "New Adult" and no one could decide what that meant. And blurbs aren't always helpful, and can be downright misleading, depending on the author/publishing house. (This Ends with Us famously didn't have any indication of domestic violence in the blurb, at least the first editions, because Hoover considered that the "twist" of the book and didn't want to warn readers beforehand) That being said, I am wary of a ratings system like that of movies and TV shows, because it's often weaponised to uphold puritanical standards. For example, violence is fine (so long as it isn't too bloody) but heaven forbid we catch a glimpse of a female nipple or a queer person. Think of the poor traumatised children who have to see that! /s (Personally, I supplement my blurbs/reviews with resources like Does the Dog Die and TVtropes because they will usually include the bigger triggers and shocks, but that isn't feasible for every work)
@@doobat708 usually, and I personally think that is enough. But as others have said it depends on how the individual bookseller interprets the books. In my local bookstore english ya is placed next to the adult books, but ya in my native language used to be in the kids section until recently (we didn’t really have a ya section). So it happened that authors who had done ya before but moved over to adult books where still placed in the kids section when translated.
Anyways I side eyed from the jump because she presented herself as if she were biracial and presented herself as if she were registered. Then when you actually spoke to her it was some 3 gen removed grandparent she was claiming and she never talked about the ways in which she and her family were in community with indigenous people. I find it extra weird now how she seemed to befriend a lot of biracial authors too to complain about the so called hardships she was facing in the publishing industry.
if books started having age ratings it would have a huge impact on queer books. red white and royal blue was a rated r movie imo just because it was queer and the same would happen to books
I follow alot of people on Goodreads who give thorough reviews. Many of them rate a book's spice level if thats something that is important to you its not hard to figure it out.
If we can have ratings on movies i dont see the problem of them being on books. Would be so helpful when shopping to be able to quickly see if something has adult content and you can make an informed decision if you still want to read it. Movies have it and theres no issues there.
So growing up I was always told we were Cherokee on my fathers side. They like celebrated it at family reunions. This always felt strange and uncomfortable to me, so when I grew up I took a DNA test and did an extensive family tree and research. The DNA test didn't test specifically for Native American but my 2nd cousin on that side did have results that would be considered possibly native on his DNA test. My test showed no sign of it though. I know different family members can have different DNA even from what I understand brothers and sisters and parents can be different. But in my research the only connection I found was a great great uncle who kept claiming his mother was native and kept trying to join the tribe (In Tennessee, I don't think there are as many native people now there, but back then there still was) It's very vague if he was ever accepted, while I thought he did look like he could be part native and I can't find any record of his mother, looks often don't prove anything and honestly I don't think its correct or right of me to judge him or other native people based on looks alone, because again there is so much variety in everyone's looks, my grandfather on my mom's side everyone thought was japanese because of how he looked, but no half Irish half Scottish. Anyways, I kind of am of the opinion that these stories I heard growing up were just "family lore" that someone passed on and my family thought it made them interesting or something. I would NEVER before looking into this matter very deeply just claim to be native, make it a major part of my identity or use it as a selling point for my books. This just seems so messed up to me. This person was making 250,000 probably because she was considered a "unique" voice (and I'm sure her book was good too, no hate) but meanwhile native women and children go missing, native peoples and marginalized people have to really struggle often just to exist and have to fight for opportunities like this. Side note, I did find out I have blood relatives who were African from England, and I discovered I was actually part nordic too. You are right, this is gross to use a marginalized persons identity as cosplay to sell your book. I really hope it was an honest mistake on this persons part, but it feels very calculated, and people need to have responsibility when they claim things like this. Like you should probably be sure before you claim to be marginalized. (just like you said, I'm just saying it again because it grossed me out so much.)
Tbh, book ratings would help me a lot. Cause i would rather not accidentally bring an overly sexual book to work. My coworkers can sometimes be a bit nosy. Rated R content is way different from T content. I really dont see the big deal unless they were made to release a clean version. I'm not on booktube that often, and I dont look up authors bc I just dont care to. Plus, i feel like booktube or booktok talks about the same books. I grab books based on the cover, title, synopsis, and the first sentence. I love reading, but my world doesn't revolve around it. On average, I read about 15 minutes a day if im lucky for 40 minutes. I usually only have around 10 minutes to pick out books from my library before they close because of work and events on the weekend. I dont have time to look those things up, and I don't like spoilers unless i know i will never pick the book up.
I went through the “buy every book I want to read” phase and I came to hate it. My policy now is I have to love the book enough that I can pick up again and re-read. My library is small but I love every book I have.
Disagree on book ratings. I don't think they should have ratings like CDs, but there should be a list of themes provided on the first page. Thankfully more people are adding trigger warnings, so at least that's something. You should be able to go into a book store and read the back cover and buy the book if that back cover synopsis appeals to you, without having to then whip out your phone and scroll reviews for 10 mins per book to see if it contains explicit sexual content if that's something you aren't into. I haven't seen many books with content warnings inside them. Not all people wanting some sort of way to look at a book and know if it contains smut are parents concerned about their children: many adult women aren't comfortable with it and shouldn't be tricked into buying said book. I personally cannot read books with Christian themes due to religious trauma. I found a book that had zero indication of being basically propaganda. I even went to good reads and read some non spoiler reviews first and the handful I read never indicated Christian themes. I DNFd that book after the 2nd chapter. If you're spending money on a desk fan, you're gonna get a bunch of into about that fan on the box so you know what you're getting into. You'll know if it's battery, plug, or USB operated. You'll know the color and the size and how many blades. That way you can make an informed purchase. Shouldn't be different with books.
I think most of us have been jumpscared with books. The random quotes from other authors, rather than a blurb, doesn't help. I have actively tried to look for info on a book and found nothing. Parental guidance site only talked about the violence. Everything else focused on the show. I check it out from the library and suprise, there's smut! Another fun one managed to make it in my middle school library. Looked like a fairy tale retelling, had that classic art style on the front, no indication of being anything but harmless... it was explicit in the worst, and most creative, possible way. The religious warnings would be nice. I am Christian myself, but some of the writing.... yikes. I'd consider some of the Christian books more traumatizing than anything else I've read, and I went down a criminal psych rabbit hole. That genre has a tendency to glorify some pretty horrific things. I try to avoid Christian fiction now. I've tried to reread some and ended up upset and in tears. I'd be ticked if someone tried to trick me with it. Many of my mangas have a discrete little age rating on a back page. You can ignore it or know what you're signing up for. It's set up like the video game or movie warnings are. There's a letter and brief explanation. I'd be in favor of something similar.
@@jeccalou9894 Have you tried Storygraph? Readers add trigger warnings that pop up below the listed book and it’s pretty extensive. It even lists them by minor detailed/mentions to graphic.
@@jeccalou9894 I completely agree. I don't think there's anything wrong with giving readers an idea of what to expect. I get major second-hand embarrassment when reading certain kinds of romance, and I think it would be nice to not waste my time and money on a book I would easily know I'm not going to like if there was just a content "warning" or something. And sure, there's storygraph with their content warnings, but I read to get away from my phone. It's kind of annoying to have to pull out my phone and open the app every single time I see a book I could potentially be interested in when putting a little logo on the back of the book is so straight forward. We survived CDs, movies, and video games with content warnings, I'm sure we can with books as well. I really don't see how that is in any way censorship.
I also dont mind books having ratings somewhere. I think people were just as apprehensive to TW on books and i think theres no harm in helping a reader be more informed on what theyre reading.
I agree. There’s already a rating on manga/comics etc. it doesn’t stop ppl from reading them even underage with the rating and it just informs the reader what to expect. I personally, especially because YA is sometimes smuttier than some adult books, would like a rating. It used to be easy to just assume there’d be kid-inappropriate content in books in the adult section and kid appropriate content in the kid/middlegrade section. Now YA is such a crossover it’s hard to tell and some of the content is abusive partners having smutty sex. I don’t think it’s censorship to inform readers. Censorship is refusing to have those books on the shelves. If TW are acceptable I don’t get why ratings aren’t and they could follow the comic system, which cuts up the ratings pretty nicely. I don’t think it has to go into how many times did they bone or whether or not we see 🍆. 😆
@@writerbyday I would appreciate it for the violence and weird behavior and to avoid darker romance. Not every author does TW. And your right smut is working it's way through a lot more stories regardless of demographic
Isn’t there already a type of rating? It’s called grade levels/age, i.e., middle grade, YA, Adult. Like what? And also there are plenty of review spaces where you can find the spice level of books. Take a second, search the book in good reads or story graph to see how spicy the book is! Argh!
How about just going “oopsie” when you get a book you don’t like and make better choices? Like people have been doing since pictographs were the hotness.
Thank you for keeping up abreast! This kept me company while I worked on GOTV letters. I wrote about public libraries and how I stand with those who support the freedom to read and can trust parents to pay attention to our kids.
we already hate when they slap a sticker on books, now you want a ratings sticker on books right there on the front for all to see? pass. for what it's worth, I think a consensus "ratings" thing of sorts could be achieved, we already kind of do something like that when classifying books as children's, YA or a dult, but because there is no consensus some books get miscategorized. however, I wouldn't want the government deciding what qualifies in each rating. I could get behind community consensus. Just no one wants to take on that challenge and I don't blame them.
It would be nice if the publishers managed it themselves. Even if they all have their own systems, you could at least look up theirs. I have a few mangas with age/content ratings, and it's just printed inside a back page. Very discrete, but accessible. You can find it if you want to, ignore it if you don't.
On the issue of library lending counting anything with publishers and agents, I agree with the poster you quoted. A library copy may be lent 100x but it will be looked at as ONE sale by a prospective agent/publisher. It IS better from the author PoV for people to buy individual copies rather than sharing library books.
Also on top of the native appropriation, some early readers of If I stopped Haunting You have also brought up that the main character is abusive to the love interest of the book (she throws a book at his face, physically assaulting him and causing a scar, gaslights him into taking the blame for her career failing, and is manipulative and controlling towards him)
Only books I’ve ever saw ratings on were manga and I was 12/13 at the time. And when a lot of people don’t realize is that Amazon does make you rate your book because I published through Amazon KP and all of my books are rated for 18+
On the topic of ratings and censorship (especially for younger readers) - it makes me feel like adult readers are not taking responsibility for their decisions or parental duties. Reading is subjective and the reaction to content is individual... you can't police that.
I saw that comment by the author who returned the audible books as well. I thought the weirdest part was when in her own comment she admitted ratings are subjective and not universally accurate anyway. She complained that she needed a warning for the audiobooks she bought (even though you can literally find multiple places online that rate books or give warnings for explicit sex scenes or other topics), but then she goes on to complain about how the rating Enola Holmes was not accurate or rather did not meet her personal definition of PG13 or whatever. I don't get why the people who need their books to be "smut-free" also lack the ability to research books before they buy. I feel like they would ignore ratings and continue to complain even if they got them.
Instead of calling it AI art I call it AI regurgitated images, a mouthful, I know, but it gets my point across. And if anyone ever tries to defend that slop or say they are an 'artist' I tell them "you don't make AI art, you order it. Like food" (stolen from someone on the internet). Also did you hear about that school board in Texas (because of course it would be Texas) that tried to reclassify an Indigenous history book as fiction? The book in question is Colonization and the Wampanoag Story. But Jess, I was planning on doing a group trip to Bali next year... but an Ireland book trip sounds so delightful, why would you do this to me personally (please forgive my over dramatic self☺)
I’m not sure I really understand what the issue is with putting ratings on books, or how it would be censorship. We do it for tv shows, movies, games, and comics without any issues. I also think people should do their research as well though. I’m not going to watch every 18 movie just because I am old enough. I still need to have some idea what the movie is about.
- For me, I like it when books have warnings and things. I have certain things that trigger me pretty badly, like medical scenes, and having the heads up is nice. - The kid finding inappropriate books was me- in my middle school class library. I don’t know why my teacher kept Stephen King books on those shelves, but my Goosebumps-loving self was not ready 😅 - Warnings should be given as a choice to an author, not mandated. As an aspiring writer, I think I’d prefer to have the option to tell people exactly what I believe might be an issue, versus letting Goodreads or an angry reviewer control the narrative entirely. In the end, I guess I’m about letting /everyone/ make informed choices, and helping authors reach their preferred audiences and vice versa without taking away that choice. Also, fanfiction websites like Archive of Our Own seem like a good template. It standardizes ratings and warnings, allowing writers to be as specific or ambiguous as they want, and readers to find what they want to read faster.
The only time I brought a book to the attention of someone is when one of the libraries I use has A Court of Silver Flames in the Children’s section (not young adult) I suggested they might want to move it. I was lectured about censorship and I said ok, all good. 😂
Ratings will work about as well as a Goodreads rating... not at all as book taste is subjective. I am a parent and my kiddo is at the age where middle-grade books hold her interest less, but YA books have the ridiculous age range of 12-17. Clearly, much content appropriate for a 17-year-old is not appropriate for a 12-year-old. I use Common Sense Media, which is a fantastic resource as it has ratings in various categories (violence, spice, positive messages, negative messages, etc.) given by parents and kids (along with reviews that talk specifics). While it is a great resource, I decided to start reading tons of YA, so I could recommend books to her and be aware of what she is consuming. The bonus is that I've rediscovered my love of YA.
I talked all the things about the so-called Queen of Booktok after the SH of the Wennbergs and said I was done with her. But I've heard of multiple things she's done after that. I didn't know about her feature on Kelly's show until after the fact. I will be continuing to ignore said TikTok person. I will also continue to stay off Threads 😅
Oh my gosh, I thought I was the only one who thought book threads was the most miserable place online. I lasted a day before I deleted the app because the “discourse” was asinine
I DNF’d “If I Stopped Haunting You”’earlier this year despite anticipating it, but I was still looking forward to giving Colby Wilkins’ next book a try. It was probably for the best anyway that her publisher pulled it.
Kindle Fire is a tablet, which can have other apps on it. If I understand, Kindle Color is a color version of the Kindle that is an ereader only and has e-ink capabilities, which previously has only been black and white.
If you ask me books are already rated. By organizing them as middle grade, children's, YA etc. That's giving you an idea on what to expect content wise. I don't expect to pick up a middle grade book and see a sex scene. That's all that's needed. For anything more in depth read the synopsis or read some reviews before you buy it.
I have passed by a book soley because the cover is so blatantly AI that I could not even be bothered to look at the description. I understand that it costs money to have a cover designed, but they look horrible and it shows a lack of respect for other creatives.
The genealogy thing is so interesting to me because I can see both sides (if an author is being authentic and not a scammer). Genealogy records are not foolproof documentation, especially when the culture in question was being forced to assimilate or die- your name changed, dates wrong, ages of siblings wrong- all on purpose or by accident. If she were to provide DNA results and proof that culture was celebrated by her family during her childhood, would that be enough for people? What is the barometer for proof of lived experiences? If her portrayal of celebrations or customs is woefully inaccurate, that would be reason to decry her representation in her books, I think. I wonder if that’s what led them to investigate her- is it all authors or her specifically? Did they reach out to her first before their statement? (You could’ve said that part and I missed it I was blow drying my hair for parts 😂).
Pretty much every book has something that people may find offensive - sex, violence, language, horror etc. I’m all for trigger warnings but I don’t think just a sticker would work or it would be on everything. Just skim read the first few reviews if you are concerned, especially if it’s spice you want to avoid heaps of people give them spice ratings in the review
Nah. Book ratings is such a good idea. ❤ How many times did I pick up a romance and it just erotica. That’s a whole different genre and I don’t want that. The cartoon covers and the blurb don’t always give away that it’s erotica. Some sex scenes in romance these days is expected but why is more than half the book sex? Where’s the plot. Where the romance. I don’t wanna read just porn and it’s valid to return the book . 🤷🏾♀️ Book ratings woood just help return select the books they want and less books would be returned because you have more insights to what it was at the beginning and wouldn’t even pick it up.
I have two Kindles, the basic from 2019 which I now use for law school and my Kindle Paperwhite 2022 for leisure reading. I make sure to separate both so I can focus on my academic books when I need to. I don’t have any plans on adding any new e-reader since both are working just fine.
Maybe I’m biased because I myself have struggled with finding my ancestors(my grandfather is the last of twelve siblings who actively attended powwows with me growing up but he is unable to read or write so research has been a big hurdle), but I feel for Wilkens. I agree she should have been more careful and taken more steps in looking into her history before publicly claiming anything and/or taking up a spot on the list of native authors. That said, it infuriates me to see other yt people playing outraged allies with no nuance whatsoever regarding tribal enrollment, blood quantum, assimilation, and colonization and how that has impacted native identity. For example, my people are recognized in Quebec, where my family is from, but not in the US, where I live, so I will never be able to enroll in a recognized band so long as I’m in the states. If she has been shitty to other authors, that’s fucked and she should be confronted about that. That said, please remember to be careful with attacking someone before we know the full facts. “Pretendian” hunters more often than not have ulterior motives based on greed and defamation.
i wrote this half asleep so to clarify this is not directed at you specifically! i think you explained it very sensitively and honestly. i love your videos and you seem like a genuinely caring person- this is a comment more so to the ppl being downright mean to Colby Wilkens not about her attitude towards other authors, but specifically about her identity. There is so much painful nuance regarding native identity that I genuinely don’t think a mass audience is equipped to handle or discuss.
I think your situation is way different than Wilkens' though. Everything you said is true and valid. It's a very nuanced and complex issue that many people don't understand and in some ways is destructive to Indigenous people. However, I'd add that here in the US, a big reason why people are very critical of the "my grandma was Cherokee" thing is because it was a prominent lie in yt households that was used to gain advantages, mostly monetary or specific opportunities. Some did use it to "add flavor" to their background because it's always "cool" to be one of the marginalized in some circles. Anyway, oftentimes people nowadays don't find out it was a lie until they look into their ancestry. And while blood ancestry is controversial in other ways, it is the number one factor to show you do have ties to a specific lineage. If someone only has colonizer blood, I feel that's indicative enough to show their claim is false. Like how would Wilkens even be able to write about the Native American experience if they literally do not have any family members who have passed down the culture, language, etc.? And if Wilkens was discovering their Native heritage after hearing about it growing up, then she would clearly have gone down a rabbit hole to figure out who/what/why/how of her ancestry so I don't see how she has any excuse to say she didn't do the work to find out her lineage, especially when they reached out to help her figure it out.
@ That’s fair! To be frank I read her statement and read a bit about her claims and whatnot and couldn’t quite tell if she grew up practicing and learning the culture, language, etc. but I think if she did that would be a bit different than never doing so and relying solely on an anecdote told by family. I also suppose it would be different for her being Choctaw and Cherokee as they had the Dawes and for the most part a decent documentation of family lines. I’m from New England(my family is from Quebec though) so over here things like that are a bit more foggy, especially when half my families documents are in French that I cannot read and the Nations recognized in Canada where my family lives aren’t recognized over in the U.S. despite there being a population of said Nations over here as well. No one over the U.S. border was tracing Abenaki specific blood like they would have for the Five Nations. You make a solid point for sure.
Ugh, the teaaaaaa. I am 25% Puerto Rican, and have a Spanish surname, so I do share that with my students if they ask. However, I always specify that I don’t speak Spanish (although I want to learn), because my grandpa came over from Puerto Rico and assimilated, so I only know so much from him, only so many recipes, and only so much about that part of our culture. Although I am proud of that part of my heritage, I would never feel comfortable writing a character with stronger roots than my own. That’s someone else’s story to tell. To try to identify as more Latina than I am would be inappropriate and I could not possibly portray what it’s like growing up Puerto Rican as a generations removed Puerto Rican-American.
I think the only problem i have is publishers have a bad habit to push a book out for YA in initial release, but it should be in New Adult or the Adult catagory. Lets b real though with smut, 99% of the time the synopsis tells you what your getting - but if you pick up a book more explicit then your expecting; then you either return it or donate it, if you dont want to keep it.
Regarding the ratings being visible on books. My 17-year-old bonus daughter asked for a specific series, I told her no because I knew the level of smut, and it's even on my tbr list. But, because I am the parent purchasing books for her, I did not purchase it...point blank. But, once she's 18, she can purchase whatever she wants, but until then, no ma'am.
Can I just say that I was in the market for a new ereader a few months ago and after being in the kindle ecosystem pretty much since kindles were invented, I switched to the colour kobo with a (non-AI) notebook and I absolutely have not regretted it. I got my 400+ kindle books on there without much trouble, its more enjoyable to read on imo, its intentionally made to be repairable, and I'm not tied to amazon anymore.
I felt that sigh so so so deeply. 😢 I have an old Kindle and she is slow, but she works still! Oh my god I also remember Walmart and CDs. 💿 That is crazy. Ratings on books is so weird. Just read the back, make an educated guess, look it up… at the end of the day if you read it and find you don’t like it, just stop reading it. This needing to know everything before going in doesn’t work for anything else. You eat at a restaurant and don’t like it, that’s a bummer but the restaurant doesn’t owe you a new meal because you didn’t know how it would taste before you ordered. If you buy a shirt and it shrinks in the wash, that’s just what happens sometimes. Maybe you washed it wrong, maybe it was poorly made, but it’s just a thing that happens sometimes. Anything else in the world that you purchase or consume, you just take a chance and hope you like it and sometimes you don’t. Like you said, grow up. 😮
Honest question: What's the benefit of having a kindle if I already have a smart phone? Someone gifted me a Kindle years ago and I couldn't use it unless the room lights were on. Meanwhile, I can read on my phone in the dark, and it's in color. What am I missing?
I like e-readers because the screens don't glow, which I find bothers my eyes if I'm reading for a long time. Newer ones will have a built in light that shines across the screen so you can read in the dark, but not have the eye strain of a glowing screen. Also, I'm pretty distractable, so having a device that only does books helps me not just go look at twitter instead of reading, lol. But that's more a me thing :D
I did update my kindle twice in a year, both kindles are in active use, I gave the earlier model to my sister. This was 3 or 4 years ago, and I haven't felt the need to update it yet. I am considering getting a second non-amazon e-reader. I do not intend on getting a kindle color. If I need color the e-reader apps on my 3 year old iPad work great.
Oof, I had "If I Stopped Haunting You" in my radar, and I've seen people promoting it in Native American book lists. At least the author didn't double down, I guess.
the only thing i have to add to the censorship conversation is that i think publishing needs shift and do a better job of establishing a difference between books for teenagers/adolescnets (13-17) and books for irl emerging and young adults (17/18-25). in publishing, young adults are teens but in irl young adults are late teens to early twenties - which implies two different context and stories that they can relate to. I don’t think authors who write about actually young adults should be forced to put their books publishing’s YA category simply because publishing hasn’t caught up to today’s more nuanced, broader understanding of transition of adolescent to adult development.
I have two ereaders BUT I got my kindle older refurbished and I have my kobo. I got my kobo first since in Canada we get library through kobo, then I got an older kindle for things on KU!
The threads algorithm is super sensitive. If you interactive with something, you're gonna get 100 other posts just like it. Best thing you can do is interact with a lot of different content.
![BOOK COMMUNITEA: BOOKTOK AT IT AGAIN, COPYRIGHT LAWSUIT, AND WHAT DID NEIL GAIMAN DO?? [CC]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/hT-kcnB5D5o/mqdefault.jpg)
I wish this AI nonsense went away just like how the NFTs did.
Also that lady pretending to be indigenous lmaoooooo
PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
@@MJSpice Ya wouldn't be the first time someone pretended to be Native American either. Oy Vey. Not gonna fly.
Well unless it's used for fan projects etc. Like fan films
The sad thing about AI is that it was supposed to be an "assistant tool" yet it took no time at all for people to use it to try to completely replace the hard work that creative put into the work they do, which is why they get compensated for it. I truly feel bad for if we get to a point where no one can tell if something was written in an AI program and people start lying about that too
As a Native Hawaiian, I felt that quote "First they wanted to exterminate all of us, now they want to literally be us. When everyone is an Indian, nobody is an Indian."
Not only do they want to be yall, they want yall to pay out the ass what was y’all’s first. It’s so sad to see people priced out of paradise 🥺
When I was depressed and broke for the year after my sibling died, all I had was Libby. All I did was read. So whenever people say your not supporting the author sufficiently, that's just ridiculous, libraries buy the books.
I also lost my sibling, my only sibling, and reading was the only thing that kept me treading water. Sending good vibes to you. 💕
@@jeccalou9894 same to you 💕
Authors would also want people to access libraries as opposed to downloading their books illegally. I think more authors should express that on their socials that libraries/libby is an option.
@carly1628 libraries while a great resource are accessible to everyone. Whether it's a small town with limited books or long waitlists for a single copy of a book. Libraries just aren't created equally. Now let's add in people overseas with limit access to books outside of their native language due to a book not being translated yet and stores/libraries not stocking English books. There's a plethora of reasons why people pirate a book. Reading is a privilege. Having access to multiple sources of books is a privilege.
@@de5072 I'm broke, like only can afford the roof over my head because my parents pay for it. I still don't pirate a book, driving is a privilege as well and people still don't steal cars, and if they do are prosecuted. If you can't afford the privilege you can wait until you can, authors even thoe making millions deserve to be paid for their hard work. Because I doubt you would work for free.
Borrow before you buy or read reviews before buying 👏💯 AI art is NOT art 👏💯
That's why I love going to the library and I check reviews before requesting books
Fr like why shoud i care to read a book nobody cared to write? Ai slop has no thought behind it, curtains not just "just" blue, they're only blue because it's"most statistically probable outcome". People who advocate for ai "art" really don't understand how ai works or how art works.
This is what I do. If they are not an author I’m familiar with, I will try to borrow the book from the library. If I like the book enough to want to reread, I will buy it and then buy other books from the author.
ooh girl the skin is skinning!!!
why thank yewwww
also re: the terrible take about libraries at the end for anyone who doesn't know, in canada (and the uk and i'm sure other countries as well), authors DO get paid for their books being in the library via a public lending right program. so melanie is wrong on multiple levels LOL
I too am old enough to remember explicit content labels on CDs. I'm also old enough to remember that reading a book that is WAAAAAAAAY inappropriate for your age level is a practically a bookworm right of passage.
@@sarahgamireads I had free reign when I was young but I mostly read appropriate content because that’s what interested me. I think parents should pay attention to what their kids read but I don’t want more restrictions to books.
@@Yosoybean I don't disagree, but I think it's a little more easier said than done; most parents aren't going to read every single book their kid does. Ideally a parent would be willing to at least read a synopsis of the book and be available to discuss it with their kid.
I also think "appropriate content" gets a little difficult to pinpoint. Most of the "inappropriate" stuff I read as a kid/teen was stuff I picked up as my interests were expanding and my reading level was increasing - I wanted to read about new topics in a way that challenged me, but often that meant adult novels that my 12-year-old brain wasn't going to fully comprehend no matter how smart I thought I was. I do wish I'd felt comfortable talking to my parents about what I was reading, but ultimately I don't think it harmed me to read about adult situations. (I also still read a lot of age-appropriate books as well, so it's not like I was suddenly jumping from middle grade fantasy to Game of Thrones.) Part of growing up is figuring out how to navigate uncomfortable situations by yourself, and I think reading age-level inappropriate books is a step in that direction.
There's a youtuber recapping the Flowers in the Attic series. The comments is everyone realizing how young we were when we first read it lol. Thay series is so not meant for 10-14 year old and yet we all found it.
LIBBY FOR LIFE
Ugh the kindle thing. The kindle kickstarted my obsession for looking for an ereader. I was addicted to finding a non kindle which did audiobooks and ereading (if they took library from the kindle in Canada they will in America) and I was on the boox Palma, the kobo, but I didn’t want to waste money.
Y’all…. I own an iPad Mini 6 🤦🏻♀️ I turned down the saturation deleted the social media and use it for ambience and books and my Pinterest hoe needs. And the saturation down and grey scale really gave it the ereader experience with my paper like case and the battery last awhile that way.
Now I’m getting a fun skin and some stickers. There is my consumerism, not a whole new device. The holiday season is upon us, don’t fall for the stuff traps. You don’t need new things, you WANT new things.
People have the whole damn internet in their pocket and still can't research a book before buying it. Why?
I always do research before requesting books from the library
@@angelaholmes8888 exactly. It's not hard! People exhaust me.
When you strip it down to the essentials, basically all that happened in that scenario is that this person bought a book and didn't like it, then wrote a whole screed about how the entire industry should change 😂
@@wavy6617 yep. And like, the coldest of takes, too.
@@wavy6617 no. I think the real core is that audible reviews don’t show true book reviews. Only reviews of audio quality. So if you’re using their interface, you will see star ratings and very little true reviews and buy a book not knowing. When you browse for ebooks online, you can see the Amazon reviews which are more in-depth. I have found that frustrating as well. It’s fricative and reduces ease of use and Amazon should fix it for that reason alone.
I get it. if you're white you feel very vanilla but maybe research your roots rather than making up a history you don't have. I used to know a white girl who claimed she had African roots in her family, when I asked her how she literally said "My uncle married a black woman and they had children together," I told her that that does not mean she is part black at all but she stuck to her guns that she had African blood. She then took Spanish classed in HS then developed an accent. Went to Spain for a missionary thing and came back saying her name would now be pronounced in Spanish. She married a Mexican american so she could have a Spanish last name. So, yeah. There ya go. haha
Went through a weeb phase so my protagonists were initially East Asian (also because back then I thought that I was doing good by having more Asian characters). Now, I focus on things that I know intimately (being queer and AuADHD) for my protagonists.
@@animeotaku307 I understand. I am also Audhd, in my past I did a lot of masking (taking on the energy of those around me). I was recently diagnosed with audhd so even though I felt like an alien I didn't know why I felt different from others when I was younger. I'm in my late 40s with zero interest in impressing others at this point. I've always been an introvert, the diagnoses makes much more sense given all I went through back then.
@@Beafree1975 That’s wild! My aunt married a black man and my cousins are mixed, but I cannot even fathom the idea of claiming blackness in any sense! Sometimes when I’m feeling insecure about being a “white-passing” native I remember ppl like this exist lmao
@@whitneyvillers4280 😂
Tea is piping today! I don’t want to be too spicy but a Native American relative from the 1800s and using that as a basis to write from a Native American perspective makes me a little uncomfortable even if she was right about it…
Right. I have proven Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry through DNA and paperwork. If I wrote a book with a Jewish main character, it would not be own voices, it's not my culture, it's not the culture of any relatives I ever met.
People calling for censorship to 'protect the kids,' when the kids can't read anyway, with the literacy rate so low these days...🤔😭 Priorities people! Come on!
@@SloanePaoPow when I say that made me laughhhh
I think you must have a majorly american audience, seeing the reaction in the comments to the ratings.
As a European person - and remember that europe is way more lax about children seeing "sexual" content - i don't know how ratings are in any way censorship??
Manga over here frequently has age ratings on the back of the book. It's just so you know whether the content in it is for you or not, if you have children whether the book is suited for them or not. How is that censorship??
And yes you can always research books but when I'm browsing books in a bookstore or library i don't want to be on my phone the entire time!!! If the synopsis sounds interesting I want to be able to take it home without making extensive research and possibly spoiling myself - which i even do bc i am picky with what i read, but i don't think it should be a requirement....
This is about correct marketing and it's already such a huge issue with all the trauma romance books having silly romcom covers.
I don't get why people have an issue with this?
Libraries pay serious $$$$ for their licensure of digital media. That Libby take was NOT IT. 👀 👎🏼
What was the take? Borrowing from the library in case you don’t like it? What’s wrong with that?
@@pithygrapefruit Borrowing from the library isn't supporting the author, so you shouldn't do it, I think
I agree. like i don't want to tell people how to spend their money, but THINK FIRST - the demand to mine for cobalt affects those living in the CONGO, and most don't even get to benefit from the cobalt that is being mined
Also, do people genuinely need more than one e-reader? I only plan on replacing mine if it breaks. It just doesn’t make sense to me.
@@mglarson5936Many Canadian readers do, as we don’t have the same library agreement with Amazon that Americans do.
I think they meant the same new Kindle. Also people need to research first and then make informed decisions
The audacity of that book thief to have their pen name be Steele!
threads is cuckoo bananas. people on there are arguing that any sex in books is bad because the characters can't consent. because they don't exist. honestly I've had saner interactions on twitter than on threads.
Wait what???😭😭 And just as I was considering leaving Twitter to join threads coz I thought there's no way it's become a rotten space yet 😅
As a self-published author, I, personally, have never had an issue with someone getting my books for free if they want to read them and can't access them for whatever reason. However, if I found one of my novels that took me years to write was stolen and made worse by AI for the profit of some prick, I would lose my shit over that! It's not even about the money for me (obviously...I have always been open to giving my books away with no strings attached and I have had some of the best interactions with people that way...). It's the point of it. This is the one case where the "authors put a lot of work into their books even if they suck" argument often used to cry about ratings actually does apply. Even if I don't like the way a person writes, real life work goes into that and stealing it through AI for profit is the same as stealing time a person cannot get back. It's pure bullshit. And I hate it.
Speaking of hating things....
The author whining about library lending? Yeah, that's a ridiculous take! Tell me you have never been a poor bookworm without telling me. Libraries of any kind, like public schools, are absolutely crucial to poor people having access to knowledge and books and we desperately need them. I could not imagine being flexible enough to get my head so far up my ass as an author that I would ever say a word against people reading my books through any sort of lending, be it a physical library, Kindle Unlimited lending, Libby, etc. I think this makes me as mad as the AI book thief....
Well, Jess, thank you for raising my blood pressure to a dangerous level (I came to this video straight from the Jake Tapper/JD Vance "interview" so it was teetering on the edge anyway....😂). It was worth it to see your beautiful face (girl, I don't know what you are doing to your skin but it looks flawless and I am jealous... lmao). Much love to you! 💜
I don't see what the big deal would be for books to have a rating system like comic books do. Comics have a little rating by the bar code that lets people know the appropriate age to read them.
E - everyone (similar to children's lit)
T - 12+ (similar to middle grade)
T+ = 15+ (similar to young adult)
M - mature 18+ (similar to new adult/adult/erotica depending on the content)
I think it could be useful since what is and isn't classified as YA is an ongoing debate. YA used to mean the main target was teenagers in the 13-18 year old crowd. Now YA is including more mature books that should really be classified as new adult, adult, general fiction, romantasy, or erotica.
Most books don't have triggering warnings. Some books aren't popular enough to have reviews that list the trigger warnings. Not every parent is in the bookish community or knows how to properly check what books are appropriate for their kids. If a parent isn't a reader how are they going to know the YA book debate when that exist in a niche part of the internet? How are they supposed to tell if something that's marketed as YA is meant for teens or adults when they're all in the same section and YA back in the day used to mean it was safe for teens. Not every teenager knows the full context of the books they're wanting to read, they just know it's popular online and seems cool by what people are vaguely saying about it. Having a rating system on books, and a poster or two in book shops explaining the rating, would clear up so many issues. I don't think that should be classified as censorship tbh.
Threads is literally just Facebook for Gen Z. It’s a dead-zone for rage bait/engagement farming and nothing else.
Based on my own family, I would say even if you have heritage, it isn't your story to tell, especially if the majority of your ancestors are the colonizers of your other ancestors.
My great grandfather was from India - he moved to the UK and married a British woman. As a teenager I was penpals with one of my "cousins" (our great-grandparents were cousins, but we don't count the removals) in India and I spent 3 weeks there for her wedding.
I would not be comfortable writing a book from an Indian perspective. It is part of my heritage, yes, but it is not my culture. The things I know are ultimately superficial, or things I have heard / witnessed happen to others. It's not my place to tell those stories.
Colby's book was getting bad reviews before this came out. I didn't see an influx of review bombing but I saw people who read the book calling out the abusive nature of the fmc who apparently threw something at the mmc so hard he bled.
Ratings aren’t necessary but we already have terminology like “open door” and “on page” to describe if sex scenes are in the book, and Amazon has erotica categories as well. I don’t think we’re in that “blindfolded” era anymore where Walmart wouldn’t sell explicit cds, and content warnings and age descriptors are fine and a good idea, not for censorship but so people can pick what they want to read and be informed. I’m not into smut, not because I’m a “prude” but bc sex scenes cringe me out, but usually I can tell by the synopsis and genre of the book is gonna be like that
I have indigenous heritage because I’m mixed Puerto Rican (aka ive got Caucasian, African and Indigenous ancestors) and a dna test proves this. But that’s the thing my DNA does NOT make me an indigenous person. I just have indigenous heritage. Just like me having black ancestors doesn’t make me black. I didn’t grow up in a strictly Taino Puerto Rican culture (there’s a blend within the larger culture but my family is not involved specifically), and so point blank I cannot claim to be a part of any indigenous groups. I would NEVER think that gave me enough credibility to write books focused on indigenous characters, or use it to promote my writing and get book deals. It’s disgusting. Even if she did actually have indigenous ancestry it would still be gross and predatory. Honestly sickening.
Thisss!!! My ancestry from my mom's side is predominantly indigenous Mexican. Like well over 1/3 of my total ancestry... but I'm not native. I didn't grow up with the indigenous culture. I grew up with the Mexican culture but not the indigenous culture. I don't even know which tribe my family is even from. I can assume based on where my family is from but I dont know for sure and it would be disingenuous to claim that culture/identity
Commented something very similar. Being indigenous is not just have some indigenous blood, is very much related to the way of living and the belonging to an indigenous tribe. This is why these kinds of organizations that search ancestry are so thorough, their job is to protect and continue their culture. So its very dumb that this woman made this her whole personality, but she wasnt associated with the official organizations. You cannot claim to be indigenous and just not participate in the culture.
Eeeeh I’m native and disagree agree with the take that people who aren’t shouldn’t include indigenous characters in their stories. Telling people to only write characters of their own race is counterproductive, inclusivity is a good thing, I literally want there to be more well-written native characters. What’s important is avoiding perpetuating stereotypes by learning as best you can about any cultures you’re trying to include, and having the material reviewed for mistakes by knowledgeable people.
@ oh for sure! I’m sorry didn’t mean to come off like i was saying people should only write their own race. I definitely don’t believe in that! For me it was odd for her to immediately write books completely centered around indigenous characters BECAUSE she thought she was indigenous I guess? I don’t know if I’m explaining myself right. I think it’s just how obsessed she was on her alleged indigenous ancestry that she wanted to write books focused on indigenous characters and get a huge book deal for that because it’s supposed to be own voices, when she doesn’t have the actual experience to make it own voices? If that makes sense.
@@incuriousgaze All good, I get what you mean 👍🏼 I’ve met many people who get overenthusiastic about having some distant native ancestry, or even people who get obsessed with native stuff without making that claim (what are hippies if not weebs weird older brother, right? lol). I do agree it’s kind of awkward and cringe, I just don’t think it’s like.. nefarious? Like the severity of people’s reaction to it is often disproportionate to the action itself.
Imo there’s no harm in someone taking interest in the culture of a distant relative and feeling inspired to write stories related to that, as long as it’s done with proper consideration for the culture/people portrayed. On paper it’s no different than the way writers always pick their topics (find something interesting, get way too obsessed with it, funnel it into a book.)
Idk maybe I’m just gullible, but I feel like I see how they get there and I’m not mad at them for seeking a connection with something they’re inspired by. I know “intent doesn’t matter” is a popular saying, but it’s dumb, because intent is context, and context matters. At least in my eyes it’s the stark difference between a person innocent of real wrongdoing and a person guilty of knowingly attempting exploitation.
Tbf I don’t know anything about the author other than the info presented in the video, so that’s all I’m going on. It wasn’t specified whether or not the book deal was specifically about being ‘own voices’, or whether she’s personally been involved in the cultures she’s trying to write about (I don’t know enough about the author to police her identity anyway), but I can say on average native people are pretty friendly with people who want to engage respectfully, meaning it’s not unrealistic for a non-native person to learn enough to be able to write native characters well. So I don’t think the author’s lineage really matters, it’s just a red herring or backwards priorities, the quality/accuracy/content of the writing is what matters. It would be far more beneficial if the online discourse instead focused on questions like “Were these well written native characters? Was it accurate or stereotypical? Was it respectful or kinda racist?”… but getting people angry about something surface level is very easy, while getting people to engage in critical analysis of complex and nuanced subjects in media is hard, so I understand hoping for that change in popular discourse is probably not realistic.
I'm a little to no spice kind of girl and I personally think that books do not need ratings on them. All of this is subjective and if a person really wants to know if there is spice or smut in a book there are content warning databases and guides on the internet! Also, many reviewers put content warning and spice ratings on reviews.
Fun fact: There was a chunk of time when hardcover books used to list the recommended reading ages for YA books. (I can’t say whether or not they were on paperbacks bc I do not have any examples.)
thread: you can pry my romantice books from my cold dead hands
Jess: Ok, I don't care 🙄
lol I laughed too hard at this
PLEASE go vote!!! Down ballot elections are ALSO really important!!!
Threads is a miserable book space for miserable book people. That’s it… that’s my hot take. ✌🏽🥰
It surprisingly looks like If I Stopped Haunting You isn't really getting review bombed (yet). It seems like it's genuinely not a good book.
i dont see how books being rated is censorship? People saying this is also people who think books should have trigger warnings. What is the difference?
Ratings are generally done through some sort of ratings board, so the concern about censorship is about who would decide what to rate the books and how they would make such decisions. For example, a bad faith member of the board could decide that all LGBT content is adults only, which could mean censorship for a lot of children's and YA books. Theoretically, if authors did their own ratings, the issue then wouldn't be censorship, but inconsistent standards about what a certain rating means.
Edit to add: Ratings could also lead to confusion about who a book is for. There are plenty of adult books that could get like a PG-13 rating, but a teen is not an intended audience member for that book and probably isn't gonna get the same enjoyment out of it that an adult would.
To echo the other kind responder, I’d also suggest looking into the history of ratings in general in the US starting with the film and TV industry in the 30s. Ratings have always* been used as a tool of censorship. I am also against mandatory trigger warnings because of this same slippery slope (however I love that authors who wish to use them as a form of compassion to their readers can do so!).
The way ratings have historically been used as a means to censor and stifle storytelling from disenfranchised community groups, especially queer people and women is a fascinating and saddening reality. I really strongly believe that as readers it’s our duty to honor this art form by approaching it as the medium where theoretically “anything goes” because of the long form nature and commitment of written work. I hope we can continue to lean on community, and our own personal research to find the books that align with us rather than set the stage for the creation for some industrial authority that will tell us which books are for which “type of person” in the form of a universal rating structure :))
@@skellingtonMCRI appreciate your explanation a lot, it helped me alter my opinion about ratings on books 💐
It's unfortunate that as much as we would like more clarity for the kind of book we're going in to, the people who actually sit and issue out age ratings will likely be heavily biased against themes that they do not agree with and create unfair advantages for some writers while suppressing others.
For my own home library I simply make my own small cute stickers to place on my books just in case my cousin's or friends kids come around and I know what books to keep away from them because they are too young or I just don't feel comfortable introducing them to things they may not be ready for.
I just bought two kindles as gifts for two people in my life that can’t afford one and have wanted one for ages- but I bought them second hand and they’re both from 2016! The old ones work just fine. I was using one from 2016 until I spilled oat milk all over it and broke it lol. Then I bought a newer one as a treat for myself, but really kindles do have decent longevity. I also sent a friend in Macedonia a kindle that still had the physical buttons on the side that I picked up for £20! That works perfectly, though you have to manually upload books so it’s not ideal, but it still *works*
Also, opposite point, I bought one maybe two years ago and I have to restart it every time I use it because it freezes constantly. So another vote for buying refurbished
Also, opposite point, I bought one maybe two years ago and I have to restart it every time I use it because it freezes constantly. So another vote for buying refurbished
"so, yeah, sometimes it is a little bit of hateration in this dancery here..." 💀🤣
I had a nook color for like 12 years and only bought a new nook this year because the tablet screen with the glare wasn’t cutting it for me anymore, so it’s just wild to me that people will buy new versions of things they already own every year
Books already have ratings, kind of? They don't put adult novels in the children's, teens' _or_ young adult sections of your library or boookshop. Whatever happened to reading the blurb before reading/listening?
That can depend on who does the shelving. My local bookshop still puts ACOTAR in the teen/YA section despite the series now being considered adult romantasy, because it started off as "New Adult" and no one could decide what that meant. And blurbs aren't always helpful, and can be downright misleading, depending on the author/publishing house. (This Ends with Us famously didn't have any indication of domestic violence in the blurb, at least the first editions, because Hoover considered that the "twist" of the book and didn't want to warn readers beforehand)
That being said, I am wary of a ratings system like that of movies and TV shows, because it's often weaponised to uphold puritanical standards. For example, violence is fine (so long as it isn't too bloody) but heaven forbid we catch a glimpse of a female nipple or a queer person. Think of the poor traumatised children who have to see that! /s
(Personally, I supplement my blurbs/reviews with resources like Does the Dog Die and TVtropes because they will usually include the bigger triggers and shocks, but that isn't feasible for every work)
You will regularly find acotar in the YA section. So i beg to differ
@@doobat708 usually, and I personally think that is enough. But as others have said it depends on how the individual bookseller interprets the books. In my local bookstore english ya is placed next to the adult books, but ya in my native language used to be in the kids section until recently (we didn’t really have a ya section). So it happened that authors who had done ya before but moved over to adult books where still placed in the kids section when translated.
Anyways I side eyed from the jump because she presented herself as if she were biracial and presented herself as if she were registered. Then when you actually spoke to her it was some 3 gen removed grandparent she was claiming and she never talked about the ways in which she and her family were in community with indigenous people. I find it extra weird now how she seemed to befriend a lot of biracial authors too to complain about the so called hardships she was facing in the publishing industry.
if books started having age ratings it would have a huge impact on queer books. red white and royal blue was a rated r movie imo just because it was queer and the same would happen to books
I follow alot of people on Goodreads who give thorough reviews. Many of them rate a book's spice level if thats something that is important to you its not hard to figure it out.
If we can have ratings on movies i dont see the problem of them being on books. Would be so helpful when shopping to be able to quickly see if something has adult content and you can make an informed decision if you still want to read it. Movies have it and theres no issues there.
So growing up I was always told we were Cherokee on my fathers side. They like celebrated it at family reunions. This always felt strange and uncomfortable to me, so when I grew up I took a DNA test and did an extensive family tree and research. The DNA test didn't test specifically for Native American but my 2nd cousin on that side did have results that would be considered possibly native on his DNA test. My test showed no sign of it though. I know different family members can have different DNA even from what I understand brothers and sisters and parents can be different. But in my research the only connection I found was a great great uncle who kept claiming his mother was native and kept trying to join the tribe (In Tennessee, I don't think there are as many native people now there, but back then there still was) It's very vague if he was ever accepted, while I thought he did look like he could be part native and I can't find any record of his mother, looks often don't prove anything and honestly I don't think its correct or right of me to judge him or other native people based on looks alone, because again there is so much variety in everyone's looks, my grandfather on my mom's side everyone thought was japanese because of how he looked, but no half Irish half Scottish. Anyways, I kind of am of the opinion that these stories I heard growing up were just "family lore" that someone passed on and my family thought it made them interesting or something. I would NEVER before looking into this matter very deeply just claim to be native, make it a major part of my identity or use it as a selling point for my books. This just seems so messed up to me. This person was making 250,000 probably because she was considered a "unique" voice (and I'm sure her book was good too, no hate) but meanwhile native women and children go missing, native peoples and marginalized people have to really struggle often just to exist and have to fight for opportunities like this. Side note, I did find out I have blood relatives who were African from England, and I discovered I was actually part nordic too. You are right, this is gross to use a marginalized persons identity as cosplay to sell your book. I really hope it was an honest mistake on this persons part, but it feels very calculated, and people need to have responsibility when they claim things like this. Like you should probably be sure before you claim to be marginalized. (just like you said, I'm just saying it again because it grossed me out so much.)
Some people with very far away black DNA can look native but aren't maybe it's like that with your family
Tbh, book ratings would help me a lot. Cause i would rather not accidentally bring an overly sexual book to work. My coworkers can sometimes be a bit nosy. Rated R content is way different from T content. I really dont see the big deal unless they were made to release a clean version. I'm not on booktube that often, and I dont look up authors bc I just dont care to. Plus, i feel like booktube or booktok talks about the same books. I grab books based on the cover, title, synopsis, and the first sentence. I love reading, but my world doesn't revolve around it. On average, I read about 15 minutes a day if im lucky for 40 minutes. I usually only have around 10 minutes to pick out books from my library before they close because of work and events on the weekend. I dont have time to look those things up, and I don't like spoilers unless i know i will never pick the book up.
Really appreciate you and these videos Jess.
Im glad i can go to the library unfortunately i can't afford to buy books plus im not comfortable buying books i know i might not like
I went through the “buy every book I want to read” phase and I came to hate it. My policy now is I have to love the book enough that I can pick up again and re-read. My library is small but I love every book I have.
Disagree on book ratings. I don't think they should have ratings like CDs, but there should be a list of themes provided on the first page. Thankfully more people are adding trigger warnings, so at least that's something. You should be able to go into a book store and read the back cover and buy the book if that back cover synopsis appeals to you, without having to then whip out your phone and scroll reviews for 10 mins per book to see if it contains explicit sexual content if that's something you aren't into. I haven't seen many books with content warnings inside them. Not all people wanting some sort of way to look at a book and know if it contains smut are parents concerned about their children: many adult women aren't comfortable with it and shouldn't be tricked into buying said book.
I personally cannot read books with Christian themes due to religious trauma. I found a book that had zero indication of being basically propaganda. I even went to good reads and read some non spoiler reviews first and the handful I read never indicated Christian themes. I DNFd that book after the 2nd chapter. If you're spending money on a desk fan, you're gonna get a bunch of into about that fan on the box so you know what you're getting into. You'll know if it's battery, plug, or USB operated. You'll know the color and the size and how many blades. That way you can make an informed purchase. Shouldn't be different with books.
I think most of us have been jumpscared with books. The random quotes from other authors, rather than a blurb, doesn't help. I have actively tried to look for info on a book and found nothing. Parental guidance site only talked about the violence. Everything else focused on the show. I check it out from the library and suprise, there's smut! Another fun one managed to make it in my middle school library. Looked like a fairy tale retelling, had that classic art style on the front, no indication of being anything but harmless... it was explicit in the worst, and most creative, possible way.
The religious warnings would be nice. I am Christian myself, but some of the writing.... yikes. I'd consider some of the Christian books more traumatizing than anything else I've read, and I went down a criminal psych rabbit hole. That genre has a tendency to glorify some pretty horrific things. I try to avoid Christian fiction now. I've tried to reread some and ended up upset and in tears. I'd be ticked if someone tried to trick me with it.
Many of my mangas have a discrete little age rating on a back page. You can ignore it or know what you're signing up for. It's set up like the video game or movie warnings are. There's a letter and brief explanation. I'd be in favor of something similar.
@@jeccalou9894 Have you tried Storygraph? Readers add trigger warnings that pop up below the listed book and it’s pretty extensive. It even lists them by minor detailed/mentions to graphic.
@@jeccalou9894 I completely agree. I don't think there's anything wrong with giving readers an idea of what to expect.
I get major second-hand embarrassment when reading certain kinds of romance, and I think it would be nice to not waste my time and money on a book I would easily know I'm not going to like if there was just a content "warning" or something.
And sure, there's storygraph with their content warnings, but I read to get away from my phone. It's kind of annoying to have to pull out my phone and open the app every single time I see a book I could potentially be interested in when putting a little logo on the back of the book is so straight forward.
We survived CDs, movies, and video games with content warnings, I'm sure we can with books as well. I really don't see how that is in any way censorship.
I also dont mind books having ratings somewhere. I think people were just as apprehensive to TW on books and i think theres no harm in helping a reader be more informed on what theyre reading.
I agree. There’s already a rating on manga/comics etc. it doesn’t stop ppl from reading them even underage with the rating and it just informs the reader what to expect. I personally, especially because YA is sometimes smuttier than some adult books, would like a rating. It used to be easy to just assume there’d be kid-inappropriate content in books in the adult section and kid appropriate content in the kid/middlegrade section. Now YA is such a crossover it’s hard to tell and some of the content is abusive partners having smutty sex. I don’t think it’s censorship to inform readers. Censorship is refusing to have those books on the shelves. If TW are acceptable I don’t get why ratings aren’t and they could follow the comic system, which cuts up the ratings pretty nicely. I don’t think it has to go into how many times did they bone or whether or not we see 🍆. 😆
@@writerbyday I would appreciate it for the violence and weird behavior and to avoid darker romance. Not every author does TW. And your right smut is working it's way through a lot more stories regardless of demographic
Isn’t there already a type of rating? It’s called grade levels/age, i.e., middle grade, YA, Adult. Like what?
And also there are plenty of review spaces where you can find the spice level of books. Take a second, search the book in good reads or story graph to see how spicy the book is! Argh!
How about just going “oopsie” when you get a book you don’t like and make better choices? Like people have been doing since pictographs were the hotness.
Thank you for keeping up abreast! This kept me company while I worked on GOTV letters. I wrote about public libraries and how I stand with those who support the freedom to read and can trust parents to pay attention to our kids.
Why is the topic of ratings on books such a heated debate? Video games have ratings and nobody cares ?? It is not censorship!
we already hate when they slap a sticker on books, now you want a ratings sticker on books right there on the front for all to see? pass. for what it's worth, I think a consensus "ratings" thing of sorts could be achieved, we already kind of do something like that when classifying books as children's, YA or a dult, but because there is no consensus some books get miscategorized. however, I wouldn't want the government deciding what qualifies in each rating. I could get behind community consensus. Just no one wants to take on that challenge and I don't blame them.
It would be nice if the publishers managed it themselves. Even if they all have their own systems, you could at least look up theirs. I have a few mangas with age/content ratings, and it's just printed inside a back page. Very discrete, but accessible. You can find it if you want to, ignore it if you don't.
On the issue of library lending counting anything with publishers and agents, I agree with the poster you quoted. A library copy may be lent 100x but it will be looked at as ONE sale by a prospective agent/publisher. It IS better from the author PoV for people to buy individual copies rather than sharing library books.
wish i saw this earlier bc i had just read this book and i would have preferred to have spent that time reading a book by an actual indigenous author
As always I appreciate your takes!!
Also on top of the native appropriation, some early readers of If I stopped Haunting You have also brought up that the main character is abusive to the love interest of the book (she throws a book at his face, physically assaulting him and causing a scar, gaslights him into taking the blame for her career failing, and is manipulative and controlling towards him)
Only books I’ve ever saw ratings on were manga and I was 12/13 at the time. And when a lot of people don’t realize is that Amazon does make you rate your book because I published through Amazon KP and all of my books are rated for 18+
On the topic of ratings and censorship (especially for younger readers) - it makes me feel like adult readers are not taking responsibility for their decisions or parental duties. Reading is subjective and the reaction to content is individual... you can't police that.
I saw that comment by the author who returned the audible books as well. I thought the weirdest part was when in her own comment she admitted ratings are subjective and not universally accurate anyway. She complained that she needed a warning for the audiobooks she bought (even though you can literally find multiple places online that rate books or give warnings for explicit sex scenes or other topics), but then she goes on to complain about how the rating Enola Holmes was not accurate or rather did not meet her personal definition of PG13 or whatever. I don't get why the people who need their books to be "smut-free" also lack the ability to research books before they buy. I feel like they would ignore ratings and continue to complain even if they got them.
Instead of calling it AI art I call it AI regurgitated images, a mouthful, I know, but it gets my point across. And if anyone ever tries to defend that slop or say they are an 'artist' I tell them "you don't make AI art, you order it. Like food" (stolen from someone on the internet).
Also did you hear about that school board in Texas (because of course it would be Texas) that tried to reclassify an Indigenous history book as fiction? The book in question is Colonization and the Wampanoag Story.
But Jess, I was planning on doing a group trip to Bali next year... but an Ireland book trip sounds so delightful, why would you do this to me personally (please forgive my over dramatic self☺)
I’m not sure I really understand what the issue is with putting ratings on books, or how it would be censorship. We do it for tv shows, movies, games, and comics without any issues. I also think people should do their research as well though. I’m not going to watch every 18 movie just because I am old enough. I still need to have some idea what the movie is about.
- For me, I like it when books have warnings and things. I have certain things that trigger me pretty badly, like medical scenes, and having the heads up is nice.
- The kid finding inappropriate books was me- in my middle school class library. I don’t know why my teacher kept Stephen King books on those shelves, but my Goosebumps-loving self was not ready 😅
- Warnings should be given as a choice to an author, not mandated. As an aspiring writer, I think I’d prefer to have the option to tell people exactly what I believe might be an issue, versus letting Goodreads or an angry reviewer control the narrative entirely.
In the end, I guess I’m about letting /everyone/ make informed choices, and helping authors reach their preferred audiences and vice versa without taking away that choice.
Also, fanfiction websites like Archive of Our Own seem like a good template. It standardizes ratings and warnings, allowing writers to be as specific or ambiguous as they want, and readers to find what they want to read faster.
The only time I brought a book to the attention of someone is when one of the libraries I use has A Court of Silver Flames in the Children’s section (not young adult) I suggested they might want to move it. I was lectured about censorship and I said ok, all good. 😂
and LOLLL not the ending with melanie being told where to go 💀💀
Ratings will work about as well as a Goodreads rating... not at all as book taste is subjective. I am a parent and my kiddo is at the age where middle-grade books hold her interest less, but YA books have the ridiculous age range of 12-17. Clearly, much content appropriate for a 17-year-old is not appropriate for a 12-year-old. I use Common Sense Media, which is a fantastic resource as it has ratings in various categories (violence, spice, positive messages, negative messages, etc.) given by parents and kids (along with reviews that talk specifics). While it is a great resource, I decided to start reading tons of YA, so I could recommend books to her and be aware of what she is consuming. The bonus is that I've rediscovered my love of YA.
I also like doesthedogdie it's even better imo
@@mittag983 Thanks for the rec! This one is new to me but I will be using moving forward.
I talked all the things about the so-called Queen of Booktok after the SH of the Wennbergs and said I was done with her. But I've heard of multiple things she's done after that. I didn't know about her feature on Kelly's show until after the fact. I will be continuing to ignore said TikTok person.
I will also continue to stay off Threads 😅
Oh my gosh, I thought I was the only one who thought book threads was the most miserable place online. I lasted a day before I deleted the app because the “discourse” was asinine
I DNF’d “If I Stopped Haunting You”’earlier this year despite anticipating it, but I was still looking forward to giving Colby Wilkins’ next book a try. It was probably for the best anyway that her publisher pulled it.
How is it the first Kindle in color?? Did they forget the Kindle fire
Kindle Fire is a tablet, which can have other apps on it. If I understand, Kindle Color is a color version of the Kindle that is an ereader only and has e-ink capabilities, which previously has only been black and white.
If you ask me books are already rated. By organizing them as middle grade, children's, YA etc. That's giving you an idea on what to expect content wise. I don't expect to pick up a middle grade book and see a sex scene. That's all that's needed. For anything more in depth read the synopsis or read some reviews before you buy it.
I have passed by a book soley because the cover is so blatantly AI that I could not even be bothered to look at the description. I understand that it costs money to have a cover designed, but they look horrible and it shows a lack of respect for other creatives.
The genealogy thing is so interesting to me because I can see both sides (if an author is being authentic and not a scammer). Genealogy records are not foolproof documentation, especially when the culture in question was being forced to assimilate or die- your name changed, dates wrong, ages of siblings wrong- all on purpose or by accident. If she were to provide DNA results and proof that culture was celebrated by her family during her childhood, would that be enough for people? What is the barometer for proof of lived experiences? If her portrayal of celebrations or customs is woefully inaccurate, that would be reason to decry her representation in her books, I think. I wonder if that’s what led them to investigate her- is it all authors or her specifically? Did they reach out to her first before their statement? (You could’ve said that part and I missed it I was blow drying my hair for parts 😂).
-rewatched and saw people reported her to the society
I totally agree about Threads, it's sooo annoying on there
Pretty much every book has something that people may find offensive - sex, violence, language, horror etc. I’m all for trigger warnings but I don’t think just a sticker would work or it would be on everything. Just skim read the first few reviews if you are concerned, especially if it’s spice you want to avoid heaps of people give them spice ratings in the review
Nah. Book ratings is such a good idea. ❤ How many times did I pick up a romance and it just erotica. That’s a whole different genre and I don’t want that. The cartoon covers and the blurb don’t always give away that it’s erotica.
Some sex scenes in romance these days is expected but why is more than half the book sex? Where’s the plot. Where the romance. I don’t wanna read just porn and it’s valid to return the book . 🤷🏾♀️
Book ratings woood just help return select the books they want and less books would be returned because you have more insights to what it was at the beginning and wouldn’t even pick it up.
Did the book follow you home and eat your food? Otherwise, just go “oopsie,” just like the rest of us who find ourselves with books we don’t like. 😂😂😂
I have two Kindles, the basic from 2019 which I now use for law school and my Kindle Paperwhite 2022 for leisure reading. I make sure to separate both so I can focus on my academic books when I need to. I don’t have any plans on adding any new e-reader since both are working just fine.
Maybe I’m biased because I myself have struggled with finding my ancestors(my grandfather is the last of twelve siblings who actively attended powwows with me growing up but he is unable to read or write so research has been a big hurdle), but I feel for Wilkens. I agree she should have been more careful and taken more steps in looking into her history before publicly claiming anything and/or taking up a spot on the list of native authors. That said, it infuriates me to see other yt people playing outraged allies with no nuance whatsoever regarding tribal enrollment, blood quantum, assimilation, and colonization and how that has impacted native identity. For example, my people are recognized in Quebec, where my family is from, but not in the US, where I live, so I will never be able to enroll in a recognized band so long as I’m in the states. If she has been shitty to other authors, that’s fucked and she should be confronted about that. That said, please remember to be careful with attacking someone before we know the full facts. “Pretendian” hunters more often than not have ulterior motives based on greed and defamation.
i wrote this half asleep so to clarify this is not directed at you specifically! i think you explained it very sensitively and honestly. i love your videos and you seem like a genuinely caring person- this is a comment more so to the ppl being downright mean to Colby Wilkens not about her attitude towards other authors, but specifically about her identity. There is so much painful nuance regarding native identity that I genuinely don’t think a mass audience is equipped to handle or discuss.
I think your situation is way different than Wilkens' though. Everything you said is true and valid. It's a very nuanced and complex issue that many people don't understand and in some ways is destructive to Indigenous people. However, I'd add that here in the US, a big reason why people are very critical of the "my grandma was Cherokee" thing is because it was a prominent lie in yt households that was used to gain advantages, mostly monetary or specific opportunities. Some did use it to "add flavor" to their background because it's always "cool" to be one of the marginalized in some circles. Anyway, oftentimes people nowadays don't find out it was a lie until they look into their ancestry. And while blood ancestry is controversial in other ways, it is the number one factor to show you do have ties to a specific lineage. If someone only has colonizer blood, I feel that's indicative enough to show their claim is false. Like how would Wilkens even be able to write about the Native American experience if they literally do not have any family members who have passed down the culture, language, etc.? And if Wilkens was discovering their Native heritage after hearing about it growing up, then she would clearly have gone down a rabbit hole to figure out who/what/why/how of her ancestry so I don't see how she has any excuse to say she didn't do the work to find out her lineage, especially when they reached out to help her figure it out.
@ That’s fair! To be frank I read her statement and read a bit about her claims and whatnot and couldn’t quite tell if she grew up practicing and learning the culture, language, etc. but I think if she did that would be a bit different than never doing so and relying solely on an anecdote told by family. I also suppose it would be different for her being Choctaw and Cherokee as they had the Dawes and for the most part a decent documentation of family lines. I’m from New England(my family is from Quebec though) so over here things like that are a bit more foggy, especially when half my families documents are in French that I cannot read and the Nations recognized in Canada where my family lives aren’t recognized over in the U.S. despite there being a population of said Nations over here as well. No one over the U.S. border was tracing Abenaki specific blood like they would have for the Five Nations. You make a solid point for sure.
Honestly, I’m just glad it’s not just my threads that’s a mess
15:10 it’s also soo easy to check content warnings somewhere like storygraph. and it’ll usually have “graphic sexual content” listed when applicable.
Ugh, the teaaaaaa. I am 25% Puerto Rican, and have a Spanish surname, so I do share that with my students if they ask. However, I always specify that I don’t speak Spanish (although I want to learn), because my grandpa came over from Puerto Rico and assimilated, so I only know so much from him, only so many recipes, and only so much about that part of our culture. Although I am proud of that part of my heritage, I would never feel comfortable writing a character with stronger roots than my own. That’s someone else’s story to tell. To try to identify as more Latina than I am would be inappropriate and I could not possibly portray what it’s like growing up Puerto Rican as a generations removed Puerto Rican-American.
I think the only problem i have is publishers have a bad habit to push a book out for YA in initial release, but it should be in New Adult or the Adult catagory.
Lets b real though with smut, 99% of the time the synopsis tells you what your getting - but if you pick up a book more explicit then your expecting; then you either return it or donate it, if you dont want to keep it.
Oh hi Jess, I love the idea of the trip but I actually live in Ireland. That should affect the cost I think? Please let me know. Thank you ❤
Regarding the ratings being visible on books. My 17-year-old bonus daughter asked for a specific series, I told her no because I knew the level of smut, and it's even on my tbr list. But, because I am the parent purchasing books for her, I did not purchase it...point blank. But, once she's 18, she can purchase whatever she wants, but until then, no ma'am.
That person represents the booktok that's commenting on kids' videos trying to get them to read Haunting adeline.
35:24 IMO- I read the arc of that book and it simply wasn’t good. 🥴 I was offered the next one and passed.
Okay the picture of the CHEEKSSSS got me wanting some Ireland in my life 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Can I just say that I was in the market for a new ereader a few months ago and after being in the kindle ecosystem pretty much since kindles were invented, I switched to the colour kobo with a (non-AI) notebook and I absolutely have not regretted it. I got my 400+ kindle books on there without much trouble, its more enjoyable to read on imo, its intentionally made to be repairable, and I'm not tied to amazon anymore.
I’m still laughing at the jump scare 😂
I mean...Just do the tiniest bit of research and you can find out what's in books...Maybe don't blindly buy books?
I felt that sigh so so so deeply. 😢
I have an old Kindle and she is slow, but she works still!
Oh my god I also remember Walmart and CDs. 💿 That is crazy. Ratings on books is so weird. Just read the back, make an educated guess, look it up… at the end of the day if you read it and find you don’t like it, just stop reading it. This needing to know everything before going in doesn’t work for anything else. You eat at a restaurant and don’t like it, that’s a bummer but the restaurant doesn’t owe you a new meal because you didn’t know how it would taste before you ordered. If you buy a shirt and it shrinks in the wash, that’s just what happens sometimes. Maybe you washed it wrong, maybe it was poorly made, but it’s just a thing that happens sometimes. Anything else in the world that you purchase or consume, you just take a chance and hope you like it and sometimes you don’t. Like you said, grow up. 😮
Honest question: What's the benefit of having a kindle if I already have a smart phone? Someone gifted me a Kindle years ago and I couldn't use it unless the room lights were on. Meanwhile, I can read on my phone in the dark, and it's in color. What am I missing?
I like e-readers because the screens don't glow, which I find bothers my eyes if I'm reading for a long time. Newer ones will have a built in light that shines across the screen so you can read in the dark, but not have the eye strain of a glowing screen. Also, I'm pretty distractable, so having a device that only does books helps me not just go look at twitter instead of reading, lol. But that's more a me thing :D
@@justineetzkorn9594 Thank you for letting me know. I appreciate it. 🩷
the battery last a LOT longer
@@reneeelich4893 It's always so surprising and upsetting when it actually does run out!
I love your videos all because of your honesty with your videos prayers and blessings to you and your family love ❤️ your Aussie family friend John ❤❤
I did update my kindle twice in a year, both kindles are in active use, I gave the earlier model to my sister. This was 3 or 4 years ago, and I haven't felt the need to update it yet. I am considering getting a second non-amazon e-reader. I do not intend on getting a kindle color. If I need color the e-reader apps on my 3 year old iPad work great.
That whole section of the long ass thread post is hilarious
Oof, I had "If I Stopped Haunting You" in my radar, and I've seen people promoting it in Native American book lists. At least the author didn't double down, I guess.
the only thing i have to add to the censorship conversation is that i think publishing needs shift and do a better job of establishing a difference between books for teenagers/adolescnets (13-17) and books for irl emerging and young adults (17/18-25). in publishing, young adults are teens but in irl young adults are late teens to early twenties - which implies two different context and stories that they can relate to. I don’t think authors who write about actually young adults should be forced to put their books publishing’s YA category simply because publishing hasn’t caught up to today’s more nuanced, broader understanding of transition of adolescent to adult development.
"shen-natics" I love it!
lol please do check your vitamin D levels though! My Dr checked mine suspecting it was low. So
I have two ereaders BUT I got my kindle older refurbished and I have my kobo. I got my kobo first since in Canada we get library through kobo, then I got an older kindle for things on KU!
Anti AI for life!
The threads algorithm is super sensitive. If you interactive with something, you're gonna get 100 other posts just like it. Best thing you can do is interact with a lot of different content.