If you want to be beyond reproach,

if you're scared of people accusing your writing of using AI, then write the opposite of AI. I've noticed a lot of writers doing this. Substacks are sounding more casual (since GPT has a tendency to write formal-stilted, like a commonapp essay that thinks more formal = smarter) and also more bizarre.

It's kind of fun to read expressly-not-AI style (I prefer a weird reading experience to a slop one) but as someone who is also adjusting their writing to avoid any suspicion of AI, it's annoying that I have to make a stylistic change because of an external force. If I change my style, I'd like that to be completely up to me--not because of paranoia that someone is gonna say, "a robot to write this."

The way (certain) writers are changing it up is in direct opposition to the hallmarks of AI writing. AI sands down all the edges, rounds all the corners. So the writers who are taking precautions are writing more byzantine--sort of eccentric. The posts where I never wonder "Is this AI?" sound faux-pretentious, if that makes sense. This anti-AI style is a little wordier than might have been acceptable a five years ago (because concision is an AI thing: the super short sentences). It often has wacky punctuation (I've been doing this a lot). It's kind of archaic (I see out of date phrases more and more) but also self-consciously affected (using "as it were" comes to mind), where it sounds like the writer is conscious of sounding a little silly, but going for it anyway.

AI is compelling (some of) us to write less direct to prove we are human

Less direct isn't always worse, but in this case it feels like artificial style. I thought of a metaphor that kind of works. Say I'm on a very tight budget for clothing and the only place I can afford to shop is a costume rental store. The exhausted pirate and disco and flapper girl costumes get discounted and I buy them for pennies. So I'm wearing these costumes as regular clothes and people think, "Wow she has such a distinct (and extreme) style," but it's not actually my style -- it's just what I can afford. AI is forcing my writing to don an extreme costume that I would not otherwise wear.

Tea at the plaza dressed as Mermaid Man. It was halloween.

It's tiresome to be looking over your shoulder and wondering if a sentence you just wrote sounds like AI might have written it. Because instead of focusing on: what is the best way for me to communicate this point? I'm distracted by also thinking about: how do I say this without looking like it was AI-assisted? These are two different objectives and making good on the latter can impede the former.

Also, you could absolutely train GPT or Claude or whatever to write in the semi-affected-dont-accuse-me-of-using-AI way. So I wouldn't be surprised if this intentionally-human style gets co-opted and then we have to find another new way to (try and) be unimpeachable.

I stopped reading 2 newsletters because the AI usage was bad-bad

In theory, I don't mind if you use AI, but if I can really tell (because whatever you're producing is worse for it) it's hard to recover reputationally. You, as an artist, are tainted.

To me the biggest tell of AI writing is when a text says nothing. It's 3 sentences in a row that don't do any work-- complete filler fluff-- and then I spot a word (or convention) that confirms it's AI 💥 Dunzo. Maybe the writer only used AI for that single section or paragraph--doesn't matter. You're now an "AI writer". Again, the reputational risk is just way too high - assuming you define yourself as a writer.

If you call yourself a writer and you're using AI in your newsletter that is promoting your writing-- what are you doing?? Just the threat of the accusation should be enough to keep you from being that lazy.

I see AI in everyone's content

For a lot of creators I follow, I don't care about the actual subject matter of their content. I like their hooks. And headlines. They are a masterclass in how to get/keep attention with microtechniques that i want to imitate.

I can see AI [I can see dead people voice] in all these peoples' posts. It's not that they're using AI to write/edit the entire video but I can tell (bc I've done it too) that they entered their top 5 best performing posts into GPT and told it: "Give me more like this." Sometimes the suggestions are pretty good.

I made a few videos based on a GPT idea and they performed average. Not better or worse than my organic brainchildren. But (I say this humbly) everything that was "good" in the idea GPT provided was a regurgitated thought OF MY OWN. (Nvm- scratch humble.)

It's like when someone says, "I love your purse, I have the same one," -- complimenting their own taste. What I liked in the AI generated idea, was the part that reflected my own opinions back to me (am I being redundant?)

"AI Accent"

is a term I read in Emma Alpern's article "I Am Not a Robot" in the print version of NYMag (idk why I can't find it online. So weird.)

Alpern notes that many neurodivergent people who post on Reddit and chat on Discord using full sentences and proper grammar are getting accused of using AI.

The AI Accent is generic "good" writing imo. Pre-AI, if a student in high school could write like GPT we'd give them an A. It is clear and legible. There aren't (usually) any stylistic flourishes but it sounds "right".

I hate generic good writing. I find it to be very bad writing. It's how all the parents of my clients (that I help with college essays) write. When these parents edit an essay they 1) take ALL of the life out of it and 2) make their kid sound middle-aged.

When I say that AI Accent sounds "right"-- let me clarify-- it sounds right to the average (not that smart) person. I think I speak for pretty much all writers when I say we abhor the way AI writes. For some writers, it's def tangled up in their negative feelings/fear about AI- but I'm just talking about its style. No actual writer aspires to sound like AI. That is not the platonic ideal of writing. It's parent-who-thinks-they-sound-amazing type writing.

I have to share this bit of an essay that a student turned in that was 100% written by her mom:

When you have an immigrant parent, nothing about American life is taken for granted – everything is questioned, analyzed, and parsed to get at the deeper meaning and understanding of what it is to be American and to live in the United States. 

My dad is [Malaysian] and despite being a U.S. citizen for more than 20 years, there’s no escaping the impact of his three decades in [Asia] and the effect of that experience on my upbringing. I feel fortunate to have this influence because it helps me understand others. I can view our country from a slightly removed perspective, from the outside looking in.

Peak college essay. Peak parent parent writing. It's giving AI accent, no?

Not writing like AI isn't hard

That's a rough header. Writing unlike AI is easy. (Better?)

In some ways, it's fun to break rules that I wouldn't otherwise and dabble in bad writing habits. My fear is sounding sloppy- but I know that's part of what makes me sound more convincingly human. Would you rather read something that's a little sloppy but never makes you wonder "was this AI" or would you rather read clean, concise, neatly generated SLOP?

You know how there's a genre of comedy called anti-comedy? Norm Macdonald was sometimes classified as this. Mitch Hedburg, too. I feel like the style I'm developing in reaction to AI is anti-writing.

https://fable.co/club/kindred-readers-book-club-with-syd-490517587538?invite=a8e687d0-803c-412a-9180-e0ce071d21c4

The Kindred Readers Book Club is now LIVE on Fable for ALL MEMBERS !!

Inner Circle members will soon be able to vote on the book we read for the month of April !! For just $5 !! You will also be able to vote on books you want to see me read, YouTube video ideas + a whole lot more. We will also hold exclusive movie nights and reading sprints each month for Inner Circle members. We will also hold public reading sprints each month so all members will feel included. Inner Circle members will also get exclusive YouTube videos. In this post I have included a list of potential picks for the Kindred Readers Book Club for the month of April !! This list may be set to change when the poll comes but just giving you potential options to encouraging you to become an Inner Circle member !!

Potential Book Club Picks for April:

Spoiled Milk by Avery Curran

Sisters in Yellow by Mieko Kawakami

The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri

So Old, So Young by Grant Ginder

Whidbey by T Kira Madden

Burn Down Master’s House by Clay Cane

love yall ughhhhh (the hudson williams way)

🧟‍♀️CLICK HERE TO JOIN on April 4th @2pm EDT🧟‍♀️

Welcome to your April Early Warning System! To give you plenty of time to clear your TBR pile and secure your pre-orders before the release day rush.

April is looking absolutely massive. We have the return of heavy hitters like David Baldacci and TJ Klune, alongside some of the most inventive book-about-books concepts I've seen in years. Seriously, The Book Witch is calling my name!

🚀Releasing April 7, 2026

The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer

• Genre: Fantasy / Romance

• The Hook: A magical Nancy Drew who jumps into novels to fix plot holes. She’s forbidden from falling for fictional characters, but her heart belongs to a detective from her favorite mystery series.

• Pre-order: https://bookshop.org/a/118425/9780593983584 

American Fantasy by Emma Straub

• Genre: Contemporary Fiction

• The Hook: A 50-year-old divorcee goes on a 90s-era boy band themed cruise. It’s a smart, funny look at aging, nostalgia, and finding yourself in a sea of screaming fans.

• Pre-order: https://bookshop.org/a/118425/9798217046850 

The Bookshop of 99 Doors by Jamie Jo Wright

• Genre: Historical / Gothic / Christian Fiction

• The Hook: A dual-timeline mystery centered on a Pennsylvania mansion. In 1888, a girl hunts a vengeful spirit; in the present, a bookshop manager accidentally opens a dangerous portal to the past.

• Pre-order: https://bookshop.org/a/118425/9780764243813 

The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke

• Genre: Mystery / Thriller

• The Hook: Six struggling authors are invited to a private island to finish a dead legend’s final masterpiece. The prize is a career-making sum, but the competition is literally killer.

• Pre-order: https://bookshop.org/a/118425/9780063444614 

The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer & Tamara Moss

• Genre: YA Mystery

• The Hook: A high-stakes reality show where the puzzles are deadly. A girl joins the cast to find out who murdered her sister on set during the previous season.

• Pre-order: https://bookshop.org/a/118425/9798217006120 

The Verdant Cage by Jess Lourey

• Genre: Fantasy / Thriller

• The Hook: In a walled paradise called Noah’s Valley, an apothecary’s daughter discovers the wall isn't there to keep things out, it's there to keep them in.

• Pre-order: https://bookshop.org/a/118425/9781682816455

🕵️Releasing April 14, 2026

Hope Rises Nash Falls #2 by David Baldacci

• Genre: Thriller

• The Hook: Walter Nash aka Dillon Hope has transformed into a lethal operative to take down the woman who destroyed his life. But as he infiltrates her inner circle, the line between revenge and attraction blurs.

• Pre-order: https://bookshop.org/a/118425/9781538758021 

👵Releasing April 21, 2026

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

• Genre: Domestic Thriller

• The Hook: 81-year-old Elsie is a grumpy neighbor with a secret: she was once Mad Mabel, Australia’s youngest convicted murderer. When a neighbor dies, her past and present collide in a wickedly funny way.

• Pre-order: https://bookshop.org/a/118425/9781250284549 

The Language of Liars by S.L. Huang

• Genre: Science Fiction

• The Hook: A psychic spy attempts to become a member of an alien species to save his civilization. But he discovers that truly understanding another species might be the very thing that destroys them.

• Pre-order: https://bookshop.org/a/118425/9781250405333 

🌅Releasing April 28, 2026

We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune

• Genre: Speculative Fantasy

• The Hook: A rogue black hole is ending the world in 30 days. An elderly couple sets off on a cross-country road trip to finish their business, witnessing the beautiful and chaotic ways humanity spends its final hours.

• Pre-order: https://bookshop.org/a/118425/9781250881236 

When Lemons Give You Life by Anna Johnston

• Genre: Contemporary Fiction

• The Hook: A retired Michelin-star chef in a nursing home starts a secret midnight kitchen to rediscover his joy, while his sister navigates a late-in-life ADHD diagnosis. A recipe for forgiveness.

• Pre-order: https://bookshop.org/a/118425/9780063397347 

The Girl Upstairs by Jessica R. Patch

• Genre: Thriller

• The Hook: A former homicide detective buys a fixer-upper in Maine to save her marriage, only to find a chilling message carved under the attic carpet and a connection to a missing girl.

• Pre-order: https://bookshop.org/a/118425/9781335001368 

🧐Which one is on your list?

I’m personally torn between the high-concept magic of The Book Witch and the emotional weight of TJ Klune’s latest.

Note: The links below are my personal affiliate links for Bookshop.org, which supports local independent bookstores.

Hi all! Great to chat tonight. Next month's meeting will be on April 29th at 8pm eastern. I threw Woodworking into the mix again for our pick, since it seemed like one that peaked some interest :)

Woodworking by Emily St.James

Erica Skyberg is thirty-five years old, recently divorced—and trans. Not that she's told anyone yet. Mitchell, South Dakota, isn't exactly bursting with other trans women. Instead, she keeps to herself, teaching by day and directing community theater by night. That is, until Abigail Hawkes enters her orbit.

Abigail is seventeen, Mitchell High’s resident political dissident and Only Trans Girl. It’s a role she plays faultlessly, albeit a little reluctantly. She's also annoyed by the idea of spending her senior year secretly guiding her English teacher through her transition. But Abigail remembers the uncertainty—and loneliness—that comes with it. Besides, Erica isn’t the only one struggling to shed the weight of others’ expectations.

As their unlikely friendship evolves under the increasing scrutiny of their community, both women—and those closest to them—will come to realize that sometimes there is nothing more radical than letting the world see who you really are.

Cruelty Free by Caroline Glenn

Ten years ago, Lila Devlin was an A-list actress with a movie star husband and a beautiful baby girl, Josie. When Josie was kidnapped out of her home and never seen again, Lila’s previously pristine public image twisted into that of an Unfit Mother. Driven mad by the hungry press, incompetent cops, and relentless true crime–obsessed “fans,” she disappeared into anonymity. 

Now, Lila Devlin returns to LA with a grand vision for a radical new skincare brand to reinvent herself and honor Josie’s legacy. She's prepared to move into the next chapter of her life with forgiveness in her heart, when an encounter with a parasitic blogger ends with him dead. Lila suddenly discovers forgiveness isn’t nearly as satisfying as a body hitting the floor.

With the help of her devoted publicist Sylvie, Lila begins a relentless, blood-soaked hunt through LA. Giving her skincare the edge it needs, they introduce a secret ingredient—revenge-sourced—from the bodies piling up. But as the company’s success skyrockets and Lila begins unraveling the truth behind her daughter’s kidnapping, her murderous side hustle threatens the life she’s painstakingly rebuilt.

Kin by Tayari Jones

Vernice and Annie, two motherless daughters raised in Honeysuckle, Louisiana, have been best friends and neighbors since earliest childhood, but are fated to live starkly different lives. Raised by a fierce aunt determined to give her a stable home in the wake of her mother’s death, Vernice leaves Atlanta at eighteen for Spelman College, where she joins a sisterhood of powerfully connected Black women and marries into an affluent family. Annie, abandoned by her dissolute mother as a child, and fixated on the idea of finding her and filling the bottomless hole left by her absence, sets off on a journey that will take her into a world of peril and adversity, as well as love and adventure, and culminate in a battle for her life.

Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell

One day, a cataclysmic event occurs: all of the white people in America walk into the nearest body of water. A year later, Charlie Brunton is a Black man living in an entirely new world. Having served his time in prison for a wrongful conviction, he’s now a professor of electric and solar power systems at Howard University when he receives a call from someone he wasn’t even sure existed: his daughter Sidney, a nineteen-year-old left behind by her white mother and step-family.

Traumatized by the event, and terrified of the outside world, Sidney has spent a year in isolation in Wisconsin. Desperate for help, she turns to the father she never met, a man she has always resented. Sidney and Charlie meet for the first time as they embark on a journey across a truly “post-racial” America in search for answers. But neither of them are prepared for this new world and how they see themselves in it.

Heading south toward what is now called the Kingdom of Alabama, everything Charlie and Sidney thought they knew about themselves, and the world, will be turned upside down.

Good afternoon, Sickos! Got a couple things for ya today. First up, the April polls for the Fiction and History Sickos Book Clubs are closed and we have our winners.

FICTION SICKOS

The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan

From my understanding, this is a dark historical fantasy and horror novel that reimagines the Beast of Gévaudan in 18th-century France. The story follows an immortal magician and monster hunter who shares his body with a heart-eating demon.

Just based on the summary, this is the type of book I'd love to publish through Kist Reads so I'm excited about this one.

HISTORY SICKOS

All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror by Stephen Kinzer

"...brings to life the 1953 CIA coup in Iran that ousted the country’s elected prime minister and features a brand new preface by the author on the folly of attacking Iran."

I've read this a couple times now and included it because it's quite timely for obvious reasons. It's not a THICC BOI, it's very accessible, and it's a great introduction to why relations between the United States and Iran are the way they are in modern times.

To participate in the book discussions, your membership needs to be at the Sicko or above tier and you'll need to be connected to the Sickos Discord server, which is where the forums live. Once you have Discord you can go to your Account Settings here and sync up. I'll have the forums posted on 4/1!

The Importance of Pre-Orders...

If you want to support the Kist Reads imprint and our amazing debut author S.V. Lockwood so we can continue to publish books in the future, one of the most important thing you can do is pre-order. Buying A Complement of Scoundrels by S.V. Lockwood before it comes out sends a major signal to bookstores that they should stock it on their shelves. It comes down to basic supply and demand, and the pre-order numbers provide book chains with an idea of what the demand will be like. This doesn't just apply to our book, but all books, so keep that in mind when it comes to authors you love in the future!

Until tomorrow (3/26), Barnes & Noble is running a 25% discount for pre-orders with code: PREORDER25 (available to their Premium & Rewards Members*). So if you haven't locked in your copy of A Complement of Scoundrels yet, this is the perfect opportunity to save a little dough and support the imprint and our author. Either way, your subscription fees helped get this thing off the ground to begin with so I appreciate you! And for those asking, yes, I should be able to share news about the audiobook format of this soon!

I'm so sorry for any confusion I caused, because apparently, calendars are very hard.

https://meet.google.com/yts-vtpz-yeb

8pm Eastern