The Self-Published Science Fiction Competition is an event originally launched by Amazon author Hugh Howey to foster growth in awareness of great self-published sci-fi work, but it’s been co-opted and turned into a nightmare of extreme leftist politics now resulting in the banning of fan-favorite author Devon Eriksen.
How do these organizations become infiltrated so easily? Why do they promote these operatives to the top? Isn't there anyway to avoid them, or is there a lot of strong-arming, racketeering, and other mafia tactics involved?
Why is it that every one of these contests seems to get co-opted by thought police who then create a bogus code of conduct to rationalize banning everyone?
> "The capacity of team leads to monitor competitors' social media pages."
Wait, what?
Someone submits a novel to your competition, and you think now you have the right, much less *the obligation* to "monitor" what that person says publicly?
That sounds like something out of a dystopia science fiction novel.
Or, what a Nazi might do. Or a Stasi informer.
Why would anyone think that someone entering a novel in your competition gives you the right to judge their every public utterance? Judge the novel! (And while doing that, don't mistake the characters' opinions for the author's.)
But no one consented to being "monitored" by some self-appointed Witchfinder General.
Imagine these competition "team leads" had (here's the science fiction theme) a time machine!
They could travel back to the 1960s and "monitor" Samuel Delany because his then-illegal sexual orientation violated the "Codes of Conduct" then prevailing! Or to the 1950s: they could "monitor" Dalton Trumbo and have gotten him blacklisted as a "Commie" sooner. Or to the 1940, to "monitor" Mikhail Bulgakov and prevent the publication of his "anti-Soviet" novel /The Master and Margarita./
What an exciting novel it would be, heroic time traveling Mrs. Grundies, Bowlers, and Comstocks, "monitoring" what people are allowed to say, giving them scarlet letters for violating various historical "Codes of Conduct!" Perhaps I can self-publish it and enter it into a competition!
Ed Pool is the same guy who led a mob against EPIC Indie last year when an author abused a female team member. He along with others in that crew branded me a white suprmacist and essentially hounded my team with lies and abuse until we voluntarily withdrew on principal. They are scum. Simple as. That competition has no legitamacy and all entrants should withdraw if they had any semblance of morality.
May it be known that I was and am proud to have had Devon Eriksen on my podcast, not only because he's a hell of a good writer, but because he's common sense right wing (which somehow makes him alt-right?? ::gasp::)
I read "Theft of Fire" by parts, and went back to re-read dections before continuing. Superb story and writing, with a lot of tantalizing hints. SJWs might be able to color the margins.
I have a better code in mind: Ten Commandments, easy to read but harder to follow. Don't like it? Repent, or begone.
I read Theft of Fire cover to cover in two or three sittings. If I didn't have a job it would have taken me one because I didn't need to eat or sleep as bad as I needed to read that book.
On a side-note, if there are any fans of Neal Asher (author of the "Polity" series) out there, I should also note that this novel single-handedly restored Mr. Asher's love of reading books.
People that behave like this serve as my personal shopper in negative: whatever they reject and ban becomes something I consider as a potential purchase. I will check out Erikson's work and see if I like it. EDIT: Turns out I bought this book during the Indie sale back in December and hadn't read it yet. HOLY COW my day is ruined because I got no sleep last night... worth it.
The problem with maintaining the in-group fervor via throwing the opposition overboard is that it becomes a circular firing squad, as most leftist organizations over the last century have proven. You run out of ideological opponents so to keep momentum the bar is moved to the insufficiently loyal. Rather quickly it becomes an echo chamber of no significance whatsoever. SPSFC just gave away any relevance it may have had, and the clock has started on institutional atrophy and death.
Imagine having a normal one because one author has different opinions to you. God Forbid. Might actually be the most pathetic group of discord users I've ever seen.
Not surprising that he got banned for telling the truth. The Socialists on twatter wouldn't know truth if it hit them while they were lined up against a wall.
For "Woke" morons, they can't accept either an opinion or the truth.
How do these organizations become infiltrated so easily? Why do they promote these operatives to the top? Isn't there anyway to avoid them, or is there a lot of strong-arming, racketeering, and other mafia tactics involved?
The people have the least to do in practice have the most time to devote to organizational matters, so rise.
See also: Fauci, “doctor”.
Any organization left to its own will become conservative.
Any organization that bans free speech usually becomes communistic.
Fear. Organisers of these things fear the woke mob. Seen it happen over and over again.
Why is it that every one of these contests seems to get co-opted by thought police who then create a bogus code of conduct to rationalize banning everyone?
"volunteers"
Devon Eriksen’a book bodies most of the competition. These people still live in a bubble made in 2016.
> "The capacity of team leads to monitor competitors' social media pages."
Wait, what?
Someone submits a novel to your competition, and you think now you have the right, much less *the obligation* to "monitor" what that person says publicly?
That sounds like something out of a dystopia science fiction novel.
Or, what a Nazi might do. Or a Stasi informer.
Why would anyone think that someone entering a novel in your competition gives you the right to judge their every public utterance? Judge the novel! (And while doing that, don't mistake the characters' opinions for the author's.)
But no one consented to being "monitored" by some self-appointed Witchfinder General.
Imagine these competition "team leads" had (here's the science fiction theme) a time machine!
They could travel back to the 1960s and "monitor" Samuel Delany because his then-illegal sexual orientation violated the "Codes of Conduct" then prevailing! Or to the 1950s: they could "monitor" Dalton Trumbo and have gotten him blacklisted as a "Commie" sooner. Or to the 1940, to "monitor" Mikhail Bulgakov and prevent the publication of his "anti-Soviet" novel /The Master and Margarita./
What an exciting novel it would be, heroic time traveling Mrs. Grundies, Bowlers, and Comstocks, "monitoring" what people are allowed to say, giving them scarlet letters for violating various historical "Codes of Conduct!" Perhaps I can self-publish it and enter it into a competition!
Funny you should write that, a few articles back they announced the Ark Prize writing contest. All joking aside, I'd read your book.
https://fandompulse.substack.com/p/ark-press-announces-10k-prize-for
Ed Pool is the same guy who led a mob against EPIC Indie last year when an author abused a female team member. He along with others in that crew branded me a white suprmacist and essentially hounded my team with lies and abuse until we voluntarily withdrew on principal. They are scum. Simple as. That competition has no legitamacy and all entrants should withdraw if they had any semblance of morality.
Never heard of this Devon fellow before. So thanks. I’m going to get one of his books right now.
May it be known that I was and am proud to have had Devon Eriksen on my podcast, not only because he's a hell of a good writer, but because he's common sense right wing (which somehow makes him alt-right?? ::gasp::)
https://pagezaplendam.substack.com/p/hinterspace-23-theft-of-fire
I read "Theft of Fire" by parts, and went back to re-read dections before continuing. Superb story and writing, with a lot of tantalizing hints. SJWs might be able to color the margins.
I have a better code in mind: Ten Commandments, easy to read but harder to follow. Don't like it? Repent, or begone.
I read Theft of Fire cover to cover in two or three sittings. If I didn't have a job it would have taken me one because I didn't need to eat or sleep as bad as I needed to read that book.
On a side-note, if there are any fans of Neal Asher (author of the "Polity" series) out there, I should also note that this novel single-handedly restored Mr. Asher's love of reading books.
ETA: Neal Asher blog post - https://theskinner.blogspot.com/2024/07/reading-hiatus-ended.html
People that behave like this serve as my personal shopper in negative: whatever they reject and ban becomes something I consider as a potential purchase. I will check out Erikson's work and see if I like it. EDIT: Turns out I bought this book during the Indie sale back in December and hadn't read it yet. HOLY COW my day is ruined because I got no sleep last night... worth it.
The problem with maintaining the in-group fervor via throwing the opposition overboard is that it becomes a circular firing squad, as most leftist organizations over the last century have proven. You run out of ideological opponents so to keep momentum the bar is moved to the insufficiently loyal. Rather quickly it becomes an echo chamber of no significance whatsoever. SPSFC just gave away any relevance it may have had, and the clock has started on institutional atrophy and death.
Imagine having a normal one because one author has different opinions to you. God Forbid. Might actually be the most pathetic group of discord users I've ever seen.
Not surprising that he got banned for telling the truth. The Socialists on twatter wouldn't know truth if it hit them while they were lined up against a wall.
For "Woke" morons, they can't accept either an opinion or the truth.
they're all on Bluesky now
Which is why I'm not. They can't decentralize it enough for me.
I find it's easier just to write and keep my thoughts on Notes.
dont people have an actual life? I think people have too much time on their hands tbh.