u/ShartyPants

Hello!

As part of the ongoing discussion around generative AI use in the writing industry, you may have seen an increase in posts and comments containing allegations of AI use by authors. Sometimes these allegations come with evidence, sometimes they don’t, but up until now, the mod team has deleted these comments to limit AI witch hunts, unfounded accusations, and rants about poorly written (or just poorly received) books. 

In the queer book space where most authors are indie, unfounded accusations of plagiarism and AI can create a large negative impact on the author - especially as folks may visit reddit, see the post, and not come back later to see that it was negated.

Now, to what’s changing: 
You may have noticed lately we’ve been more lenient, leaving some AI allegations up with a “moderator approved” note when we, as a team, reviewed the evidence provided and agreed with the poster’s opinion. We’d like to continue doing this, so we’ve decided on a more formal moderation plan.

Going forward, we will permit posts calling out suspected AI. But there will be rules! 

How it will work:
If you suspect a book is AI-written or AI-assisted, you can message the Mod team using modmail. (On desktop, this can be done by clicking the “Message Mods” button on the right hand side, all the way towards the bottom. On mobile, click the three dots in the top right corner, and tap “Message Mods.”) Send us the text you’d like to post, whether that’s a standalone post or a comment, along with any evidence you've gathered (links to passages, images, Amazon bios, Goodreads page showing 29 books released in the last six months, etc.). 

The mods will review the evidence provided, and if we reach a unanimous decision, we will reply to the modmail and let you know your post is approved. (Don’t panic–we haven’t disagreed with each other on this topic yet.) Once you’ve posted, someone from the mod team will reply to your post or comment saying it’s been approved by the mods.

• Things to note: Sometimes, the mods get busy! We want to be thorough when reviewing these posts, so it may take a bit for us to respond, but we will prioritize these messages when we can.
• This replaces our current moderation approach, which has been that moderators see the posts after the fact and approve or remove them, depending on evidence. Going forward, accusations posted without moderator approval, even with evidence, will be removed. If they are reposted, the poster risks, at minimum, a temporary ban from the subreddit.
• If we do not permit your post, it may not be that we don’t believe generative AI was used. But as we roll out this new moderation rule, we want to be careful. 
• Please don’t ruin this for the posters whose hearts are in the right place by posting without approval, and please continue flagging AI accusations when you see them. We (on the mod team) all hate generative AI being used in creative spaces. But this technology as it’s being used now is still new, and people cry wolf often. It’s important to us that we get it right.

Let us know what questions or concerns you have in the comments. We’re open to feedback. (However, for transparency, we do not plan to permit unfounded AI accusations at any point in the future.)

(Or, hey, even a book you don't love.)

Falling in love. Finding community. Affirming someone's gender or sexuality. Sharing a queer inside joke with a buddy. Getting goosebumps the first time someone sees you for who you really are.

Queer Joy can look different for everyone, but at its core, it's about accepting yourself (and others) authentically, finding joy in resistance against cultural norms, and being allowed to thrive.

We want to hear what scenes or stories you loved that gave you the queer joy warm fuzzies!

I'll get the ball rolling in the comments. :)

Welcome everybody, to the monthly Request Free Weekend!

During these weekends, the subreddit is closed to standalone request posts. The Saturday Request megathread will still be available for book requests.

Comments are open on this post for free form open discussion, chat, and discourse about anything! Rules still apply, but any topic is allowed, including feedback on these request free weekends.

Welcome everybody to the third monthly Request Free Weekend!

During these weekends, the subreddit is closed to standalone request posts. The Saturday Request megathread will still be available for book requests.

Comments are open on this post for free form open discussion, chat, and discourse about anything! Rules still apply, but any topic is allowed, including feedback on these request free weekends.

Hello folks!

For those who don’t know, May is Mental Health Awareness Month in a few regions across the globe, including the US. It’s a month (or week) dedicated to raising awareness and reducing stigma around mental illness, as well as providing information and resources to those who may currently be experiencing mental health struggles or loving someone who is.

As we all know, Romance books cover a wide variety of life experiences, from the uncommon (being a wolf shifter) to the more common (working a terrible job). According to the World Health Organization, living with a mental health condition is something that impacts nearly 15% of the population worldwide. If you look at queer people specifically, this number jumps up much higher—to nearly 40% (in the US, according to Mental Health America). But  those of us with mental health struggles also have friendships and relationships, and of course, fall in love! Seeing ourselves represented in Romance can be healing and encouraging when the stories are handled with care.

We’d like to use this thread to discuss books that have mental illness representation OR are written by authors who openly deal with their own mental health struggles. Feel free to recommend books below!

Please note:
Our sub is committed to remaining a safe and respectful space for anyone directly or indirectly impacted by mental illness.

If the author has not explicitly confirmed that a character has a diagnosis or condition, your recommendation must refer to specific traits, symptoms, or experiences that you think would be relatable to the diagnosis. If your recommendation is just, "this character seems like they have this diagnosis" without more details, we will remove your comment and ask you to edit it to include details.

Posters who disagree with representation in recommended books are, of course, welcome to discuss, but mods will be watching to ensure respectful and productive conversation is taking place.