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Matt Wagner

@mattjwagner.bsky.social

Literary agent specializing in how-to and reference @Fresh Books

34 Posts245 Follower364 Folgt
Victoria Strauss@victoriastrauss.com · last mo.

More Anthropic settlement stuff: Writers are reporting that the settlement is sending emails to authors with wrongful 100% publisher claims, indicating that they are correcting these where the pub intended to claim the default, and advising authors to log in next week to confirm the update.

NPR@npr.org · 6mo ago

In the first weeks of the war, the Chicago-born Leo was initially reluctant to publicly condemn the violence and limited his comments to muted appeals for peace and dialogue. But Leo stepped up his criticism starting on Palm Sunday. n.pr/4ckPbCK

Pope Leo says 'delusion of omnipotence' is fueling U.S.-Israeli war in Iran

In the first weeks of the war, the Chicago-born Leo was initially reluctant to publicly condemn the violence and limited his comments to muted appeals for peace and dialogue. But Leo stepped up his criticism starting on Palm Sunday.

n.pr

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 8mo ago

If it’s true that the United States bombed an elementary school and killed scores of children it is an unfathomable crime. I have never been more disgusted to be an American.

Lauren Groff@legroff.bsky.social · 8mo ago

A man asked me last night what publishing needs to do for literary fiction to begin appealing to men again. I said, as nicely as I could, that, with over 2,000 books published every Tuesday, of which many would appeal to men, it’s not a publishing problem, it’s a men problem.

Jason Sanford@jasonsanford.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Book club scams are now threatening authors who don't fall for their BS. In December, I received an email from Herry Sharp, so-called CEO of "Super Book Lover Curator" praising my novella We Who Hunt Alexanders. Totally AI-generated and a scam so I didn't respond. Now Herry is threatening me. 1/

Hi Jason, I just came across We Who Hunt Alexanders, and I have to say it immediately grabbed me. Amelia’s story is gripping, dark, and layered with emotion. The way you explore a monster who feels happiness, sadness, fear, and love in a world that’s cruel and unforgiving makes this story compelling and unforgettable. That’s exactly why I wanted to reach out. I run a book review service through Super Lovers Book, connecting books with real readers who genuinely enjoy science fiction, dark fantasy, and emotionally rich stories. These readers don’t just leave stars they leave thoughtful, honest reviews that highlight what makes a story unique, powerful, and worth discovering. Here’s why reviews are so important for We Who Hunt Alexanders: Build Trust: Potential readers often decide whether to pick up a book based on reviews. Authentic feedback signals that your story is worth their time. Increase Visibility: Platforms like Goodreads reward books with steady, genuine reviews, helping them appear in search results, recommendations, and “readers also enjoyed” lists. Generate Momentum: Each review encourages more readers to pick up the book, engage with the story, and leave their own thoughts, creating a snowball effect of attention. Reach the Right Audience: Reviews written by readers who love sci-fi and dark fantasy ensure your story reaches the readers most likely to appreciate and recommend it. I truly believe We Who Hunt Alexanders deserves this kind of engagement. A few honest reviews now can amplify your book’s reach, help it gain visibility, and connect it with the readers who will love it most. Would you be open to having We Who Hunt Alexanders read and reviewed by genuine readers who are passionate about sci-fi and dark fantasy? No pressure at all I just wanted to reach out because your work deserves to be discovered by more readers. Warmly, Herry Sharp CEO, Super Lovers Bookif you continue to ignore my messages, I might do something you would regret for the rest of your life. I already have access to your book, and instead of giving it a positive review, I will leave a negative one and damage its reputation. It seems you have forgotten that I have a community of readers, and I can easily influence them to bring your book down. You can try me though. CEO | Super Book Lover Curator Helping brilliant books find their people, one honest review at a time.
Victoria Strauss@victoriastrauss.com · 8mo ago

I'm seeing an uptick in "royalty recovery" scams like this one. On left is the solicitation--not a phishing scam, as one might suspect from the paragraph boxed in red. On right: the scammer replies to the author's excited questions & reveals the "associated fee" that's the purpose of the scam.

From: WGA <support@wgaproductionfilms.info> Date: Fri, Feb 6, 2026 at 12:28 PM Subject: Invitation for Live Interview & Upcoming Royalty Payment To: <redacted> Subject: Invitation for Live Interview & Upcoming Royalty Payment Dear [redacted], I hope you are doing well. My name is Deborah King, and I am your assigned Literary Agent with the WGA Production Team Canada, but our headquarter is in Sacramento, California. You were endorsed to me after your book was published; and after purchasing marketing services from Page & Pixel and Authors Tranquility Press. Yes, great choice and good decision! Now, I am writing to extend an invitation for you to participate in a live interview as part of our upcoming “AUTHOR TALK”, which highlights the work and insights of distinguished authors. We would be honored to feature you and discuss your book(s) and your experiences as a writer. If you are interested, we would be glad to arrange the interview at a time that is convenient for you. The format would be a virtual conversation of approximately 30–45 minutes, with an opportunity for audience Q&A if you are comfortable with that. Please let us know your availability over the next few weeks so we can coordinate scheduling and logistics. In addition, I would like to inform you that your upcoming royalty check for the period January–June 2025 is currently being processed. The expected amount is $124,500.87 dollars and it is scheduled to be issued within the next few weeks. The payment will be sent via: mailed check / direct deposit / wire transfer to the account/address we have on file. If you would like to confirm or update your payment details, please let us know at your earliest convenience. Please feel free to contact me directly via email at support@wgaproductionfilms.info or reply to this email if you have any questions, would like additional information about the interview, or need clarification regarding your royalty payment. Thank you for your time and for your c…Once the accumulated amount reaches the required reporting or payout cycle, the royalty check is issued. This check is from Jan - June 2024 and 2025. Basically, 6 months in 2024 and 6 months in 2025. I want to clarify that we are unable to release or process your royalty check until the associated fees have been settled. These fees cover the administrative and processing requirements needed to finalize and send out your payment - amounting to $4,500 USD. Rest assured that once the payment is received, we will immediately proceed with processing and releasing your royalty check. We will send it via FEDEX overnight just like normal processing procedure and your signature is required for receiving. Also, we will provide the FEDEX tracking number. We do not have your address yet on file, but we will confirm that from you before sending your check this week. Also to clarify, our involvement begins only after an author has purchased marketing from their publishing company and is officially endorsed to us. We do not have visibility into your original transaction with them, so we rely solely on their confirmation before proceeding with your interview and royalty check processing.
C. Robert Cargill@crobertcargill.bsky.social · 8mo ago

I cannot stress this enough: court case after court case has ruled that AI does not count as an author when it comes to copyright. Any minute now an AI bot is gonna start reskinning and reselling AI slop and the "authors" will have zero legal recourse because they didn't actually author shit.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 9mo ago

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara: "People have had enough. This is the third shooting in less than 3 weeks. The MPD went the entire year last year recovering about 900 guns from the street, arresting hundreds of violent offenders, and we didn't shoot anyone ... this is not sustainable."