iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 20/12/2025

Hopefully, we can now go back to reading children's books by proper authors like Cat Deeley, Simon Cowell, Fearne Cotton, Dermot O'Leary, Meghan Markle and (checks notes) … (rechecks notes, adjusts spectacles and check notes again) … Keith Richards.

media.tenor.com

a cartoon of a girl carrying a stack of books with the website bibliotheca.com written below her

ALT: a cartoon of a girl carrying a stack of books with the website bibliotheca.com written below her

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

Huge commiserations to the HarperCollins PR team, who chose the last Friday afternoon before Christmas to hide, sorry ‘make’, their Walliams announcement. Didn’t work guys (I assume they were guys). Was never, ever gonna work.

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Reposted by Alex Reeve (storyjoy)

chloehadj.bsky.social @chloehadj.bsky.social · 06/07/2025

I spent months on this investigation and gathered docs from the UK courts, Land Registry and a French local authority, to show that Raynor and Moth Winn's story is not as they claim. @tortoisemedia.bsky.social @observeruk.bsky.social observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

observer.co.uk

The real Salt Path: how the couple behind a bestseller le...

Penniless and homeless, the Winns found fame and fortune with the story of their 630-mile walk to salvation. We can reveal it was far from the truth

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

I haven't much to say and the world seems a bit grim, so … here's Bobbie. She doesn't care about that stuff as long as she gets to chill on the sofa.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

These kinds of thing don't work for me, but everyone's process is different. Creative inspiration is very personal, I think.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 19/12/2024

Obvs not the point, but someone at The Spectator needs to read GRRM's books before abusing them. No such things occur.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

Yes - I guess some novels have a kind of meta story that reveals itself - eg Owen Meaney and Use of Weapons. I’d be tempted to read those again.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

These things can edge towards snobbery, ie some novels are ‘worthy’ of repeat reads and others not, and I don’t accept that idea at all.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

It’s so personal, isn’t it? I wouldn’t read Agatha Christie twice, but I know people who do. Whereas I might read James Ellroy or Walter Mosley more than once. I think it’s more about the reader than the writer.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

I hear folks with big Twitter/X followings say they're reluctant to come to Bluesky because they'll have to start again. I get that. The problem is, those followers on X are either RW arseholes or the left-over zombie accounts of people who've come to Bluesky. Are they really worth staying for?

media.tenor.com

a soldier with a skull on his face and the words `` zombie apocalypse '' above him .

ALT: a soldier with a skull on his face and the words `` zombie apocalypse '' above him .

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

Thank you to the @societyofauthors.bsky.social & @samblakebooks.bsky.social for leading on this. Could we propose a code of practice for publishers to ensure transparency for stakeholders & customers, eg ghosts & illustrators must be named on the front cover? Smaller font perhaps, but present.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

Other industries are required to give credit where it's due, eg movies and academia. Why not publishing?

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

There are grey areas here between 'written by', 'story by' and so on. I've heard of some celebs who genuinely think they wrote something which has been heavily edited / borderline ghosted by the publisher.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

Yes. My only caution is that celeb books are propping up publishers' revenues, & it isn't clear whether they're cannibalising proper books or are additive. Some of each, probably. As a first step, a specific recognition of who actually wrote the book - preferably on the cover - would be positive.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 08/12/2024

Yep, for sure. He's messing with the WRONG demographic.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 08/12/2024

He's not easily bullied at corners and is a decent stopper. Old school, but good as a back-up.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 08/12/2024

Ryan Mason will be searching out his ‘Interim Head Coach’ business cards right now.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

I agree. I truly don’t want to cut off a revenue stream for publishers, but they should be clear when a work is written to a great extent by someone else. As you say, this should be addressed more strongly by SoA, CWA, etc.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

Yes, agreed. I daresay ghost writers like the income, and fair enough. I’m not against ghost writing per se at all. I just think the publisher should be more clear - find a form of words by which an interested reader can see who did what. It doesn’t seem a lot to ask.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

True, of course, and the books may actually be great. But can’t they be honest anyway?

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

Yeah, we’ve all grown kind-of accustomed to the celeb branding thing. People are inured to it. And I’m not trying to kill publishers’ businesses. But they could find a form of words that still allows the big, famous name on the cover, without being dishonest.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

People seem to think writing for kids is easier (and they couldn’t be more wrong). Most of the celeb stuff is derivative merch designed to be given as a gift, not actually read more than once.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

But if their job is reading an autocue, kicking a ball, cookery, politics or modelling - or they’re the Hawk Tuah girl - there’s a lower chance.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

It’s a balance of probabilities. Did the celeb come from a script-writing, journalistic or comedy background? Do they seem to choose their words carefully and have an ear for language? Do they care about words? If so, there’s a reasonable chance they did the work.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

Writing a novel is hard. It takes months of work, mostly alone at a keyboard. It’s mentally and emotionally taxing. If you didn’t personally do that work, don’t say you did. It’s dishonest, plain and simple.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

I get the value of name recognition, but publishers need to find a form of words that’s somewhat honest. ‘Inspired by’ or ‘Written with’. Just don’t pass it off as something it’s not.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

I'm really serious about this. We should start a movement and embarrass celebs into being honest. If it's 'co-written' (i.e. ghosted), at least put that person's name on the cover too. The @societyofauthors.bsky.social should get much more involved. What do you think?

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

Wow. That's so shocking. I assumed at minimum they'd have some conversations and ideas about plots and characters. Just literally sticking your name on it, like a novel is a T-shirt, is corrupt.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

One of the challenges is it's hard to know. I can't say for certain that Alison Hammond didn't write Bombshell, but chances are, not.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

We need a campaign for real fiction. I have no problem with celebs who write books. I have no problem with ghosted memoirs, etc. But ghosted fiction novels with a celeb’s name on the cover are just plain wrong. It’s cynical, branded merch, nothing more.

media.tenor.com

a man with gray hair and a green cloak is talking about merchandising

ALT: a man with gray hair and a green cloak is talking about merchandising

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

Wow! Congrats. Does this mean you actually … know stuff?

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 30/11/2024

Just got followed by Mark Twain and Gabriel García Márquez. They're keen to know how I'm doing. Honestly, it feels pretty sweet to be mixing in such prestigious company.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

All the ‘northern’ brits had different accents; the main guy seemed to be from Deptford. In the end he made his fortune selling Christmas angels (no-one pointed out that it’s a somewhat seasonal market) and the main woman gave up her excellent career as an opera singer for a life in rural England.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

I'm being forced to watch A Very British Christmas by @shelleyharris.bsky.social. It's set in the present day, and the American star has just travelled from the airport to the quaint English town by steam train.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

I've written an AI novel to disrupt the industry. It's completely original, of course. Here's the beginning. I hope you like it, but it doesn't matter if you don't as I'll be producing another one this afternoon and a couple more tomorrow. Maybe you'll like them better. Or my cookbook. Or my album.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

Laura's a brilliant author and a lovely person. Well worth listening to this podcast, especially if you love a bit of gothic.

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Alex Reeve (storyjoy) @alexreeve.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

Well, hmm. I'll definitely finish it (eventually). Not sure it's very commercial tbh.

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