Morning Coffee – 31 August 2026

by Nate Hoffelder

After a decade of running The Digital Reader, Nate is a veteran web publisher with experience in design, maintenance, recovery, and troubleshooting. What little he doesn't know, he can learn.

August 31, 2026

Here are a few stories to read this Monday Morning. It’s a “speaking of which” kind of week.

  • Ferol Vernon explains how to grow your mailing list with a lead magnet.
  • Speaking of reader magnets, you might want to also consider printing them out and bringing them to events. I just got back from a conference, and all of the copies of the lead magnet I had printed out on a whim were snatched up by authors. (I honestly did not expect that to happen – I usually just give away the PDF.)
  • “Reading Maps” is an interactive website which captures more than a thousand literary journeys.
  • Google has launched an AI tool which will misunderstand and misinterpret the contents of a book in order to provide “expert” knowledge to readers.
  • I don’t like generative AIs any more than many authors do (it’s simply wrong way too often), but conversations at last week’s conference (and interactions with clients) have shown me that the public likes it. This means that it is probably never going away.
  • A recent survey from The Authors Guild shows that a significant number of publishers forget to file the copyright registration for the books they have under contract.
  • Have you seen the public statement that organizers of Creepaway Camp (an event for horror readers) released concerning recent interactions with the HWA? (I haven’t seen any coverage at all!)
  • Speaking of HWA drama, a couple weeks ago i reported about the HWA trustee who was fired over a pro-AI editorial in the HWA newsletter. The newsletter editor subsequently resigned.

Hi, I'm Nate.

I build and fix websites for authors, and I am also a tech VA. I can build you a website that looks great and turns visitors into fans, and I can also fix your tech when it breaks. Let me fight with tech support so you don't have to.

My blog has everything you need to know about websites and online services. Don't see what you need. or want personalized help? Reach out.

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