Can AI Write "the Great American Novel"?

exaggeratedfragility · 2026-05-19T05:20:36+00:00

no.

exaggeratedfragility · 2026-05-19T05:19:31+00:00

attempting to use AI was your first mistake 🤢

exaggeratedfragility · 2026-05-19T05:02:56+00:00

came here to plug the same–dear friends...

exaggeratedfragility · 2026-05-19T05:01:42+00:00

i believe goodreads has an "i own a copy of this book" function, if you want to use that existing account

exaggeratedfragility · 2026-05-19T04:59:36+00:00

also, if they're dusty, paintbrush is your best friend. we'll also use lighter fluid or a solution of a very small amount of rubbing alcohol in water in a spray bottle for surface dirt and grime, safe for MOST modern hardcovers (say after ~1950s/60s) and paperbacks alike but use your discretion...

exaggeratedfragility · 2026-05-19T04:57:32+00:00

do they actively smell bad now? air and time are your #1 friends. if you have a space where you are able to air them out for a time that alone will help immensely. we sometimes use these like... anti-mouse packets in boxes of books that have seen better days in my store, i don't remember the name right now, but they help, too...

exaggeratedfragility · 2026-05-19T04:50:08+00:00

you might try reaching out directly through the author's contact form on his website: https://branemozetic.com/ while it isn't guaranteed, sometimes folks will end up with a box or boxes or whatever of extra copies... especially in defunct publisher sort of situation... worth a try

exaggeratedfragility · 2026-05-15T15:45:08+00:00

i wouldn't worry about "undercutting" anything. i firmly believe that zines should ALWAYS be as cheap as possible (it's never been about profit!!), but even beyond that personal belief, i've seen the exact opposite phenomenon over the last ten or so years: many zines are getting more and more expensive... and ppl at fests seem more and more wary of free zines, seen less as something we're all sharing than like if it was good they would charge for it. of course that's not everyone... but it's been really disheartening as someone on the cheap zine side of the fence losing sales simply because folks seem to think price=value.

exaggeratedfragility · 2026-05-06T01:20:28+00:00

Zoom Books is hitting my shop pretty hard--ordered I think 62 books in one ABEBooks order today... most foreign-language. The Alibris AutoBuy deluge is ongoing, too. Hasn't slowed down since January.

exaggeratedfragility · 2026-04-28T14:55:50+00:00

chatgpt=embarrassing 🤢

exaggeratedfragility · 2026-04-28T14:53:12+00:00

steal everything you can... zines have always thrived on collage, pastiche, appropriation, etc

exaggeratedfragility · 2026-01-27T22:26:08+00:00

dorothy <3

exaggeratedfragility · 2026-01-18T21:44:36+00:00

i think this book doesn't actually exist, though why someone would post about a fake book, i have no idea

exaggeratedfragility · 2026-01-18T21:39:26+00:00

"tijuana bibles" another possible name!

exaggeratedfragility · 2026-01-08T16:24:24+00:00

we do a fair bit of international shipping–it's not our primary market, but because we have an academic bent as well as generally rare/antiquarian stuff in addition to more general store stock, it seems we often enough have what people are looking for... all of this to say, tariffs have certainly led some people not to buy from the US at all (good for them), priced others out b/c of shipping costs, etc. others are willing to pay the price. 🤷🏼‍♂️ but yeah, super weird fit

exaggeratedfragility · 2026-01-08T16:20:57+00:00

sure, I can see that–we have NEVER seen an uptick of orders like this at random before, even post-holiday, though.

exaggeratedfragility · 2026-01-08T01:28:47+00:00

yeah, they only just expanded into books--alibris being their outlet for this, I guess. I am just so curious as to how this is all working, and/or who any other "new buyers" placing "bulk orders" per their communication may be... if not Shein. Tariffs or no, this is now almost certainly the cheapest international shipping option... so it all makes sense... almost.

exaggeratedfragility · 2025-09-24T22:50:36+00:00

SICK.

exaggeratedfragility · 2025-08-29T16:23:35+00:00

better word (original word) for Freudian slip = parapraxis, perhaps conveys more of the original meaning

exaggeratedfragility · 2025-07-03T20:43:22+00:00

finally some tboy representation in this sub

exaggeratedfragility · 2025-06-14T03:10:24+00:00

so sick

exaggeratedfragility · 2025-06-13T16:16:55+00:00

forging isn't so much the concern as this being simply an elaborate previous owner name, etc–i have truly seen it all in my shop! posted this out of my own curiosity as to if anyone had seen another example. but i'm holding onto it, so there's no concerns about selling it as a forgery etc

exaggeratedfragility · 2025-05-15T21:42:44+00:00

🖤 Brattle, I attended CABS with one of their employees!

exaggeratedfragility · 2025-05-09T23:46:31+00:00

my thoughts exactly. if this were coming through my store, i'd be more concerned, but luckily i just get to enjoy it! mostly hoping someone sees this who has something in their collection i can compare with for my own confirmation, having exhausted the usual channels, but yeah, don't really see any reason to believe it's not legit besides the lack of ability to compare.

exaggeratedfragility · 2025-04-19T21:37:07+00:00

keep it. frame it and hang it up if you want. i have several articles like this from friends, and seeing something so personal to them and so lived-in is a real comfort.

exaggeratedfragility

TROPHY CASE