Libraraptor´s Book Project

[DinoToyForum]

Thank you everyone, yeah I am very proud, but of course there is still a lot of work to do.

@CityRaptor:  I know there are similar books on that matter, and W.J.D. Mitchell´s "The Last Dinosaur Book" actually has some influence on my work. But in Europe and the German-speaking countries the relationship between man and prehistory presents itself somewhat differently from the USA. I want to respect that.

@postsaurischian: I do have an attractive approach  in mind already, but mostly focus on text production for the present.

@DinoToyForum : There will be a chapter featuring / portraying some "paleo-nerds" from past and present. I do have some professionals in mind of which you are one

If anyone has suggestions, don´t hesitate to let me know. And if anyone has a personal story to tell about their relationship with prehistory, don´t hesitate either! "How did you fall in love?" is one crucial question.

I do have to write the book but do not think of it as a one man show.

Oh, I'd be delighted to be one of your nerds! I can trace my earliest dinosaur toy memory to a trip to the Natural History Museum when I was very young, there are some photos of me taken on that trip in the Photos of Us thread. The weird thing is that the Invicta toys were all behind a stall so you had to ask for what you wanted, and my dad asked me which one I wanted, and even though I wanted the plesiosaur, for some reason I said "mammoth" when I meant "plesiosaur", and I was too shy to change my mind!

[postsaurischian]

Thank you everyone, yeah I am very proud, but of course there is still a lot of work to do.

@CityRaptor:  I know there are similar books on that matter, and W.J.D. Mitchell´s "The Last Dinosaur Book" actually has some influence on my work. But in Europe and the German-speaking countries the relationship between man and prehistory presents itself somewhat differently from the USA. I want to respect that.

@postsaurischian: I do have an attractive approach  in mind already, but mostly focus on text production for the present.

@DinoToyForum : There will be a chapter featuring / portraying some "paleo-nerds" from past and present. I do have some professionals in mind of which you are one

If anyone has suggestions, don´t hesitate to let me know. And if anyone has a personal story to tell about their relationship with prehistory, don´t hesitate either! "How did you fall in love?" is one crucial question.

I do have to write the book but do not think of it as a one man show.

Oh, I'd be delighted to be one of your nerds! I can trace my earliest dinosaur toy memory to a trip to the Natural History Museum when I was very young, there are some photos of me taken on that trip in the Photos of Us thread. The weird thing is that the Invicta toys were all behind a stall so you had to ask for what you wanted, and my dad asked me which one I wanted, and even though I wanted the plesiosaur, for some reason I said "mammoth" when I meant "plesiosaur", and I was too shy to change my mind!

It wasn't my first Dinosaur toy memory, but this reminds me of the first time I visited the Natural History Museum in 1981, already aged 14 (Charles & Diana just got married). I was sent to a guest family in Birmingham in order to improve my English at school. One day we had to go to London of course and after admiring the Diplodocus for a while I went to the museum shop. I had never seen any Invictas until then and was shocked (because I only had money for two with me). It took me about an hour to decide for Iguanodon & Pteranodon.

[Libraraptor]

I proudly announce: The raw draft is nearly finished! Took me eleven or so weeks to write down about 57.000 words in 11 Chapters.

Some crucial points are still missing, such as three interviews and the list of reference, but I am optimistic this will have changed at the end of Januar 2024.

Before I give it to the editorial office I also have to write an author's CV and add an expressive picture

The big gest thing so far: The art director sent me her draft for a frontispiece, and it blew me away! This is so satisfying and I would love to spoil you, but I must not.

And with all this euphoria, yet still a long way to go.

Stay curious!

[Libraraptor]

A little update:

The book cover is finished! It´s simple, catchy and hilarious, but the editor doesn´t recommend I publish it already, since the book can´t be pre-ordered yet. So I´ll have to wait until July / August.

The text has found its way into the editorial office! Now Sarah Küper as the copy editor is in charge. She´ll give me feedback in the last week of March or the first week of April. I am looking forward to receiving her notes to improve the text. We had a long preliminary talk after which we were confident the book fills a much-needed gap and will sell well.

At the moment I am working on having a cartoon made by a friend of mine who is an artist. This caricature is intended to be a centerpiece of the book and I can´t wait to show you. 

I worked in some of your responses that came to me via PM. Our Admin Dr. Adam S. Smith will be one of the book´s protagonists

Stay curious, so will I!

This is my 4.444 th post in the "new" version of the blog, by the way!

[ceratopsian]

Exciting to hear of your book's progress!

[Libraraptor]

I proudly announce the cover has been revealed and small teaser text have been published
Just follow the link, sorry, German only for now

https://mentoren-verlag.de/werke/palaeo-nerds-das-buch/

[postsaurischian]

 Cool @Libraraptor! I will get me one copy on August, 30th .
 Can I send it to you for a signature then?

[BlueKrono]

I have to ask... is that cover made with AI art?

[DinoToyForum]

Congratulations @Libraraptor!

[GojiraGuy1954]

I have to ask... is that cover made with AI art?

That cover does look like an image generation to me

[Libraraptor]

I have to ask... is that cover made with AI art?

That may well be. But to be honest, I don´t know. The design department made it, handed it over to me and it was an immediate irritation before a "That´s it!" - effect.  We haven´t been changing anything from there on.

[Libraraptor]

Cool @Libraraptor! I will get me one copy on August, 30th .
 Can I send it to you for a signature then?

Thank you Helge, I am really honored by your request. You don´t have to buy a copy at the publisher, but better directly from me. I then send you the signed copy, okay? But we have to be patient, since it won´t be published before August this year .

[Libraraptor]

Congratulations @Libraraptor!

Thank you Adam! Honestly, I still feel a little insecure if the book will be a success or of it will be liked , but on the other hand, its publication alone is one of the biggest steps I have ever taken in terms of my passion for prehistory. 

[BlueKrono]

I have to ask... is that cover made with AI art?

That may well be. But to be honest, I don´t know. The design department made it, handed it over to me and it was an immediate irritation before a "That´s it!" - effect.  We haven´t been changing anything from there on.

A design department? Oh dear... I hate to tell you this, but somebody had an AI generator spit this out in a matter of minutes, a product of images stolen from artists and photographers. You were so kind and respectful when you asked some of us to contribute our stories to this book. I feel like this gives the wrong impression for a few reasons. Firstly, the ethics of AI art: it's the visual equivalent of going through the DTF, harvesting snippets of our stories, mixing them together and presenting them as your own. AI art tends to look cheap and vaguely disturbing. And what's more, this picture isn't really indicative of the subject matter of your book (it looks like they may have just used the prompt "dinosaur bones"). I know myself and others on this forum would be more than willing to supply pictures of our collections for your cover. Some have much more photogenic collections than I do. Or it might even be cool to see a sampling of your own collection. I understand if it's too late to turn the ship around, but just some food for thought.

[thomasw100]

I have to ask... is that cover made with AI art?

That may well be. But to be honest, I don´t know. The design department made it, handed it over to me and it was an immediate irritation before a "That´s it!" - effect.  We haven´t been changing anything from there on.

A design department? Oh dear... I hate to tell you this, but somebody had an AI generator spit this out in a matter of minutes, !. You were so kind and respectful when you asked some of us to contribute our stories to this book. I feel like this gives the wrong impression for a few reasons. Firstly, the ethics of AI art: it's the visual equivalent of going through the DTF, harvesting snippets of our stories, mixing them together and presenting them as your own. AI art tends to look cheap and vaguely disturbing. And what's more, this picture isn't really indicative of the subject matter of your book (it looks like they may have just used the prompt "dinosaur bones"). I know myself and others on this forum would be more than willing to supply pictures of our collections for your cover. Some have much more photogenic collections than I do. Or it might even be cool to see a sampling of your own collection. I understand if it's too late to turn the ship around, but just some food for thought.

You accuse the publisher of that book (and by implication also the author) essentially of theft of intellectual property (quote: "a product of images stolen from artists and photographers"). This is a very serious accusation with profound legal implications and potentially also legal consequences. You better support your accusation with clear evidence. If you cannot produce this evidence, you should better revoke your accusations.

[Blackdanter]

Congratulations Stefan on finding your groove. The book looks fascinating. Having spent some time in Germany in the 90's (Hamburg mainly), I'll give it a go as my German is 'passable' at best. Good luck and well done.

[BlueKrono]

I have to ask... is that cover made with AI art?

That may well be. But to be honest, I don´t know. The design department made it, handed it over to me and it was an immediate irritation before a "That´s it!" - effect.  We haven´t been changing anything from there on.

A design department? Oh dear... I hate to tell you this, but somebody had an AI generator spit this out in a matter of minutes, !. You were so kind and respectful when you asked some of us to contribute our stories to this book. I feel like this gives the wrong impression for a few reasons. Firstly, the ethics of AI art: it's the visual equivalent of going through the DTF, harvesting snippets of our stories, mixing them together and presenting them as your own. AI art tends to look cheap and vaguely disturbing. And what's more, this picture isn't really indicative of the subject matter of your book (it looks like they may have just used the prompt "dinosaur bones"). I know myself and others on this forum would be more than willing to supply pictures of our collections for your cover. Some have much more photogenic collections than I do. Or it might even be cool to see a sampling of your own collection. I understand if it's too late to turn the ship around, but just some food for thought.

You accuse the publisher of that book (and by implication also the author) essentially of theft of intellectual property (quote: "a product of images stolen from artists and photographers"). This is a very serious accusation with profound legal implications and potentially also legal consequences. You better support your accusation with clear evidence. If you cannot produce this evidence, you should better revoke your accusations.

Do you know how AI art works? There's tons of information about it online - here's just one article: https://beautifulbizarre.net/2023/03/11/ai-art-ethical-concerns-of-artists/

I quote:
"Works from unknowns posted on social media are fed into databases alongside the works of old masters and modern "geniuses". Information and data gathered without protection or permission. Artists have had their work unknowingly entered into databases without consent and in many cases without the option to opt out."

Virtually all AI databases are contaminated with stolen images harvested from the web. It's not as much of a problem when you're just making fun-looking profile pics for your own amusement, but it becomes a lot more cloudy once you start selling the imagery comprised of stolen art on posters or book covers. It's very difficult to pinpoint the exact photos or paintings individual AI art has been harvested from, but it is occasionally possible with certain softwares. This makes it very difficult for photographers or artists to prosecute the people that have replicated their styles, so AI art has proliferated in the last 15 months. Legal systems that protect artists from copyright infringement sadly lag far behind, and many have found themselves out of a job within the past year when publishers decide a mildly unsettling image that is produced in seconds is more cost effective and "good enough".

I mean no disrespect to @Libraraptor and don't rescind my permission to use my story in his book. I would just hope that this discussion might shed some light on a practice that is very common yet causes harm to people. And as Maya Angelou said, "Then when you know better, do better."

[thomasw100]

I have to ask... is that cover made with AI art?

That may well be. But to be honest, I don´t know. The design department made it, handed it over to me and it was an immediate irritation before a "That´s it!" - effect.  We haven´t been changing anything from there on.

A design department? Oh dear... I hate to tell you this, but somebody had an AI generator spit this out in a matter of minutes, !. You were so kind and respectful when you asked some of us to contribute our stories to this book. I feel like this gives the wrong impression for a few reasons. Firstly, the ethics of AI art: it's the visual equivalent of going through the DTF, harvesting snippets of our stories, mixing them together and presenting them as your own. AI art tends to look cheap and vaguely disturbing. And what's more, this picture isn't really indicative of the subject matter of your book (it looks like they may have just used the prompt "dinosaur bones"). I know myself and others on this forum would be more than willing to supply pictures of our collections for your cover. Some have much more photogenic collections than I do. Or it might even be cool to see a sampling of your own collection. I understand if it's too late to turn the ship around, but just some food for thought.

You accuse the publisher of that book (and by implication also the author) essentially of theft of intellectual property (quote: "a product of images stolen from artists and photographers"). This is a very serious accusation with profound legal implications and potentially also legal consequences. You better support your accusation with clear evidence. If you cannot produce this evidence, you should better revoke your accusations.

Do you know how AI art works? There's tons of information about it online - here's just one article: https://beautifulbizarre.net/2023/03/11/ai-art-ethical-concerns-of-artists/

I quote:
"Works from unknowns posted on social media are fed into databases alongside the works of old masters and modern "geniuses". Information and data gathered without protection or permission. Artists have had their work unknowingly entered into databases without consent and in many cases without the option to opt out."

Virtually all AI databases are contaminated with stolen images harvested from the web. It's not as much of a problem when you're just making fun-looking profile pics for your own amusement, but it becomes a lot more cloudy once you start selling the imagery comprised of stolen art on posters or book covers. It's very difficult to pinpoint the exact photos or paintings individual AI art has been harvested from, but it is occasionally possible with certain softwares. This makes it very difficult for photographers or artists to prosecute the people that have replicated their styles, so AI art has proliferated in the last 15 months. Legal systems that protect artists from copyright infringement sadly lag far behind, and many have found themselves out of a job within the past year when publishers decide a mildly unsettling image that is produced in seconds is more cost effective and "good enough".

I mean no disrespect to @Libraraptor and don't rescind my permission to use my story in his book. I would just hope that this discussion might shed some light on a practice that is very common yet causes harm to people. And as Maya Angelou said, "Then when you know better, do better."

You make a legally relevant accusation and you better provide evidence for it. You need to demonstrate for this particular book cover that it draws on material without being licensed to do so. If you fail to be able to do so, you harm the reputation of the author and the publisher.

[postsaurischian]

Cool @Libraraptor! I will get me one copy on August, 30th .
 Can I send it to you for a signature then?

Thank you Helge, I am really honored by your request. You don´t have to buy a copy at the publisher, but better directly from me. I then send you the signed copy, okay? But we have to be patient, since it won´t be published before August this year .

 That's wonderful, Stefan. I'll send an order on August, 30th then .

In case you still could change the cover I would offer an idea: Many years ago a talented friend of mine made a very beautiful painting for me that would fit perfectly. It shows a thinking human surrounded by different species from different ages, from Dunkleosteus to birds. It's hanging in my sister's apartment. I could take a picture this weekend if you're interested. My friend - the painter - will 100% agree.

[postsaurischian]

....... Having spent some time in Germany in the 90's (Hamburg mainly), I'll give it a go as my German is 'passable' at best. .......

  ♪♫♫ Auf der Reeperbahn nachts um halb eins ♫♫♪