James L. Sutter

(To be clear, it's a great movie—I love the music, the speculative elements, all of it. Just saying you could have sold it on that alone.)

How I imagine the pitch meeting for SINNERS:

Ryan Coogler: What if you could have two Michael B Jordans?

Producer: I have imagined this frequently, yes.

Coogler: But wait—they're also wearing matching 1930s suits.

Producer: I HAVE THE VAPORS *passes out, money rains down from ceiling*

An oldie but a goodie:

We got Weird Al out here singing Killing In The Name, the time for moderation is over

Totally! And honestly, I think $25k is actually a lot more than some folks are getting right now... though I also know the market for tie-in fiction has shrunk dramatically since the 90s. (*Why* it's shrunk is another question—the rise of fanfic? competition with screens/other media? 🤷‍♂️)

I'm often surprised at how little even some of the big brands pay for IP work these days. If we're giving up ownership, they should be paying us significantly *more* than we'd make from creator-owned work. But as always, there's no shortage of authors happy to take the deal.

The cover of DARKHEARTS, showing two teen boys about to kiss with the tagline "Could you love the boy who stole your chance at fame?"

Since this is doing numbers... if you like queer teen rom-coms, please check out my creator-owned novels!

jameslsutter.com/novels.html

Yuuuuuuuup. :\

People are always surprised to learn how little creators actually own in comics, games, etc. Big corporate brands are usually built on a work-for-hire model, meaning creators get paid once and then the *company* owns their ideas forever. This is why independent/creator-owned work is so important.

Thank you, Michael! :D

My 2025 #BookSky List
Wonderful narration by @ramondeocampo.bsky.social of @jameslsutter.bsky.social Darkhearts
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The amazing @colleenaf.bsky.social made a banned books RPG for her local library and got a bunch of YA authors to record cutscenes as NPCs. Here's me as the pirate captain who runs the local costume shop. (And yes, I had all of these in my closet already.)

I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.

The Bernie "once again asking" meme, but it says "I am once again asking for you to fill out the practice poll"

Being in a band in your forties is just posting this to the group chat forever.

Oh man, the hot takes keep coming! 😆

I think we're about to find out just how much of our ethical behavior was actually laziness or fear of getting caught.

We're going to have to choose, every day: when theft is easier than doing the right thing, and there's zero chance of consequences—who do we want to be?

As much as 16-year-old me didn't want to hear it, they really were. :\

Thank you, Brad!!! :D

I don't know what the solution is, but I think it starts with us—with rewarding creators rather than thieves. Refusing to share aggregator accounts. Paying for music or movies or games. Respecting people's ownership of themselves by not looking at leaked nudes or faking people with AI.

I think a lot of folks have a gut feeling, born of my generation's file-sharing, that if you *can* acquire something for free via technology, you *deserve* it—that you earned it by finding the exploit.

I think what started with sharing MP3s has empowered a lot of rich Silicon Valley sociopaths.

We're entering the Era of Convenient Theft.

Anything digital can be pirated. Anything posted will be reposted by an aggregator. AI can give anyone perfect simulacra or deepfaked porn of anybody.

With no logistical barrier, the only thing inhibiting constant theft is our own internal ethics.

lolllllllll

I just searched for Death Cab for Cutie and the first thing that came up was a playlist called "Dad Rock Essentials." 💀

Cover image for the nightmare magazine podcast, showing a stone tomb door.

You can now *listen* to my new story, "Make of Your Chest a Place for Birds," on the latest episode of the @nightmare-magazine.com podcast! It's dark fantasy about love and grief and birds nesting in your thoracic cavity.

Jesus Christ.

Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! :D

Who needs some wonderful stories featuring birds? Here are a couple I listened to recently. Loved them both.

Make of Your Chest a Place for Birds by @jameslsutter.bsky.social in @nightmare-magazine.com

The Crow's Second Tale by @marissalingen.bsky.social in @bcsmagazine.bsky.social

HOWARD 😂

In classic fashion, last night's D&D heist began with five hours of subtle plotting, which then immediately turned into the monk punching a guard in the face 13 times. 🙃

Trying to buy health insurance is like the Holy Grail scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where you're presented dozens of similar cups but know if you choose the wrong one you'll immediately crumble into dust/medical debt.