The world celebrates International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day every year on April 23. The day was declared by author Jo Walton in response to remarks made by Howard Hendrix where he stated that he was “opposed to the increasing presence in our organization of webscabs, who post their creations on the net for free.” The day, according to Walton, is to encourage writers to post professional quality work on the internet for free. The day celebrates all writers and allows them the freedom to showcase their work to the public not just to entertain or educate them but to build the profession and keep the profession on display so it can be appreciated properly.
History of International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day
Ever since blogging became a part of online culture, lots of people have chosen to share things on topics ranging from educational content to entertainment. Professional writers have used this medium to build an audience for themselves and continue to do so. As there’s a huge audience who reads for entertainment online, it’s no surprise that more people, including professional writers, are catering to their needs.
International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day began in response to derogatory comments made by Howard V. Hendrix as he believed professional writers should never give their work away for free. He called anyone who did so a ‘webscab’ and defined a ‘webscab’ as a ‘pixel-stained technopeasant wretch’. His comments caused a stir within the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (S.F.W.A.) society, of which Hendrix was a member, and to whom his comments were directed.
Jo Walton, a member of the society conjured up a good response: getting as many ‘webscabs’ as possible to keep doing what they love to do, which was to post professional-grade writing online for free. It led to the birth of International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day on April 23, 2007. The objectives were clear. Any type of writing — poems, short stories, novels, both original and previously published — could be submitted. Making lots of professional writing available online was the goal for them and was directly in contrast to what Hendrix wanted. The celebration started in 2007 and has not looked back since. It has been celebrated every year since its inception and writers have been posting professional quality work for free since then.
International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day timeline
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America is founded.
Jo Walton creates the day to encourage writers to post professional quality work online for free.
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America celebrates its 50th anniversary.
International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day celebrates 10 years.
International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day FAQs
Is writing fanfiction illegal?
Fanfiction is the use of characters and expressions by an author from original creative work to create a new work in the author’s name, which is illegal under current copyright law.
Is self-publishing worth it?
Self-published books have a higher royalty rate than traditional publishers as the author gets to keep between 50 to 70% of royalties, whereas, with a traditional publisher, authors get between 10% and 12% of royalties.
Did J.K. Rowling self-publish?
Yes, she self-published the e-books of her most famous series, “Harry Potter.”
International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day Activities
Read a blog
Celebrate the day by reading a blog. It helps appreciate the efforts of new and established writers.
Write something online
Write a professional-level work or post one online. This can help you get insightful reviews and get others to enjoy your piece of writing as well.
Spread awareness
Spread awareness about the day. A social media post can go a long way.
5 Websites To Publish Articles For Free
Medium
The platform is similar to a social network in its ease of connecting with other Medium users but is best suited to long-form writing.
Linkedin Articles
With so many users on Linkedin, it provides a good avenue to easily publish your articles.
EzineArticles
As a beginner, this platform is perfect for getting backlinks to your site.
Scoop.it
Apart from being able to publish on the platform, it also has great content for inspiration.
Issuu
It is relatively easy to use and anyone can create digital publications on the platform.
Why We Love International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day
It encourages writing
The day encourages writers to keep putting work out there for people to enjoy. It leads to reviews, which they can then use as insights to better their writing.
It encourages reading
The day encourages people to read as more work is put up for free. What’s a writer without a reader?
It builds future generations
Seeing people writing and publishing work for free just for people to read encourages others, especially teenagers. It’s best to keep practices like these alive for them.
International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | April 23 | Wednesday |
| 2026 | April 23 | Thursday |
| 2027 | April 23 | Friday |
| 2028 | April 23 | Sunday |
| 2029 | April 23 | Monday |
