by Thomas Umstattd Jr. | Mar 23, 2026 | Author Update
Hachette just pulled a bestselling horror novel over AI writing accusations — and it’s sending shockwaves through the publishing world. In this episode of Author Update, we break down the “Shy Girl” controversy and what it means for every indie and traditional author, the explosive 4 million books flooding Amazon in 2025 (a 39% surge in self-publishing), Scholastic’s declining revenue and what it signals about the future of traditional publishing, the Bible reading boom led by millennial men, how to protect yourself from copyright troll shakedowns, and a deep dive into the K-Lytics Mystery/Thriller/Suspense report revealing techno thrillers are up 49% while assassination thrillers are crashing. Whether you’re self-publishing on Amazon, navigating AI tools like Sudowrite and ChatGPT, pricing your ebook for maximum profit, or trying to spot the next hot genre trend, this is the publishing news, book marketing strategy, and cultural zeitgeist analysis authors need to stay ahead in 2026.
by Thomas Umstattd Jr. | Mar 23, 2026 | Genre Analysis, Zeitgeist
Kindle trends show that techno thrillers are up 49%. Find out what this says about current readers and publishers.
by Thomas Umstattd Jr. | Mar 14, 2026 | Author Update
This week’s highlights: Authors have only 17 days left to claim up to $3,000+ per book in the $1.5B Anthropic AI copyright settlement. YouTube’s revenue now surpasses Disney, confirming the creator economy’s dominance, a trajectory indie authors are mirroring. Amazon ended its Book Club and excluded authors from new AI ad tools.
by Thomas Umstattd Jr. | Mar 14, 2026 | Culture & Politics, Genre Analysis, Zeitgeist
Prescription medications are changing women’s preferences, from who they find attractive to what kind of heroes they want to read in their fiction.
by Thomas Umstattd Jr. | Mar 14, 2026 | Blogging, Platform
This article walks through several real-world encounters with copyright trolls targeting my blogs, how their schemes work, and the practical defenses I used to fight them off without paying. It also shows how DMCA registration, good licensing hygiene, AI tools, and...
by Thomas Umstattd Jr. | Mar 11, 2026 | Culture & Politics, Zeitgeist
AI and tools like ChatGPT and Grammarly are fundamentally transforming the English language. This deep dive explores how AI writing is changing us.
by Thomas Umstattd Jr. | Mar 11, 2026 | Culture & Politics, Zeitgeist
The Trump administration is selling the war very differently from past conflicts.
by Thomas Umstattd Jr. | Mar 11, 2026 | Author Update
Week Ending March 6, 2026 In this week’s Author Update, we unpack how world events are impacting your author business, Audible’s aggressive response to Spotify, why Substack may be quietly hurting your Google rankings, and whether Apple’s new $600 laptop could be a...
by Thomas Umstattd Jr. | Mar 11, 2026 | Platform
Discover strategies to create a good reader magnet that will engage readers and boost your newsletter subscriptions.
by Thomas Umstattd Jr. | Mar 4, 2026 | Productivity, Publishing
Discover the best tools for writers to streamline your author business, or turn podcasts into optimized blog content with the powerful Novel Marketing Patron Toolbox suite.
by Thomas Umstattd Jr. | Mar 3, 2026 | Genre Analysis, Zeitgeist
Highlights of the romance genre based on the new k-lytics report.
by Thomas Umstattd Jr. | Mar 3, 2026 | Author Update
Traditional publishing posts a December surge in the latest AAP StatShot, even as the broader market stays flat. We unpack new 2026 reader data, major AI-driven layoffs at Block, Spotify’s audiobook charts, Julia Quinn’s Kickstarter success, podcast growth, and key AI updates from Google and Cloudflare.
by Thomas Umstattd Jr. | Mar 3, 2026 | Book & Movie Reviews, Culture & Politics, Zeitgeist
For the past 40 years, AI villains in fiction have been metaphors for the soulless managerial state that stripped human agency throughout the 20th century.
by Thomas Umstattd Jr. | Feb 25, 2026 | Business Advice, Publishing
Learn the mindset and approach to create a sustainable professional author business that appeals to readers and builds your career.
by Thomas Umstattd Jr. | Feb 23, 2026 | Genre Analysis, Zeitgeist
Why do conservative and Christian authors struggle with creative fiction while Tolkien and C.S. Lewis created timeless classics? This video explores the critical difference between identity-based storytelling and character-driven narratives that resonate with readers.
