Zeitgeist
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Book & Movie Reviews
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Zeitgeist 101
Zeitgeist: Will Public Executions Change the Books Readers Buy?
Learn the implications on books and justice as the state plans for public execution, a first in decades.
Zeitgeist: Your Gun Can’t Save You From the Pentagon’s SI Drones
The War Department Is Building a Four-Star Command Around AI and Autonomous Warfare According to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, autonomous warfare is no longer going to be treated as a collection of experimental Pentagon drone and AI programs. The United States is...
Zeitgeist: The Death of Aslan: How Copyright Became Literary Colonialism
A female voice for Aslan. Who’s the real villain in this decision?
Zeitgeist: How to Sell to Adults Who Will Never Grow Up
Toys R Us is opening 120 stores as adults drive toy sales. Learn how authors can sell collectible editions readers display like trophies.
Zeitgeist Report: A Year After Charlie Kirk and What Has Changed
A one-year retrospective on the assassination of Charlie Kirk, examining how his death and the public reactions to it reshaped political and cultural discourse.
Zeitgeist Report: Anti-AI Panic Now Has a Payroll
An investigation into the viral resignation of an Anthropic AI researcher who quit after roughly six weeks and previously worked as an activist on Democratic political campaigns.
Zeitgeist: How SSRIs Change What Women Want to Read
A quarter of American women are on medication that changes their brain chemistry, and it is changing what they want to read.
Zeitgeist: Clinical Pluralism: The Writing Technique That Trains Women to Excuse Evil
Jonathan: I'm going to provide some context for what happened this week,...
Turnings
Turnings
Zeitgeist: Steak & Shake
A fast-food company poised to do very well in the new zeitgeist. I was the fastest-growing fast-food company in the country last year.
Zeitgeist: Davy Crockett King of the First Turning
America has had two kings and neither of them were Arthur. Our kings were Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier and Elvis Presley the king of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Zeitgeist: Mary Poppins: From Grimbright to Nobledark
his conversation unpacks how stories reflect cultural “turnings” in the zeitgeist, using Mary Poppins, Winnie the Pooh, Marines in wartime, and superhero tales as case studies.
Zeitgeist, Dystopian Fatigue, and the Rise of Ruthless & Noble Heroes
Explore the cultural vibe shift reshaping reader preferences and learn what sells now and where fiction is headed next.
How to Write Stories Readers Will Love by Knowing the Zeitgeist
If it takes you two years to write a book, you owe it to yourself to ask the...
News
News
Audible Audiobook Ads Are Finally Here
Kindle Previewer 4 arrives with a warning, Amazon opens audiobook ads, Spotify expands to 180 markets, and an AI chatbot leads to a user’s arrest.
Zeitgeist: Your Gun Can’t Save You From the Pentagon’s SI Drones
The War Department Is Building a Four-Star Command Around AI and Autonomous Warfare According to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, autonomous warfare is no longer going to be treated as a collection of experimental Pentagon drone and AI programs. The United States is...
Is Amazon Ending Permafree Ebooks?
Is Amazon ending permafree? Why Royal Road thrives as others die, new AI models, a $16M Kickstarter, and Meryl Streep as Aslan
Amazon Cracks Down on AI Authors
KDP caps new titles, OpenAI’s piracy memo is evidence, urban fantasy royalties fall, and Anthropic talks slowdown while shipping new models.
KU Payouts Fall While Economy Surges
Amazon extends Kindle pre-orders to 18 months, KU payouts shift, indie books outnumber trad books 5:1, and macOS 27 arrives.
The US Copyright Office Is Flagging Human-Written Books as AI
The U.S. Copyright Office is flagging human-written books as AI, plus Spotify’s free indie audiobooks, publishers’ new AI promotion agents, the open Anthropic settlement window, and Apple’s foldable iPhone.
Amazon Caught Stealing Authors’ Ad Dollars
Amazon sued for overcharging advertisers, AI’s custom romance novels, Mr. Beast and James Patterson’s book bomb, and the anti-AI movement may have its leader.
Facebook Advertising Changes Forever… Again
Meta killed the setting that kept ads off Audience Network. Amazon hiked Kindle prices $40 overnight. 63% of religious books may be AI-written.
Genre Analysis
Genre Analysis
Zeitgeist: How Science Skepticism Is Reshaping Popular Fiction
Declining institutional trust in science is fueling a cultural shift toward supernatural fiction—magic, witches, and vampires across every genre.
Zeitgeist: Cozy Fantasy and LitRPG SURGE as Hottest Niches in 2026
A summer 2026 K-lytics report reveals fantasy titles are outselling science fiction by nearly four to one, driven largely by romantasy and the rapidly growing LitRPG subgenre.
Zeitgeist: Capturing a Shifting Zeitgeist of Paranoia, Betrayal, and Disrupted Domestic Normalcy
The March 2026 K-lytics report on psychological and domestic thrillers paints a picture of a genre in explosive transition. What was once a niche reflects profound changes in consumer demand and the broader zeitgeist.
Zeitgeist: Mystery Thriller Suspense K-Lytics Report
Kindle trends show that techno thrillers are up 49%. Find out what this says about current readers and publishers.
Zeitgeist: Hormonal Birth Control May Quietly Change What Romance Readers Crave in Male Heroes
Prescription medications are changing women’s preferences, from who they find attractive to what kind of heroes they want to read in their fiction.
Zeitgeist: Romance Dominates Kindle But Shows Signs of Maturing
Highlights of the romance genre based on the new k-lytics report.
Zeitgeist: Conservative Art
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.
Zeitgeist: K-lytics Cozy Fantasy
Cozy Fantasy is surging with unprecedented demand that far exceeds supply, creating a massive opportunity for authors who understand this genre shift.
Book & Movie Reviews
Reviews
Zeitgeist: Why Vigilante Stories Are Seeing Chart Topping Popularity
Explore the rise of vigilante fiction as it captivates audiences and challenges traditional storytelling in books and films.
Zeitgeist: First Turning Noblebright vs. Second Turning Grimbright
Thomas and Jonathan map classic films onto the Noble/Grim + Bright/Dark axis, the four-quadrant version of the Strauss-Howe generational turnings.
Zeitgeist: Project Hail Mary Rockets Past $226 Million at Domestic Box Office
Project Hail Mary has crossed $430 million worldwide at the box office. Find out what its success reveals about what readers and want and how authors can connect.
Zeitgeist: One Piece Passes Superman as Best-Selling Comic with 600 Million Copies
One Piece has officially hit 600 million copies in circulation worldwide, matching and effectively surpassing Superman’s nearly 90-year sales record in under 30 years.
Zeitgeist: AI as Metaphor: Corporations, Pagan Gods & the Managerial State
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.
Zeitgeist: Davy Crockett King of the First Turning
America has had two kings and neither of them were Arthur. Our kings were Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier and Elvis Presley the king of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Culture & Politics
Culture
Zeitgeist Report: A Year After Charlie Kirk and What Has Changed
A one-year retrospective on the assassination of Charlie Kirk, examining how his death and the public reactions to it reshaped political and cultural discourse.
Zeitgeist Report: Anti-AI Panic Now Has a Payroll
An investigation into the viral resignation of an Anthropic AI researcher who quit after roughly six weeks and previously worked as an activist on Democratic political campaigns.
Zeitgeist: Clinical Pluralism: The Writing Technique That Trains Women to Excuse Evil
Jonathan: I'm going to provide some context for what happened this week, which is the genesis of this zeitgeist idea. Lindsay Clancy was in the news, and there was a lot of arguing about it on social media. Allie Beth Stuckey jumped on the story, and it created a...
Zeitgeist: How to Navigate Leftist Violence as an Influencer
How to navigate leftist violence and protect your family as an influencer.
Zeitgeist: How Shifting Public Attitudes on the U.S. Military Are Reshaping Storytelling
Two U.S. military veterans discuss how attitudes toward service members have changed since the Gulf War, the rise of military “zero-defect culture,” the impact of the Afghanistan withdrawal and COVID-era policies on morale and recruitment, and how these shifts are influencing a new generation of military fiction.
Zeitgeist: Happy Birthday, America. History Says You Should Be Dead
According to The Fate of Empires, a 1976 essay by British General Sir John...
Zeitgeist: The UK Rape Gang Inquiry Report Is Out
A break down of the UK rape gang inquiry report: its staggering scope, why British citizens are afraid to speak, and what authors can do about it.
Zeitgeist: In a News Scene Dominated By The Heavy, Let’s Take a Look At the Fun Around the World
Foreigners are falling in love with America’s heartland, barbecue, and massive portions — and it turns out culture makes the best fiction settings.
Zeitgeist 101
Zeitgeist 101
Zeitgeist: Pope Leo XIV Gives Catholic Novelists Green Light to Use AI
Explore the pope’s encyclical on AI, a profound critique urging transparency and human oversight in artificial intelligence.
The Cultural Zeitgeist Shift That’s Making Indie Authors Rich
Discover the cultural shift in zeitgeist that reflects the changing preferences of American readers.
Zeitgeist, Dystopian Fatigue, and the Rise of Ruthless & Noble Heroes
Explore the cultural vibe shift reshaping reader preferences and learn what sells now and where fiction is headed next.
The Sci-Fi Zeitgeist Has Shifted: What Authors Need to Know
Dive into the essentials of writing a sci-fi novel amidst evolving themes like population collapse and AI advancements.
How to Write Stories Readers Will Love by Knowing the Zeitgeist
If it takes you two years to write a book, you owe it to yourself to ask the...
How to Write Enduring Bestsellers with the Two-Act Chiastic Structure
Struggling to write your three-act story? Discover another story structure from ancient history that will satisfy your readers and help you finish your book.
How to Write Novels Men Want to Read
Explore the reasons why men may not be reading novels published by big publishers. Find out how this product-market mismatch affects male readership.
How to Write for American Readers – An Author’s Guide to America’s Regional Cultures
To write for American readers, you must understand which American readers you’re targeting. Learn how American culture differs by region so you can write what resonates.