Zeitgeist
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Turnings
Book & Movie Reviews
News
Culture & Politics
Genre Analysis
Zeitgeist 101
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: Davy Crockett King of the First Turning
I’ve been pondering a lot about the return of King Arthur in the new zeitgeist. I am starting to wonder if Arthur will return, and specifically, if he will return to America. America has had two kings and neither of them were Arthur. Our kings were Davy Crockett, King...
The Mary Poppins Zeitgeist: From Grimbright to Nobledark
This 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. The Thomas Umstattd Jr. and Jonathan Shuerger explore the spectrum from Grimbright to...
Christian Author Assassinated, MailerLite Limits Free Plan, & Kit Raise Prices
https://youtube.com/live/2ETZdAIgEG0 Thomas: Welcome back to Author Update, everybody. Today we’re going to talk about Charlie Kirk, a Christian author who was shot while giving a speech to his audience. We also have publishing news. MailerLite is reducing its...
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.
Publishing Industry Secrets Revealed at the Penguin Random House Trial
These secrets of the publishing industry offer important points for all authors to consider as they choose a publishing path.
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.
Turnings
Turnings
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News
News
The Mary Poppins Zeitgeist: From Grimbright to Nobledark
This 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. The Thomas Umstattd Jr. and Jonathan Shuerger explore the spectrum from Grimbright to...
17 Days Left: How to Claim Your $3,000+ From Anthropic’s $1.5B AI Copyright Settlement
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.
Iranian Drones Destroy Amazon Data Centers, Amazon.com Goes Down
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...
The Indie Whale Reader: How to Reach Readers Who Devour 100 Books a Year
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.
What Authors Can Expect in 2026
Stay ahead of the author news and trends of 2026. Learn how new public-domain characters, AI in publishing, audiobooks, direct sales, and market shifts will impact your writing career.
Reports Say 62% of New Paranormal Romance Titles Are AI Junk Books
Why audiobooks now outsell eBooks, how AI is reshaping publishing, Barnes & Noble’s comeback, and the genre trends and tools authors need for 2026.
Amazon Quietly Changed Kindle Forever
In this episode of Author Update: Book bans, AI in your Kindle, audiobooks outselling everything, and Amazon quietly rewriting the rules.
Christmas Book Marketing Guide
Jonathan: Listen up. We’re starting with a situation report. An outfit...
Genre Analysis
Genre Analysis
Everything Authors Need to Know About K-Lytics
Find out how k-lytics can help you discover what readers are currently buying so you can increase your chances of success.
How to Pick Your Genre
If you’re trying to pick a genre or considering writing in several, this episode will help you determine which path is best for you.
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Book & Movie Reviews
Reviews
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Culture & Politics
Culture
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Zeitgeist 101
Zeitgeist 101
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.
The Psychological Reasons Readers Read Books
You have a major advantage over AI writing tools like GPT-4 and ChatGPT. Learn how to discover and leveraging your edge in your genre.
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