by Thomas Umstattd Jr. | Apr 30, 2026 | Culture & Politics, Zeitgeist
a federal grand jury in Montgomery, Alabama, indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center on April 21, 2026. The 11-count indictment charges the SPLC with six counts of wire fraud, four counts of false statements to a federally insured bank, and one count of conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering.
by Thomas Umstattd Jr. | Apr 24, 2026 | Culture & Politics, Zeitgeist
Pew Research Center Survey Exposes Deep Divides in American Views on Morality Thomas: A Pew Research study just came out about what Americans view as moral and immoral. This matters for authors because every novel has a moral system. Actions have consequences in...
by Thomas Umstattd Jr. | Apr 14, 2026 | Book & Movie Reviews, Zeitgeist
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.
by Thomas Umstattd Jr. | Apr 8, 2026 | Culture & Politics, Publishing, Writing Craft, Zeitgeist, Zeitgeist 101
Discover the cultural shift in zeitgeist that reflects the changing preferences of American readers.
by Thomas Umstattd Jr. | Apr 4, 2026 | Genre Analysis, Zeitgeist
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.
by Thomas Umstattd Jr. | Mar 30, 2026 | Book & Movie Reviews, Zeitgeist
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.
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 | 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 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 3, 2026 | Genre Analysis, Zeitgeist
Highlights of the romance genre based on the new k-lytics report.
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 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.
by Thomas Umstattd Jr. | Feb 17, 2026 | Culture & Politics, Zeitgeist
The 2026 Super Bowl featured two competing halftime shows—the NFL’s official Bad Bunny performance and Turning Point USA’s alternative show with Kid Rock—and the streaming data reveals a seismic cultural shift that every author must understand about audience and platform.
by Thomas Umstattd Jr. | Feb 13, 2026 | Genre Analysis, Zeitgeist
Cozy Fantasy is surging with unprecedented demand that far exceeds supply, creating a massive opportunity for authors who understand this genre shift.