Pump Up the Volume 1

Pump Up the Volume, Pump Up the Jam

A Gen X introvert's Baby Boomer dad uproots their family from New York and moves them across the country to a prefab Arizona suburb. Gifted a short-wave radio to keep in touch with his friends back east, the isolated and disoriented Mark finds an outlet for his existential angst as…
April 26, 202416 Comments
Holes in Publishing

Elle Griffin: Shooting Holes in Oldpub

My valued neopatrons called my attention to this viral Substack post by author and editor Elle Griffin. In it, she shares facts that came to light in the US government's recent suit against oldpub giants Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster. The main takeaway is that publishing house representatives…
April 25, 202414 Comments
Star Wanderers

Introducing Star Wanderers

Author JD Cowan introduces his latest swashbuckling sci fi adventure! Detective Ronan Renfield is a Galactic Enforcer sworn to protect the innocent and bring evil-doers to justice to maintain order throughout the stars. The Agent is a nameless knight errant tasked with hunting the most brazenly wicked and blasphemous who…
April 24, 2024
Brandon Sanderson BackerKit

King Brandon Does it Again

In yet another definitive win for him—and Neopatronage—Fantasy King Brandon Sanderson has shattered a second crowdfunding record. Brandon Sanderson, the bestselling author known for his epic fantasy novels, has already raised more than $16 million on crowdfunding platform BackerKit since launching it earlier this week. Related: Neopatron Brandon It should…
April 23, 20249 Comments
Gate No Walls

No Gatekeepers Where There Are No Walls

My cherished Neopatrons and I were discussing the phenomenon of the indie author who goes back to signing with publishers. It's been fascinating to see this regression to the oldpub model the minute some realize the newpub model is obsolete. Falling back on the even more obsolete yet familiar instead…
April 22, 202412 Comments
World Building 1

How to Handle World Building

The one element that distinguishes science fiction and fantasy from the other flavors of adventure fiction is world building. If you’re a new SFF writer, learning how to craft vivid secondary worlds is a crucial skill. And mastering it takes finesse as well as creativity. But it’s not as daunting…
April 19, 20245 Comments
WotC Cynthia Williams

Wizards of the Coast President Resigns

The tabletop role-playing scene was rocked yesterday by news that Wizards of the Coast president Cynthia Williams is stepping down. Wizards of the Coast president Cynthia Williams is leaving the company at the end of the month. An SEC filing disclosed that Cynthia Williams, the president of Wizards of the…
April 18, 202413 Comments
Demoralization

The Pop Cult Demoralization Trap

  For years I've been charting the decline of all pop culture media while urging people to stop consuming content by companies that hate them. Recent days have provided a plethora of case studies illustrating why. Take this exchange on X from just yesterday: Related: Mark Kern – Calling All…
April 17, 20245 Comments
The Metal

The Downfall of Heavy Metal

Get get FREE books and first looks at my exciting new projects monthly! Join my elite neopatrons to read my new dark fantasy novel The Burned Book as I write it! Join on Patreon or SubscribeStar now. Ragging on Zoomers' taste in music has become common among older generations. Spend a few minutes sampling tunes that…
April 16, 202418 Comments
Joker It's Not About the Money

Mark Kern: Calling All Gamers

Get get FREE books and first looks at my exciting new projects monthly! Join my elite neopatrons to read my new dark fantasy novel The Burned Book as I write it! Join on Patreon or SubscribeStar now. Just weeks after helping to kick off what some are now calling GamerGate 2, legendary game dev and CEO…
April 15, 202416 Comments