Books Are Dead

Why Books Are More Than Books: The Power of Intellectual Property

A valued patron recently pointed me toward a video by a YouTuber called the Nerdy Novelist. He's been in the newpub scene for the better part of a decade now and frequently rubs elbows with some of the bigger players. According to him, the advent of A.I. is forcing authors…
December 19, 20241 Comment
Jack Conte - Neopatronage

Jack Conte and Neopatronage: A New Creative Economy

Unless you've been living in a cave on Mars, you're aware that the entertainment industry is in flux. Disruptive tech innovations, corporate screwups, and the path of least resistance becoming a slippery slope have destroyed the old paradigm. Jack Conte, CEO of Patreon, addressed this upheaval in his keynote speech…
December 18, 20242 Comments
Brandon Sanderson BackerKit

Sanderson’s Flaw: The Trouble With Constantly Dynamic Characters

Brandon Sanderson is widely respected as a meticulous world builder, an innovative storyteller, and a prolific writer. Over the past two decades he's made his name as a crafter of ultra-refined magic systems and dynamic characters. But no methodology is flawless, and new writers can learn just as much from…
December 17, 20247 Comments
Tobit Christian Storytelling

The Case Against “Christian Fiction” and For Christian Storytelling

You'll sometimes hear critics of the idea that Christian authors should write compelling universal stories rather than Christian Fiction™ argue that Jesus commanded His followers to preach the Gospel, not to tell stories. But this objection misunderstands the nature of storytelling and the profound role it has played in advancing…
December 4, 202418 Comments
Death of the Author

A.I. Books: The Death of the Author?

There's been a marked uptick in nervous chatter within the publishing world over A.I. books. Some say they'll upend the whole industry, while others once again predict the death of the author. Hat tip to author JD Cowan for pointing me to this piece in The Bookseller about an upstart…
December 2, 20244 Comments
Larry Correia on the A.I. Enthusiasm Deficit

Larry Correia on the A.I. Enthusiasm Deficit

In case you missed it, speculation about the effects of A.I. on the publishing industry are bubbling up again. For instance: Over on X yesterday, a bunch of authors struck up a conversation about A.I. that included this item: That tweet caught the attention of best selling author Larry Correia,…
November 26, 202411 Comments
Kid Reading

Are Kids Really Reading Less, or Are We Just Measuring Wrong?

Hot on the heels of sensationalist fake news claiming that men hate reading, a recent piece in the Guardian breathlessly reports that reading is about as popular with children as spinach and homework. But are kids really reading less, or are they just measuring wrong? Like the "Men hate reading"…
November 8, 202410 Comments
Tolkien - Wolfe vs Materialism

Why Materialism Holds Back the Right’s Next Great Storytellers

Over on X, Isaac Young posted an insightful thread in which he sought to answer why the new counterculture has not yet produced a successor to J.R.R Tokien or Gene Wolfe. It's definitely worth a read. Young touches on something profound in his critique of how modern storytelling, particularly on…
November 6, 20244 Comments
Man Reading

No, Men Do Not Hate Reading

Spend enough time online, and you'll notice the phenomenon of recurring zombie memes that pop up from time to time. The claim that men hate reading books has been making the rounds again, leading to fretting, and in some quarters, feting, about the book insdustry's alienation of male readers. Figures…
October 29, 20247 Comments
Lof Campaign Card

Last Day for Lord of Fate Late Pledges

The Lord of Fate Kickstarter is our most successful crowdfunder yet. This is the last day to claim late rewards, so if you haven't yet gotten your Kickstarter-exclusive items, don't miss your final chance! Besides, we kept the best perks for last. Check them out ... The Burned Book Audiobook…
October 25, 2024No Comments