Writing: The Amateur vs the Professional Path

Writing: The Amateur vs the Professional Path

When new writers come to me for advice, I make a point of asking them one question: Why are you writing? That question catches most people off guard. The number of would-be authors who've never stopped to consider why they want to write is surprising. Because writing as a side…
July 12, 20246 Comments
Phantom Whispers

Phantom Whispers: Volume 1

Want to have fun reading again? Here's a way to get hours of fun from a fantastic stable of newpub authors for less than a standard month of Netflix, minus the commercials: Spaceships, tanks fighting pig men, shapeshifting forest monsters, inter-dimensional cartoon characters, and psychic ghosts abound. Heed the whisper…
June 21, 20243 Comments
The Other Fellow

Get The Other Fellow on Kickstarter!

Newpub author William Hastings is bringing you a visceral spy thriller in the best tradition of Ian Fleming. And you can get The Other Fellow on Kickstarter! THE WORLD'S GREATEST SPY IS DEAD. . . . BUT SOMEONE'S GOT TO FINISH HIS MISSION. A homeless drifter stumbles upon secret agent…
June 7, 20242 Comments
Deadpub Hollywood China

Deadpub, Hollywood, and China

The death of oldpub and the implosion of Hollywood are two subjects that get a lot of play in the new counterculture. Newpub authors and anti-woke film critics alike have come to resemble End Times preachers interpreting the Book of Revelations to mean the eschaton is right around the corner.…
May 16, 20242 Comments
Publisher

How to Think Like a Publisher

Uncomfortable conversation time. You may not want to hear it, but a lot of folks in the newpub scene shoot themselves in the foot by calling  themselves "indie authors." Don't feel bad. I made the same mistake at first. And it is a mistake. Because as the name implies, newpub…
May 15, 20241 Comment
Tolkien vs Sanderson Magic

Sanderson v Tolkien, Magic v Sacrament

Authors Brandon Sanderson and J.R.R. Tolkien are both kings of epic fantasy. So it should be no surprise that both receive their fair share of mentions here. Catholic podcaster Aaron Irber gives us a reason to discuss both of these literary giants thanks to his recent post on Substack. There…
May 14, 20244 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