Retro Stream

Years Ago and in Another Country

A common saying has it that the past is another country. It's taken as a figure of speech, but pay a visit to almost any mid-American shopping mall these days, and the prevailing vibe resembles an archaeological site. What was the hub of American commerce in the previous era is…
March 21, 20247 Comments
King Brandon

Audible Bows the Knee to King Brandon

At the beginning of this year, we covered Brandon Sanderson's dispute with audio book monopolists Audible. The epic fantasy king and neopatronage pioneer announced his intention not to publish the audio versions of his $40 million crowdfunded books through Audible. His stated reason? That the Amazon subsidiary failed to offer…
March 6, 20244 Comments
7 Wonders

Seven Wonders: Now on Audible

William Hastings, author of the highest selling paranormal wrestling novel ever written - and my talented editing client - has some exciting news: Seven Wonders, the larger-than-life sequel to Vatican Championship Wrestling, is now available on Audible! Read by wrestler/commentator/vocalist Matt Rehwoldt (FKA Aiden English) There's never been a better…
March 1, 20241 Comment
The Burned Book

The Burned Book Big Reveal

My upcoming dark fantasy epic killed it on Indiegogo. I'm hard at work fulfilling my promise to the dedicated patrons who made this project possible. Now it's time for the big reveal of a major milestone, courtesy of inimitable Soul Cycle cover artist Marcelo Orsi Blanco. Presenting the final full…
February 13, 20242 Comments
Voyage of Egeria

Preview: The Voyage of Egeria

My promise of a new short story set in my acclaimed Soul Cycle cosmos became a centerpiece of the sleeper hit campaign for my upcoming SC prelude novel The Burned Book. And while I put my hand to the plow in the word-fields and never looked back, today I must…
February 1, 20244 Comments
Black Pill

The Black Pilling of the Masses

Every once in a while, I like to lower the velvet rope and give regular readers a sample of my premium material. Today's post previously appeared as a Patreon and SubscribeStar exclusive. If you like it, please consider subscribing. My cherished neopatrons and I were discussing how corporate studios' refusal…
January 25, 20248 Comments
Brandon Sanderson

Sanderson Is Not in Audible

Fantasy author Brandon Sanderson has established himself as the king of neopatronage with his record-smashing Kickstarter campaign. And while his secret novels project earned him four times more than his publisher pays him, the oldpub gravy train turned newpub mogul has a beef with an industry player that's not Tor…
January 22, 20247 Comments
2 Adventures Across Eternity

Two Adventures Across Eternity

One of  the biggest hurdles that newpub authors face is a lack of promotional support from influencers who are nominally on our team. That's why I do what I can in my corner of the internet to boost likeminded writers' signals. In that spirit of professional fraternity, it's my pleasure…
January 19, 20242 Comments
simpathetic devil

Simpathy for the Devil?

The sympathetic devil trope has become such a mainstay of popular fiction as to be a Pop Cult zombie meme. Audiences - even pro writers  - now take for granted that a demon could choose to do good or even repent and gain salvation. Few people see anything weird about…
November 28, 202320 Comments

Two Big Reveals

Thanks to our awesome backers, the Burned Book campaign is blazing bright on Indiegogo. In anticipation of reaching Stretch Goal 5, which as of this writing is just $21 away, I thought we'd start the party early with two big reveals from the project. First up, friend of the blog…
November 22, 2023