Author Update: Judge Approves Anthropic $3K Author Payments, NaNoWriMo Replacement, & Scam Warning
Thomas: Welcome to Author Update. We have a massive episode packed with breaking news that could put real money in your pocket, especially if you have older books. We will also expose a dangerous book club and review scam that you may have already encountered....
Amazon KU Books Allowed in Public Libraries, TikTok Deal, and Cancel Culture
Thomas: Welcome to Author Update! We have a major policy shift. Amazon KDP has confirmed that Kindle Unlimited books can be offered to public libraries. We covered this earlier, and now we have confirmation. We will also discuss what the TikTok deal from this morning...
Christian Author Assassinated, MailerLite Limits Free Plan, & Kit Raise Prices
Thomas: Welcome back to Author Update, everybody. Today we’re going to talk about Charlie Kirk, a Christian author who was shot while giving a speech to his audience. We also have publishing news. MailerLite is reducing its free plan, Kit is raising prices, and...
Anthropic to Pay Authors $3000 Per Book, Zeitgeist, and Author Arrested for Tweets
Breaking News: Anthropic Settlement Thomas: Welcome to Author Update! We have some breaking news for you, but first, I’m Thomas Umstattd Jr. And I’m Jonathan Shuerger. And what’s our breaking news? Jonathan: Today we’re gonna be talking about,...
New International Shipping Rules Hit Authors and Libraries Acquire KU Books?
Thomas: This is Author Update and we’ve got a jam packed episode for you today. We have some breaking news. The White House is changing the international shipping rules and they will go into effect today and they may affect you as an author. We’ll break...
Spotify Revolutionizes Audiobooks & George R.R. Martin Told To Step Down
Thomas: Spotify revolutionizes audiobooks, George R. R. Martin is told to step down and hand his books to somebody else, and are we in an AI bubble? Find out all of this and a lot more in today’s episode of Author Update. I’m Thomas Umstattd Jr. Jonathan:...
The End of Rapid Release?
Thomas: Is rapid release coming to an end? Will authors end all of AI in an epic class action battle? Is ChatGPT really worse than ChatGPT 4? Is ChatGPT 5 really worse than ChatGPT 4? Find out all of this and more in Author Update. I’m Thomas Sumpstat Jr....
Audible Reduces Author Royalties, Trad Sales Plummet While Indie Sales Soar
Audible’s New Royalty Model Thomas Umstattd Jr. welcomes viewers to Author Update, joined by Jonathan Shuerger. Their lead story concerns significant changes to Audible’s royalty structure. According to information from Robin Sullivan (wife of author...
Zeitgeist, Dystopian Fatigue, and the Rise of Ruthless & Noble Heroes
Explore the cultural vibe shift reshaping reader preferences and learn what sells now and where fiction is headed next.
TikTok, Iran, and AI: What Authors Need to Know Now
Welcome to the Summer Solstice edition of Author Update, where co-hosts Thomas Umstattd, Jr. and Jonathan Shuerger unpack the headlines that matter to authors—from global conflicts to algorithm updates. In this jam-packed episode, they dig into the TikTok ban, the war...
Amazon, AI, and Author Strategy Shifts: What You Need to Know Now
Welcome to this week’s Author Update, where we break down what’s happening in the world of publishing, AI, and tech—so you can write better, market smarter, and keep ahead of the curve. In this episode, we covered sweeping changes at Amazon, unexpected shifts in how...
Are We in an AI Bubble? Plus Audiobook Strategy, Vellum Upgrades & Loving Your Readers
The tech world was shaken recently when British AI firm Builder.ai filed for bankruptcy—after it was revealed their “AI” was really 700 Indian engineers behind the curtain. It’s the Mechanical Turk all over again. In 1770, a man named Wolfgang von Kempelen built what...
Do 45% of Authors *Already* Use AI?! | Author Update
Thomas: Welcome to Author Update. I’m Thomas Umstead, Jr. And sometimes on this show, we don’t talk about AI even a little bit. And today is not one of those days. What’s our first story, Jonathan? Jonathan: And I’m Jonathan Scherger. This is...
