Author Update

Find out how to plan for this year's holiday season, as well as how changes to the X algorithm change your marketing strategy.

This week we're covering Spotify's game-changing Audiobook Selects program for indie authors, the collapse of traditional publishing sales with trade books down 9.4%, and major industry closures including Mango Publishing and Knights Of children's books.  Plus, we analyze groundbreaking research showing readers prefer AI writing to MFA graduate writing, discuss the rise of three-tie...

Get the latest on scams affecting the author world, a detailed data report on the state of Mysteries, Thrillers and Suspense, and why Americans are reading less than ever.

Welcome to the Grid. We're covering the Amazon algorithm, the sales reports, the Yoast SEO Update and the advent of Tron: Ares. 

Welcome to a special episode of Author Update! Thomas is sick, so Jonathan takes the reins and does a solo episode on library news, X drama and ZEITGEIST!

Join Thomas and Jonathan on Author Update as we tackle the government shutdown, the surge in online book piracy sentiments and how the military's pivot toward more lethality and less DEI impacts your writing. 

Payouts approved in the Anthropic case, Novel November comes to authors and Jonathan and Thomas talk about how to write first aid properly in your content.

Join us on Author Update to learn more about using libraries with KU books, the TikTok deal between US and China, and how cancel culture has changed. 

A somber reflection upon Charlie Kirk's life and ministry and how authors can emulate his success in their own careers, as well as industry news regarding email services.

We uncover shocking news about publishers failing to register copyrights, potentially leaving authors vulnerable in the Anthropic class-action lawsuit. We also explore the arrest of Irish author Graham Linehan for tweets posted from America.  Plus, discover exciting developments in AI audiobook publishing with ElevenLabs' new 60% royalty marketplace, learn about AuthorCraft.ai's manuscri...

Join us on Author Update as we talk the latest news in publishing!

Check out our commentary on the past week's events with news on Spotify, Harper Collins and WorldCon.

This one was a doozy. We covered AI's shortcomings, how authors can maximize their output potential and how cowboy romances relate to bread making. Yes, sir, you can only get that kind of content here, on Author Update.

Come listen to Jonathan and Thomas discuss the latest advancements from OpenAI and what they mean for writers, as well as the cultural war between Texas and Australia.

Listen to this week's episode of Author Update as Jonathan and Thomas dive into Audible's royalty shenanigans, the woes of the trad pub world vs. the success of the indie scene.

Solo episode with Jonathan as Thomas is on vacation. We're going into changes with Substack, GoodReads, Kindlepreneur's look into Amazon keywords, and much more. 

Feast your ears as Jonathan and Thomas discuss the direction fiction is taking, and how societies deal with major turns.

Donate to disaster survivors at ADRN.org .

Several court cases impacting authors, the NYT wonders if men read literary novels, and Jonathan starts a lawsuit against Thomas. All on this week's Author Update.

The Israel-Iran War, more AI impact on the workforce, zeitgeist discussion and more Patron Tools in the toolbox. All here with Author Update. 

Watch us on YouTube live!

A new version of Vellum, Publisher Rocket ends its lifetime deal, and is the AI bubble going to burst?

🎙️ Author Update – Episode: The End of Google (for Authors?) Hosts: Jonathan Shuerger & Thomas Umstattd Jr. 🕒 Runtime: \~57 minutes 📚 Topics: AI Search, SEO, Voice Cloning, Book Marketing, Author Tools --- 🔍 Episode Summary: Is this the beginning of the end for Google? In this episode, Jonathan and Thomas explore how AI is disrupting traditional search and discovery—and what that means for...