Explore every episode of the podcast Author Update
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| KU Payout Falls | 18 Sep 2026 | 01:25:41 | |
Plus, new updates to computer systems, a longer preorder window on Amazon and how an experiment on mice will affect your target market today. | |||
| The US Copyright Office Is Flagging Human-Written Books as AI | 12 Sep 2026 | 01:56:57 | |
Plus, a lengthy discussion on the death of Charlie Kirk and what that has meant for America. | |||
| Amazon Caught Stealing Authors' Ad Dollars | 05 Sep 2026 | 02:03:25 | |
Also, Thomas and Jonathan make everyone mad... ever. | |||
| Facebook Advertising Changed Forever... Again | 29 Aug 2026 | 02:08:09 | |
Plus, non-cozy mystery numbers, Kindle price hikes and the passing of Dolly Parton. | |||
| AI Reads Aristotle - That's Why It Writes Better | 22 Aug 2026 | 01:40:40 | |
Lots of AI news today, with new models, new systems and new possibilities for authors to use. | |||
| Barnes & Noble Just Banned the Front Table Author Signing Nationwide | 17 Aug 2026 | 02:02:53 | |
Plus, new numbers in the industry, workbots to help with author work and a spicy zeitgeist take on how media is destroying women. | |||
| AI Fiction Seizes Almost 30% of Kindle's Catalog | 08 Aug 2026 | 01:56:45 | |
Plus, we discuss country music, AI as used as a research tool, and an author who lost a lucrative tradpub deal because of an accusation. | |||
| Fauci's Diary and the Magic Boom in Fiction | 01 Aug 2026 | 02:09:50 | |
Advancements in AI, changes in how agents work and the change in reader preferences. | |||
| The Digital Vs. Physical War - AI Companies Pulping Books By The Pallet | 24 Jul 2026 | 01:54:53 | |
All the new AI models, China's surge to tech dominance and why we should write flash floods in our books. | |||
| The Atlantic Just Declared the Age of Reading Is Over | 17 Jul 2026 | 01:35:00 | |
Plus indie stats on readers and authors, Gemini's in trouble for committing Anthropic's mistake, and how should we focus our writing, all on Author Update. | |||
| The Week That Changed Indie Publishing | 10 Jul 2026 | 01:52:02 | |
Listen to Jonathan and guest host Bryan Canter talk about author news on this special episode of Author Update. | |||
| America's 250th Birthday - Will It Survive | 04 Jul 2026 | 01:52:18 | |
All things America! Thomas and Jonathan celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States by discussing publishing trends and how America was shaped by independent publishers. | |||
| The Pope Says To Finish Thy Book | 27 Jun 2026 | 02:00:15 | |
Plus, numbers on trad vs. Indie publishing, OpenAI's hesitancy to release a new version of ChatGPT after Fable's cancellation, and an hour long zeitgeist session of vigilante justice. This is Author Update. | |||
| Record Breaking KU Fund! | 20 Jun 2026 | 01:17:54 | |
Plus, the US government bans Anthropic's Fable 5, and we talk the unrest in the UK. | |||
| Men Buy Books and Women Borrow Them | 15 Jun 2026 | 01:22:22 | |
Plus, tech news on Meta and Anthropic, and we go over the fun in each country's culture. | |||
| Is Libby Bankrupting the Libraries? | 06 Jun 2026 | 01:50:21 | |
Plus, declining Pride month sales, Audible fires back at Spotify, and exactly what is afflicting Gen Z men? | |||
| No ISBN Means No Copyright Protection for Indie Authors | 30 May 2026 | 01:53:10 | |
Plus, Amazon debuts a new paper option for paper books, and Thomas unpacks the pope's latest encyclical and how it relates to AI. | |||
| The Publishing Echo Chamber Nobody Will Admit Exists | 23 May 2026 | 01:11:37 | |
Plus trad publishing numbers, AI news out the whazoo and the zeitgeist on baby names. | |||
| The Amazon Review Purge - The Author Survival Guide | 15 May 2026 | 01:37:37 | |
Plus NewsCorps's new business model, ChatGPT's religious bias, and the zeitgeist take on Christopher Nolan's Odyssey. | |||
| Draft2Digital Confirms Amazon's Sales Reporting Is Off | 08 May 2026 | 01:28:49 | |
Plus the numbers on AI slop in the Amazon market, a whole new set of Author Alerts and a lengthy zeitgeist segment on the nationalism vs. globalism movements across the world. | |||
| Audible Forces Every Title into New Royalty Model | 01 May 2026 | 01:44:50 | |
Plus, FTC penalizes Publishing.com for deceptive practices, and Jonathan and Thomas argue Star Wars turnings. | |||
| Price Fixing at Amazon | 24 Apr 2026 | 01:25:46 | |
Plus ChatGPT updates, Copyright Office increasing its prices, and what the SPLC indictment means for your business. | |||
| Amazon Kills Store Access for Two Million Kindles | 18 Apr 2026 | 01:41:09 | |
Plus Kindle for PC is going away, Spotify rises to take on the giant, and is the new Claude Opus really any good? Find out here on Author Update! | |||
| Huge Legal Wins for Authors | 11 Apr 2026 | 01:33:45 | |
Copyright cases, Project Hail Mary and more. | |||
| The Week Romance Died - And Other Dramas | 04 Apr 2026 | 00:56:12 | |
NY Times bestseller list shake-up, AI studies on productivity and the psycho-thriller K-lytics report. | |||
| Scientists Prove AI Is Rewriting Your Book When You're Not Looking | 27 Mar 2026 | 01:39:09 | |
And other various and sundry. | |||
| Long Live the Writers! Publisher Drops AI Written Book | 20 Mar 2026 | 01:29:41 | |
Plus AI news, the secret behind the 4 million books uploaded to Amazon last year, and a deep dive into K-lytics' recent Mystery, Thriller and Suspense report. | |||
| 17 Days Left to Claim Anthropic Payout | 13 Mar 2026 | 01:10:59 | |
Plus, Cloudflare news, Amazon book clubs ending and a spicy zeitgeist segment. Welcome to Author Update. | |||
| Iran Just Destroyed Your Book Sales This Weekend -- Here's What Happened | 06 Mar 2026 | 01:16:00 | |
Plus AI news, Medieval English language and how glory is the new market for selling to young men. Welcome to Author Update. | |||
| The Indie Whale Reader - 100 Books a Year and How To Reach Them | 27 Feb 2026 | 01:38:57 | |
Trad publishing news, AI causing job losses and the K-lytics romance report! | |||
| Indies Win! Harlequin to Close Historical Romance Line | 20 Feb 2026 | 00:57:11 | |
Plus, new AI models, a new method for your website to be discovered, new tools to use to promote your book and how the Battle of Agincourt affects your publishing career. All this and more, on Author Update! | |||
| Substack Breach! Author Information Compromised | 13 Feb 2026 | 01:30:57 | |
Plus the Super Bowl halftime show, Harper Collins quarterly report and how the Roman Empire somehow again influences publishing. | |||
| Could OpenAI Own Your Book? | 07 Feb 2026 | 01:14:27 | |
Plus, Spotify goes to war with Amazon over book market shares while Thomas and Jonathan compare cozy fantasy to John Wick. Demon pigs, bacon; it's all here. | |||
| Ingram Goes To War With AI | 23 Jan 2026 | 01:18:43 | |
Come listen to the latest episode of Author Update for your latest dish of author news. | |||
| Federal Court Just Changed Copyright Law Globally for Authors | 16 Jan 2026 | 01:13:02 | |
Copyright termination rights, Ai ads, and an extra-long zeitgeist segment on fonts and beauty in literature. Also, a spicy segment on America's churches. | |||
| AI Threats, Platform Changes and Cultural Shifts Authors Can't Ignore | 09 Jan 2026 | 01:11:05 | |
Audible. Iran. Venezuela. What do all of these have to do with your writing? Check out the latest episode of Author Update! | |||
| Author Update's Predictions for 2026! | 02 Jan 2026 | 01:19:57 | |
Come hear Thomas and Jonathan make their predictions for how the book business will change in the coming year. | |||
| Reports Say That The Majority of Paranormal Romance Is AI Generated! | 19 Dec 2025 | 01:16:55 | |
Plus more AI news, Author Arsenal updates and Jonathan and Thomas's thoughts on the romance genre! | |||
| The Demonetized Episode | 13 Dec 2025 | 01:11:34 | |
We hit it all. AI, sexism, hiring practices at publishing industries: we are making no money from THIS episode. | |||
| Author Update Has A New Home! | 06 Dec 2025 | 01:20:47 | |
We show off our new channel's digs, talking about rising costs and the impact of AI on publishing throughout longer trends. It's a good time. | |||
| The Amazon Associate Crackdown and Black Friday Deals! | 28 Nov 2025 | 01:22:46 | |
Listen to Author Update for all the news on Amazon's new video advertising capabilities, their reiteration of bans on the Amazon Associate program, and all the Black Friday deals authors need! | |||
| Did Google's Gemini Train on Your Manuscript? | 21 Nov 2025 | 01:10:55 | |
Google's dark pattern, plus new AI tools, upgrades to existing systems and a deep dive into the cozy mystery genre. | |||
| The Algorithm War: AI vs. Human Writing | 14 Nov 2025 | 01:19:13 | |
Updates on how the publishing and music worlds are adapting to AI, as well as exciting developments from the industry. | |||
| The Holiday Marketing Guide | 08 Nov 2025 | 01:07:07 | |
Find out how to plan for this year's holiday season, as well as how changes to the X algorithm change your marketing strategy. | |||
| Traditional Publishing in Crisis: Sales Down 9.4% | 01 Nov 2025 | 01:33:10 | |
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. | |||
| Scam Alert! The Nigerian Bot Army Has Arrived! | 24 Oct 2025 | 01:10:16 | |
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. | |||
| Massive Amazon Algorithm Changes and the Grid | 17 Oct 2025 | 01:15:05 | |
Welcome to the Grid. We're covering the Amazon algorithm, the sales reports, the Yoast SEO Update and the advent of Tron: Ares. | |||
| Publisher's Cancellation Backfires, What's Selling Now and Are Libraries Going Under? | 10 Oct 2025 | 00:55:28 | |
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! | |||
| US Copyright Office Closes, Piracy Surges Again and the Anthropic Settlement Website Goes Live | 03 Oct 2025 | 01:07:37 | |
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. | |||
| Updates in Anthropic Case, NanoWriMo Replaced and How To Write First Aid | 27 Sep 2025 | 00:58:19 | |
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. | |||