Author Update
Thomas Umstattd Jr.
Here’s what you can expect from Author Update:Publishing News: Stay in the loop on what’s happening in the industry.Advice That Matters: Learn how to make your book irresistible to readers.Live Q&A: Bring your questions and get answers from Thomas Umstattd and Jonathan Shuerger.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Aug 29, 2025 • 1h 3min
New International Shipping Rules Hit Authors and Libraries Acquire KU Books?
Join us on Author Update as we talk the latest news in publishing!
Aug 22, 2025 • 1h 6min
Spotify Upgrades Audiobook Accessibility and George R.R. Martin Told To Step Down
Check out our commentary on the past week's events with news on Spotify, Harper Collins and WorldCon.
Aug 15, 2025 • 1h 11min
The End of Rapid Release and the Advent of Breadgeist
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.
Aug 9, 2025 • 60min
GPT-5 Is Here
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.
Aug 2, 2025 • 1h 14min
Audible Reduces Author Royalties, Trad Sales Plummet, Indie Sales Rise
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.
Jul 26, 2025 • 26min
Substack, GoodReads and MORTAL KOMBAAAAAAT!!!
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.
Jul 19, 2025 • 1h 4min
Zeitgeist: The Age of Ruthless Heros
Feast your ears as Jonathan and Thomas discuss the direction fiction is taking, and how societies deal with major turns.
Jul 11, 2025 • 1h 15min
Barnes and Noble, Bots, Bankruptcy and Beyond: The Big Beautiful Episode
Donate to disaster survivors at ADRN.org.
Jun 28, 2025 • 1h 2min
The Case of Authors Vs. AI
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.
Jun 21, 2025 • 1h 3min
How The Iran War Will Impact Authors
The Israel-Iran War, more AI impact on the workforce, zeitgeist discussion and more Patron Tools in the toolbox. All here with Author Update.
