The hottest Author News Substack posts right now

Lincoln in the Bardo is getting two major adaptations: a movie to be directed by Duke Johnson and an opera by Missy Mazzoli with a libretto by Royce Vavrek scheduled for next October.
There’s clear excitement and gratitude about attracting accomplished collaborators and adapters for the project.
After a busy week in the U.K., there’s a plan to follow up on CivilWarLand in Bad Decline and share more about it.

The e-book Secretary Of Perpetual War has been re-launched and is available as a pay-what-you-want digital download, with a paperback still sold on Amazon.
A Gumroad account suspension blocked downloads and resolving it required a long fight with an AI chatbot before reaching a human, underscoring frustration with automated customer support.
The work is reader-supported and freely shareable, with multiple ways to support or access it including subscriptions, donations (even Bitcoin), and direct download or purchase links.

Touring and talking with readers and collaborators energizes creative work and shows that books build real community. It’s a reminder that live conversation and shared stories matter.
A single book can spark wildly different reactions — essays, long interviews, radio features, and even group readings — and that range of response can be valuable. The sparks a book makes are part of its success, even if opinions vary.
It’s okay to abandon a draft if you don’t have the desire or joy to revise it; sometimes a manuscript is mainly a way to process experience rather than a project to develop. Trust that the technical and emotional learning from that work carries into future projects, and prioritize projects that give you anticipatory joy and playful uncertainty.

A new UK edition of the book is available and there are a few upcoming UK events with limited tickets and signed copies for preorder.
A pet recovered from a urinary infection, reminding us not to presume outcomes and to persist calmly through problems, and showing how community support can really help.
Writing advice: you don’t have to surrender to the subconscious to make good work; try different versions, choose the ones that please you, and remember craft tips are just suggestions you can accept or ignore.

There’s a live Substack event on Wednesday, December 10 at 1:30 PM EST to read a short preview of the new novel and announce the audiobook cast; follow to get the link when it goes live.
The writer is in the anxious publication-waiting phase and describes their job as designing a wild ride — revising to make the book’s oppositions stronger so meaning can emerge afterward.
They’ve seen and shared the physical cover of the book and are finishing a final round of frank one-on-one edits with students before they return to the wider world.

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The Permanent Problem is available now on Amazon in both hardcover and Kindle, even though the official publication date is January 5.
Pre-orders should ship soon, and the book will also appear on other online retailers and in fine bookstores.
A festive aside notes you can buy a live Christmas tree in Thailand, and the site promises lots of new content in 2026 with an invitation to subscribe for updates.

The first book in the 'Bodies Bodies' series is now available, and it might lead to more stories or novellas.
This novella mixes styles like found documents and narratives to explore deep themes and characters facing an uncertain future.
It's only available in paperback, and readers are encouraged to support local bookstores when purchasing.