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Inside the Male Reading Crisis

Here’s my inside look at the male reading crisis, which I believe is very much engendered by the book industry. Reading should be for everyone.

00:00 Why the male reading crisis shouldn’t be dismissed.
01:19 What do men prefer in a good story? Here it is.
02:44 The big best-sellers of the last twenty years cater to teen and female audiences.
04:13 Why the book industry leans female: a feedback loop of risk avoidance driven by analytics. Also…
05:34 The tastemakers of the book industry are mostly underpaid, stressed out young women.
07:12 And big publishing avoids epic series, aka big and heroic tales.
07:59 Where do men go for stories? Videogames, manga, and underground niches such as web serials.
09:27 Some hope for male-oriented fiction going mainstream.
10:48 Men who read are sexy.

5 Psychological HORROR Books That Will Knock Your Socks Off!

October 8, 2025 / Abby

If you’re looking for some great modern classics to read for this spooky autumn season, here are my top five Psychological Horror book recommendations.

00:00 Pet Sematary by Stephen King

01:53 Geek Love by Katherine Dunn

03:08 Interview With A Vampire by Anne Rice

03:44 The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

04:31 Night of Sorrows by Frances Sherwood

Tribute to Robert Jordan

October 2, 2025 / Abby

Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time book series had a huge influence on my story crafting techniques and the importance of research and world-building. Here I reflect on my personal memories of rereads, and also of meeting the influential fantasy author in person.

Here’s my old Wheel of Time fan site.

Here’s my POWER CHART for the Torth series

September 25, 2025 / Abby

The Torth universe has a hard magic system, similar to superpowers. Here I walk through the power chart I created as the basis for the system in my 6 book sci-fi fantasy series.

A.I. Book Covers

September 21, 2025 / Abby

It’s not learning a skill when you just press a button, but the economic and social pressure to use it (and to rapidly iterate low effort content) is intense. Here’s my hot take on writers and other creatives using generative A.I. to package and promote their otherwise high effort human endeavors.

Insight into Why Authors Abandon or Milk Series

September 16, 2025 / Abby

Whether professional or amateur, sci-fi and fantasy writers rarely finish the epic series they start. Abby explores the reasons why authors abandon their series, having run that gauntlet herself, as well as having studied the craft for over twenty years.

You can join Epic Series Writers on Discord and Facebook!

What Makes FIRST CONTACT Stories So Compelling?

September 8, 2025 / Abby

Here’s why extreme culture clashes make for such compelling storytelling, with epic heroes, crazy villains, and powerful action-based plots. The best sci-fi and fantasy books include conquest or extreme first contact situations. So does historical nonfiction, particularly the Age of Exploration and the Spanish Conquistadors.

Inside the FEUD Between Progression Fantasy Web Serial Authors

August 19, 2025 / Abby

Abby pays a lot of attention to the sci-fi & fantasy publishing industry, over 20+ years of taking writing seriously. Here’s her take on the latest controversy among indie authors who write progression fantasy, litRPG, isekai, superhero, wuxia, and web serials.

The Alex Verus Series is GREAT

August 10, 2025 / Abby

This London-based urban fantasy book series by Benedict Jacka is right up there with Wheel of Time and Game of Thrones in terms of dramatic tension, escalating stakes, and character interactions. Definitely in Abby’s top ten book series of all time. EXCELLENT.

The Alex Verus series starts with Fated by Benedict Jacka.

Is The World Economy Propped Up By Artists & Writers?

August 5, 2025 / Abby

Our entire global economy is bent around people’s passion for becoming creators. Strip away the financial and tech bro jargon, and this is the truth laid bare, as Abby sees it.

00:00 The global economy is driven by creative content (producers and consumers).

02:30 Not just professionals, also hobbyists.

03:02 Creatives are motivated to become influencers.

03:58 Creatives buy expensive computers and graphics cards and software and digital ads.

04:23 Students, midlife crisis adults, retirees… people underestimate the vast numbers of dabblers.

06:02 And then there’s the self-help gurus and scammers incentivizing creatives. 06:31 Examples of how amateur creatives prop up the megacap companies.

07:32 Everybody wants to be a creator. Is this sustainable?

Author: Abby (page 2 of 7)