Last week, we jumped into sequels—what are they, and why are they everywhere? This week, Noah gives us a different spin on the subject by asking, where did sequels come from? How did they develop? Which books and movies turned sequels into the ubiquitous format we’re surrounded by today?

From caveman campfires to the books we curled up with as kids, stories with a “part two” are so common we almost forget that aren’t innate to the artform. Or are they? Are sequels as natural as sunrise and sunset? And if that’s the case, is there any difference between the three Lord of the Rings novels and the thirty three Hercule Poirot mysteries? And do the serialized stories we gobble up as kids prime us for a story landscape that’s all sequels all the time? Tune in as we weave all these threads.

This month, Unedited: From Idea to Manuscript and Shelf to Screen returns. Adam — accompanied by a surprise guest, his youngest daughter — kicks us off with an introduction to the topic of the next several episodes: sequels. Here at Inkshares, we’ve been thinking a lot about sequels as we work on follow-ups from authors like Scott Thomas, JF Dubeau, and Christopher Huang. Pretty much all of our favorite books and films have sequels of some sort or another. 

But what is a sequel? And why is a sequel? What purpose should a sequel serve? What separates the good ones from the bad ones? Did the book series we read as kids condition us to consume sequels? And in an age where it seems like everything is an extended universe, is it time for sequels to die? Equally importantly, has our real world itself become nothing more than a sequel...

In episode 26 of Unedited, we continue with Part 2 of our Jurassic discussion, this time joined by writer, podcaster and returning guest Will Gish. Together, Gish and Gomolin take a magnifying glass to the techniques Crichton uses to rope readers into his story, from the authoritative and academic introduction, to the pulse-pounding prologue, to the deceptive lull of the first chapter and the gradual unfurling of the plot. The G gang also unpack the Hollywood of it all, pondering how the latest entry in the franchise matches up against the first and whether a story that so elegantly balances cerebral and spectacle would—in today’s cultural climate—break out like it did thirty years ago, as either a book or film.

Will / William / Bill / Who? Gish is a novelist and screenwriter living in Los Angeles whose work has appeared nowhere and received zero accolades. Growing up in both New Jersey and Vermont, he was drawn to theater, earning awards for playwriting before graduating high school (full disclosure: he gave himself most of these awards). Will has a BA in Art History and Japanese Language & Literature from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and an MFA in Feature Film Screenwriting from Loyola Marymount University. He is the writer of an untitled Mexican sci-fi family dramedy film (sounds fake but it’s not!), currently in post-production and White Devil, currently in editorial with Inkshares. He likes dogs and knows nothing about wine. 

Episode 25 of Unedited is a special one. In Part 1 of 2, Adam sits down with current Inkshares editor Noah Broyles and former Inkshares editor (and accomplished novelist) Matt Harry to discuss one of the most successful book-to-film adaptations of all time, Jurassic Park. Noah brings first impressions of the film, while Matt shares a lifelong appreciation of each version of the story. Throughout our discussion, we contrast the artistic choices of the book and the film and, as the latest installment storms into theaters, ponder why dino DNA spawned one of the most successful franchises in story history. 

Noah Broyles was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. He started out writing in a notebook, upgraded to a typewriter, and finally graduated to a laptop. At the age of fourteen he sat down to write his first novel and at the age of twenty-three his debut novel, The House of Dust, was published by Inkshares. He has been a member of the Inkshares publishing team since 2021.

Matt Harry has been writing since he was a middle grader. He learned to make movies at the University of Southern California, which was the closest he could get to attending Hogwarts in the real world. He has worked as an editor, screenwriter, director, producer, college professor, and pizza delivery technician. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two sons, both of whom (thankfully) like to read.

Unedited is back, and so is BookCon. In episode 24, Adam, Sarah, and Noah survey the return of NYC’s biggest book event, which has awoken from a five-year covid coma. This time around, the Javit’s Center will host a convention with special focus on those readers romantasy-inclined: signings, meetups, workshops, and a “fantasy ball” are on offer. Less love is being lost across the pond, however, where a coalition of Dutch authors are decrying private equity firm KKR’s ownership of publishing conglomerate VBK via Simon & Schuster, in part because of KKR’s investments in Israeli companies. What lies beneath their complaints, and does authors refusing to publish send a message or do they silence their own most salient means of expression? 

In happier-ish news, a bankrupt Village Roadshow goes to a good home (Alcon) for the diminutive adoption fee of $417.5 million (#adoptdontshop). What does this mean for the future of two studios which have, separately, made some of the best films of the past twenty-five years, including Insomnia and The Matrix? And what does any of this have to do with FedEx? Note: Fred Smith, the founder of FedEx and an investor in Alcon, died last week between our recording of this podcast and its publishing; rest in peace, Fred. 

Sarah Elizabeth Hill is a writer, digital strategist, and the founder of Bobi Media, a boutique social media agency based in New York City. Before launching Bobi Media, Sarah co-founded Bookstr.com, a digital media platform for readers which she grew from zero to 3.5 million global organic followers. She secured ad or content partnerships with all five major publishers and has hosted over 100 live author interviews, including conversations with Deepak Chopra, Tony Robbins, and Neil deGrasse Tyson. Sarah’s earlier work included global campaigns for brands like Nike, HBO, Oracle, and Google Politics. She hosts The Login Podcast and is working on her debut lifestyle nonfiction book that she is not allowed to mention yet… 

Noah Broyles was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. He started out writing in a notebook, upgraded to a typewriter, and finally graduated to a laptop. At the age of fourteen he sat down to write his first novel and at the age of twenty-three his debut novel, The House of Dust, was published by Inkshares. He has been a member of the Inkshares publishing team since 2021.

In Episode 23 of Unedited, Adam, Sarah, and Noah, alongside a special returning guest, take a bite at the apple and discuss whether Original Sin by Tapper and Thompson is actually that original—and whether the real sin isn’t the timing of this safely after-the-fact account? Whatever the answer, it is a truth universally acknowledged that an audiobook company in possession of large fortune must be in want of more fortune, so we break down Audible’s announcement of an all-star cast recording of Pride and Prejudice for Jane Austen’s 250th. Does this signal a sea change in romantic tastes? Speaking of sea changes, we also examine who stands to benefit from the magic-lamp potential of AI in filmmaking. A world where visual spectacle is cheap heralds a new era of storytelling for everyone; but what will that storytelling look like?

Grant Bayliss served eleven years in the British Army, completing two tours of Afghanistan and two tours of Iraq with the elite 4/74 Special OP Battery. Throughout his career, he has read non-fiction, philosophy, geopolitics and literary fiction, but he tried his hand at writing his first novel while stranded in the British Embassy in Baghdad in 2014. Grant later became a finalist in the 2018 Inkshares’ Horror/Mystery competition with his third work, The Old Believer, which is also in development for film.

Sarah Elizabeth Hill is a writer, digital strategist, and the founder of Bobi Media, a boutique social media agency based in New York City. Before launching Bobi Media, Sarah co-founded Bookstr.com, a digital media platform for readers which she grew from zero to 3.5 million global organic followers. She secured ad or content partnerships with all five major publishers and has hosted over 100 live author interviews, including conversations with Deepak Chopra, Tony Robbins, and Neil deGrasse Tyson. Sarah’s earlier work included global campaigns for brands like Nike, HBO, Oracle, and Google Politics. She hosts The Login Podcast and is working on her debut lifestyle nonfiction book that she is not allowed to mention yet… 

Noah Broyles was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. He started out writing in a notebook, upgraded to a typewriter, and finally graduated to a laptop. At the age of fourteen he sat down to write his first novel and at the age of twenty-three his debut novel, The House of Dust, was published by Inkshares. He has been a member of the Inkshares publishing team since 2021.

In Episode 22 of Unedited, Adam, Sarah, and Noah—like Odysseus, Aeneas, and Dante before them—plunge into the netherworld. Instead of Virgil, though, we follow the spectre of AI ghostwriters and “reverse harems” through a discussion about the state of self-publishing in the age of LLMs and what this means for the very act of storytelling and editorial collaboration. At the bottom of hell, we encounter “book boyfriends” and ponder a broken dating culture that is wreaking havoc on the literary landscape—has the pendulum swung from playmates to fae-mates? And what books should we be reading to escape the whole paradigm? Speaking of escape, we are joined by a special guest to break down perhaps the biggest casting news of the decade and to decide if we should be excited for HBO’s invitation back to Hogwarts.

Sarah Elizabeth Hill is a writer, digital strategist, and the founder of Bobi Media, a boutique social media agency based in New York City. Before launching Bobi Media, Sarah co-founded Bookstr.com, a digital media platform for readers which she grew from zero to 3.5 million global organic followers. She secured ad or content partnerships with all five major publishers and has hosted over 100 live author interviews, including conversations with Deepak Chopra, Tony Robbins, and Neil deGrasse Tyson. Sarah’s earlier work included global campaigns for brands like Nike, HBO, Oracle, and Google Politics. She hosts The Login Podcast and is working on her debut lifestyle nonfiction book that she is not allowed to mention yet… 

Noah Broyles was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. He started out writing in a notebook, upgraded to a typewriter, and finally graduated to a laptop. At the age of fourteen he sat down to write his first novel and at the age of twenty-three his debut novel, The House of Dust, was published by Inkshares. He has been a member of the Inkshares publishing team since 2021.

Spencer was born and raised in New York. He has served as BOBI Media’s media coordinator and strategist since the company’s inception, helping to shape the digital voice and content approach to all clients. He is also the founder of The Holy Goofs, a multimedia platform dedicated to film, television, and pop culture commentary. In addition to his work in media strategy and content creation, Spencer is an occasional writer with a passion for storytelling across formats.  

In Episode 21 of Unedited, Adam is joined once again by Sarah Elizabeth Hill of Bobi Media and Inkshares editor Noah Broyles to unpack the news that is shaping the global story economy. Audible’s feet-first leap into the AI space leads our discussion, causing the group to ponder what it will mean for aspiring narrators, translators, and listeners around the world to have LLMs telling stories. Speaking of worldwide phenomena, the biggest author and the biggest YouTuber on the planet are teaming up for an as-yet untitled thriller. Is this the “final boss” of gimmick fiction, or a potential inception point for millions of young would-be readers? We close by using some of the major book-to-film events of the year—including two from Stephen King—to consider what it takes to get adapted in today’s climate—and what gets lost in the shuffle. 

Sarah Elizabeth Hill is a writer, digital strategist, and the founder of Bobi Media, a boutique social media agency based in New York City. Before launching Bobi Media, Sarah co-founded Bookstr.com, a digital media platform for readers which she grew from zero to 3.5 million global organic followers. She secured ad or content partnerships with all five major publishers and has hosted over 100 live author interviews, including conversations with Deepak Chopra, Tony Robbins, and Neil deGrasse Tyson. Sarah’s earlier work included global campaigns for brands like Nike, HBO, Oracle, and Google Politics. She hosts The Login Podcast and is working on her debut lifestyle nonfiction book that she is not allowed to mention yet… 

Noah Broyles was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. He started out writing in a notebook, upgraded to a typewriter, and finally graduated to a laptop. At the age of fourteen he sat down to write his first novel and at the age of twenty-three his debut novel, The House of Dust, was published by Inkshares. He has been a member of the Inkshares publishing team since 2021.

The News of the Global Story Economy
In Episode 20 of Unedited, we shake up the format to bring you three bellwether news pieces from the global story economy. Adam, Sarah Elizabeth Hill of Bobi Media, and Inkshares’ own Noah Broyles sit down and unpack the rising phenomenon of publishers acquiring authors who are BookTok stars and what this means for non-viral writers hoping to break into a spice-obsessed industry. We also discuss the recent launch of Conduit, a UK publisher attempting to redress a gender imbalance in the literary landscape by publishing—initally—only male authors. Is this praiseworthy or patriarchal? To wrap up, we jump over to the Hollywood side of things, where Trump’s LA ambassador Jon Voight has penned a letter that calls for incentives but stays mum on tariffs. With leaders from screen entertainment's top organizations co-signing, what does this mean for the future of TV and film in America? 

Sarah Elizabeth Hill is a writer, digital strategist, and the founder of Bobi Media, a boutique social media agency based in New York City. Before launching Bobi Media, Sarah co-founded Bookstr.com, a digital media platform for readers which she grew from zero to 3.5 million global organic followers. She secured ad or content partnerships with all five major publishers and has hosted over 100 live author interviews, including conversations with Deepak Chopra, Tony Robbins, and Neil deGrasse Tyson. Sarah’s earlier work included global campaigns for brands like Nike, HBO, Oracle, and Google Politics. She hosts The Login Podcast and is working on her debut lifestyle nonfiction book that she is not allowed to mention yet… 

Noah Broyles was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. He started out writing in a notebook, upgraded to a typewriter, and finally graduated to a laptop. At the age of fourteen he sat down to write his first novel and at the age of twenty-three his debut novel, The House of Dust, was published by Inkshares. He has been a member of the Inkshares publishing team since 2021.

Sarah Elizabeth Hill joins us for Episode 19 of Unedited. Sarah is the founder of Bobi Media, a digital marketing and brand management company based in NYC. We chart Sarah’s path from six-year-old poet to anonymous college romance columnist to the world of media and publishing, starting with her time at Bookstr, which she grew to a community of more than three million. We discuss entrepreneurship and the fulfillment Sarah finds in promoting the work of others, and we trade opinions on the “hot as hell romantasy that is taking TikTok by storm.” We also hear Sarah’s advice for writers getting started in a very digital global story economy.

Sarah Elizabeth Hill is a writer, digital strategist, and the founder of Bobi Media, a boutique social media agency based in New York City. Before launching Bobi Media, Sarah co-founded Bookstr.com, a digital media platform for readers which she grew from zero to 3.5 million global organic followers. She secured ad or content partnerships with all five major publishers and has hosted over 100 live author interviews, including conversations with Deepak Chopra, Tony Robbins, and Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Sarah’s earlier work included global campaigns for brands like Nike, HBO, Oracle, and Google Politics. She hosts The Login Podcast and is working on her debut lifestyle nonfiction book that she is not allowed to mention yet…