The following is excerpted from an article by Jamie K. Wilson, The Death of Enchantment (https://pjmedia.com/jamie-wilson/2025/08/26/the-death-of-enchantment-why-hollywood-no-longer-holds-us-n4943034).The spell of story is not complicated, but it is sacred:Trust the writer.Trust the director.Trust the story to carry its own truth.And most importantly: Trust the viewer.Hollywood has forgotten that the audience is not a passive consumer but a participant. A story isn’t finished until it’s received — until the viewers buy into it, suspend their disbelief, and join the communion. But today’s studios no longer trust the viewer. They treat audiences as problems to be managed, as minds to be manipulated, as children to be lectured. …But the cure is the same as the cause: trust restored. Allow stories to be stories again, and the spell will hold. The lights will go down, the screen will flicker to life, and once more, strangers will gasp together in the dark.Thanks for reading Book Marketing Success! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bookmarketing.substack.com/subscribe

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Transcript

Related