Cameron Cooper – Stories Rule Press

Why Do We Keep Building Galactic Empires in Sci-Fi?

30 January 2026 / Cameron Cooper, Science Fiction, Space Opera

Galactic empires are everywhere in science fiction—ruling star systems with absolute power, ripe for rebellion or decay. I’ve written a few myself… and torn them down just as quickly. But why do we keep returning to this political model, especially when it’s always doomed to fall? From Dune to Foundation, and even John Scalzi’s surprisingly heartfelt Collapsing Empire, we seem obsessed with watching these mighty regimes unravel. I’ve got theories. But I’m also genuinely curious what draws readers back to the throneworld.

When Bookstores Shrink Their Shelves (Even the Digital Ones)

16 January 2026 / Cameron Cooper

Barnes & Noble has begun quietly removing books from its digital shelves — not because readers don’t want them, but because the retailer wants a “cleaner,” more curated catalog. Overnight, titles vanish. Algorithms shift. Indie books get harder to find.

It’s the same old pattern: as big platforms age, they tighten the gates. The long tail shrinks. Choice narrows. And readers lose access to entire backlists, series, and genres without even realizing it’s happening.

The good news? You’re not trapped in anyone’s walled garden. Buying direct from authors keeps your books permanent, DRM-free, and untouched by corporate inventory purges — no disappearing titles, no algorithmic roulette.

Superheroes, Sanderson, and the Genre Spectrum

5 December 2025 / Cameron Cooper, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Brandon Sanderson is stepping into science fiction with Tailored Realities, and at the same time, I’ve been watching Daredevil: Reborn — a superhero story that feels a lot more like fantasy than you’d expect. It got me thinking: where do superhero stories fall in the speculative spectrum? Is sci-fi and fantasy really a spectrum at all? This week, I’m diving into how genre boundaries are shifting, and what that means for readers, writers, and masked vigilantes alike.

Where Spacecraft Go to Die: The Sci-Fi Allure of Point Nemo

28 November 2025 / Cameron Cooper, Near Future, Science Fiction

There’s a place in the Pacific Ocean so remote, the closest humans are often aboard the International Space Station. Known as Point Nemo, this eerily empty stretch of ocean is where dead spacecraft go to die—and it sounds exactly like the kind of setting you’d expect in a science fiction novel. In fact, it’s sparked more than a few story ideas already…

Stories Worth a Nod: Award-Eligible Titles for 2026

14 November 2025 / Cameron Cooper

Two Cameron Cooper titles published in 2025 are eligible for nomination in the 2026 Hugo, Nebula, Aurora, and Dragon Awards. If you’re voting this year, here’s what to know.

Star Trek Cities and Supertrains: Alberta’s Leap into the Future

24 October 2025 / Uncategorized

What happens when sci-fi dreams start showing up in the real world? Author Cameron Cooper dives into rotating space habitats, vertical villages, and a planned high-speed pod line between Edmonton and Calgary — and what it could mean for the way Albertans live, work, and travel.

“If Amazon Collapsed Tomorrow…”

5 September 2025 / Cameron Cooper, Science Fiction, Space Opera

What if Amazon collapsed tomorrow? Thousands of exclusive authors would lose their income overnight, and Kindle Unlimited readers would find their go-to content gone. In this speculative thought experiment, I explore how such a collapse would reshape the indie publishing landscape—for authors, readers, and the future of storytelling.

Why I Write (and Read) Short Stories — Part II

4 July 2025 / Cameron Cooper, Fantasy, Science Fiction

“Writing short stories started as a clever way to outsmart publishing algorithms, but it quickly became a passion. They’re fast, fierce, and let me explore parts of my worlds that novels can’t always reach.”