Samuel DenHartog ends book career after 450-plus titles, shifts to music and film

American author and veteran game developer Samuel DenHartog is ending his three-year run as an independent book publisher after releasing more than 450 titles. He says AI-assisted videos and music are already drawing bigger audiences and stronger early earnings than his books.

Why it matters: - Samuel DenHartog’s pivot shows how quickly a creator can move from traditional digital publishing to video-led storytelling. - The shift also highlights how AI-assisted animation and music can reach audiences faster than books and generate early revenue. - DenHartog’s move comes as Amazon KDP’s publishing limits and takedowns of older books changed the economics of his writing business.

What happened: - Samuel DenHartog, an American author and software entrepreneur based in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, is ending his book-writing career after three years. - DenHartog published more than 450 books since starting in November 2023. - DenHartog plans to focus entirely on music production, animation and filmmaking. - DenHartog said his writing career has ended, but his creative work will continue through new formats.

The details: - DenHartog entered publishing after decades in software and video game development. - He founded EnsenaSoft in 2009 and led development of more than 50 games across multiple platforms. - His original goal was to write 1,440 books in 12 years, or about 10 books per month. - His books covered fantasy, science fiction, mythology, fairy tales, poetry, thrillers and children’s literature. - Amazon KDP’s recent limit of two book submissions per week affected his publishing pace. - DenHartog also said books that had been available for more than two years were removed, which pushed him to abandon the long-term book target. - DenHartog said the removals were discouraging and gave him no meaningful explanation. - His new work uses generative AI tools with original storytelling and lyrics to create animated videos and musical productions. - His projects include heavy metal, blues, folk, electronic music and cinematic animation. - DenHartog said his monthly video earnings surpassed his monthly book earnings after just one month of producing videos. - DenHartog said his Facebook audience nearly doubled during that same month. - DenHartog said his videos are drawing hundreds of likes and reaching people almost immediately, while many of his books received very few ratings. - DenHartog is approaching his 55th birthday.

Between the lines: - The move suggests DenHartog sees audience-building and monetization as stronger in short-form or visual media than in book publishing. - The timing also points to a creator adapting after platform rules undercut a long-running publishing plan. - DenHartog’s comments frame the pivot not as a retreat from storytelling, but as a shift in delivery.

What’s next: - DenHartog plans to keep developing animated stories, original songs and music videos. - He also plans adaptations inspired by his existing books and characters. - His next phase will likely build on the audience gains he says he has already seen in video.

The bottom line: - After more than 450 books, Samuel DenHartog is betting his next creative chapter will be bigger in video, music and film than in publishing.