Ever read a book where the world just felt off? Straight-line rivers, cities in places that make no sense, characters crossing a kingdom in an afternoon? Your readers feel it too — and it might be costing you read-through.
This week on The Pint and Portal Author Podcast, we're chatting about an often overlooked craft problem, because your readers might care more than you think. I sit down with author, illustrator, and mapmaker Adam Bassett to break down the world-building details that make a setting feel real and lived-in. More importantly, we chat about the small, fixable mistakes that pull readers out of the story.
We get into map design, climate, travel time, and why the geography of your world should be shaped by the story you're telling. Whether you're drafting your first novel or sharpening the setting in your current work-in-progress, this one's packed with practical, low-effort ways to level up your world-building.
Adam is the author of the cyberpunk collection Digital Extremities, the post-apocalyptic fantasy Copper Skin, Oaken Lungs, and the new reference book An Author's Guide to Setting Design: Worldbuilding & Cartography. His newest release is a guidebook for authors and game masters featuring 100+ illustrated real and fictional maps.
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New here? I'm Herman Steuernagel, author and host. The Pint and Portal is where I corner working authors and get them to share the strategies that actually helped them build a career. If you've found any value in these episodes, please hit that like button and — more importantly — pull up a chair and hit subscribe
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⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00 – Intro: don't let world-building overtake your story01:45 – Meet Adam & his new book on setting design04:00 – Matching your map's style to your story05:18 – How Adam fell in love with maps10:07 – What authors get wrong about world-building12:39 – How landscape shapes culture, economics & stor21:25 – Climate: escaping the "generic temperate Europe" trap28:20 – Mountains, volcanoes & why terrain isn't random32:15 – Travel time: how far should things really be?42:11 – City history & making characters feel real46:21 – Where to find Adam & his book46:21 – Where to find Adam & his book
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📚 GET ADAM'S BOOKS & CONNECT
An Author's Guide to Setting Design (eBook): https://books2read.com/agsd
Sprayed-edges pre-order (The Crafty Bookstore): https://www.thecraftybookstore.com/product-page/an-authors-guide-to-setting-design
Digital Extremities: https://books2read.com/digital-extremities
Copper Skin, Oaken Lungs: https://books2read.com/copper-ash1
Website: https://www.adamcbassett.com
Newsletter: https://adamcbassett.substack.com
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/adamcbassett.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/adamcbassett
