Guest Profile: Travis Corcoran
I’m pleased to be able to announce that Travis Corcoran will be joining us at BasedCon this year.
Travis is a two-time Prometheus Award-winning science fiction author, software developer, entrepreneur, and New Hampshire state representative—an unusual combination that makes him particularly well-suited to the kind of conversations we have at BasedCon.
As a writer, Travis is best known for his Aristillus series, a set of near-future science fiction novels that explore space development, political systems, and the practical realities of building things that matter. His work sits in that space between classic hard sci-fi and modern independent publishing—stories grounded in engineering, economics, and human incentives rather than abstract speculation.
Travis was a guest at the first two BasedCons, but we weren’t able to get him to the past three. In our defense, it’s hard enough to get him to leave home, much less get on an airplane. We’re glad he’s making the trip this year.
He also has a new novel out today, Red State Mars. I’ve read the book, and it’s excellent—it explores how individual choices and the fight for liberty play out within systems shaped by economic incentives, harsh physical realities, and other constraints that aren’t easily ignored.
That same theme—how much agency individuals really have inside larger systems—runs through much of Travis’s work. He’s particularly good at showing how intentions collide with incentives, and how outcomes are often determined as much by structure as by ideology. It’s not abstract; it’s grounded in the kinds of tradeoffs people actually face when they’re trying to build something or change a system.
In recent years, Travis has taken that same mindset into public office. As a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, he’s been involved in efforts around economic policy, technology, and individual liberty—bringing a builder’s perspective into a space that often lacks it.
That combination—writer, founder, systems expert, and policymaker—gives Travis a perspective that’s rare in any one field, let alone across several. He understands the creative side of building an audience and telling stories, the practical side of running a business, and the structural side of how rules and institutions shape outcomes.
At BasedCon, that translates into conversations that go beyond surface-level advice. Expect discussions about:
how independent creators can build sustainable careers
how technology and publishing are evolving
how incentives shape both markets and institutions
and what it actually looks like to move from ideas to execution
Like many of the guests at BasedCon, Travis isn’t just talking about these things—he’s been doing them, in multiple arenas, for years.
If you’re interested in the intersection of writing, entrepreneurship, and the broader systems that shape both, you’ll want to catch him at BasedCon.
We’re glad to have him back this year.