One of my goals for 2026 is to really make some noise in fantasy, but as you can imagine — even for someone as powerful, handsome, and charismatic as your Overlord & Saviour — this is no stroll around the Shire.
Among my usual day-to-day workflow of writing, producing emails, social media, and welcoming new recruits who wash up ashore…
I've also been delving deeper and deeper into the marketing side of the business.
One of the things that really stood out from a couple of the people I follow is that you really want to make a lot of noise about ONE thing, especially in the beginning.
"What one thing are you doing that others just aren't doing? Then scream about it from the roof."
Oddly, it didn't take much time to find the answer:
Fast-paced fantasy without the bloat of a doorstopper.
As such, all of the content I now put out beyond the Legion's walls speaks to that ONE thing.
And it's already having a great impact (so far).
However, the risk of doing things this way, especially in a genre known for its tomes, is that you're going to turn off a lot of people.
But as the old marketing proverb goes:
"If you try to sell to everyone, you'll sell to no one."
Yet even if my gamble yields nothing more than horse dung, it has served as a fantastic reminder of why I chose to throw my hat in the fantasy genre in the first place.
The intricate world-building…
The multiple point-of-view characters…
The slow-burn buildup and fat spines were just flat-out overwhelming.
(Still are in many ways.)
I figured if I struggled with these things, then surely there are thousands more who do, too.
So far, that hypothesis is proving correct.
And to those people, I present you with a series of shorter, bingeable fantasy that don't spend chapters giving history lessons or describing berries and root vegetables.
Its name?
THE DIVIDED REGION
Available in e-book bundle:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/TDR-Bundle-ebook
Audiobook bundle:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/TDR-Bundle
And paperback bundle:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/tdr-paperback-bundle
Have a great weekend, Legionnaire. Stay classy out there.
DJJW