If you're worth sharing company with, you’ll know who the Dark Lord Sauron is.
Usually, the name conjures images of black-clad armour with spikes jutting from it, or the ever-watching Eye of Mordor burning its gaze across the ashen landscape. He is those things, but he is also something of a hero of mine.
(Yes, I am well aware that I just said the villain hellbent on reclaiming power over Middle-earth is an idol of mine.)
The reason is simple.
He taught me perhaps the most valuable lesson as an author:
Never cede control.
Without the One Ring, Sauron was essentially a diminished Overlord.
His powers and influence were scattered and ill-complete.
I see this with authors dependent on Amazon time and time again. Yes, they can craft compelling stories. Yes, they garner fans for their work. And yes, some even do quite well having all their eggs in Jeff’s basket.
But dig only a few inches beneath the soil and you’ll strike a vein of anxiety running through their entire operation.
“Could Amazon take a bigger cut of my royalties?”
“What if my account gets suspended?”
“Why are my books not getting the exposure they used to?”
None of these anxieties would exist if they hadn’t ceased control.
Sauron's One Ring is my equivalent of the Storehouse I promote daily.
It's the place where I pour my own power — my creative will — to ensure I have ultimate control over my dominion. It's my fortress against the whims of retailers, my guarantee that I can write the stories I want (shorter, faster, breaking genre norms), and my direct line to you, my reader.
It allows me to build my own empire on my own terms, not those of another lord in a distant land.
I’m not saying there’s no merit or perks to being on retailers; I am simply outlining the drawbacks of dependency on them.
Does this make a lick of difference to you, my reader?
Probably not.
But if you like the idea of your favourite authors having NOTHING stopping them from creating their best work, then you’re set to gain a lot.
Anyway, that's the lesson Sauron taught me.
Not about evil, but about power.
And if you happen to enjoy fantasy tales that tackle the virtues and dangers of power… as well as a dark lord hellbent on reclaiming it… then you’ll find plenty in the latest sequel of The Divided Region:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/The-Great-Betrayal
DJJW