If you're worth sharing a pint 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 to me.
(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 incomplete.
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 dirt 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 ceded control.
My Storehouse is the equivalent of Sauron’s One Ring.
It’s also the reason I promote it daily.
It's my fortress against the whims of retailers, my guarantee that I can write the stories I want, and supply you with experiences you otherwise wouldn’t get on retailers like my world art, audiobooks, bundles, etc. It also 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 are no awesome readers or perks to be had on retailers.
I am simply outlining the drawbacks of dependency.
Does this make a lick of difference to you, my reader?
Probably not.
But if you like the idea of directly supporting your favourite authors and having NOTHING stop 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 (of the right kind).
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 Divided Region:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/TDR-Bundle
It now comes with the Digital World Art as an added bonus.
(Again, something Amazon wouldn’t allow.)
DJJW