It's not uncommon for authors to appear on book podcasts to talk about their work, spread the word of their tales, and ultimately conjure some fresh royalties.
A scribe’s gotta eat like everybody else!
That said, I've never really been appealed to this form of marketing for a number of reasons.
1. I just don't trust people these days.
There are a lot of folks out there with hidden agendas that want to throw a curveball at you for shares and likes on the webz.
Doubly so in the speculative space where a torrent of talk centres around social issues and affairs.
“Why haven’t you got a strong female lead?”
“Why does Character B say this? Does that reflect your own views on [X]?”
“Do you think fantasy needs more [Y]?”
Answer any of these incorrectly, and before you can blink, the “mob” will find out where you live, who your family are, and how many times you secretly opened the Uber Eats app today.
No, thank you.
Can’t be arsed with that.
Then there's the second reason, which I suspect might cock a few brows…
2. There’s only so long I can go on about this stuff.
Don’t get me wrong, I love fantasy more than any other genre. I love the worlds, the realms, the medieval roots, and the type of characters it has. I love the subtle philosophies that weave into the prose.
I love all of that, but I can only nerd out about elves, orcs, and the history of Middle-earth for so long until I want to lie down and take a nap.
The same thing is true with my own books, ironically.
I know, I know…
What kind of self-respecting, royalty-loving scribe would say that?
Your Overlord & Saviour… obviously.😈
Of course, I love what I’ve created. I enjoy riffing about The Divided Region and the characters. I love writing it and teasing chapters in these emails; I genuinely do.
Just in doses.
There’s every chance a bad knock on the head is to blame for this, or maybe it’s merely the curse of being British.
(We’re not people who like to talk about ourselves too often.)
If somehow none of this email has offended you, then it shows my marketing efforts are paying off.
I don’t pretend to be for everyone.
The same is true for my work.
I could’ve written a series of doorstoppers that have dozens of POVs, arcs, and egregious exposition.
Instead, I wrote The Divided Region.
And I dare say, it’s a fun and engrossing read.
To get it in e-book, audiobook, or paperback, go here:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/TDR-Bundle
DJJW