I have been under pressure to start Podcasting and You tubing. Many say that’s the way to market books. My hesitation arises from (1) an admitted lack of technical skill, and (2) the idea seems to go against my drive to make books as fun and popular as they once were.
The magic of reading is letting your mind flow and fill in the blanks from your own imagination. Don’t you want that freedom? Don’t you want to imagine how the characters look and speak within the descriptions of the author? Think of audio and visual depictions of books as spoilers. Now I like movies as much as anyone. I just want to read the book and get a chance to talk about it first.
I mean, that’s why it’s so much fun to discuss books. Every reader has a unique and personal take on the characters and the story. Once upon a time, we could laugh and talk about books instead of pushing and arguing. Isn’t it great to hear your friend say how they saw something different in a character or have a different opinion on a plot twist or turn?
Words are powerful. Written words are ultra-powerful.
Formulaic repetitions of tropes are boring. Why do you think they throw in so much graphic sex and violence along with constant profanity. There’s nothing else there unless you dig.
Books are not clothes, music, foods, or hairstyles. What’s ‘trending’ is what’s boring because trending means it’s not original or unique.
That’s part of my rant.
Seriously. Go to my Substack link and check out my short stories. Read my book. There is a reason it’s called Wrought Iron. It’s a story with strong characters. Every chapter has something exciting and new. I avoid long monologues and tiresome trudging conversations that go nowhere. Ugh. The world of Ynys Afallach is a surprising and wondrous world of conflicts and contradictions.