2020 is becoming an interesting year. But I am starting to see a major sea change and feel a big energy shift in the current climate.

People are seeing through the B.S. They know the problems that exist and are caused by corporate establishment and their stooges in culture, and are starting to see real alternatives arise.

On our side, I feel like the in-fighting needs to stop. This is a big year for everyone. There are people who will want to destroy us because they don’t like how productive our movement is, don’t like that they can’t compete with our fun content and ideals in art that they can never capture — because our art points to real truth, and therefore has real beauty.

There’s a lot of temptation to bicker, fight each other, try to harm each other, but this is what the Enemy wants. It’s meant to tear us down. Think of how the corporate world works — they are in lockstep. The authors support each other. The media supports them. The reviewers support them. The authors then support the reviewers. It’s a big circle where there’s a TON of positive messaging where it snowballs exponentially.

We can have that too. It’s easy to get frustrated, to look like the pie is shrinking or stagnant, but we have to play the long game. We can’t afford to slow down or get frustrated. This is generational work, it won’t happen overnight. But there are those of us who see the long-term, see the horizon, and we’re going to create the real change.

Join me, and urge your favorite indie creators to do the same. We can make a difference. It’s time to put our small differences aside and make for a bright future.

Start by reading Clockwork Dancer #1, my new BESTELLING steampunk comic. It’s got excellent reviews so far. Check it out here. 

Stephen King, one of the most well-revered authors of our time, a super prolific guy dropped a major secret to writing yesterday on twitter:

…I would never consider diversity in matters of art. Only quality. It seems to me that to do otherwise would be wrong.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) January 14, 2020

BOOM! THE KING!

This sent the SJW crowd reeling, of course, since they push diversity over anything. They have requirements for exactly what you need to “represent” in your writing much like soviet Russia, and this is what the publishing industry has become over the last ten years.

Naturally, King was attacked and had immense social pressure applied on him immediately. NK Jemisin — who has won awards because she shakes down the writing establishment over her race — came out and made a bizarre statement that “diversity and quality” are the same thing.

Damn, Stephen. Damn. I thought you were better than this. It should be obvious that diversity and quality *aren't separate qualities,* or in opposition to each other — except in the minds of bigots.

Damn.

— N. K. Jemisin (@nkjemisin) January 14, 2020

Complete with a personal shame to Mr. King.

Jemisin uses her race in order to sell books, and has not had a release where she hasn’t made it about drama because of her skin color.

The difference is, King is able to sell books just based on the contents of said books. And that’s a major difference between quality and a virtue signaled “diversity” of which they really mean no diversity at all, but every book looking exactly the same in their political leanings. The sameness, the lack of energy, the lack of passion of characters, the complete absence of fun plots, is why these books in this generation sell at a far lower rate than those of their predecessors.

Most indies understand this, and because of that, indie fiction has pushed for quality without checking boxes to force their stories all to look the same. Readers have responded. Just this last year it was reported that indie books now take 51% of the market. The establishment publishing is fading because they’re trying to shame authors into writing what they have to instead of what they want. I’ve reported a lot about this with YA books over the last few years — and YA as a genre is getting stale because there’s very little variation, dare I say, “diversity of content.”

It’s because they’re not focused on quality, they’re focused on checking the right boxes.

Unfortunately, so many in establishment publishing attacked Stephen King that he walked back his huge truth bomb for writing. But this tweet is still live, he hasn’t deleted it. Authors everywhere can take heed that deep down, King understands — readers want good books, not some forced social agenda.

Which is why Clockwork Dancer #1 is such a success. You’d think the Diversity crowd would love it with a Hispanic writer, a female artist, a Hispanic colorist… but no mention from them! It’s almost like it’s just about politics and they don’t even follow their own creeds.

But it doesn’t matter, because the book became a #1 Bestseller last night on its merit of a story alone. It’s not about who created it. We just make great comics. Read today. 

Unless you’ve read my Epic #1 Bestselling Steampunk saga, you’ve never experienced Victorian drama on a level in which you’re about to read in Clockwork Dancer, now available on Kindle!

Awesome automatons!

Gallant gadgets!

Amazing airships!

It’s all here in Clockwork Dancer, the first steampunk comic by #1 Bestselling and Award-Winning Steampunk author, Jon Del Arroz.

The British Empire views her as an abomination…

…to be captured or destroyed at all costs!

Alastair has created a monster, at least in the eyes of the Anglican Church and under the laws of Queen Victoria. His clockwork automaton has the spark of life, but little does the outside world know she has a heart of gold.

They must go on the run from Her Majesty’s Secret Service and evade an evil plot by the man who first invented clockwork automatons–who will stop at nothing to get his hands on the Clockwork Dancer for his dastardly plans.

Buy now and start reading your adventure with Alastair and his Clockwork Dancer! Only $2.99 on Kindle! About 60% of the price of a Marvel or DC digital comic!

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