Simon Lee Brotherton

As we are closing out Indie Author April soon, I wanted to take some time to reflect. We have an amazing collection of independent and self-published authors in this community. We also have a malignant growth leeching on the community. Whether it be: - scammers - imitators - viably toxic people spewing negativity in every direction, because they can't stand that others are happy or positive or whatever (there's a lot that can be lumped in here.) - etc... Some of us are legitimately out here trying to make it. Doing the right thing. Going the extra mile for our craft and our readers. Trying to get better at every turn, so that we can give our readers the best story they might want to read, and hopefully tell others about it. We are wanting our stories to stand the test of time, be passed on to the next generation of readers, and so forth. There's just so much mood poisoning floating around like a thick miasma. It's like that gas or spores that turns everyone hostile and against everyone else... We all can do better. None of us are really in competition with everyone else. Except, well, in actual competitions like IBOR or BBNYA or whatever... lol. 😅 But in general, a reader is going to buy your book and read it eventually, if it's legit and something they want to read. There's no need for us to constantly be at each others throats, tearing each other down. Your book will speak for you, long after we all are gone from this world.