When you slide into Inkican, you’ll notice that the website is low-tech. No big bells or whistles, no embedded ads, etc. I wanted to take a moment to explain why, and focus on what I think is a more worthy goal of being a web-enabled author.
Here are some cool nerd things I think you’ll enjoy. First, the color system is based on the Apollo Command Module control panels. Second, I’ve buried a ton of small Easter eggs around the site for you to click around and enjoy. I’m not giving you a treasure map to find them, it’s up to you to look around. Third, for the most part, the website is standalone in that there are no logins, community discussion happens offsite over at Reddit.
“Gosh, Jackson, you’re missing a ton of opportunities to leverage technology to increase your audience engagement and monetization,” a web consultant might say. I agree, if all I was thinking about was separating you from your cash, then I’m leaving a lot of money on the table. But the thing is, and I want you to listen close …
I’m Here to Connect with You, Not Your Wallet
Like you, I despise hucksters and shills. If my first visit to your website is a huge flyover banner and merch catalog, that’ll be my last visit to your website. That creates an interesting challenge where I go about promoting myself, and engineering the website to align with my long-term sustainability goals as an author. So yes, I do want you to buy my book, yes I do want you to talk about my awesome stories. It’s just important to do so while retaining the authenticity and realism that I strive to create in my art.
“Well don’t you want to be successful, Jackson?” Yes, of course I do. I just believe that if I try to ‘cash in’ too quickly, I look like a jerk and I’ll alienate the readers that I think are looking for my work. Whenever I post something to Twitter, whenever I write a blog post, I try to make it something that my readers will value whether they buy a book or not.
The success will take longer to arrive, but when it does it’ll be something that we can all be proud of. You can’t have authenticity without integrity, you can’t have real without being genuine. Yes, this website is low-tech on purpose, and I hope this explanation helps you understand why. I appreciate you, I value you, I want to connect with you – Full stop.
