{"id":2351,"date":"2025-04-09T07:20:35","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T06:20:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.forestsoftware.co.uk\/blog\/?p=2351"},"modified":"2025-04-08T14:20:17","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T13:20:17","slug":"when-books-and-boycotts-collide-why-fractured-deserves-a-fair-shot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.forestsoftware.co.uk\/blog\/2025\/04\/when-books-and-boycotts-collide-why-fractured-deserves-a-fair-shot\/","title":{"rendered":"When Books and Boycotts Collide: Why Fractured Deserves a Fair Shot"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 4<\/span> minutes : <\/span><\/span>

When Books and Boycotts Collide: Why Fractured Deserves a Fair Shot<\/h1>\n

Right, let\u2019s have a little chat about books, boycotts, and how the two don\u2019t always mix well\u2014especially if you’re a small author just trying to get your story out into the world.<\/p>\n

First off, let\u2019s talk about the book at the heart of all this: Fractured: The Sleeping Phoenix, Book 1<\/em>. If you\u2019re into fantasy with a dark twist, a bit of mystery, strong characters and a story that keeps you turning the page long after you should\u2019ve gone to bed, this one\u2019s for you, it certainly kept my wife up reading.\u00a0 It\u2019s got everything\u2014magic, danger, secrets, and a world that feels both strange and familiar at the same time. Think His Dark Materials<\/em> meets The Hunger Games<\/em>, but with its own unique voice.<\/p>\n

The author\u2019s done a cracking job bringing this world to life. You can tell it wasn\u2019t churned out by some AI or ghostwriter farm\u2014it\u2019s full of heart, grit, and imagination. The main character (no spoilers, don\u2019t worry) goes through the kind of journey that sticks with you. There\u2019s real depth here, not just flashy spells and dramatic cliffhangers. It\u2019s the kind of story that makes you think, feel, and maybe even see yourself in it.<\/p>\n

Sounds brilliant, right? You\u2019d think a book like that would get the attention it deserves. But here\u2019s where things get messy\u2014because of politics, tariffs, and a bit of misguided anger, small authors like the one behind Fractured<\/em> are getting caught in the crossfire.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s all this about tariffs and boycotts?<\/h3>\n

Okay, let\u2019s break it down. A tariff<\/em> is basically a tax one country puts on goods coming from another country. So, if the USA puts a tariff on stuff made in the UK, it means it\u2019ll cost more for Americans to buy British products. This can include anything from cars to cheese… and yes, sometimes books too.<\/p>\n

Now, sometimes countries put tariffs in place to protect their own businesses. Other times, it\u2019s done as a political move, like when leaders get into spats about trade or rules or whatever else is bothering them that week. Either way, tariffs can make people in both countries pretty grumpy.<\/p>\n

This is where the boycotts<\/em> come in. A boycott is when people choose not to buy stuff from a certain country or company as a way to protest. And while that can be powerful, it can also go a bit pear-shaped\u2014especially when it ends up hurting the wrong people.<\/p>\n

But wait, how does that affect authors?<\/h3>\n

Here\u2019s the thing: when a boycott happens, it usually hits the big companies first. But small creators\u2014like indie authors\u2014feel it the hardest.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say someone in the UK is annoyed about US tariffs on British books. They decide to boycott American authors. Sounds simple enough, right?<\/p>\n

Wrong.<\/p>\n

Big-name authors with movie deals and publishers backing them will survive just fine. But the smaller ones? The ones writing from their kitchen tables, editing late at night after the kids are asleep, scraping together cash for a cover artist and a bit of marketing? Those are the people who suffer.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s not just about money. Boycotts can make authors feel invisible. Like they don\u2019t matter. Like all their hard work is getting buried under political noise they had nothing to do with.<\/p>\n

Take Fractured: The Sleeping Phoenix<\/em> for example. This isn\u2019t some mass-produced book pumped out to fill shelves. This is a passion project. A story someone believed in enough to write, edit, polish, and push into the world. Every sale, every review, every recommendation means something real.<\/p>\n

When people lump all US authors into one box and decide to boycott them, it\u2019s like saying, \u201cYour story doesn\u2019t matter because of something your government did.\u201d And honestly, that\u2019s just not fair, especially in the case of Fractured<\/em>, where the author was one of the 1000’s who lost their federal job recently (and who’s job was to make sure that money was being spent corrrectly).<\/p>\n

Books are meant to bring people together<\/h3>\n

One of the best things about stories is how they cross borders. You can read a book from Japan, Nigeria, or Canada and be transported to a whole new world. You can connect with characters who live thousands of miles away but still feel exactly like you. Books make the world feel smaller and bigger all at once.<\/p>\n

So when people start using books as a weapon in trade wars or political protests, it kind of ruins the magic, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

Imagine missing out on Fractured<\/em> because you didn\u2019t want to support an American author. You\u2019d be skipping a brilliant story because of something that has nothing<\/em> to do with the author or the actual book. It\u2019s like refusing to listen to a song because of where the singer was born. Makes no sense, really.<\/p>\n

What can we do instead?<\/h3>\n

Now, I\u2019m not saying you shouldn\u2019t care about politics or global trade. Of course you should. It\u2019s important to stay informed and stand up for what you believe in. But there are smarter ways to protest than punishing small creators who are just trying to make a living doing what they love.<\/p>\n

Instead of boycotting all US authors, why not:<\/p>\n