The Iron Age is Upon Us

I’ve made no secret of my disdain toward the mainstream entertainment industry. In fact, I’ve only been to the movie theater a handful of times since 2011, I don’t own any current gen video game consoles (though I admit my children own a Nintendo Switch), and, call me crazy, I vastly prefer owning physical media over leasing it digitally.

This level of disappointment is not mine alone. It has become a national sentiment and is perhaps the strongest driver ushering in this new “Iron Age”, a term coined by the sometimes hyperbolic, but always eloquent Raz0rfist a.k.a. The Rageaholic. I don’t always agree with his opinions (or his extensive use of profanities), but his passion can be efficacious.

That’s certainly the case with his attempts to spread this new term, #IronAge, a recognizable brand worthy of placing on the frustration, resentment, and ire so many people feel toward recent mainstream media offerings, and most importantly, our desire to replace it with something better.

Make no mistake, something new is coming. Just beyond the faux walls of Tinseltown, all across the country, even within the dreaded lands of “Flyover Country” and emanating from ghostly echoes of the Rustbelt, people have heard this call and are building a new body of entertainment that hopes to rival and ultimately surpass the old guard.

When I heard about this movement, I knew the spirit of it was within me. I once trumpeted a similar call to action, and one of my primary goals has been to inspire independent creators to complete more projects. Here’s a few quotes from this blog I believe help capture the essence of the IronAge movement:

I don’t know about you, but the folks in my circle are getting pretty sick of all the uninspired, lazy art and agendized comics, “bestseller” novels, “AAA” games, and “big budget” movies. These projects are no longer worth our time; They don’t speak to us on any level. They don’t reflect our culture.

Fortunately for us indie authors, Hollywood and the like have set the bar lower than its ever been.

Together, we can crank out passion projects that resonate with our culture. If we act now, we stand a chance at uprooting and rebuilding these industries into something worth caring about, and maybe even restoring a little of what was lost.

Even before there was a common banner to fly, many had already realized the garbage we’re being fed had to be gutted out. Nostalgia alone doesn’t cut it–A whole new foundation of material had to be built for our future generations to remain inspired, to think for themselves.

The Silent and Boomer-era IPs–especially as mismanaged and mangled as they have become–simply cannot resonate with our culture anymore.

Raz0rfist nailed it on the head with the term “Iron Age” because it encapsulates the feel of this movement. Alongside author Brian Niemeier‘s now legendary slogan, “Don’t Give Money to People Who Hate You,” these powerful ideas tell us that we need to do more than consume and complain in order to have fulfilling lives.

That’s not to say some of us aren’t perfectly content sitting on the couch “consooming” more product, but the Iron Agers among us want something more.

We want off this lousy, rusty carousel. We’ve had enough of the endless distractions. We’ve grown and matured beyond the desire for content-for-content’s-sake; Some of us need to create.

Thus, the Iron Age started before it was even named.

Why “Iron Age”?

Raz0rfist contends that these types of movements don’t happen in “anti-‘s” or “gates”, they happen in AGES. Iron is rough, but malleable. Work it enough and it can create something much stronger, free of the prestigious shackles of Platinum and the pretentious luster of Gold, Silver, or Bronze. If our work starts to gleam, it’s only because of the blood, sweat, and tears we poured into tempering it.

The beauty of this movement is if you can feel it in the air, you can be a part of it, too. It’s not a political movement or an exclusive club, it’s an inevitable force; A standard you can choose to fly as you march forward into the vast, creative landscape ahead.

Since joining Twitter just last month, I’ve seen clear evidence that Indie creators are networking with one another. They’re pooling their talents, encouraging each other, and teaming up to ensure that even the toughest projects make their way to completion.

They’ve begun creation of a neopatronage system where they fund each other’s projects, help each other get off the ground.

One of the finest examples of neopatronage was driven by none other than author Brandon Sanderson. He proved enough a tour-de-force to break free of OldPub shackles and fund a plethora of Indie projects out-of-pocket.

Then, in an epic one-two punch, Sanderson showed us there’s near-limitless potential in Independent publishing. He wrote four surprise out-of-contract novels in his spare time and funded them independently with a record-breaking Kickstarter to the tune of $45.5 million USD.

TOR Books and Sanderson seem to be on good terms after the fallout, but, as the dust did clear, there was no denying the proverbial writing was on the wall: Sanderson had shown Independent creators the way.

And it wasn’t unique to him. Creators like Doug Tennaple, Ethan Van Sciver, Rippaverse, the aforementioned Brian Niemeier, and so many more are finding similar success through crowdfunding.

As a result, new writers aren’t as interested in the tradpub route as they once were. Gone is the glamour and prestige of the Big Three. Too many have pulled back the curtain to see the wizard for who he truly is. And so Indie pub is no longer the “backup plan after you’ve gotten several rejection letters” that it used to be.

As the industry stands, independent publication can and should be your primary goal. You retain your intellectual property rights, get to choose your own cover art, choose how to market yourself, choose what your brand is, potentially make a lot more money in royalties, and do it all free of censorship concerns.

Oh, and you get to keep your soul, too. Not a bad deal.

• Big thanks to author John A. Douglas, who clued me into the existence of #IronAge. Please be sure to check out his YouTube channel.
• Here’s a link to Brian Niemeier’s life-changing book Don’t Give Money to People Who Hate You.
• And of course Raz0rfist has thrown his hat into the writing ring with his Nightvale duology and other offerings, putting his money where his mouth is.