I’m a fan of author Brian McClellan. This in and of itself is not very interesting. I am sure anyone reading this is a fan of one author or another. So why am I writing about Brian? What’s so special about him, or of my fandom of his writing?

Good question. Glad you asked.

As an author who hopes to be published one day, I spend time thinking about what it would be like to build a fanbase. As I listened to a recent episode of Brian’s podcast (Page Break), I thought about why I am a fan. In my mind, I decided to break down my journey from not knowing who this guy is to recommending his books and podcasts to friends.

Before we go on, I want to be clear: I don’t know Brian McClellan personally. He lives in Utah and has successfully published seven or so fantasy novels. I live in Maryland and I have a fantasy manuscript, working to get agents/publishers interested in me. Our interaction is one-way: Brian puts out products and I read/listen to them.

I first came across Brian’s work a few years ago at my local library. Before my wife and I go on a vacation, we stop by the library. She makes a beeline for rom-coms, and I go to fantasy. Browsing through the shelves, I stumbled across Promise of Blood. I read the back cover. Interesting plot. On the front cover, there was praise from Brandon Sanderson. That’s a plus. So I took a chance on it.

Unbeknownst to me, Promise of Blood is in the flintlock fantasy subgenre, whereas I am usually a fan of more traditional medieval fantasy. Medieval fantasy is set in the Middle Ages, and Promise of Blood was more the 18th/19th century. That was fine by me. Why not try something new?

Promise of Blood is a great book. Complex characters. Action-packed adventure. Incredible world-building. A fun, interesting twist on magic. And fast-paced. The book is what some might refer to as “doorstop epic fantasy.” It’s thick. But the action never seems to stop. I’ve since recommended the book to anyone who will listen. And, given that it was the first in a trilogy, I devoured the next two books in short succession.

At the time, I was actively involved on Twitter (I’ve since moved primarily to Threads for a variety of reasons). After I read his first book, I followed Brian’s account. From there, I learned he was launching a podcast. It would be Brian talking to other authors and creative people. Given that I was an aspiring author, I downloaded a few episodes. This guy can write… but does he have anything interesting to say?

To my delight, the podcast is GREAT. Brian talks to other authors and content creators about real struggles they face. Conversations bounce between insecurities about their ability, the confusing nature of negotiating contracts, and the emotional highs and lows of putting a book out into the world. Again, I don’t know him, but he comes across as genuine. He feels like someone I could grab a beer with and chat about writing a fantasy novel or character development or world-building or even the last great meal I ate. He seems like a regular guy.

So when Brian came out with a new book in a new series, I jumped at the chance to buy it. I bought In the Shadow of Lightning on its release day. And it happened to come out around the same time my wife and I went on another vacation. I devoured it in about four or five days. Once again, great world-building, characters, etc. Do yourself a favor and read Brian’s books.

(One beef with Brian: My manuscript has a very similar title to In the Shadow of Lightning. Should my book make it into the world, I want him and others to know that my title was in place before Brian’s book came out. I forgive Brian because he didn’t know. That’s what friends do.)

The new novel only reaffirmed my fandom of Brian’s work. I once again told friends to check it out. Plus, I told them to check out Brian’s podcast. My writing group partner took my advice on the podcast. Now we’re both fans and listeners.

In the end, Brian developed a fan. And it took more than a few good books. He actively cultivated a community. He didn’t tweet or post on social media incessantly. But he did it enough to keep me interested. And he created a podcast so people like me could “get to know” him. By sharing his writing journey, I found someone I could relate to. And getting to know him made me even more interested in reading his books. And now, without knowing it, Brian cultivated a fan who helps spread his works by word of mouth.

Will these lessons help me when my book eventually gets published? I have no idea. But I do hope I can follow a similar path. And who knows… maybe one day Brian will invite me to be a guest on his podcast. A guy can dream, right?