Famed for his highly unique fiction, and for the the pink mask that conceals his secret identity, Chuck Tingle (pseudonymous name) is a much-beloved icon in the SFF book world and beyond. Today he joins us to share the incredible story of his journey through publishing, and to make a passionate case for why authors are so much more than just the story they write. We also discuss the nuts and bolts of book deals, running innovative book events, and how to approach publisher negotiations.

Although this has a bit longer run-time than normal, we hope you find this episode as intriguing, entertaining, and profoundly uplifting as we did. LOVE IS REAL, buckaroos!

Topics covered:

• Autism and backstory
• Journey into publication
• The origins of his surrealist art
• Sad Puppies / Rabid Puppies
• Chuck's unique view on the concept of "branding"
• Integrating art with marketing
• The role authors can play in self expression
• The relationship between who authors are and what they write
• When authors we love let us down
• Chuck suggests that publishing is the kindest of all the artistic industries
• Chuck's advice for approaching deals
• We talk about Chuck's deal progression
• Selling books through events, and rethinking them