Will sits down with very special guest Johnathan Rand, author of the Michigan Chillers and American Chillers series, as well as various other books.

Michigan-native Johnathan originally wanted to work in conservation, keeping reading and writing as a hobby. His journey took him to radio commercials, where he practiced telling stories. Johnathan self published in 1987, and his career took off. He found a passion for recordings and audio, eventually releasing audiobooks on cassettes. Eventually, the idea for a kids’ horror series dawned upon him from the fictitious name of a bottled town, and the Chiller series were born.

Johnathan suggests that self-publishing is still a great opportunity for a new author. Self-publishing opens doors for creativity, but he touches on how not many people are prepared for the next phase of it: marketing. While you can have a great story, who is your audience? The first step is to think ahead. With self-publishing, you have to think of how you will get your book out there.

Around 2004, Johnathan’s series really started taking off, initiating the idea of his retail store Chillermania. Many people started showing up in his community looking for his books, so Johnathan decided to place the store in a high-traffic area off I-75. The store has entertainment value along with products, making it a hot spot for visitors during the summertime.

You can connect with Johnathan here:

Johnathan Rand Website