Gary Richardson Author Blog

For those who are familiar with epic fantasy series The Ascension Legacy, many of the characters that appear in the multi-book series are based on my many characters that I’ve...

When people hear others talk about their love for books/movies like Lord of the Rings or games like World of Warcraft or Dungeons & Dragons they often think of the stereotypical "nerd" with their pocket protectors, taped up glasses, sitting around in some dark basement living out fantasy lives that could never be part of their real lives. This has been the standard image for "nerds" for decades now and even somewhat popularized again recently with the depiction of the kids in Netflix's Stranger Things.

The truth is this, nerds are not only socially shy kids with puny physical statures. Nerds can come in any shape and size. And while celebrity nerds like Henry Cavill and Vin Diesel might not have always been the musclebound men that we see today on the big screen, not all nerds come from such humble beginnings.

I don't post much about myself on social media, even on my personal account. I'm just not the type of person that lives his life online like that. I may...

Few people know these stories. I only shared them verbally with a select few. This is the first time, and likely the last, that these details will ever be put into print as they are not fond memories nor do I enjoy dwelling on them. But as a writer, I think it is imperative to understand how my life influences my writing and as a reader, it might interest you as well.

To say that my writing has slowed down recently would be a bit of an understatement. I have done some writing in recent weeks but it has been nowhere near as prolific as usual. Here lately my time has been dominated by my latest obsession, Apex Legends.

For those of you who are not gamers and have not heard of Apex Legends, this is a video game. More specifically, this is what is known as a MOBA, multiplayer online battle arena. Some also refer to it as an online battle royale. Regardless of what genre you choose to classify it, Apex Legends is a FPS (first-person shooter) that pits teams of players against multiple other teams (or squads as their known in the game) in a free-for-all fight for survival.

In today's modern age of online shopping, consumer reviews hold an ever-growing importance on commerce of any kind. Rarely does anyone buy anything unfamiliar without checking for ratings and reviews. Whether you are buying a car, a new laptop, or even a coffee maker, people judge the quality of products based on the reviews of others. It isn't always about the brand name or the price any more but about what others have to say about it.

Well, books are no different. We live in an era where literally anybody can publish a book. Thanks to services like Amazon Direct that allow anybody to publish and distribute literary works without regard, the book market has become crowded with books of every genre. Amateur authors, first-time authors, serious authors, established authors, and even popular authors are all contending with one another for sales on popular retail sites like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

In an earlier blog I mentioned that I like to write while listening to music. What I didn't really talk about was what music I tend to listen to. Well, I have over 12,000 songs in my library. For some that might seem like an insane amount but others that might be little more than a drop in the well compared to their collection. For me, 12,000+ songs is a lot! My collection spans from 60s rock music to top hits of today. I mean, I have everything from The Beatles to Taylor Swift. From Elvis Presley to Die Antwood. From Willie Nelson to Hunter Hayes. From Sir Mix-a-lot to Juice WRLD. From The Beach Boys to Twenty-one Pilots.

I can find something from just about every genre for the past 6 decades. I have dozens of movie soundtracks and even some classical music. Everything from the popular to the eclectic are at my fingertips in my local music catalog. But that doesn't mean that when I write I want to just listen to whatever. Sometimes I'm in a specific mood for a certain genre, artist, or even a specific album.

It should be no surprise that once you've written a book that you have to market it if you people to know about it and hopefully buy it. This is something I knew going into this endeavor and despite my lack of marketing know-how, I jumped in with both feet. Some of those effort have yielded some colorful feedback from those who crossed paths with my marketing exercises. Of them, there is one that has stood out with me and brings a giggle to my throat every time I think about it.

In today's society, social media marketing is a key area for any brand or product. If you don't have a social media presence for your brand or product then you might as well not exist. Likewise, you have to market that brand or product on social media to really get anything out of it. When I started the process of getting my first book printed, I immediately setup a Facebook business page, a Twitter account, and an Instagram account. I posted updates to those pages infrequently at first but I was just starting out and learning how to really use social media for something beyond the general purpose to sharing photos and stories with my friends and family.