Mark Tullius's Blog, page 13
April 8, 2022
Episode 156: Race, Review, and Redirect
Been an interesting week full of fun and challenges.
I spent a good amount of time with Derek exploring TikTok and making TNTD videos. I plan on continuing this for Grandma's House for all of April.
(3:45) Derek and I review Caitlin Marceau's Palimpsest.
(8:15) I overcame my fear of rollercoasters at Knotts this weekend and realized how much hypnosis has helped me be comfortable in settings that used to trigger my anxiety.
(11:20) This week was spent recovering physically and redirecting my writing focus. Had a blast examining death scenes.
(15:30) Why I'm a co-captain for Team Brown in the CLF's Race to End CTE
(20:20) I narrate the next scene from TNTD: At Grandma's House
April 1, 2022
Episode 155: TikTok Death Talk and Consistency
I am beginning a fun project on TikTok where everyday I will read the choices for the next chapter in Try Not to Die: At Grandma's House and Derek will tell you how your terrible decision got you killed.
I will be running these videos on TikTok where I'm just getting started. It would be amazing if you came over and connected with me. I'm at authormarktullius
(1:30) I go over the new pricing strategy. All stand-alone ebooks are $3.99 and under, while Brightside and TNTD: At Grandma's House will remain at $0.99 for all of April.
(3:30) I answer reader questions.
April Stapleton asked:
Why do you read at a first graders speed?If you could interview 1 person in history, whom would choose?Paul Young asked:
If you were offered the movie or TV series rights, would you take them, Also as you write your works, do you envisage them ever being on the silver screen or several seasons on Netflix. I for one, would be hooked.(9:05) Consistency has been the key for working out, eating better, and writing.
(12:15) I review Jailbroke, a novella by Brian Asman.
(14:30) I narrate two scenes from Try Not to Die: At Grandma's House
October 22, 2020
A Third Week's Worth of Metal
Filming a video every day for an entire month is proving to be more than enough extra work for me so I decided to switch out a daily blog for a weekly roundup. If you're into metal and would like to hear a little about bands that have influenced me and my favorite songs from them, you can check out the YouTube videos below.
I also spent Vicious Whispers Episode 84 discussing metal with my jiujitsu training partner and friend Jonathan Gonzales.
https://youtu.be/2cNl6FdHKHwDay 21: Testament
https://youtu.be/HawCOYFYu04Day 20: Killswitch Engage
https://youtu.be/E1qzzXL_c30Day 19: Metallica
https://youtu.be/SG68Ka03xf0Day 18: In Flames
https://youtu.be/2a3ybtfzatEDay 17: Body Count
https://youtu.be/jW4DMsvI93MDay 16: Twisted Sister and Dee Snider
https://youtu.be/LqA-RUJxRVUDay 15: Slipknot
https://youtu.be/a0jaaSCpNU8
October 15, 2020
A Second Week's Worth of Metal
Filming a video every day for an entire month is proving to be more than enough extra work for me so I decided to switch out a daily blog for a weekly roundup. If you're into metal and would like to hear a little about bands that have influenced me and my favorite songs from them, you can check out the YouTube videos below.
I also spent Vicious Whispers Episode 83 discussing metal with my longtime friend Marc Saenz.
https://youtu.be/dN29ZwdlKg4Day 14: Amon Amarth
https://youtu.be/8ldtZhiqhDwDay 13: Pantera
https://youtu.be/428DfMmg3CUDay 12: Anthrax
https://youtu.be/jhzA5nDvMIMDay 11: Armored Saint
https://youtu.be/eaZ8X4P6d3cDay 10: Sepultura and Nailbomb
https://youtu.be/4rz7XIgXMiMDay 9: Hatebreed and Icepick
https://youtu.be/mo5_MyiOvTEDay 8: Manowar
https://youtu.be/na_6VLSOZN8
October 9, 2020
A Different Kind of Book Launch
I love the freedom of being an independent author, but sometimes I dread the responsibility. The writing part is fun, the marketing not so much, and if a book fails it is entirely my fault. Fortunately, I’ve got pretty thick skin, an unstoppable drive, and a host of co-authors in my Try Not to Die series who help come up with great stories, motivate me, and expand my reach.
On the marketing side of things, one area I have had trouble with is book launches. For Unlocking the Cage: Exploring the Motivations of MMA Fighters, it was understandable as I was going through a pretty bad depression and had to remove myself from social media for an extended break. But with my fiction, I don’t have a good excuse.
Although I have had some decent fiction launches, none of the books have made much of a splash. The books have had mixed results because I only try a few of the experts’ recommendations, not able to divide my focus on too many tasks. Early on I thought it was important to garner the early reviews from Kirkus and other magazines, which fortunately have all been favorable. With other books, I focused on getting advance copies to readers in the hope they would leave reviews, an approach that has not been very great. Both of these were good for the ego, but not the bottom line.
The latest, and best, tactic I’m utilizing is NetGalley’s audiobook program through the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA). I had Untold Mayhem on there and received 81 ratings, with about half of those also being put up on Goodreads. Not only was the exposure great but it also helped me discover the type of person that will enjoy my writing, and the type that absolutely despises it.
I currently have Try Not to Die: In Brightside, co-authored by Dawna Gonzales, on there, and it already has 37 reviews before even being displayed as a featured selection. This has helped a great deal because, again, I’m discovering what type of reader/listener is a good match. The Try Not to Die series is classified as young adult, but reviews are proving that it’s being appreciated by an older crowd that enjoyed choose your own adventures as kids.
For Try Not to Die: In Brightside I launched the book with a contest in which contestants received the book a chapter a day and had to vote on the correct choices. This approach was fun but had very little in positive results as I didn’t do a good job selecting the prizes. This attracted the wrong kind of contestants, who were just there for the prizes and probably didn’t even read the book, very few reviews coming out of it.
Instead of giving up on the approach, I kept what was right and fixed what was wrong for Try Not to Die: In the Pandemic co-authored by John Palisano. The money saved by not printing and mailing off advance copies is being used to fuel the contest and its advertising. I have been able to offer better prizes and have attracted higher quality contestants. Additionally I can also discover how people do with different death scenes, such as which ones might be too obvious and which are stumping readers. I won’t know until the release of the book on Oct. 31, but I am hopeful this approach will end in quite a few reviews.
There are already close to 700 contestants, but even if this launch isn’t as successful as I hope, I’m not worried. I just hired a great narrator for the audiobook and will be sure to put it up on NetGalley as soon as it is completed. I have a lot of faith in the series and am excited because I have a dozen in the works and will be releasing another three in 2021: Super High with Steve Montgomery, In the Old West with John Palisano, and a third that has yet to be decided.
If you’re on NetGalley also keep your eye out for Beyond Brightside that just wrapped audiobook production today.
If you are interested in the contest, are a U.S. resident and 18 or older, you have until Oct. 11 to enter (limited to 1,000 contestants). You can join the contest through this link. It will take you to my Facebook Messenger. If you do join us, we wish you the best and hope you have a blast trying not to die.
October 8, 2020
A Week's Worth of Metal
Filming a video every day for an entire month is proving to be more than enough extra work for me so I decided to switch out a daily blog for a weekly roundup. If you're into metal and would like to hear a little about bands that have influenced me and my favorite songs from them, you can check out the YouTube videos below.
I also spent Vicious Whispers Episode 82 discussing metal with my friend Mcor Cervantez
https://youtu.be/722MFj9DtCIDay 7: Slayer
https://youtu.be/dt63e9--pl0Day 6: Biohazard
https://youtu.be/55gTT93RLV4Day 5: Dio
https://youtu.be/IQM-GCQISGsDay 4: Suicidal Tendencies
https://youtu.be/YlPC6pxdU1kDay 3: Fear Factory
https://youtu.be/6kldGxQKXyEDay 2: Machine Head
https://youtu.be/jJCa1ojges0
Day 1: Brian Posehn
https://youtu.be/3qAkxcfS0h0
October 2, 2020
A Month of Metal: Episode 1: Brian Posehn
Instead of doing Sober October or getting caught up in all the craziness of the world, I've decided to do something fun and positive. Every day in October, I plan on writing a blog and putting up a YouTube video about a heavy metal band that influenced me or my writing. I encourage others to join me and share just how much metal means to them. If you put something up please use the hashtag #MonthOfMetal so I can see it. You're also welcome to head over to my ,YouTube page to leave comments, your favorite songs, and have a chance at winning some free books.
Today's pick may seem like a strange one as this person's band hasn't been much of an influence, but I thought it was the perfect way to kick this off. ,Brian Posehn is a funny comedian, actor, and writer, but it's his song "More Metal Than You" that made me choose him to start this. That song pokes fun at metalheads who try to outmetal each other, which is sort of what I'm doing with this list.
I recently read and reviewed Brian’s book Forever Nerdy giving it 5 stars. One of those stars was for Brian’s honesty in discussing a brutal upbringing full of bullying. One star was for the quality of the writing and funny one-liners. The other three stars were because he worked his way to a place where he could play metal with some of his heroes. How badass is that to record songs with Corey Taylor, Johan Hegg, Gary Holt, Phil Demmel, and Scott Ian just to name a few.
A few weeks ago I checked out Brian's virtual show An Evening with Grandpa Metal. His stand-up was a lot of fun and it was cool to hear him talking with Scott Ian and a couple other members of the band.
While maybe Posehn is not my favorite singer, he makes me feel good about singing along with him as I'm not going to screw up his vocals.
First song I heard of his was "Metal By Numbers," a real fun one I could sing with my kids. From there was "More Metal Than You," and his latest album, Grandpa Metal.
A fun song on there that I've listened to with my kids despite the explicit lyrics is "New Music Sucks." The song teaches such an important lesson about new music when it says, “New music sucks. Fucking-A it sucks.”
I'm sure you don't need a warning, but not all all the songs are as child-friendly. While I did do a good job of skipping over "One Quarter Viking, Three Quarter's Pussy" when I had my preteen daughter in the car, I got caught up in a conversation with her and didn't realize the catchy "Big Fat Rock" was playing until we got to the part that says, "This isn't inneundo. I'm talking about my cock."
Here are my favorite songs:
"One Quarter Viking, Three Quarter’s Pussy"
"Grandpa Metal"
"The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)"
"More Metal Than You"
"The Gambler"
"Take On Me"
"Satan’s Kind of a Dick"
So if you’re an artist who’s more metal than me, I’d love to hear it. Share how your love of metal has helped your life and please use the hashtag #MonthOfMetal
And be sure to stop by tomorrow to hear me go on and on about motherfucking Machine Head. Peace.
Click the photo below if you'd care to watch the video.
October 1, 2020
A Month of Metal: More Metal Than You
Instead of doing Sober October or getting caught up in all the craziness of the world, I've decided to do something fun and positive. Every day in October, I plan on writing a blog and putting up a YouTube video about a heavy metal band that influenced me or my writing. I encourage others to join me and share just how much metal means to them. If you put something up please use the hashtag #MonthOfMetal so I can see it. You're also welcome to head over to my ,YouTube page to leave comments, your favorite songs, and have a chance at winning some free books.
Today's pick may seem like a strange one as this person's band hasn't been much of an influence, but I thought it was the perfect way to kick this off. ,Brian Posehn is a funny comedian, actor, and writer, but it's his song "More Metal Than You" that made me choose him to start this. That song pokes fun at metalheads who try to outmetal each other, which is sort of what I'm doing with this list.
I recently read and reviewed Brian’s book Forever Nerdy giving it 5 stars. One of those stars was for Brian’s honesty in discussing a brutal upbringing full of bullying. One star was for the quality of the writing and funny one-liners. The other three stars were because he worked his way to a place where he could play metal with some of his heroes. How badass is that to record songs with Corey Taylor, Johan Hegg, Gary Holt, Phil Demmel, and Scott Ian just to name a few.
A few weeks ago I checked out Brian's virtual show An Evening with Grandpa Metal. His stand-up was a lot of fun and it was cool to hear him talking with Scott Ian and a couple other members of the band.
While maybe Posehn is not my favorite singer, he makes me feel good about singing along with him as I'm not going to screw up his vocals.
First song I heard of his was "Metal By Numbers," a real fun one I could sing with my kids. From there was "More Metal Than You," and his latest album, Grandpa Metal.
A fun song on there that I've listened to with my kids despite the explicit lyrics is "New Music Sucks." The song teaches such an important lesson about new music when it says, “New music sucks. Fucking-A it sucks.”
I'm sure you don't need a warning, but not all all the songs are as child-friendly. While I did do a good job of skipping over "One Quarter Viking, Three Quarter's Pussy" when I had my preteen daughter in the car, I got caught up in a conversation with her and didn't realize the catchy "Big Fat Rock" was playing until we got to the part that says, "This isn't inneundo. I'm talking about my cock."
Here are my favorite songs:
"One Quarter Viking, Three Quarter’s Pussy"
"Grandpa Metal"
"The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)"
"More Metal Than You"
"The Gambler"
"Take On Me"
"Satan’s Kind of a Dick"
So if you’re an artist who’s more metal than me, I’d love to hear it. Share how your love of metal has helped your life and please use the hashtag #MonthOfMetal
And be sure to stop by tomorrow to hear me go on and on about motherfucking Machine Head. Peace.
