The Publishing Performance Show Tony Lee - The "Write Backwards" Method That Creates Unputdownable Crime Thrillers
Tony Lee is a New York Times bestselling author who has successfully reinvented himself multiple times throughout his career. Originally starting as a computer games reviewer at 16, he transitioned through street performing in Covent Garden, writing for Radio 4, newspapers, comics, film and TV, before the pandemic forced him to pivot into self-publishing. Writing under the pen name Jack Gatland, he has achieved remarkable success with his crime thriller series, generating over 277 million pages read on Kindle Unlimited. His unique background spans 30 years in traditional publishing before building a profitable self-publishing business that now outearns his entire previous career combined.
In this episode:
- How the pandemic forced a complete career pivot from traditional to self-publishing
- Why he chose Amazon exclusivity and Kindle Unlimited for maximum revenue
- The psychology of removing buying obstacles and building reader loyalty
- Creating reader magnets and building a newsletter army of passionate fans
- His unique "writing backwards" process developed from comic book experience
- Why aiming for 3-star books beats perfectionism paralysis
- The 25-step checklist he uses for every book release
- Building authentic relationships in Facebook groups and reader communities
- How 70% of his income comes from Kindle Unlimited page reads
- The transition from hired gun to publisher mindset
- Why rapid release schedules work better than perfect manuscripts
- Turning beta readers into weapons specialists and expert consultants
Resources mentioned:
- BookFunnel: https://bookfunnel.com/
- StoryOrigin: https://storyoriginapp.com/
- Book Linker: https://booklinker.com/
- ProWritingAid: https://prowritingaid.com/
- Plotter: https://plottr.com/
- Notion: https://www.notion.com/
- Vellum: https://www.vellum.ai/
Book Recommendations:
- Jack Gatland crime thriller series (starting with "Letter from the Dead"): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08N1SJ447?&linkCode=ll1&tag=pubperf-20&linkId=400c65572fa1761b41f901ed6233057c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
- The Lionheart Curse by Tony Lee: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09P2HKFHZ?&linkCode=ll1&tag=pubperf-20&linkId=400c65572fa1761b41f901ed6233057c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
- Tom Marlowe spy series
- Ellie Reckless spin-off novels
Connect with Tony Lee:
- Website: https://jackgatland.com/
- Personal website: https://tonylee.co.uk/
- Email: hello@hoodedmanmedia.com
- Social media: @MrTonyLee (Twitter, BlueSky, Facebook)
- Hooded Man Media publishing: https://hoodedmanmedia.com/
- Upcoming: Liam Harper series and Iron Maiden comic collaboration
Connect with Teddy Smith:
- @teddyagsmith
- Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
- Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
- Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
- Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
- Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
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