CreateSpaceBlogger

CreateSpaceBlogger
Member Showcase: Tommy Angelo
Posted by CreateSpaceBlogger on Oct 13, 2011 10:47:13 AM

Tommy Angelo

Author, Elements of Poker and A Rubber Band Story


https://createspacecommunity.s3.amazonaws.com/Showcase/TommyAngelo_ElementsofPoker_cover.jpgTommy Angelo has built a career on poker. As a professional poker player and writer, he was on the front lines of what he refers to as the "poker boom," or the time in the early 2000s that saw a marked rise in online and televised poker. As the age-old game became more popular than ever, Tommy combined his card-playing prowess and his life-long passion for writing to produce articles and blogs on the subject while developing a coaching program and instructional materials for players.


He wrote his first book, Elements of Poker, to offer timeless, strategic instruction to poker players. After a positive experience with independent publishing and an enthusiastic response from readers, he published a second book, A Rubber Band Story, made up of a collection of narratives recounting his first-hand experiences in the world of poker.


"Poker is relentlessly brutal, and that makes it a perfect practice ground for learning how to handle adversity while simultaneously profiting from keeping your cool when those around you are losing theirs," he said. "I write to help others take those sanity skills into regular life."


Tommy chose to self-publish his books so he could maintain complete control over the creative and editorial process.


"I wanted absolute control over all content, now and forever amen," he said. "Okay, that's not quite right. It wasn't that I wanted the control. I needed it. Without the final say over everything, I would not have had any interest in writing a poker book."


He first decided to publish his book with CreateSpace because of its expansive distribution options and high royalty potential. He was sure he'd made the right choice when he used the professional Total Design Freedom service and received personal, attentive customer support throughout his project.


"I had no clue how much work goes into making a book until I became a bookmaker," he said. "Now I see it like building a house. The project is always big and complex, no matter how small or simple the house is. Without a company like CreateSpace, I don't see how it would be possible to self-publish and make money at it. And with CreateSpace, a successful book project goes from nearly impossible to highly do-able."


When it became time to market his book, Tommy used his extensive network of fellow writers and the interconnectedness of the poker world to get the word out. He focused on niche marketing to his industry, which resulted in dozens of interviews, coverage in print and online publications, positive reviews, and a boost in sales. Now, Tommy has turned his marketing efforts to mailing lists and social media.


He reports steady sales of approximately 13,000 print and eBooks for Elements of Poker. His newest book, A Rubber Band Story, is also beginning to take off. Above all these successes, perhaps the most important one for the self-proclaimed "hobbyist" is that he's doing what he loves.https://createspacecommunity.s3.amazonaws.com/Showcase/TommyAngelo_resize.jpg


"As a teenager, my hobby was music, and that became a career," he said. "As a musician, my hobby was playing poker, and then playing poker became my career. And through all that, writing was a hobby, and now I am a writer and a teacher and delighted, thanks in large part to CreateSpace."


Tommy is now hard at work on his third book - Painless Poker - which he plans to publish with CreateSpace. When this poker writer who has built a career on making bets reflects on his publishing goals, he reports two clear objectives:


"My top goal was to write an honest book that would help people. Right behind that was making money. My friends and family were essential to item one, and CreateSpace was essential to item two."


Sounds like Tommy's gambles have paid off.