Bestselling Author Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff Shares Why His Brand Stands Out & Discusses Upcoming Book "Shadow Falls: Angel of Death"

Part 3 - this is the final installment of my fantastic interview with Mark. 


How do you market your books and your Wordsushi.com/MYN brand? Your brand is raw, quirky and edgy and you definitely are not a 'cookie-cutter' horror/thriller writer. 

Marketing fiction is difficult and more competitive - there are thousands and thousands coming out each month. The more you put out, the more you will sell your other books. Put out a book every month. It is a monumental thing to complete a novel, but that's just a portion of the battle. I’m more of a commercial writer – I get away with what I get away with because of my brand. I don’t ever want to know what happens next and have a good career because of that. Sure, I could write twenty books with the same characters, but that's boring to me. I am satisfied with my output and eager to find prospective media partners because I have established a brand as a troublemaker. Some people freakin’ hate me because I played a character on my podcast who was a big mouth. When you are able to brand yourself in a way – and people see you as two-dimensional – you can be rebellious and get away with doing outrageous stuff. I wrote a family-friendly kid's book and it freaked people out. It's a totally different voice because that’s what I do, and I don't want to pigeon hole myself.

As a writer, do you have any weird/strange rituals that you do when you have writer’s block?

I have never had stage fright or writer’s block because I have spent my entire adult life as an artist/composer and writer. I am very tuned into my creative and mental space. I’m at it 24,7 and am writing all the time. The last thing I do in bed is write. I don't have a ritual. I am just addicted to writing. If I go two or three days without writing something, I get weirded out. Dictation programs don’t work for me. I need that moment of pause between brain and hands. I’m very fortunate because I am NOT the stereotypical writer who is a clichéd procrastinator. My ritual is, when the house is quiet, I put my headphones on and crank away -- best feeling in the world! 

What projects do you have on the horizon? What's coming up next?

I have a ridiculous back catalog of unexploited work. My plan is to publish 14 books in the next twelve months. I have written stuff and come back to it years later. I have a ton of completed works. I have a screenplay that I was paid to write but didn’t happen. I then wrangled the thing back with rights and adapted into a book. I am building a real platform with enough revenue coming in; writing and publishing is full-time for me. Everytime I embark on a project and someone picks up the phone to call me, an opportunity opens up. 

My upcoming novel "Shadow Falls: Angel of Death" is part of a series and has a supernatural edge to it modeled after LOST. I wrote prequel "Shadow Falls: Badlands" which is a re-telling of Cain and Abel mythology. "Diary of a Madman" is the bridge between  the two books. "Badlands" is 150 years in the past and "Diary" takes place in present day. The series isn't linear and there are gaps. "Angel of Death" is very experimental  (not "Game of Thrones"). I am eager for people to read "Angel of Death".  What I aspire to do with fiction – tell these fantastical tales and adventures with lots of violence in them. The books have deep and real themes with a high cost to tradition.

For more information about Mark's soon-to-be-released novel "Shadow Falls: Angel of Death" check out his website .