How Jack Carr and Ryan Steck Raise the Stakes for Aspiring Authors
How a former Navy SEAL and a (Book) Spy have changed the game for Authors…
Two Thriller Authors Raise the Stakes for Aspiring Authors Platforms
Aspiring authors take note! Let’s dig into how two thriller authors have grown a connection with fans by curating their author platforms.
What is an Author Platform and why is it important?
An author platform is everything an author does to generate awareness about themselves and what they have to offer. Essentially it is an author’s brand and elevation of their product. If you have a book to sell, then spreading the word is a huge requirement otherwise you won’t be an author for long. Or at least not a full-time author.
An author platform is not merely an advertisement for your book. Facebook ads, Amazon ads, and any type of ads are not a platform. Ads display a product for a direct sale, but for some products that require a buyer’s investment of time and to stand out among the competition, your author platform needs to be strong to reel in the readers.
As an aspiring author, one of the most important things to do is to build that platform. Become active on social media, and bridge the gap between you and potential readers. Create content that brings consumer value. Measurement of value can vary and before we get caught up in the minutia of what to do or not to do, our focus today is looking at two authors who we can look to as great examples.
In the coming weeks, we will break down ideas to expand author platforms, now back to the authors!
In a review of authors utilizing their platform, two authors stand out more than many others. One is arguably the hottest author on the market. The other is an up-and-coming author that had found massive success in the publishing industry before his first book was ever released. You most like know him by a different, secret name. We are speaking about Jack Carr and Ryan Steck.
If you’d like to hear about their latest books directly from Jack Carr and Ryan Steck, a live interview and Q&A Session is scheduled for Thursday, May 11th at 8:30 EST. For more information, CLICK HERE!
Let’s start the Carr…
Jack Carr is perhaps the hottest author on the market. The former Navy SEAL turned author has driven success since his first book. Now onto the sixth book in the James Reece series, there are no signs of Carr slowing down.
His first book started the rampage! ‘The Terminal List’ scored such a successful run as a novel that Amazon bought the rights. From book to screen, with a successful first season completed, James Reece, portrayed by Chris Pratt, will be back in action as Amazon greenlit a second season. Amazon has also greenlit another series set in Carr’s Terminal List universe. Set as a prequel series, Taylor Kitsch returns to star as Ben Edwards.
Back to the books, Jack Carr is gearing up for his latest James Reece thriller to hit both physical and digital bookshelves. ‘Only The Dead’ releases May 16th and is the sixth installment to see James Reece defend against corruption, assassins, and threats that would make the nightly newscast seem tame!
From book success to Jack Carr is enjoying the well-deserved limelight!
How did the former Navy SEAL find success?
Let’s be blunt, Jack Carr wrote a great novel in ‘The Terminal List’. Aspiring authors, write a great book, this is step one. While that doesn’t directly lead to sales, writing a stinker of a book will not sell. The product itself must showcase its value in quality. Once the book is complete, here comes the author platform.
I have seen authors engage on social media. Then I experienced Jack Carr’s social media presence. Jack Carr connects with his fans. It isn’t just the occasional post leading up to the latest book launch. No, Jack Carr provides value and engagement. Whether he is providing a monthly reading list, showing off the latest gear, or my favorite, sharing history lessons, following on social media is a must.
Like James Reece, the relentless nature of Jack kicks like a mule. Social media posts are just the start. Jack ups the ante by hosting an engaging podcast. Titled ‘Danger Close Podcast’, from the people he interviews to the stories and knowledge shared, anytime the latest episode drops, I am there.
Content about his latest books is there, but Jack Carr brings value and engagement like I haven’t seen before. He isn’t merely trying to sell his book, he wants to interact and share a knowledge base that is of value. When you bring others value beyond just your book, people become fans and rally around to support.
The Real Book Spy…
If you haven’t heard of The Real Book Spy, are you even a thriller reader?!
There are book reviews and then there are book reviews, yet there is only one Book Spy review. Well before his Matthew Redd character started pummeling enemies six feet under, author Ryan Steck made his mark as the go-to for thriller book news and reviews.
In late 2015, Ryan Steck created The Real Book Spy website. Ever since its inception, Ryan has donned the role to highlight the offerings from the publishing industry for the action, thriller, espionage, and mystery genres. From C.J. Box, Ted Bell, Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, Don Winslow, Jack Carr, and many more, Ryan has soaked up all of the latest books. His reviews are likened to the holy grail because he knows the genres inside and out.
Highly respected in the publishing industry, his reviews and insight walk the walk. His comprehensive previews of upcoming thriller novels to his thoughtful and fair reviews make The Real Book Spy every bit worth checking out!
Who better to write the next big thriller novel?
With stacks of ARCs on the shelves, who better than Ryan Steck to pen the next big series? Starting with ‘Fields of Fire’, Ryan breathed fiery life into the newest character that stands toe to toe with the genre’s best like Mitch Rapp, Scot Harvath, and Court Gentry among many others.
“Fields of Fire’ introduced us to Matthew Redd, the ex-Marine Raider, with his world turned upside down. His team of Raiders erupting into flames, his father figure in dire need of help, Ryan pens a twisting journey that brings Matty Redd to the reckoning.
How The Real Book Spy has an incredible author platform…
Remember, writing a killer book is always a must. Ryan proved that with ‘Fields of Fire’.
Not only did Ryan Steck, The Real Book Spy, write a stunning first novel, but his connection to thriller readers has long been in the works. First, we need to congratulate him on creating The Real Book Spy. An incredibly trustworthy source for reviews and news. Long ago The Real Book Spy became my first stop for the latest tidbits and continues to be the stop. Second, I have to give thanks because his insight has expanded my bookshelves to several authors I would have glanced over.
Like other authors, Ryan is on social media platforms. However, it’s his role as The Real Book Spy that provides us readers with value, but there is one extra tidbit he does from time to time.
The author streams on Twitch! At times, viewers and readers alike, have enjoyed watching him gun down digital baddies in games like Call of Duty. Known as Legit_Twitch on the Amazon streaming platform Twitch, Ryan opened up another avenue to connect with readers. His entertainment value along with his knowledge of thriller books can’t be beaten. Most streams are with rage-induced gamers… hey no shame I am a long-time gamer. However Ryan peppers in tidbits about the latest book, details on upcoming authors, and of course sharing delicious nuggets about his Matty Redd series. Also, he brings on authors for interviews… just like his upcoming interview and Q&A with Jack Carr.
Check out Jack and Ryan…
Whether you are an aspiring thriller author or a wordsmith in love, another land or solar system, review what Jack Carr and Ryan Steck do for their author platform and ultimately for book readers. These two authors have become a force in the publishing world. Of course the countless hours of lead up to their debut novels, continuing to push through the grind of writing and frustrating moments, these two authors elevate because they write excellent books and connect to readers in ways many authors do not. But writers… do NOT sleep on author platforms.
What’s next for Jack Carr?
Jack Carr’s sixth installment in the James Reece series, ‘Only The Dead”, hits bookshelves, ebook, and audiobook this May 16th.
Only The Dead
In 1980, a freshman congressman was gunned down in Rhode Island, sending shockwaves through Washington that are still reverberating over four decades later.
Now, with the world on the brink of war and a weakened United States facing rampant inflation, political division, and shocking assassinations, a secret cabal of global elites is ready to assume control. And with the world’s most dangerous man locked in solitary confinement, the conspirators believe the final obstacle to complete domination has been eliminated. They’re wrong.
From the firms of Wall Street to the corridors of power in Washington, DC, and Moscow, secrets from the past have the uncanny ability to rise to the surface in the present.
With the odds stacked against him, James Reece is on a mission generations in the making. Unfortunately for his enemies, the former SEAL is not concerned with odds. He is on the warpath. And when James Reece picks up his tomahawk and sniper rifle, no one is out of range.
Click here to preorder Only The Dead.
What’s next for Ryan Steck?
From the Real Book Spy, Ryan Steck, comes another riveting Matthew Redd thriller.
On an island off the coast of Spain, Matthew Redd and his FBI fly team surveil a luxury villa in hopes of catching a high-value fugitive. But when Redd leads an unauthorized raid on the villa, he discovers they’ve been set up, and he is sent home to face the consequences of defying orders.
Meanwhile, Redd’s wife, Emily, is on a remote stretch of Montana road driving their sick baby to the doctor when she finds her SUV surrounded by a biker gang intent on harassing her. As the bikers pound her fenders and her infant son screams, Emily fights to keep the SUV on the road . . . and then suddenly the bikers back off, leaving her safe but shaken.
Redd returns home, suspended from his team and certain that he is to blame for Emily’s harassment after his run-in with the local biker gang the year before. Fearing that there is more to come, he prepares to defend his family. But Redd soon learns the gang is stronger in numbers than he could’ve imagined, and there is more behind their vendetta than he could’ve guessed. As his son’s condition worsens and his beloved ranch faces financial ruin, he finds himself fighting a war on multiple fronts—one he can’t win on his own.
Click here to pre-order Lethal Range.
Where to find Jack Ryan… I mean Jack and Ryan?
Jack Carr:
Jack Carr’s Instagram / Jack Carr’s Book Club Instagram / Danger Close Podcast Instagram
Ryan Steck:
Aspiring Authors… Time to Learn and Build that Author Platform!
If you are an aspiring author, check out what Jack Carr and Ryan Steck have to offer. Learn from them, take away what you are capable to creating, put the effort into it, and build that author platform!
Many of the established authors are capable of carrying on with just a website, monthly newsletter, and the occasional social media post. However for us writers without a published work yet, the publishing world both traditional and self-published are looking to those who connect to readers.
Don’t forget to check out Ryan Steck a.k.a. The Real Book Spy’s Twitch stream this Thursday, May 11th at 8:30 EST. Jack Carr is the guest and there will be an exciting insight into the latest James Reece novel, ‘Only The Dead’!
