A Review of In-Demand Indy by Rob Kimball aka RYZIN

 

 

The art of self-publishing involves a lot of promotion, marketing, and business savvy. In my journey selling my wares as an author, I have taken a lot from professional wrestling. So it was with great interest that I recently bought In-Demand Indy, a new book by pro wrestler Rob Kimball aka RYZIN. It also doesn’t hurt that my upcoming novel, Chaos in the Corner, is a story about a wrestler who works his way through the independent circuit. Reading about the industry is research.

Admittedly, I am not the target market for In-Demand Indy. The book is written for wrestlers aspiring to make it in the difficult business of pro wrestling. Unlike other books I have read on independent wrestling, RYZIN writes from the perspective of someone who has been successful, with over 20 years in the business. Despite never being signed to a long term deal, something he addresses often, RYZIN is a name in demand, having worked for WWE, AEW, TNA, and many other well known promotions and he has experience against some of the top names in wrestling. In-Demand Indy details his lessons learned, successes, and failures. It is a great book for those trying to make a business of being in the business.

Although I have only been in a wrestling ring three times in my life, I made a several notes as I read In-Demand Indy. These are from my perspective as a wrestling fan who has friends and family in the business and someone who has a love for the old school days of professional wrestling.

1) My biggest observation is that while RYZIN writes often about being a character, he makes no differentiation between being a heel or a face. For RYZIN, the business of wrestling is agnostic, which is the dominant theory since fans started rooting for the NWO in WCW and Stone Cold in the WWE(F). These days, heels can make as much, if not more, than faces.

The old school fan in me disagrees with the agnostic business model. In the old days, heels would not go out to see fans at intermission. Old school heels also didn’t interact with fans before or after shows. They kept kayfabe as insufferable assholes or unapproachable, intimidating monsters. Today, MJF in AEW is the only wrestler that keeps this tradition alive. Unfortunately for old school heels, that meant not making as much money in merch and other fan-related avenues.

I had a lot of problems with Norm Kaiser’s Fixing The Indies but his chapter on heels is really good. Kaiser writes about what makes a good heel including the different types of heels, from the arrogant bastard to the super strong monster. (FYI, I reviewed Kaiser’s book here.)

2) Speaking of old school, I don’t think the term “kayfabe” is mentioned at all in In-Demand Indy. Maybe once? In past generations, this book would have a “TOP SECRET: FOR PROFESSIONAL WRESTLERS ONLY” label on the cover. It would not be for sale to the general public. Wrestling was a secret society and “protecting the business” was paramount. This is not a knock against RYZIN. I am sure there are parts of the business fans are still not privy to. I know the days of keeping kayfabe are long gone, but I always wonder how the modern era of the business could fit in the past mentality of secret keeping.

3) This book was published in 2025 and probably written in years prior to, but it would be interesting to know RYZIN’s thoughts on Generative AI and wrestlers using AI-generated material for their marketing and swag. Is it ok to make AI-generated flyers? What about creating an AI logo or putting an AI design on your shirt or stickers? What if you sharpen your image by putting in ChatGPT or Claude?

If I am not mistaken, you can’t copyright an AI image. In order to sell your image on a t-shirt, you need to own it. If you can’t copyright it, you can’t own it. In other words, don’t use AI. Hire a real artist and buy the image from them.

I could see RYZIN commenting on AI in almost every chapter, from flyers to swag to using AI in business spreadsheets. That might be in volume two.

4) I mentioned in the intro that I use a lot of the same skills that indy pro wrestlers use in my book hustle. I “cut promos” to tell viewers the time and place of my next signing, I book my own events by contacting venues and organizers, I have an LLC, I tally profit and loss, I add swag to my table, I push product, and I hope to get signed to a contract for guaranteed money. I really enjoyed finding those comparisons. Fortunately for me, I don’t put my body on the line. Although I probably should go to the gym more often.

5) Since this book is all about the business of being a pro wrestler, how do wrestlers reconcile their personal business with the business of the promotion? For example, what if the promoter wants a wrestler change from heel to face or face to heel? What if that interferes with their branding? Should wrestlers not take the booking, even if it is early in their career? What if the show that wants them to alter their gimmick offers great, possibly career-altering, exposure?

What if a promoter wants a wrestler to job out (lose without putting up a fight)? What if the promoter’s idea is bad for the wrestler’s business? Is it ever ok to go into business for yourself? How do wrestler’s minimize the impression that they are only trying to get themselves over?

6) I enjoyed the social media chapter. In 2010, I wrote an article for a wrestling website on how wrestlers can best use social media. Of course, platforms and audiences have changed, but the need to constantly communicate to potential fans has not.

7) If I could add one chapter to In-Demand Indy, I would suggest that indy wrestlers be open to participating in other creative avenues as a way to promote themselves. Podcasts, talk shows, stand-up comedy, improv, movie acting, and many other platforms use many of the same performing “muscles” as pro wrestling and allow should allow a wrestler to namedrop their wrestling endeavors. There are numerous examples of this, from Hulk Hogan in Rocky 3 to Nick Nemeth in comedy to Tyrus on FoxNews. Even just taking local improv classes can raise a profile. Anything a wrestler can participate in is going to bring fans and make them more in demand, especially if they bring their new fans to wrestling.

Overall, I really enjoyed In-Demand Indy. 5 stars out of 5. There were a few typos and grammatical errors, but that can be looked over. It was a quick read (only 138 pages!) and it is filled to the top turnbuckle with great advice. RYZIN knows what he is talking about and it would behoove beginning wrestlers to pick up a copy and follow RYZIN’s words of wisdom. Recommended and necessary.

In-Demand Indy is also helpful to other folks peddling their creative wares. Pick it up if you want. Support indy wrestling.

Seeing Beast Mode on the Big Screen

 

 

I’ve always been a fan of Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. It’s a movie about a guy who makes a lot of friends across the country and after he plays a role in a movie, he invites them to the premier. Yes, there is his quest for his bike, but I think the movie is more about the friends than the bike itself.

Last Wednesday, I had a Pee-Wee moment in a movie theater. Woah, let me rephrase that.

Last Wednesday, I had a life accomplishment not unlike Pee-Wee’s character at the end of Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. I invited my friends and family, many of whom have never met, to see me in a movie, Joel Wynkoop’s latest low budget psychological thriller-horror-comedy Beast Mode.

I’ve been promoting Beast Mode for a while and while that was a lot of fun, it was even more fun to sit in a nice cushy theater seat, look up, and see a giant me acting on screen. My character Jordi Scrubbings is the first character appearing in Beast Mode. None of my guests had to wait to see me. I am not just some guy walking in the background. I play a reporter and newscaster who has segments throughout the movie.

I may have tapped my mom on the shoulder every time I appeared and whispered “That’s me!”. I wonder if big time actors had the same moments of awe the first time they saw themselves on screen. I don’t think I have ever seen that question asked in a Hollywood interview.

Big thanks to my mom (pictured above) and my friends former wrestling cameraman Jason Davis; Mabili from WMNF 88.5, who also helped with some promo videos (below); fellow writer Eddie Peeler; and former wrestling ring announcer/promoter The Don Vinnie. Not surprising, I have an eclectic group of friends.

One of my friends asked my mom if she was surprised I was in a movie. She said something to the effect that she wasn’t because my creative adventures aren’t really surprising anymore. I hope they are still fun and enjoyable. I actually agree with my mom. I made a 35-minute low budget sci-fi movie in 1999 and thought about applying to film school at Florida State before settling on English. I didn’t apply because the FSU advisor didn’t think my movie, Flash vs the Aliens, was enough experience to get accepted into the program. So I started writing.

Fast-forward 27 years and I am in a movie directed by the King of the B-Movies. I don’t know how many FSU film school grads can say that.

Hot Girls Shouldn't Be The Only Readers

 

 

I always find it interesting when I tell people about the Bookstore Revival. There is a 600% increase in bookstores nationwide according people who track these things. Bookstores are popping up everywhere. There are over 30 in the Tampa Bay area, from Brooksville to Sarasota.

Is this sustainable? I am not an economic forecaster, but I hope so. A lot of bookstores fill specific niches, such as romance-only, used-only, Black community, or fiction-only. There are bookstores that sell only books, bookstores that have coffee shops attached, bookstores that are part record stores, bookstores that are part of oddity shops, and even bookstores that share spaces with tattoo parlors and virtual reality gaming areas. If you put up a wall of books, to me, you are a bookstore.

I wholeheartedly believe the rise of bookstores is 100% attributed to women. Not only do women own a large majority of the stores, but women visit bookstores far more often. Go to a local bookstore. I guarantee you will see more women buying books than men. Especially fiction. In my experiences selling my novel in bookstores, the ratio is not even close. Probably at least to a 66% to 33% woman-to-man ratio.

Bookworld is predominantly female.

This dominance of women in book spaces has led to several interesting phenomenon. As women also tend to be more social in their book reading, reading and book buying has become a lifestyle brand. Books are the anchor in which elements of their social life revolve. They are part of book clubs, which range from the typical discussions of a weekly/monthly read to experience-based adventures, such as wine tasting and soirees. There are elaborate cosplay events to celebrate certain best-selling book releases. There is an overwhelming amount of bookish merchandise – book bags, t-shirts, hats, mugs, stickers, and numerous other pieces of swag that announce the owner as an avid reader.

Enter Hot Girls Read.

Hot Girls Read is a slogan seen on a lot of bookish merchandise. It is proclamation of empowerment. Reading isn’t only for nerds and outcasts, it is for Hot Girls. You can be a Hot Girl and become a reader with no judgement or you can be a reader and be accepted as a Hot Girl. The only qualification to being a Hot Girl is to read.

(There was also a giant kerfuffle earlier this year when a book influencer tried to copyright the phrase “Hot Girls Read” for their own specific line of merch. The women in bookworld made them public enemy number 1 until they dropped their copyright claim.)

The predominance of Hot Girls in book culture has also led to discussions that book reading is feminine. Preposterous as a rhinoceros addicted to phosphorous. But whether for clickbait or honest discussion, “reading is feminine” has been an online discussion in recent years.

Again, women tend to read more, be seen with books more, wear bookish merch more, and are more social about their reading more. I can see why the layperson who might not be in bookish culture might assume that reading is feminine in the same way that playing video games might be masculine. Newsflash: there is no additional testosterone needed to play video games as there is no additional estrogen needed to read.

Finally, there is a trend, mostly online and mostly among women book reviewers, to call their followers “girlies”, regardless of their gender. Because the majority of their audience is women, they assume only women are watching their content. This might be ok for a romance or romantasy book review, but what about sci-fi or mystery or horror or fantasy?

My fear is that these cultural phenomenon in bookworld are not welcoming new men into reading. There has never been a more important time for men to read. But I fear they are discarding bookworld before even giving reading a chance.

Of course, there is a different between reading and involving yourself in book culture. But why not create a line of book merch for men? Do Hot Guys Read? Is there a space for men in bookworld?

I do see men in horror. I see men in sci-fi. Plenty of men write non-fiction. But maybe men aren’t supporting bookstores as often as women, as I don’t see them browsing the stacks to the amount I see women. Maybe men order their books on Amazon, which I don’t recommend, but it beats not reading at all.

There are a few all-male book clubs. I am a huge fan of the Tough Guy Book Club, a network of Australian book clubs that meet in pubs. They only have three rules: you have to define yourself as a man (however you want to do that), you have to be an adult (it is in a pub, after all), and you have to read. Easy. Unfortunately, there are only a handful of Tough Guy Book Club in the United States, and most of them are in the Northeast.

So how do we get guys to read books? I don’t know the answer to that. Maybe it starts at the top. Maybe seeing well-regarded male public figures reading or carrying books might make it “cool” again. Several years ago, President Barack Obama put out a list of his favorite reads twice a year during his presidency. That tradition has sadly gone away.

We need men to read. We need men to read diverse books by diverse authors. Getting them to read is the first step. For that to happen, we need to welcome them into book spaces. We need to lure them in and get them hooked.

Unfortunately, the problem is there is no money in marketing books to men. Women read more. Of course publishers are going to publish to the gender that buys more. Whereas there are still many men in the traditional best seller lists, self-published and independent book publishing is dominated by women.

It frustrates me that outside of my author and writer community, most of the men I know don’t read regularly. Maybe they are a lost cause. Maybe society needs to focus on school age boys and get them into books. But they aren’t going to like being surrounded by Hot Girl Reads swag and being called “girlies”.

I am not in a position or role to make changes, but unless we want men to be ignorant lumps in society, we need to create spaces for men, especially young men, to embrace reading. Hot Girls shouldn’t be the only ones reading.