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.
