JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — After being rejected by publisher after publisher, Frank Reteguiz found inspiration for a unique marketing scheme in the pages of his own book.
"The Malediction of Llewyn Glass," Reteguiz's first full-length novel, is largely set in a bar, where the main character tells his deal-with-the-devil tale in a series of flashbacks.
That inspired Reteguiz to start his "Buy a book, get a free shot" campaign. He's marketing the book at Jacksonville-area bars, setting up a table and offering to buy a well drink for anyone who purchases a book.
"Boredom feeds creativity," Reteguiz said. "I just thought it would be a cool way to market myself, to separate myself from other artists."
Reteguiz, who graduated from Mandarin High School and studied psychology at the University of West Florida, spent time as a police officer in Georgia and a deck officer on the Disney Cruise Line. When he was laid off from a job with Tesla, he decided to devote his time to his books. "Malediction" is his first full-length novel. He's also completed a second, "The Wanderer," and a novella, "At the End of All Things."
He tried the traditional route but was turned down by so many publishers that "I lost count," he said. So you can now find him at bars such as the Volstead, Rain Dogs, Poe's Tavern, Riverside Liquors or Dos Gatos, or at the Vagabond Coffee flea market in Murray Hill. He's done a "punk art market" in South Carolina and a few bars in Savannah, Ga., and was planning a trip to the Panhandle to sell some books.
He said he went through five or six drafts and a couple of editors before cutting a deal with Amazon to print his books. He said he followed the example of film directors such as Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Nolan, who didn't follow the traditional path to success.
"They had to teach themselves," he said. "They taught themselves storytelling, how to build a story. That’s kind of the way I thought of it."
He also studied the way some of his favorite authors, such as Neil Gaiman, build their stories.
"The narrative structure came from the first horror book that I fell in love with, which was 'Frankenstein,'" Reteguiz said.
"The Malediction of Llewyn Glass" is about a former priest who travels the world, seeking a way out of the deal he made to sell his soul to the devil to help a woman he loved. Glass travels to Wales, Switzerland, Syria, Italy and to hell itself, which apparently can be accessed through the Denver airport. The tale is fast-paced and rather gruesome in spots. It's available through Amazon.com for $22, which is the same price he charges in the bars.
He said he has a working relationship with seven or eight bars, and it's beneficial to both sides. He gets a chance to market his books, they get a few extra sales and some publicity when he's successful. "I take a picture of everyone who buys a book and post it on Instagram," he said. "The bars like it because it shows that there is stuff happening there. They love it, they think it's a cool idea."
He said it's not unusual for someone to approach him in a bar to offer a review of his work. He also posts readers' reviews and a schedule of upcoming appearances on the Instagram page, instagram.com/rickandllewyns
His next step, he said, is to try the mainstream publishing route again. "I have to start applying with publishers again because I want to make it as a fulltime author."
