Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Kovacs.
Hi Ryan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I started writing poetry when I was a teenager, writing mostly teenage angst and exploring verse and rhyme. When I got into my Junior year of High School, my English teacher Mrs. VanLare saw something in my writing and encouraged me to write more and explore the different facets of poetry. She set me up with local bookstores and coffee shops to go to open mic nights and read and listen to as much poetry as I could. I finished my senior year with a large collection of poems that I went on to self-publish the following year. The publishing journey was difficult and hard to navigate but I was determined to land with a publisher who’d pay me for me work rather than me paying them first. In my mid-20’s I was turned on to verse poetry, telling stories through poetry that absolutely captivated me. It was the author Ellen Hopkins and her novel “Crank” that provided insight to this beautiful genre and perpetuated the idea of novel-writing through poetry. I began my journey of writing epic poems that told personal stories in my book titled “I Considered You”, exploring controversial topics. My editor at the time encouraged me to try writing a full-length novel in that style and so I did. While I was deployed overseas to Afghanistan serving in the U.S. Army, I embarked on completing my novel-in-verse, The N.M.E., and finished it in just a few short months. When I sent the manuscript to my editor, she expressed that while written well, it was too violent for her taste, and she couldn’t give me a proper review of the content and encouraged me to reach out to other editors. I sent my manuscript to two dozen editors and peers for review, getting continuous feedback that the story was excellent, but the style was unconventional. Unconventional was precisely what I wanted because I believe in originality and don’t want to be part of the crowd. I’m very much against the grain with my writing and try to differentiate myself as much as possible and it truly felt like I did this with my novel. After an unreasonable first edition publishing experience with a publishing company that completely took advantage of me and failed to complete all contract obligations, I severed my contract and was approached by PHiR Publishing to publish my novel as a second edition. We tore the book apart, cover to cover, reimagining every detail and doing our due diligence to allow for a proper release for my novel. It was then released worldwide on multiple platforms on March 28, 2022, and achieved #1 in the Epic Poem Genre on Amazon and has over 10 reviews and 5-star ratings. I have also finished my next novel that is part of a two-part series and am almost halfway completed with the sequel. Writing and poetry is a passion of mine and I look forward to being able to continue to serve the literary community with unique and original storytelling!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing about writing is smooth in my opinion. It is very intimate and at times can be very revealing for some individuals. I write from a lot of personal experience, sometimes allowing me to relive trauma yet finding new ways to navigate the emotions and cope. Writing is therapeutic to me and at the same time grants me the opportunity to be overly creative. Publishing has been an even more difficult road, both in understanding how the publishing market works and getting your work noticed and not lost in the sauce of the thousands of manuscripts submitted to publishers or agents each day. It is a game and requires many rolls of the dice and having to have thick skin. Thankfully I can take constructive criticism well and took every denial or rejection as an opportunity to challenge myself to do and be better.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At the forefront of all the professions I’ve held, being in the military has been the single most incredible experience. I’ve been honored to serve alongside some of the brightest, unique, and honorable individuals in the world. Each of their qualities and characteristics have provided me with endless characters to mold from in my stories. What they’ve each taught me and mentored me through is invaluable and I am forever indebted to them. The military has taught me a lot about sacrifice, both life and time. Being absent from family and friends and sharing in that commonality or as we called it, “embracing the suck” together created unbreakable bonds of brotherhood. Through those trials, I found myself becoming more empathetic and understanding of people’s circumstances in life. This has in turn allowed me to be more observant of others and made me a better listener and leader amongst my friends and comrades. I believe this helped distinguish me among my peers and presented the opportunities to have more sensitive discussions on a deeper level.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Humility. It is also difficult to talk about my humility because to talk about it is not humble. However, I believe it to be the reason for my apparent success. Yet, I do not believe success is a way to measure a person. I live by a quote by Albert Einstein, “Try not to become a man of success, but rather, a man of value.”
Pricing:
- Ebook $7.49
- Paperback $18.99
- Hardcover $25.99
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amazon.com/N-M-Ryan-Kovacs
- Instagram: rak_poetry
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/gjBSvOkyfHo
Image Credits
Ryan A. Kovacs
