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Criminal defense attorneys aren't typically known for writing philosophical Holocaust novels. Then again,
Ron Chapman isn’t your typical criminal defense attorney.
Published under the pen name R. William Chapman, Empyrean is a true departure from Ron’s two nonfiction books.
Ron spent two years on Empyrean, writing roughly 300,000 words to land on a final 78,000. He calls himself a "pantser," Stephen King's term for a writer who lets characters decide what happens rather than working from an outline. One of the main characters, he told me, has become part of how he thinks through his own days.
As a criminal defense attorney, Ron has found that fiction gives him an outlet nonfiction and legal work never did, a way to work through the frustrations of his job and his time as a marine on paper instead of carrying them silently.
We get into why he turned away from traditional publishing in order to keep creative control, why agents kept asking him to make the book "the next Hunger Games" and why he thinks authority today comes from letting people see your actual flaws rather than polishing a bio. He also explains that he’s using a different author name for Empyrean so that it can stand on its own, disconnected from his identity as a lawyer.
In this episode:
- Why Ron chose the Holocaust as a subject, and how a childhood visit to a concentration camp shaped the project
- The reason he's publishing Empyrean under a pen name instead of his own
- Why he turned away from traditional publishing to retain full creative control over the book
- His case for why raw honesty, not polished marketing, is what actually builds trust with an audience
- Why he believes the short feedback loop of platforms like Substack is bad for serious writing, and why the slow grind of writing still matters
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Remember, if there's anyone in your life who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them!
What is Behind the Book Cover?
A book can do more than sell copies. It can build your authority, strengthen your personal brand and create entirely new opportunities for your business.
Hosted by New York Times bestselling author Anna David, Behind the Book Cover explores how successful entrepreneurs, authors and thought leaders use books, media and marketing to become better known, reach more people and grow their businesses.
Through candid conversations with traditionally published authors and independently published entrepreneurs—including business owners whose books have added seven figures to their bottom lines—Anna reveals what really happens behind the cover. The show goes beyond book publishing to explore marketing for entrepreneurs, CEO personal branding, thought leadership strategy and how turning your expertise into a book can help make you an authority in your industry.
Anna’s books have been published by HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster, and she is the founder of Legacy Launch Pad Publishing, a leading hybrid publisher for entrepreneurs. In other words, she knows both sides of the publishing industry—and isn’t afraid to share what traditional publishers don’t want you to know.
Behind the Book Cover is brought to you by Authority Network.
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