We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Richard Lyntton. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Richard below.
Richard, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I had done some acting at school (US = high-school) and Exeter University. I played a Russian soap baron in Russian which was really fun. People seemed to enjoy my performance, but I was too scared to audition for drama school let alone think about becoming a professional actor. Fast forward nearly a decade, after service in The Life Guards, Household Cavalry, British army in Gulf War 1, Russia, and Bosnia, and I finally left the army and worked for United Nations TV in Bosnia. This led to a job as an assistant director in a feature film called ‘Welcome to Sarajevo’ staring Woody Harrelson and Marisa Tomei, directed by Michael Winterbottom. Winterbottom gave me a small part as the UN Military Interpreter in the “bus scene.” The next day I was back behind the camera watching Stephen Dillane and Woody Harrelson sitting on a pile of real, wartime rubble in war-torn Sarajevo, Bosnia. They were chatting quietly, resting and waiting to do their next scene. Suddenly, someone shouted “CUT!” and I realized that the camera had been rolling and the actors had been filming the scene without me realizing. The subtlety of film versus theater acting was a fascinating revelation to me—seeing it done at close quarters with two Hollywood actors ignited my passion for film and television acting. By this time, I had served in two wars and had had enough of being shot at and shelled in Bosnia. I decided then and there that I would use my savings to audition and attend drama school (US = theater school) in London. Twenty-five years later, I am still a ‘jobbing’ (or working) actor, which means I am not at all famous, but I do the work I love.
Acting involves a lot of downtime. It is a psychological roller-coaster. The downs far outweigh the ups when you book a job and get to work on a film or television project like Law & Order, Mr. Robot, The Equalizer, WeCrashed with actors like Remi Malek, Sylvestor Stalone, Jeff Daniels and Jared Leto. But the ‘ups’ are really, really, fun! Anyway, as I waited for my agent to call with my next audition, I started reading and writing a lot. I wrote two international spy thriller novels in ten years but never got much further than finishing the manuscript. The COVID years gave me the opportunity to ‘polish’ both novels, learn how to publish and, more importantly, how to market them. The time we all had to try new things, and think about what we wanted to do, gave me the time and inclination to write a third novel (Leningrad Deception), and so The Deception Series was born, is now published, alive, and well—selling on the Amazon and Audible platforms all over the world.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I attended Mountview Theater School (now Mountview Academy of Theater Arts) in London, got an agent and began working in film, tv, voice-over, industrial videos, and plays. When I arrived in Philadelphia, I did the same thing all over again. I was an ‘unusual’ fish in a large pond which also includes New York and Washington DC. I have worked steadily for twenty years+ in the various disciplines. My passion remains work in film and television. To this day I still find the collaboration process of film and television quite fascinating, even though I have worked on hundreds of sets over the years.
In some ways, the author process is much more exciting and satisfying than the process of getting acting work. In fact, it is almost the opposite because as an author and publisher you have most of the control. There are always a hundred things you can do every day to research, write, publish or market your books or my clients’ books. It is literally never-ending; which is why selling books in the USA, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Australia is a highly rewarding experience and business model. How did I start writing and publishing? I have read books my entire life, studied a dozen or more books on writing and publishing, and watched hundreds of hours of “how to” videos. I did the math and decided it made more sense to be an independent author and publisher. Even if I had been patient, fortunate and lucky enough to find an agent and publisher, I might have received a $10k advance against royalties—and the entire process from submissions and agent search to book release, might have taken two to three years. As an independent author and publisher, I have total control. As an actor, I already do enough waiting around for the next audition, so it makes sense to be able to work every day on my writing and publishing. Selling my books is immensely rewarding but so too is publishing other authors’ work. For example, my aunt wrote a royal memoir about my great aunt who lived, worked, and traveled the globe with the British royal family for thirty years. Great aunt Florence was a ‘ladies’ maid’ (think servants in black dresses in Downton Abbey but for the royals). ‘From Cottage to Palace’ is a fascinating book that my aunt sold in local book shops in Worcestershire, UK. In her later years, I promised her I would find a publisher who would be able to sell her books all over the world. When my aunt died, I found an original black and white photograph of my great aunt Florence on HMS Vanguard in South Africa during the royal tour in 1947. It is signed by King George VI, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Princess Elizabeth, and Princess Margaret. I was so excited to find this heirloom, I decided I could use it as the cover for a second edition of the book and Malchik Media (my publishing company) would publish the book. I am thrilled to say that it has sold—and continues to sell—all over the world and has ranked next to Prince Harry’s book ‘Spare,’ and Tina Brown’s book, ‘The Palace Papers’ in royal memoir Amazon rankings in the USA and UK. Had my aunt still been alive, she would have said something like, “Well… How marvelous!’
Photo #1 – Royal Group Photo with Great aunt Florence and the royal family
Photo #2 – Aunt Margaret
The High-Heeled Gardener, book 1 in the Eco Romance Series, is another rewarding bonus. Bridget Jone’s Diary meets Four Weddings and a funeral in contemporary eco-friendly 21st century London. I call it a bonus because the author, Debbie Bourne, is a passionate and accomplished climate warrior, and she would not have taken the time and trouble to find an agent and publisher if I had not suggested and offered to publish her book. Now, thousands of people all over the world get to laugh and giggle at the High-Heeled Gardener romance. The High-Heeled Eco Warrior, book 2 in the series, will be released April 2024.
It is a privilege and an honor to be an artist—actor, author, publisher. It is truly satisfying to wake up every day and be passionate, enthusiastic, and fascinated by the work that lies ahead—book research, preparing an acting role, reading the next book in my client’s series, or helping a new writer to publish their work for the first time.
In the acting world I am looking forward to the release of Talons of the Phoenix staring Costas Mandylor – I play a lead role, Colonel Wilmer Stein, a Nazi World War II camp commandant in an action-packed adventure/thriller movie. (I made the poster!) I am also looking forward to Relative Control, staring Teri Polo, the story of a high-powered attorney who must juggle corporate challenges with her sick and aging father. (See photo with Teri Polo).
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I have a couple of book publishing stories I am pleased about. Perhaps they are more ‘resourceful’ than ‘resilient’ but here’s what springs to mind. As I was preparing to publish ‘North Korea Deception’ book 1 in The Deception Series, I knew that the cover of the book would be crucial, a gamechanger. How to find a cover designer to create a cover you would see in the New Arrivals Section of Barnes and Noble? And even more important, how would I be able to afford a cover designer who works for a top publisher? We were still in the depths of the pandemic, so, I thought, perhaps I can find a top five publisher cover designer who has some downtime? One Sunday afternoon, I went to Barnes & Noble and took photos of all the covers I liked as well as the acknowledgments inside the books’ front covers. Some books did not mention the cover designer as they were using in- house designers, but some books did specifically thank or mention the cover designer. I then googled the designers I liked and reached out to the ones I could find on LinkedIn. To my surprise, Jae Song replied to my request. I explained that I was an independent author and could not afford his ‘usual’ prices. Jae was extremely understanding and sympathetic and we negotiated a reasonable rate for the Kindle, Paperback, and hardback cover versions. To this day, I still get a kick out of seeing my North Korea Deception cover when I click on the book or hold a copy in my hand. We became friends and Jae has (thankfully!) designed all three covers for The Deception Series.
As an independent author and publisher without the kind of ‘reach’ of a large publishing house, you must think outside the box. I am very excited about a recent marketing idea/strategy I decided to try. Leningrad Deception, book 3 in The Deception Series is set in Leningrad, Stockholm, London, Venice, and Capri. As Capri is our favorite place to vacation, I used my contacts to make my book available on the island. La Conchiglia, the local Capri bookstore [PHOTO #3 La Conchiglia with Vincenzo Sorrentino, owner] is selling The Deception Series, even though most of their books are in Italian. But I didn’t stop there. Raffaele, one of the supporting characters in Leningrad Deception is based on the head waiter at Grand Hotel Quisisana, the most famous and cherished destination for the rich and famous on the island since the 1850s. Adalberto Cuomo, owner, and GianLuca Salvia, director of marketing, loved that I was so inspired and passionate about using Capri locations – Faraglioni Rocks, St. James Charterhouse Monastery, Marina Piccola, and the Quisisana Cocktail terrace (number one people watching spot on the island), that they agreed to put my series in their hotel library and make it available to international VIP guests.
I have no idea if this will help sell more copies, but it’s an example of sowing book seeds and trying relevant strategies to sell books. Every seed counts.
[See attached photos: #4 Grand Hotel Quisisana with Raffaele (character in Leningrad Deception) and hotel staff.]
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Literary agents and the publishing world seemed to be an unreachable, closed world with many gatekeepers. My impression of agents and publishers (in some ways a bit like casting directors) was that these people are Gods and almost unapproachable. If an agent or publisher did not like my work, I must be a literary failure. Aged 8, I recall my favorite class in Primary School (US = Elementary) was free time on a Friday afternoon to write stories. I decided to write a ‘novel’ about cowboys and Indians. My classmates wrote one short story each week, but I decided I wanted to write a long book with many pages. I basically told the same story in every chapter, BUT I was having a blast. When I had written about 40 pages, I took it to my teacher expecting her to peruse the latest chapter and give me my usual ‘B+’ or ‘A-’. To my utter dismay, she picked up her red pen and drew a line under the latest chapter and wrote “The End” – something I had been looking forward to doing for weeks once I decided to finish the story. I was so upset that I did not try to write a story for decades! But when—many years later—I did eventually write my first two novels over a ten-year period, I recall another instance when and editor told me: “No one wants to read a story about the Bosnia war” – Again, I was dismayed. But this time, I did not listen or take one person’s opinion to heart. I have since published three books in the series—including Hyde Park Deception set in Bosnia and have sold nearly ten thousand copies in the series, which for an independent author is a decent number. The main difference between the first and second anecdotes? Once I finished the first two books, I told myself very firmly and confidently: “I know someone out there will enjoy this story—I just have to find those people.” If you write or create something that you have worked on seriously and diligently, I can tell you without reservation that someone, somewhere will want to read or watch it. Most people are not creative—they have other interests in life that reward and excite them. Creatives are in the minority. So if you are a creative and you feel there is nothing else you want to do in life—then know today as you read this, that your work is good enough, and that someone, somewhere will want to enjoy it. I had to ‘unlearn’ that other people know better than me how good my work is and who will enjoy it. Of course, other people’s help and advice are useful, and you can and should learn from them. But the bottom line is that YOUR OPINION IS THE ONLY ONE THAT MATTERS if you want to create. What do you think? Do you think people will enjoy your book, poem, painting, or film? I am not suggesting this can and will happen immediately or overnight when you start writing. But ultimately, you have to learn to say to yourself: ‘F***’em. They are lucky to have me.’
Contact Info:
- Website: https://richardlynttonbooks.com
- Instagram: @richardlyntton (actor) and @richardlynttonbooks (author)
- Facebook: @richardlynttonbooks and @richardlynttonactor
- Twitter: @richardlyntton
- Youtube: @richardlyntton