Dan Nitro Clark

In New York today to do the SEAN HANNITY on FOX NEWS.  It’s going to be interesting.  I’ve just received the topics.   And have a couple of hours to go over them and form my opinions.  It’s also intimidating because I’ll be on the Great American Panel which usually has 2 Political experts, then one celebrity type.  But I’m comforted by knowing I represent a slice of the American public.  And, I’m comfortable speaking my truth without being derisive of others points of view.   I’ll write later tonight on how it goes.

I know one of the topics will be the Miss America gay marriage controversy.

~ Dan

    Choosing a book cover in never an easy task.  We went through a couple different incarnations that I'll SHOW you in this post for my book - Gladiator – A True Story of Roids, Rage and Redemption.  Early on I had my ideas of what I wanted and then it changed as the content of the book changed.  The book became extremely personal and even though it's framed by "Gladiators and Steroids," the heart of the book is about: identity, love, family, addiction, and survivorship.

     I thought these themes would resonate with readers because I always knew the Gladiator audience was more sophisticated then the wrestling audience. I also believed if I made the book extremely personal and candid and made sure not matter how dark the journey got — that my humanity shined through — I would reach beyond the core audience and into readers who'd never watched Gladiators — but love a great story. By the feedback and reviews, I humbly think I've succeeded. Here is the INITIAL COVER the publisher came up with:  

    Again, the book is an extremely candid look at a life — that was pretty freakin' wild, astonishing, and at times heartbreaking — and I wanted the cover to reflect that. So as cool this cover was with the burnt edges, it just didn't do it for me. The SECOND COVER was intriguing:

   I loved the colors on this cover, the large font, the ominous feel. But at the end of the day, it didn't feel like it was the appropriate cover for a Memoir.  It felt like it was written by a reporter or someone not associated with the show, so I asked the publisher to keep trying.  

   This COVER is my FAVORITE and the one I fought to use. I lost the battle.  First off, I'd change the color of the font to red. But what I love about this cover is the juxtaposing of the images of "Current Me" and "Nitro" on the front. You get to see the "journey" in a snapshot. The journey from Gladiator to the man I am today. I think that's interesting and more appropriate for the book. Especially with the female readers. And, thank God, there's been a lot.

Here's the COVER THEY USED. I like it, but really believe the cover above is the best one.

That being said, I'm most appreciative of the people at Simon and Schuster — they've done a great job. Plus, there's always PAPERBACK!  

What do you think? Love to hear your feedback.

Be brilliant!

Dan "Nitro" Clark

DanNitroClark.com

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