Interview with Wally DiCioccio

Author of Sal from the Bronx

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

Originally from Buffalo, NY. Now live in Tampa, FL.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

My wife’s family moved down to Florida and got settled in after about 10 years and then we moved down 3 years ago. My wife had the opportunity to relocate with her job, so it seemed like a great option. We especially wanted to get away from the long winters and snowy weather.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

The inspiration to write my first book, “I’m Serious,” was due to a mix of two things. My grandfather passed away my senior year of high school when I was at a turning point in my life when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I was a funny kid around me friends and relatives, but I was very quiet and introverted in public. My grandpa always told me to use my voice and be vocal if I ever wanted to succeed. He didn’t want me to quietly sit back in the shadows and be a pushover. Around that same time, my brother recommended I read a book by Jerry Seinfeld titled, “SeinLanguage.” I took him up on it and absolutely loved the style of humor and decided that I also wanted to write a humor novel and do stand-up.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

Each one of my books are written very different styles. My first book, “I’m Serious,” is a humor novel. My second book is colorful children’s book I wrote and illustrated called, “Zeeby Saves the Day.” The third book I had published is a junior novelization called, “Joey Bagadonuts,” which is a novel version of a screenplay I wrote of the same name. “Joey Bagadonuts,” is a crime/humor story about an aspiring comic who gets involved with the Mafia. “Rusty Copper,” is the fourth book I had published and it another colorful children’s book which I both wrote and illustrated. It is loosely based on a screenplay I wrote of the same name. My fifth publication is a screenplay I wrote called, “Sal from the Bronx,” which is a dark, historical fiction comedy about a sports radio show intern who has an unusual run-in with an eccentric vagabond named Sal. My sixth publication is a comedy screenplay titled, “A Midlife Christmas,” which is a story about a middle-aged man who returns to his hometown to celebrate a big-fat, Italian Christmas with his zany family.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

I feel like my books connect to people of all ages, depending on the story. The humor novel and children’s books connect with the younger crowd, while the screenplays generally connect with men 21 and up.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

The unexpected or surprising thing I learned early on is that traditional publishing houses don’t want to receive unsolicited manuscripts, which means they only want to read manuscripts that they want to publish. It’s a conundrum. So, I basically decided to self-publish them because I was excited to get my stories heard. The surprising thing with that though, was that there was no money to be made unless I spent hundreds of dollars on publicity and marketing packages—and still there is no guarantee that it would generate more book sales.

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

Expect it to be more of a hobby than a good paying career. Also expect your friends and family to be happy for you to be a published author and be supportive enough to buy a few of the books, but never expect them (or anyone for that matter) to actually read them, or give you any reviews.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

Billions!

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

Getting anyone other than myself actually excited or interested in the books.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

My biggest strength is my creativity and imagination.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

C.) Marketing is my biggest weakness because I always feel like I’ve invested way too much of my unpaid time
And energy on writing and publishing the book, that I have no finances to put towards marketing.

When do you think you will write your next book?

I’m currently working on my next comedy screenplay. The plot has been shifting directions, though.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

I’m self published, but I wish I had a traditional publisher.