Today we’d like to introduce you to Rex Ogle
Hi Rex, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
When I was a whisper of a kid, I fell in love with stories–especially in the form of books. So when my first grade teacher asked us to write a 1 page story, I wrote 12 pages and illustrated them. The way her smile beamed at what I’d made felt like the sun. I knew I wanted to write more. So I’ve sent my whole life writing. Of course, writing and getting published are two different stories. So while it took me a lot longer than I’d hoped to get here, I now have 15 books out in the world that I wrote and it feels amazing.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As we all know, life is one hell of a bumpy road. But for me, I had a singular focus in wanting to become a writer of comics and novels-in-verse and books and graphic novels. After college, I quickly realized I had no idea what I was doing, so I took a few hundred bucks and a duffle bag and moved to NYC to work in publishing. I fought, tooth and claw, into editorial positions at Marvel, DC Comics, Scholastic, and Little Brown Books, and for 15 years learned as much as I could–not just about crafting a good story, but about the industry itself. During that time, I wrote around 16 novels… all of them rejected. But rather than look at them as defeats, I considered my rejections badges of honor for putting myself out there. And I was in it for the long game. For every thousand “no’s” I was due a “yes.” So through a lot of perseverance and (im)patience, I finally landed a book deal. Which felt more than good. It was amazing.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Everyday I have at least a dozen ideas for new books. Most of them are pretty silly, or (when I google them and discover) have already been made. But whenever there’s a good one, I write it down and let it simmer. Well, I’ve been stockpiling ideas for decades, and have a spreadsheet with a 30-year / 200 book plan of all the stuff I want to write. Realistically, that’s probably not gonna happen. But I’m going to try as hard as hell to get close.
I think what sets me apart from other writers is I refuse to let the usual guidelines constrain me. I learned all the rules of the book world–now I want to break them. That’s why I write prose, in-verse, graphic novels, and webcomics, as well as difficult memoirs, happy slice-of-life, strange fantasy, horror, and superhero adventures. I want to vary it up. I want to write different stories for different people. And hopefully, someone will read one of my books and give a completely different theme or genre or format a chance. Variety is the slice of life, so why not try it all, both as a reader and a writer.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Covid was terrifying because my first few books came out then and I couldn’t do any in-person marketing or publicity. My books sank into obscurity because there was no discoverability. But one of my books, Free Lunch, took off, 100% due to librarians supporting my middle grade memoir about poverty, domestic violence, and home instability for youth. It helped me realize who the gatekeepers are for the kids in our nation. It also guided me to the revelation that I couldn’t rely on my publishing houses to do all the marketing and publicity. It was up to me to dig into the hustle and make things work. And that’s exactly what I’ve done. Hell, I made 40,000 bookmarks last month, and have already given out about 8,000 to libraries, schools, booksellers, and more. It’s scary to best on yourself, but when it works, the feeling of independence is incredible.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rexogle.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thirdrex/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rexthethird
- Other: https://substack.com/@thirdrex
