Tony Snipes illustrates and writes with passion. He shares that passion and his love for God as he helps others discover their purpose. Tony will share his talent as he returns to Write2Ignite this year to present two workshops.
In the adult workshop “A Mirror or a Flashlight?,” Tony will guide others to discover their power of creativity. The teens will enjoy Tony as he teaches a hands-on workshop, “Sketching Faces.”
Tony’s life brims with many things, including his precious wife and three daughters, but we’re glad he took a few minutes to chat with us.
Tony, what three things are most memorable to you about 2014?
The day we gave our daughter her first car, my last Art Slam Live event, and Christmas morning.
Was it your last Art Slam event or was there something extra special about the last one you hosted?
Yes, I still host the Art Slam Live event. I should have said the “most
recent” rather than “last”. The most recent event is when we actually
partnered with the city of Mauldin, SC. It led to more credibility. We are
partnering with them this year as well!
That’s great! And, I bet your prayer level went up as well with that first car!
BIG yes on that!
First cars, first sweethearts, and first jobs will always be memorable though. What was your first job?
Working for the Housing Authority for the summer when I was thirteen years old.
What type of work did you do for the Housing Authority at age 13?
It was a part of a city-wide summer program for kids. Another
young man and I assisted the maintenance team of an apartment complex. We didn’t
fix anything ourselves, just helped a LOT on the clean-up side of things.
That early exposure to maintenance and clean-up probably makes you a great husband today!
Tony, you’ve done a variety of work over the years. At what point did you know you wanted to become a writer?
I knew I wanted to write my first book around 2003 when I began collecting my thoughts in journals.
Looking back over your writing journey, what is one thing you wish you had known earlier?
I wish I had known more about the marketing side.
Anything specific about marketing?
Yes, how to build a following before you launch your book. It’s much
easier to do that now that we have social media. Also, not to look at
authoring a book as a method of getting rich, but rather looking at it as
a form of a “magnified business card”. Being able to put “the author of”
at the end of your name adds significant awareness to your personal brand.
Do you have any recommendations, of books or websites on marketing, for our blog readers?
Yes. Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World by Michael Hyatt. Great book on basic methods of building a following!
What do you hope to learn this year?
How to perfect storytelling.
If awarded one day to talk with three authors (from any time period), whom would you choose?
Dr. Myles Munroe for his awesome books on purpose and the Kingdom principles of business; marketing guru Seth Godin; and entrepreneur expert Dan Miller.
The theme for Write2Ignite 2015 is “Shine.” What three helpful hints would you recommend to writers to make their work shine?
- Tell great stories.
- Have a marketing strategy.
- Build your following, even before you launch your next book, using social media.
Tony, thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. We look forward to seeing you at the conference!
Readers, you can connect with Tony at ArtLessonsfromGod.com and TonySnipes.com and on Facebook.