Self-Publishing Success Story: Chuck Tingle

Content warning for references to explicit sexual content

Dr. Chuck Tingle is psuedonymous author of a slew of short self-published gay erotic parody titles, which he calls “tinglers,” whose bizarre take on the genre has earned him an unusual reputation as a comedian and niche author. The persona of Chuck is of a man who truly believes his works to be of utmost sexuality, able to provoke a “tingle down the spine” of any reader, committing himself to the craft after earning his (“almost”) Tae Kwon Do black belt and a PhD in Holistic Massage. Little is known about the man behind the mask, only that he has a way with words when it comes to niche erotica and an ability to make anything both overpoweringly sexual by way of the uncanny.

What books has he written?
Tingle has, to date, published nearly 50 works, spanning from more political¹ and current event-centred parodies such as Brexit-critiquing Pounded By The Pound and the Domald Tromp series (including Domald Tromp Pounded In The B*** By The Handsome Russian T-Rex Who Also P**d On His B*** And Then Blackmailed Him With The Videos Of His B*** Getting P**d On and more) sharing the limelight with more straightforward surrealist titles such as My A** Is Haunted By The Gay Unicorn Colonel and Space Raptor B** Invasion. He has also published a few longer, novel-length pieces with B***ageddon: The Last Days of Pounding A** and Helicopter Man Pounds Dinosaur Billionaire A**. In recent months, Tingle has also begun penning “self-help” titles as his Complete Guides to subjects such as romance, sports, and “the void.”
In 2016, Tingle publicly announced his intention of moving into other media as well, though no explicit details have yet surfaced.

The Success Story
Chuck Tingle began publishing in late 2014 with his first short story, My Billionaire Triceratops Craves Gay A**. Continuing to publish largely gay dinosaur erotica – a genre that actually exists – Tingle lingered in obscurity until his break-out hit Space Raptor B*** Invasion in early 2015. Becoming a cult hit throughout various social media, his work gained a surprising following almost overnight as readers were astonished by his unquestionably unique subject matters and his affectionate prods at the obscure genre. Tingle’s reputation has only continued to grow as the budding author continues to produce, on average, two-to-three works a month on a regular basis, only seeming to grow more ambitious over time.

How many books has he sold?
Tingle himself has never stated any figure for his sales, instead only parroting a figure of around $60,000 in publications earnings total – however this, along with any other facet of his constructed identity, is likely false. However, due to his cult following, Tingle’s work frequently touches the Top 100 on Amazon for his various sub-genres of erotica, and as well as at least one instance of reaching the same in the genre of Unexplained Mysteries. He has been interviewed and reviewed by a long list of websites and publications including the New York Times, the Observer, and the Guardian.
To Tingle’s unrelenting pride, his break-out hit Space Raptor B*** Invasion was shortlisted for a Hugo Award in 2016, although the exact circumstances for his nomination are themselves speculated to be at least partly facetious on the side of the voting parties.