6623 Press

The official blog of 6623 Press, publisher of creator-owned, reasonably priced, useful, unconventional books about popular culture, success, and other cool stuff. Catalog includes popular books about the Beastie Boys, Slayer, Freemasonry, performance parenting,...

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6623 Press: Our books...

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The GOAT Wrestling Writer Says...

Bill Apter — the greatest wrestling journalist in the history of the game —plugged Good Advice From Professional Wrestling on his show, The Apter Chat, episode #8. It was in the mix with Al Snow’s Self Help and Mike Mooneyham’s Final Bell. Here’s what Apter had to say about Good Advice From...

“This is something you’re going to need to get. Check this book out.” 

After a lifetime of reading his works, it’s a gigantic honor. 

See screen pics below... the bottom one doesn’t really have Ronda Rousey in it... or does it?

You can see Mr. Apter’s show on the Jarrett Parsons Wrestling Channel on your Roku player, free. Check IT out.

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Big Buzz for Wrestling Book

People like Good Advice From Professional Wrestling! (Click here to get it.) Here’s what they’re saying:

"This is something you're going to need to get. Check this book out." -- wrestling journalism icon Bill Apter, The Apter Chat

"What a cool book." -- Salina de la Renta, Major League Wrestling badass and Talento Dorado CEO

"Good Advice from Professional Wrestling: Full Contact Life Lessons from the Pinnacle Performance Art is a bright, breezy read from authors Darren Paltrowitz and D.X. Ferris. With a foreword by Diamond Dallas Page, one of pro wrestling's motivational masters, the book is a self-help manual with inspirational messages from such mat icons as Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Ric Flair, Chris Jericho, Mick Foley and Bruno Sammartino.." -- Mike Mooneyham, The Post and Courier

"This book sucks eggs." -- Maxwell Jacob Friedman, AEW

"I definitely recommend it. It can be read in a few hours. Grab it and keep it on hand. If you're having a rough day at work, look at a couple of the chapters. Overcome that negative mindset." -- Adam Holtzapfel , Otherworldly Culture

"Each short chapter offers a different slice of something you can learn." -- Stevie J, Thursday Night Amp, The Angry Marks Podcast Network

"I absolutely loved it." -- RJ Kruszynski, Revisionist Booking/Ringside Rant

"Phenomenal... It's a great book." -- Nick Newman, Nick's Rock n Wrestling Podcast

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I’m not gonna argue with him.

AEW marquee-quality dude had this to say about the wrestling book. Go ahead: YOU tell him he’s wrong.

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Talento Dorado CEO Likes the Wrestling Book

MLW star and Talento Dorado CEO Salina de la Renta gave Good Advice From Professional Wrestling a kind shout-out. As we say in the book, she is what modern wrestling is about. Wrestlers are no longer just hulked-out dudes who shout at each other and take beatings. A successful modern wrestler needs the same skills you need to succeed in any public-facing corporate position... AND they have to be able to take bumps as they do it.

Check out the original tweet here... It has video.

https://twitter.com/salinadelarenta/status/1118573991772479489

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Podcast: Thursday Night AMP With Wrestling Book Co-Author

Thursday Night AMP podcast welcomed Good Advice From Professional Wrestling co-author Darren Paltrowitz for a talk about the book, wrestling, and more. These guys really know what they’re talking about, so getting a thumbs-up from them is no small thing. Check out the Angry Marks Network and hosts @angrymarks, @GreatSudoku and @WAHuckaby.

Listen here:

http://angrymarks.com/search/index.php?cx=partner-pub-1594929850697469%3Asabliz-55vs&cof=FORID%3A11&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=paltrowitz&sa=Search&siteurl=angrymarks.com%2F&ref=angrymarks.com%2F%3FArticleID%3D54635%26utm_source%3Ddlvr.it%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter&ss=1772j417416j10

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Wrestling Book: TWO Podcasts from Otherworldly Culture

Otherworldly Culture — a cool outlet for news & views about music, wrestling, and other rad forms of entertainment — welcomed both Good Advice From Professional Wrestling co-authors for separate podcast interviews on the podcast Inside the Steel Cage. He really gets where they’re coming from, and they’re great listens. 

The talks include comics, Rustbelt culture, punk & professionalism, DIY media, and one author’s apology for practicing the dreaded Cobra Clutch on his younger brother. Gigantic, Andre-sized thanks to host Adam Holtzapfel. Check them out here. 

https://www.otherworldlyculture.com/?s=ferris

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Powerhouse Hughes on Wrestling Motivational Book

Longtime wrestler and columnist Bill “Powerhouse” Hughes wrote about Good Advice From Professional Wrestling in his weekly column.

Hughes is the mastermind behind the Championship Wrestling Federation.  Ferris designed its print program for two years before he was dragged out of Pittsburgh, kicking and screaming. If you looked close, you saw Powerhouse on some WWF Pittsburgh tapings back in the day.

Read it here:

https://www.heraldstandard.com/sports/columnists/bill_hughes/cal-u-grad-writes-pro-wrestling-book/article_f729647e-638f-11e9-bfd4-97e93369baf9.html?fbclid=IwAR1CyOmhrzgc_PIFzLtfTul8VWwrXj1MOgYF4YLsFzYJ5IE8WYxxvFeUvuM

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We’re #1! You like us! We LOVE you.

6623 Press’ newest book, Good Advice From Professional Wrestling, is off to a good start. Co-authors Positive Darren Paltrowitz and D.X. “The Best Man” Ferris are 6623′s reigning heavyweight tag team champions. The book runs 160 pages and clocks in at 51 short, readable chapters. Each and every one is a pocket-sized can of inspiration and education. Need some good vibes to get through the day? Ask yourself: What Would Batista Do? Check it out here…

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=d.x.+ferris%2C+good+advice+from&ref=nb_sb_noss

THANK YOU for reading.

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New Wrestling Book Featuring WWE Hall of Famer...

Sportskeeda’s Gary Cassidy wrote about one of the best parts of the wrestling book, a foreword by WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page, who already had a major impact on Darren & Ferris’ lives before this new project. Read more about it here... Then stay tuned for more!

https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe/exclusive-darren-paltrowitz-on-ddp-doing-the-foreword-for-good-advice-from-professional-wrestling

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New book! Leadership Every Day series, vol. 2: “Good Advice From Professional Wrestling: Full Contact Life Lessons”

New book: 

“Good Advice From Professional Wrestling: Full Contact Life Lessons.” 

By Darren Paltrowitz and D.X. Ferris 

Foreword by “DDP” Diamond Dallas Page, WWE Hall of Fame Inductee 

Street date: Sunday April 7, from 6623 Press

Authors Darren Paltrowitz and D.X. Ferris lay claim to the Universal Motivational Tag Team Title with their new book, “Good Advice From Professional Wrestling: Full Contact Life Lessons From the Pinnacle Performance Art.” 

It drops from 6623 Press Sunday, April 7 — the same day as WrestleMania 35. 

This eminently readable self-help manual finds useful life lessons in inspiring quotes by icons from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to Bruno Sammartino. Whether you’re a fan, teacher, salesman, or landscaper, “Good Advice From Pro Wrestling” is an entertaining guide on how to get over and improve your life, one step at a time. 

The book’s foreword was written by WWE Hall of Famer & international fitness guru Diamond Dallas Page. 

“DDP is a hero and role model for both of us,” explains Ferris, a teacher and award-winning writer. “Life coaches like Tony Robbins and Tim Ferris are great, but I like figures like DDP. He encourages you to think big, and he has a realistic attack: You improve by committing to productive habits. You reach one goal at a time. That’s our approach.” 

After 50 chapters, “Good Advice From Pro Wrestling” concludes with a list of ten habits and practices that famous wrestlers use to become successful, which readers can start today. 

“Professional wrestling is much more sophisticated than most people will give it credit for,” says Paltrowitz, an author and podcast host. “When done well, it communicates on a universal level, much like music or film. I wanted to spotlight some of the great men and women behind wrestling, and also emphasize its cultural impact.” 

The book features wisdom from — an succinct analysis of — over 40 wrestling-world greats of today and yesteryear, archival quotes from rising stars to all-time greats: Movie star Dave “Bautista” Batista. Rock singer & Hall of Fame inductee Lita. MLW star Salina de la Renta. A.E.W. co-founders Cody Rhodes & the Young Bucks. WWE counterculture iconoclasts Daniel Bryan & CM Punk. Accredited dentist and A.E.W. marquee talent Britt Baker. The late Rowdy Roddy Piper. Rock star Billy Corgan. ECW mastermind Paul Heyman. 

It’s a good time to be a wrestling fan. The book’s release coincides with WrestleMania 35, which will feature the first all-woman headlining match. The new wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling launches May 25, with the live event Double or Nothing in Las Vegas, and anticipation of an imminent TV deal. 

The premise of “Good Advice From Professional Wrestling”: 

• Popular culture is quality culture—and you can learn serious, valuable lessons from it. 

• The same skills a professional wrestler needs will make anyone successful in their business. 

• The competition angle of wrestling is staged, but the work, practice, blood, sweat, and bruises are real. 

• Wrestling is as good, valuable, legit, and difficult as any other art or business—and definitely more awesome. 

• The authors present archival quotes from famous wrestlers. They tell you who they are. They draw a lesson from the quote. And they suggest how to apply it to your life. It’s a fun, fast read. This book is powered by seven-day grind, wake up so early it hurts, do it yourself, and positive mental attitude. 

“Good Advice From Professional Wrestling” is the second volume in 6623 Press’ Leadership Every Day Series. The books find life-changing lessons in popular culture. Volume 1 is Ferris’ “Good Advice From Goodfellas: Positive Life Lessons From the Best Mob Movie.” The series is aimed at people who normally wouldn’t read The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People or How to Win Friends and Influence People — but could use a book like that. 

Based in Akron Ohio, 6623 Press makes unconventional, useful, creator-owned, reasonably priced books about popular culture, success, history, and other cool stuff. 

Darren Paltrowitz is an entertainment-industry veteran from Long Beach, New York, in the New York Territory. His writing has appeared in the New York Daily News and the Los Angeles Times. He hosts podcast “The Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz.” 

D.X. Ferris is an award-winning writer, Pittsburgh native, and Ohio resident. He has written for Rolling Stone and Alternative Press. He has written books about Slayer, martial arts parenting, and non-profit leadership. This is his ninth. He is plotting a heel turn.

“Good Advice From Professional Wrestling.” 

By Darren Paltrowitz and D.X. Ferris. 

From 6623 Press. 

ISBN-10: 0-9975979-4-1 

Paperback: 156 pages, 5 x 8”, $9.99 / $2.99 Kindle eBook (limited time at Amazon). 

11 Photos. 

51 chapters, 31,000 words. 

57 endnotes. 

Index. 

Art by Nicholas Higgins. 

Archival photes, plus new live shots by Ed Battes.

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The new self-help/motivational manual “Good Help From Goodfellas: Positive Life Lessons From the Best Mob Movie” is about Goodfellas, how it was made, and how to use it as a road map to a better life and career.

The book starts with several chapters about the movie, its creation, and its legacy. Then the bulk of it is over 130 short chapters about key moments from the movie — and what we can learn from them. Here’s a sample chapter with lessons about communication, time management, and how to be an empathetic, benevolent boss:

THE QUOTE:

“For a guy who moved all day long, Paulie didn’t talk to six people…. Everything was one-on-one. Paulie hated conferences.”

THE LESSONS:

As the boss in title and function, Paulie is not part of every decision and discussion.

He tunes out the noise.

Paulie delegates.

He trusts his employees to handle their duties.

As a manager, you can’t make time for everybody.

Paulie hates conferences.

Conferences are a good opportunity to let everybody talk.

Don’t use them for that.

Conferences a better opportunity to let everybody listen.

If everybody has a voice in every decision, you will receive endless conflicting advice. Everybody has an opinion. If you listen to everybody, you will never get anything done.

Communication is important — in moderation.

Don’t take this principle too far and refuse to listen to anybody.

Don’t let the chain of command smother good ideas.

Good ideas can come from anywhere.

If you’ve been a good worker, the boss should know who you are — and be more receptive when you want to propose an innovation.

Have you established yourself as somebody who is worth listening to?

As a boss, can you find a minute to listen to a reliable employee?

Get the book here.

The pages look like this...

Author D.X. Ferris is a big fan. He spends a lot of time pondering what he calls “the dynamics of success.” He still shines shoes, cuz hey, what’re ya gonna do? 

Stay tuned to learn about a book signing near you... and get your picture taken with the official Good Advice From Goodfellas shinebox!

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GOOD ADVICE FROM GOODFELLAS: THE LAST — OR MAYBE FIRST — SELF-HELP BOOK YOU’LL EVER NEED

—> GET IT HERE <—

New book: 

“Good Advice From Goodfellas:   Positive Life Lessons from the Best Mob Movie.”

Goodfellas might be the most quotable movie. People love it. And not for nothing. Author D.X. Ferris likes it a lot.

Goodfellas might be the best movie. It’s probably the best crime movie. It is the best mob movie. And — contrary to what you might reasonably assume — it is a profound and positive motivational resource. 

Or that’s what author Ferris argues in Good Advice From Goodfellas. The new book is an unlikely, unprecedented, lengthy meditation on the 1990 classic film, which was created by director Martin Scorsese and co-writer Nicholas Pileggi.

To begin, this new book recaps Goodfellas’ backstory, creation, reception, and legacy. Then, at length, Ferris dissects the rewatchable movie as a motivational manual. Viewed through Ferris’ eye, the film addresses the same topics in your favorite self-help books, business podcasts, and startup bootcamps. Good Advice From Goodfellas finds over 130 positive life lessons, teachable moments, actionable takeaways, and business best practices in the seminal film. No airport book about how to succeed in business was ever this fun.

Was Billy Batts out of line when he told Tommy DeVito to get his shinebox? 

Are shiny shoes a significant optic?

What does Henry’s “You’re a funny guy” remark reveal about how to handle a hostile work environment?

Is respect a useful metric?

What does Tommy really mean by “He’s content to be a jerk”? 

How does “One dog goes one way…” reflect the utility of mindfulness? 

Did Spider have it coming?

This one-of-a-kind self-help manifesto recaps the landmark movie beat by beat. Ferris transcribes some of your favorite quotes, finding a valuable takeaway in each one of the mercurial characters’ successes, failures, outbursts, and acts of generosity. 

If you know what to look for, Ferris argues, Henry Hill is a mentor with lessons about goals, accountability, success, multitasking, stoicism, management, harmony, strategic thinking, customer service, loyalty, moderation, emotional intelligence, virtue signaling, side hustle, bootstrapping, the power of chosen family, and dozens of other topics. Many are timely. All are evergreen.

The book includes dozens of questions for discussion and further thought. In a final exam, he asks readers to conduct a sports-style draft of characters from the movie — and other Scorsese classics.

As far back as he can remember, Ferris liked movies. Long before he wrote a master’s thesis about Quentin Tarantino, HBO and the silver screen kept the Pittsburgh native going through torturous stints in Catholic school, undergraduate college, and 9-to-5 suit life. As a struggling salesman, Ferris discovered motivational literature. It helped him reboot his life and emerge as an award-winning writer, experienced teacher, and organizational leader. 

Through it all, Ferris held Goodfellas near and dear, always appreciating it from fresh angles, whether he was writing or bartending.

“Henry Hill is an achiever,” says Ferris. “He has goals. He accomplishes them. Yes, he’s in a destructive business, and it ends badly. But we can learn a lot from his successes and failures, whether you’re a disruptive entrepreneur or aspiring artist.”

To Ferris, it’s all the same: “I’m interested in what I call the dynamics of success: they’re universal cycles and challenges we meet in any kind of process that involves building, resistance, and growth. Maybe you’re recording a thrash-metal classic with world-class partners. Maybe you’re bootstrapping your own startup into existence. Maybe you’re a blocked writer, and you’re trying to break out of it — I know how that goes. People in all those situations wrestle with the same question: ‘How do I make something difficult happen?’ Goodfellas has answers.”

Ferris is happy to talk about any of those topics via email, Skype, or whatever you’ve got. Like Paulie Sicero, he hates phones — but he’ll gladly use one for you. He is a frequent podcast guest. As a guest blogger, ghost writer, and speaking coach, he views everything as issues of leadership and communication. He’s downright evangelical about independent media. Twitter was his favorite online outlet, back when social media was enjoyable.

“Good Advice From Goodfellas.” By D.X. Ferris. From 6623 Press. 

ISBN-10: 099759795X

Paperback: 320 pages, 8.5 x 5.5”, $14.99.

145 chapters, 34,000 words. 60 endnotes. Index.

Kindle eBook $4.99 for a limited time. Available at Amazon.

Awesome cover art by Nicholas Higgins. 

www.GoodAdviceFromGoodfellas.com

@GoodAdviceFromGoodfellas

@GoodfellasBook

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METAL DAD CHRISTMAS: THE BOOK

—> GET IT HERE <—

“CHRISTMAS SEVENFOLD:  SUBURBAN METAL DAD, COMPENDIUM TWO”

A PAPERBACK / EBOOK COMPILATION FROM THE LONGRUNNING COMIC STRIP “SUBURBAN METAL DAD.”

This new book collects seven years of Christmas and holiday comic strips by D.X. Ferris, a Pittsburgh native, longtime Akron resident, award-winning writer, former headbanger kid, and current heavy metal dad.

“It understands Christmas and all of its quirks, all of the absurdities of the holidays in cleverly subversive, entertaining and honest ways. I laughed out loud. It already owns a piece of Christmas culture, one I’ve not seen filled yet.” 

— Jeff Fox, NameThatChristmasSpecial.com

“If you took Christmas Vacation, added Beavis and Butt-head, mixed in a little Metalocalypse, and stirred the whole thing up with some leftover fireworks, you might get a comic as funny and irreverent as Metal Dad.”

— Joanna Wilson, author of The Christmas TV Companion and Tis the Season TV

“F*KIN’. SH*T. SUNUVAB*TCH. CHRISTMAS LIGHTS!”

Fans of the longrunning comic strip Suburban Metal Dad know what that string of loud profanity means: It’s the most wonderful time of the year, Christmas. 

This season, that means Larry the Christmas Weirdo. Fireworks. The Horned God. Gatherings. Medicinal booze. Theater farts. Xmas aggravation. Christmas crap. Tender moments with the nuclear family. And the true meaning of Christmas. (Spoiler: The true meaning of Christmas is HOW THE GODS KILL.) 

You can read seven years of Metal Dad’s increasingly elaborate and oddly poignant Xmas & holiday strips in the new compilation Christmas Sevenfold: Suburban Metal Dad, Compendium Two.

Author and (inept) artist D.X. Ferris launched the Rated-M-for-[im]Mature Metal Dad in 2010. It kicked it off with his first semi-daily annual Xmas extravaganza. Almost every year since, he has ended the year in grand fashion, stepping up the presentation & frequency of his minimalist comic. Metal Dad runs every Monday & Friday at Popdose.

“I’m closer to 50 than 40 now,” says Ferris. “And I’ve liked mostly the same things since I was a kid: comics, metal, and Christmas. Family is a recent addition, but a welcome one. And the holidays are a rare time when it all comes together. It’s a special time of year, when the routine changes and everything looks better & brighter. As a parent, if you’re doing it right, it means you’re busy and you shoulder some extra aggravation so everybody else can have fun.”

The strip’s recurring themes are family life, holidays, and workplace organizational communication. It’s not a personal webcomic. Like Christmas itself, the strip gives Ferris a chance to present the world at an elemental level. After years as a music journalist, he decided criticism was a sneaky & devious enterprise. He decided he’d rather make his own stuff.

“Thirty-plus years of listening to punk has taught me this,” says Ferris. “You don’t have to be Eddie Van Halen if you want to play guitar. Me, I like comics.”

The 8.5 x 11” paperback Christmas Sevenfold: Suburban Metal Dad, Compendium Two features 180 comic strips, new graphics based on classic metal images, a series of frequently asked questions, a foreword, and a true-life Metal Dad essay about why a guy who wrote two books about Slayer digs Xmas so much.

Ferris is a third-degree black belt, motivational writer, teacher, and award-winning journalist who runs a side trade in goofy crap. He has written for Alternative Press, Rolling Stone, and Decibel. He collaborated with one of his favorite bands for the 2018 coffee table book The Story of Donnie Iris and the Cruisers. The new book Good Advice From Goodfellas collects positive life lessons from the classic mob movie. November 2018 also saw the release of an updated version of his popular band biography, Slayer 66 2/3: The Jeff & Dave Years. His first book was part of the 33 1/3 series.

Paperback $9.99 • 180 pages • 8.5 x 11” • Black & white interior • Color Kindle ebook $2.99

180 comic strips, 1 foreword, 1 essay • ISBN-10: 0997597968 • Humor / Form / Comic Strips & Cartoons

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NEW & IMPROVED SLAYER BOOK: IT’S BACK... AND BLACK

Our Slayer biography is back — new, improved, bigger, and badder than ever. The band announced its retirement last year, necessitating the POST-REPENTLESS REMASTERED EDITION. This overall-overhauled edition features six new chapters, 24 new pages, and a visual revamp inside & out. 

The new chapters include...

- a show report from the Repentless tour, the band’s so-called “final world tour.”

- a book report about Tom’s sister’s book detailing the Araya family’s epic journey from Chile to Los Angeles

- details about the Repentless era

- results from The Slaytanic Survey, a poll of fans about their favorite songs and albums. You’ve had 340 pages of my opinion (and others)... but what do the FANS think?

This expanded version is still a mere $16.66 paperback, $6.66 ebook. If you bought the ebook from Amazon, you can download the new version FREE. Because we love you.

Slayer 66 & 2/3: The Jeff & Dave Years... A Metal Biography. Post-Repentless Remastered Edition. It’s back... AND BLACK!

Features a new, final, fresh proofread & typo sweep. We heard you. We fixed it. YOU try it, smartass.

GET IT HERE: WWW.SLAYERBIO.COM.

[6623press]

New Music Book by Slayer Guy

Hey, all. We didn’t publish this one. But Ferris, the man who brought you Metal Dad and Slayer: The Jeff & Dave Years has a new music book. It’s a monster: 466 coffee-table-sized pages, 220,000 words, 75 chapters, full index, 105 photos. It’s everything you ever wanted to know about Donnie Iris, the classic rock/power pop king of Pittsburgh, PA.

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Podcast Thrashin’ Mad: Talkin’ Metal With...

PODCASTIN' THRASHIN' MAD!

Podcast The Great Albums talks about — wait for it! — great albums. The welcomed Ferris to talk about his life in metal, Slayer, thrash, and more... PLUS a track-by-track breakdown of Reign in Blood. This a long one:

http://www.thegreatalbums.com/podcast-episodes/dx-ferris-slayer

If you like that kind of thing, check out the episode about Metallica’s Master of Puppets with Doug Robertson (@TheWeirdTeacher). Many of correct opinions from smart people:

http://www.thegreatalbums.com/podcast-episodes/the-weird-teacher-metallica