Interview With Author Andrew Judge

 

 

 

1. What inspired you to write this book? I have always had a desire to understand what happens behind the scenes with football (Soccer) and the NFL and bringing these stories and the impact the people who work for these sports institutions do on a daily basis to life through the book for the regular football fan. Learning that people take annual holidays to follow their sports teams on transfer deadline day, I wanted to highlight to them how footballs eco system works and inside the war rooms when these decisions are made, the data and scouting to shortlist these players, but also the medical teams who race against time to get these deals done. 

 

2. What exactly is it about and who is it written for? For many years, the football transfer window has been a dominant topic in news columns, with fans increasingly glued to social media for updates on their clubs. The Boot Room delves into the intricacies of the transfer window, tracing its evolution from its inception to its current form, shaped by data-led scouting. The book also examines the impact of data-led scouting on Youth Academies, featuring insights from one of England's highly regarded Youth Coaches. In an era of growing fake news in football, Judge explores the challenges fans face in distinguishing fact from fiction in transfer news, which captivates the football world for a few months each year. Ultimately, the book is written to provide something for everyone, it delves into football finance in a way fans can understand it, case studies for students in academia, but also for people/podcasters who want to understand, why do players get transferred for millions, and are paid thousands of pounds a week. I wanted to write the book in a subtle way, that made it easy to read and understand, but not lose the legal and financial terms.

 

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book? A greater understanding of how football finance and the transfer market works. Currently in football, there is a lot of discussion and false narrative around Profit and Sustainability rules which I discuss and breakdown for the reader. I would love if the reader could can come away with the discussion points and be able to feel comfortable to discuss it with their friends and not feel that finance is changing their game and help them understand it. 

 

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? The cover design is based on the colors synonymous with footballs transfer window. (Yellow and black) I also wanted to show a footballer in the middle of the book between the blurred line. A symbol of how delicate their career and the transfer window are entwined. The yellow symbolling the potential money an athlete can make, and the black for the dark side, the potential risks of football finance can have on an athlete with the misguidance from agents, clubs and difficult choices. 

 

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!? Go for it! It can be a very nervous process and one that has been echoed to me with my book and screenplays. But writers should dive in. Learn by writing and create your own opportunity. You will meet people and opportunities on the way and this will open doors to the next stage of the process. There are publishers who will say no to your book, or producers to your screenplays. But there is always one out there looking for you. The importance is to keep enjoying it, writing should feel like a hobby and an escape, it can be nervous when people begin to read your book, but when people reach out to you to discuss your book, or the impact it has had on them as they are reading it, is a great feeling and makes you wish you had started sooner. 

 

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? I think less chances, like in the film industry are being taken. It is difficult to market books and films now. Most of the marketing is done via influencers and online advertisement. The challenge is always, you have a great product, but with books and screenplays, people and producers tend to navigate towards writers/screenwriters who have agents and or have been published. One piece of advice would be to build your own brand on social media as you work on your products, this will help build up a following and discuss with other authors the process of being published. When writing a book, story or screenplay, focus on why people will buy your book what is the draw to your book vs. someone else's. In The Boot Room, I interview leading Football experts, Football Directors to give people the inside-view many fans are not privy to, this gives them a unique view on the world of football/soccer they crave to know, but currently do not have access to. This gives the book its unique selling point. 

 

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? The persistence I have developed through an early sporting career. The background in football is a hobby of mine and I was very fortunate in a number of people were willing to be interviewed for this book and hopefully my next one on the NFL. Writing this one without an agent meant, I had a number of hats on during the process of writing, requesting interviews and the production of the book, but I believed in the project and this persistence as well as a willingness to work with people on their projects led to a number of doors opening to allow this book to be published. 

 

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to? I try to adapt my writing style to my audience, in The Boot Room, I wanted fans and readers to understand the legal and financial framework, so I have tailored the writing and case studies to be easy to read with examples and diagrams. But also kept in the legal terms so students could use the book as a marker for their case studies and essays should they need to. I have always tried to be adaptable, to keep the opportunities and doors open to my projects. For example, the NFL draft book is tailored towards NFL fans, but the children's book is written in a rhyming style for the correct age group. Then the screenplays I have written, change their prose, whether it be a comedy, an action adventure, or a horror flick. It is about knowing your audience and what will grip them and keep them reading ensuring the book is a page turner. 

 

9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book? Not having an agent during the process and now has been the biggest challenge. Most producers and publishers will only accept manuscripts from authors who have one. But as I discussed earlier, there are publishers and competitions writers can use for feedback and new avenues. Some distributors such as Amazon will also help you self-publish if you feel this is beneficial to you as a writer. But if you persist and believe in yourself and the book, you will create the door opening opportunity. 

 

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours?

I believe the behind-the-scenes stories and real-life interviews I have captured within The Boot Room give it a unique feel for what it is like within the football world we do not tangibly see on the field if you watch a game of football. It is this uniqueness that has had a number of people who do not follow football, but have purchased the book, reach out to me and explain why they enjoyed reading it. They were unaware these things happened behind the board room doors. Football is more than just twenty-two players kicking a ball around the pitch and this new angle into football, its finances and the transfer window, will make all readers change their view on the game, think differently, but also possibly see football in a new light. It will answer questions around, why do footballers get paid so much? Is Financial Fair Play Fair? Why are only a few teams able to win trophies every year? It also has a chapter dedicated to growing and improving the Women's game. How can we do better? What are the challenges they face? But also, how can we ensure we close the gaps between the men and women's game from grassroots level to the professional game? The time to stop putting it to one side and acting upon the inequality is now!

 

About The Author: Andrew Judge is an author and screenwriter from Liverpool who studied Business Management and Entrepreneurship at Liverpool John Moores University whose interest in data and finance has led him to research into football finance and the American Football scouting ecosystem. Andrew has written a number of screenplays, is drafting his next book on the NFL draft, alongside two children's books and currently balances his passion of writing whilst being a civil servant.). Please see: X Andy Judge (@AndyJudge) / X (twitter.com) or Linkedin (24) Andrew Judge | LinkedIn)

 

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Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.9 million pageviews. With 4,900+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.