Belgreen alumnus thriving as book cover model, content creator
When Andrew Flanagan graduated from Belgreen High School in 2005, he never could have imagined where his career path would lead him.
21 years later, Flanagan’s social media accounts collectively have more than three million followers and he’s one of the most popular cover models in the romance novel literary genre.
His calendar is full of book signings and events where fans flock not only to meet the authors, but the cover model as well.
Alabama author B.R. Curry has used Flanagan’s photos for several of her romance novels. She and Flanagan will host a book signing in Russellville on Saturday, March 21st, from 6-8 p.m., at the Russellville Public Library. You can preregister for this free event by calling 256-332-1535.
Flanagan will travel to book signings, festivals and conferences later this year in Washington, Ohio, Florida, Georgia and several in Alabama. The March 21st event will be Flanagan’s first in his native Franklin County.
He’s also scheduled for multiple photo shoots for upcoming projects and he’s collaborated with Nine Line, a veteran-owned Georgia company, to market their apparel line.
Flanagan’s photos appear on 27 books that have already been released or are pre-ordered. He’s sold nearly 100 photos and still has authors contacting him regularly about future projects.
Life has taken him in a direction he never anticipated, and nearly ignored.
After graduation, Flanagan worked as a welder for 14 years before his life would pivot in a very unexpected direction starting in 2019.
Always someone who enjoys making other people laugh, Flanagan began posting on TikTok, a social media platform where users post short videos. TikTok has more than 1.5 billion active users each month across the globe.
As his popularity on TikTok grew, Flanagan realized he was on to something beyond just posting a few funny videos for family and friends.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States in 2020, Flanagan’s social media following swelled as viewers loved his videos, many of which saw Flanagan sipping coffee from a silly straw straight out of the pot sharing his thoughts on life.
Some of those thoughts are reflective of Flanagan’s own life experiences, the highs and the lows, both of which he talks about. His sense of humor shines through in many of his videos, while his inspirational videos have helped other people get through struggles in their lives.
The single father also saw how much his subscribers enjoyed the videos he made with his young son, so he added some of those to his TikTok page.
Flanagan’s TikTok account amassed more than 1.7 million followers. With that much exposure to that many people on social media, Flanagan had to learn to deal with scammers coming out of the shadows. On the internet, caution is required at every step. He’s dealt with stalkers and has been ambushed at public events, as some fans find it difficult to separate his photo from what’s inside the book it adorns.
“I still try and have a private life for my son and me. I love doing this stuff, but sometimes it’s a little scary when someone gets obsessive,” Flanagan said.
So about a year into his newfound social media fame, Flanagan received a message from an author who was interested in using him as a cover model for an upcoming book. He wrote it off as a scam and never followed up with the author.
“I thought this has to be a scam. After all, who gets randomly recruited to be on a book cover?,” Flanagan said. “So I just ignored it.
“About three months later, two more authors (Crystal Daniels and Sandy Alvarez) reached out to me. This time, I said ‘what the heck’ and I talked to them. They introduced me to a photographer in Athens (Alabama) and I went for my first photo shoot. Those two authors put me on a book cover in 2021 and it just went from there,” he added.
Flanagan said goodbye to his welding career as he launched into social media full-time. With modeling, doing photo shoots for book covers and his obligations with Nine Line, Flanagan’s life as a social media influencer is busy, but never to the detriment of his relationship with his son.
“He’s always the center of my universe. I’m 100% dad all the time. He goes with me to some of these events and any time I can include him, he’s with me,” Flanagan said. “He and I did a photo shoot together recently and there’s already been some interest from authors in those photos.”
Five years after his first photo shoot, Flanagan still finds it hard to believe where his life has taken him and that some folks see him as a celebrity.
“It still seems surreal sometimes. A lot of these authors use me to try and push their sales. I’ll post their socials and where to buy their books. When I’m at these events, it’s funny to realize people have traveled from far away not just to meet the author, but to meet me,” Flanagan said. “It’s odd to me because I don’t feel like anyone special. When they want an autograph or to take a picture, it makes me happy connecting with people in a positive way.”
Once an author purchases one of Flanagan’s photos, he doesn’t find out about the character he’s portraying until the book is released for sale. His photos have been used on the covers of novels with stories ranging from comical to downright steamy. After all, it is the romance genre…
“I enjoy it but it’s a little hard to read books with me on the cover. There can be some very spicy content and that’s awkward but I appreciate every author that uses me on their books,” Flanagan said.
Flanagan has also learned to market himself. In addition to Nine Line, he has an endorsement deal with XERO PICKS, to promote their flavored toothpicks.
With a XERO PICKS toothpick in his mouth most of the time, Flanagan has incorporated his ‘Toothpick Dad’ moniker into his social media accounts.
So it’s no surprise that Flanagan has an extensive merchandise line for sale. From shirts, hats and socks to backpacks, aprons and coffee mugs, Flanagan offers a full line of products that include some of his favorite sayings, including the one most important to him, “You’re not broken—you’re just broken in.”
Flanagan’s 2021 video where he first shared that message served as a much-needed reminder that hard times in life don’t diminish your value—they add to your strength. It’s the video he receives the most feedback about from fans.
“The amount of people who say that video saved their life, well that makes me know I’m doing something right,” Flanagan said. “All this has enabled me to do some charity work with the American Heart Association, promoting childhood cancer awareness and other causes.
“And if I can help someone’s life in a positive way, that means more to me than these book covers ever will,” he added.
After multiple requests, Flanagan set up a Cameo account. Cameo is a site where you can purchase a personalized message to be recorded by an actor, athlete, reality television star, comedian or social media content creator. From Jamie Farr (Klinger on MASH) to Honey Boo Boo, there are thousands of celebrities to choose from, including Flanagan, whose Cameo videos start at $20.
On TikTok, Flanagan’s deep thoughts range from inspirational to reflective to well, downright silly. A few examples:
“Box of chocolates: $20. Flowers: $80. Dinner and a movie: $140. Keeping your $240 on Valentine’s Day because you’re single: Priceless.”
“The snow and ice advisory is so bad that People of Walmart are suggesting you wear TWO sets of pajamas to come shopping.”
Flanagan and his son moved to the Shoals area several years ago.
His life seems a world away from his grandparents’ cattle farm in Gravel Hill where he was raised.
“It took 30 minutes to drive to a grocery,” Flanagan said. “I do miss the country life, but I moved this way for my little one to have the best education possible.”
You can learn more about Flanagan, his upcoming event schedule, merchandise sales and more by visiting www.theandrewflanagan.com.
His TikTok account is @andrewflanagan13. You’ll find him on Instagram with the account name @toothpick_af and on Facebook by searching @andrew.flanagan.92.