Tim Misny Makes Them Pay — And Makes You Read His New Book

The most iconic billboard figure in Cleveland now shares his story. The Misny Method, arriving on Friday, dives into the personal injury lawyer's humble Northeast Ohio upbringing, education journey and rise to regional fame.

Co-written with author and entrepreneur Jim Kukral, The Misny Method establishes the lawyer’s eyebrow-raising billboards and tagline of “I’ll Make Them Pay!” as just two elements of his professional success.

“I said, ‘Boy, there’s so much more to Tim Misny than a billboard,’” Kukral says. “When you meet him in person, you understand, when you hear the stories. And I walked out of Misnyland with a mission, saying, ‘This has to be transferred into a book.’”

Kukral and Misny first connected when Kukral invited Misny to speak at a local business event. Misny, who frequently speaks at schools and professional events in town, was immediately drawn to the idea of sharing his stories in book form. (The book also serves as the basic outline of The Misny Movie, a documentary that Misny says he hopes to release by the end of the year.)

“When I spoke at (Kukral's) conference, I grabbed the mic and I looked at the audience, and I said, ‘I could easily be standing here today in front of you all as the biggest loser, the worst marketeer, in the history of Ohio. That's if we were only talking about my failures,’” Misny says. “Luckily, I did some things right.”

RELATED: Cleveland Personal Injury Lawyer Tim Misny Is Taking Billboard Fame to the Big Screen

In the 299 pages of The Misny Method, Kukral and Misny take turns writing excerpts. Misny’s autobiographical sections describe early cases, the debt-ridden process of starting of his law practice, and interactions with fans across town. Notably, he shares the reason behind his passion for defending personal injury cases, which stems back to the loss of his grandfather.

The back story was that my grandfather came to Cleveland from Croatia as an immigrant, as did his wife, Veronica, Misny writes. He was a welder working on Tower City Center. He kissed Veronica goodbye one morning, kissed the three kids goodbye, one being my mom. He went to work. The scaffolding he was working on collapsed. He fell to his death. All she got was his last paycheck.

Meanwhile, Kukral's excerpts feature interviews with Misny’s inner circle of professional connections, along with local celebrities like Mike Polk, Jr., John Skrtic and Lil' John Rinaldi. Much of Kukral's writing analyzes Misny’s techniques of repetition, consistent marketing and personality — all tools to find success in any profession.

The book spans the origin stories of Misny’s billboards and the “I’ll Make Them Pay” tagline, too. It documents early photo and commercial shoots that created Misny’s iconic pose, which have been used for decades.

“There are some messages here that really apply to anyone, regardless of your social economic strata, or your age, or your ethnicity, or your occupation,” Misny says. “The lessons contained here can inspire people.”

Misny and Kukral celebrate The Misny Method’s release with several book signings at area Barnes & Noble stores on Friday, followed by signings at John Carroll University and Cleveland State University’s John Marshall Law School (Misny’s two alma maters) this fall.

And, of course, it wouldn’t be a Misny event without a custom billboard. Look out for custom “I’ll Make You Read” billboards around town showcasing the book. (Get a glimpse of the new design below.)

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