Raymond Goode is a self-made author.

The 37-year-old Chesterfield County resident broke from the traditional publishing scene. He writes, then self-publishes and markets his books, selling them on street corners and in barber and beauty shops.

Now, he has taken his work to the next level by turning his first book, “Through Their Eyes,” into a play. The event also will feature a hip-hop dance production from Anoshi Entertainment and paintings based on his play, he added.

He’ll present the play 8 p.m. Saturday, July 25, at the Henrico Theatre, 305 E. Nine Mile Road in Highland Springs. Tickets are $10.

His play is drawn from the monologues he created for his book after asking 50 people a series of questions and then coming up with a story about how each person might propose marriage or be proposed to.

The play draws on six of the monologues, he said. He won’t be in the show, but will be directing the 16-member cast.

A big man with a round face and a willingness to talk up his books to anyone he meets, Mr. Goode estimates he has sold about 15,000 copies of his four books in the past five years. “It’s how I make my living,” he said.

The Meadowbrook High School graduate found an oddball route to making a living writing, as described in his second book, “Road to Oprah.”

Five years ago, the former youth counselor quit his Richmond job, gathered his savings and took off for Chicago on a mission to get on “Oprah,” Oprah Winfrey’s long-running, but now canceled afternoon talk show.

Along the way, the engine blew on his car and he spent time in a hospital after stepping on a nail. When he finally reached Chicago, he had so little money that he lived mainly on bread and cheese in an unheated unit in a self-storage building. His new “home” was a five-minute walk from Harpo Studios, where “Oprah” was produced.

For three months, he stood outside the studios 12 hours a day with a sign calling for recognition.

He said he met a lot of people, although he never got to see Oprah, who apparently was unaware of his persistent presence. Even so, he said, “I had a blast.”

His friends and family thought he was a bit nuts to go on such a quixotic adventure, he said. Some still question his decision to make his living writing and selling his books.

But he said he’s happy.

“This is life,” he said. “You’re supposed to enjoy yourself. And I am. I’m doing it my way.”