Hugh Howey
Bestselling author of Wool and other books. Currently sailing around the world.
Five years ago, I made the novelette WOOL available for free. Permanently. This is the short story that launched my career as a writer, and I wanted to make it available to as many readers as possible. When I discount my books, or make them free, I think about conversations I’ve had with authors about how we value our works. What I think is just as important as the value we place on our art is the value we place on its enjoyment. Not everyone can afford to sate their…
People rarely sit on fences anymore. No, I’m not talking about the literal kind, though there does seem to be less of that going around as well. My father grew up on a farm, and I imagine in his day they sat on fences a lot and picked their teeth with shoots of hay. They likely spoke their opinions and hemmed and hawed about the state of the world, and some of these fence-sitters probably went back and forth on an issue or two, unable to make up their mind.…
A Facebook friend suggested I start an IAmA/AMA thread on Reddit. I had no idea what this was, but it turns out to be a pretty cool little feature. Anyone can post who or what they are (IAmA fireman/doctor/astronaut), and the AMA stands for: “Ask me Anything.” So I created one about being a self-published author who was actually making a living off his works. And people are already asking me questions! It’s a lot like the interactions we have here on my site, but with random passerbys instead of people…
I think I’m going to have to publish I, ZOMBIE under a different name. This foulness is going to make it impossible to ever run for office. I seriously doubt my wife is going to help me edit this one. I can already hear the conversation: Her: “What is the point of all this?” Me: *shrugs* Her: “That’s what I thought.”
Thanks to the success of Wool (which I owe to you, my avid fans, who infect others with your good taste in literature) I have been approached by the sort of people that I used to beg for and now rarely think about. Film and TV studios have made serious inquiries, and a handful of agents have written with offers of representation. As many of you know, I finally was wooed by the enthusiasm and reputation of one of these fine agents. She has been awesome to deal with, even…