Luddites, Rejoice!

In March, Simon and Schuster is releasing a print edition of WOOL here in the United States, and I couldn’t be more excited. This deal is all about the new publishing paradigm. There are no clauses limiting what I can write and how quickly I can release. I keep control over the ebooks, which means the prices will stay where they are. And nobody will have to suffer my horrible pagination skills any longer. You’ll finally get a print edition with the utmost in quality and design.

And it gets better. Simon and Schuster is planning a simultaneous paperback and hardback release. This is something I begged for as a bookseller and more recently as a writer. Bookstores will get the paperback, which means WOOL will be affordable. Libraries (and those of us who prefer them) can order a hardback. It’s the best of all possible worlds. Affordable e-books published swiftly, paperbacks where anyone can find them, hardbacks for the libraries.

Throughout this process, I’ve tried to make decisions based on what readers and other authors deserve. My agent and I walked away from round after round of strengthening deals. Last month, we declined two separate 7-figure offers. What we wanted from the beginning was a contract that seemed fair. Simon and Schuster has earned my eternal respect and gratitude for coming through. I couldn’t be prouder to be one of their authors. I just hope this book lives up to their prestigious reputation.

27 responses to “Luddites, Rejoice!”

  1. Louise van Hine Avatar
    Louise van Hine

    wow, Hugh, very good news, you must be incredibly pleased. You are now officially a mainstream author! Just wait till the movie comes out!

    Reply
  2. Brandon Avatar
    Brandon

    Congrats!! Where we going to celebrate?

    Reply
    1. Hugh C. Howey Avatar
      Hugh C. Howey

      In my back yard!

      Reply
      1. Will Wilson Avatar
        Will Wilson

        Careful…you might not have enough room ;)

        Reply
  3. Kerry Avatar
    Kerry

    Congratulations! This is awesome news. Thank you for fighting the good fight. Well done, sir.

    Reply
  4. Natasha Avatar
    Natasha

    Finally! i’ll be first in line for the hard copy! Congrats! Don’t forget Canada ;)

    Reply
  5. Cara R Avatar
    Cara R

    Looking forward to seeing it in the bookstores, and next time I want to get a hardcopy for someone as a gift I won’t have to order it online!

    Plus, I think I may need to get myself a hard copy :). As much as I’m starting to like this newfangled e-reader thing (which goes down with digital SLR cameras–I used to swear digital would never match or be as worthy as film– as something I once scoffed at and now can’t live without), I still like holding a physical book.

    Reply
  6. Zach Avatar
    Zach

    So the paperbacks will remain the same and a hardcover edition will be introduced as well? Do you still have control over the cover art?

    Very exciting! Congrats! Can’t wait for the be-all-end-all hardback limited edition that includes everything (Wool/Shift/Dust) – I may be dreaming here :-)

    Reply
  7. Amanda W Avatar
    Amanda W

    Congrats, Hugh!

    Major kudos on sticking to your ideals.

    Reply
  8. RrustyDawg Avatar
    RrustyDawg

    “What we wanted from the beginning was a contract that seemed fair.”
    … Say that to one of my kids and you’ll get the immediate response of “The fair’s in August.” ;-)

    I admire you sticking to your principles when the major $$$ offers arrived. In this copy-cat world, when (not “if) this publishing model succeeds for S & S, many more will follow.

    Reply
  9. James R Avatar
    James R

    Hey Hugh! Congratulations on the dual release and publishing news! I was recently looking for an immersive alternate-world fix and stumbled across WOOL Omnibus on the iTunes store. My addiction in fictional literature started upon reading the Dune saga by Frank Herbert, then it continued to all of the Hyperion books as well as Olympus and Ilium. I had taken a break from reading as I was trying to find someone else to toss me into a new world when I found WOOL. It captured me from the first phrases and I’m in love with the world you have created. I’m downloading First Shift now and can’t wait for the rest of the books! In my opinion, sci-fi needs a new genre and world builders like you should lead the charge!

    Reply
  10. Michael Flanagan Avatar
    Michael Flanagan

    Congratulations Hugh! What a great Xmas present you deserve this and more in my opinion. The contract shows that you are above all a Author who sticks by his principles.
    I look forward to seeing what 2103 bring for you.

    Reply
  11. Sheila C Avatar
    Sheila C

    Hardcovers, YAY! Will we be seeing a new and exciting cover, or will it stay the same?

    Congrats Hugh. you deserve this!

    Reply
  12. Lyn Perry Avatar
    Lyn Perry

    Sweet.

    Reply
  13. tmso Avatar
    tmso

    Woohoo! :D

    Reply
  14. Joe Avatar
    Joe

    Woo hoo! Ordered!

    Reply
  15. Jacqui Avatar
    Jacqui

    Congratulations. A great deal for you. I read an article about this deal and it quoted another website saying WOOL was like a “sci-fi 50 shades of grey”! And I’m thinking …. except for Wool actually being an original story, well written and edited with complex characters. Let’s hope that’s not going to become your tagline.

    Reply
  16. Eric Horowitz Avatar
    Eric Horowitz

    Congrats Hugh!

    Now I can easily get copies of the book for my friends for birthdays.

    Reply
  17. sonate10 Avatar
    sonate10

    Awsome! But for meg who lives in Europe (not UK) is better with the ebook – it comes to me the same moment I’m oredering it. And I don’t read paper books. I prefer iPad – then I can look in every your book any moment I like. I ha e them ALL in my iPad.

    Reply
  18. Coco Avatar
    Coco

    *HIGH FIVE*

    Reply
  19. Josh Avatar
    Josh

    Your face is a perpetual smile. Good fortune tends to do that. Congrats man.

    Reply
  20. Shirley Avatar
    Shirley

    Good things come to good people who follow their heart down the right path. Congratulations!

    (Now if we can get Wool voted into World Book Night next year, that would be awesome!)

    Reply
  21. lolladoll Avatar
    lolladoll

    Congratulations, Hugh! I am very proud of your power of choice for your creative freedom and respect for the readers. You’re amazing! You deserve all this and much more.

    Reply
  22. Lindsay Bacon Avatar
    Lindsay Bacon

    Can’t wait to get a hard cover and I would love to get it signed. Any chance you could put San Diego on your list of stops? We’re a beautiful city and well worth the trip. I could even manage a drive to Los Angeles if your can’t get too far south.

    Reply
  23. Olga Werby Avatar
    Olga Werby

    Congratulations! This couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy or a better story. I love Wool! I hope you can figure out a way to make to San Francisco — Green Apple Books is a good, independent book store that would be a perfect venue… And you always have a place to stay ;-)

    Reply
  24. HB Avatar
    HB

    Congratulations on the deal! I heard good things about your book and as a librarian, I will be buying it for my library.

    I did want to point out something you wrote, though:

    “It’s the best of all possible worlds. Affordable e-books published swiftly, paperbacks where anyone can find them, hardbacks for the libraries.”

    Though we do love hardbacks, libraries are also getting heavily into the eBook world – that’s where many of the people we serve want to be, after all. Our patrons love eBooks and in my state, the eBook lending service is very popular. Yet we have trouble lending certain eBooks because some publishers charge exorbitant prices (sometimes $80+) or won’t even make them available to us. S&S is one of these publishers. So it’s *almost* the best of all possible worlds… but unfortunately, my patrons who want to read your work as an eBook but can’t or don’t want to purchase it themselves won’t be able to get it through my library.

    Reply
  25. Why I chose to self-publish | Kamal Kamyab

    […] consumers, they are gripping even tighter onto what they control rather than exploiting it (cf. Simon & Schuster’s print-only deal with Hugh Howey). The irony is that they all unwittingly accelerated the dominant growth of Amazon by failing to […]

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