Michael J. Sullivan's Blog, page 62

Can't believe I missed this anniversary!!

Back in the day, I was tracking my word count as I started my new series, The First Empire. According to the first date recorded there I was 4,200 words into the first book on 2/17/2013...so two years at it as of a few days ago.   I had to take some time off to so some edit work for The Rose and the Thorn and for Hollow World, plus there was some time off for a few conventions...but it's hard to believe that I'm still working on this project.  I'm sure a big part of that is it was originally slated for a trilogy - and then grew into four then later five books.  But I'm loving the new world and the new characters.  Beta feedback has been very helpful and very positive.

I'm about 1/10th through book #5 and Scrivener is tracking my word count to finish on time - and the numbers are going down each day not up, so that is a good thing.  Shouldn't be too much longer now!

Two more weeks for Hollow World Giveaway.

There's just two more weeks left for the Hollow World Goodreads Giveaway . This particular giveaway is open to people in the US, Canada, and United Kingdom.

Because there are some parts of the world who aren't eligible, I'm opening up a second giveaway for people of all countries. What's more, if you are not from those three countries, I'll double your chances to win (to help compensate for the giveaway you can't enter in. Here's a link to the new giveaway . Like the Hollow World Goodreads Giveaway, I'll be selecting two lucky winners.

For those not familiar with this book...here is a bit of information to help you decide if it might be for you:

THE FUTURE IS COMING...FOR SOME, SOONER THAN OTHERS.Ellis Rogers is an ordinary man who is about to embark on an extraordinary journey. All his life he has played it safe and done the right thing but when diagnosed with a terminal illness he’s willing to take an insane gamble. He’s built a time machine in his garage, and if it works, he’ll face a world that challenges his understanding of what it means to be human, what it takes to love, and the cost of paradise. He could find more than a cure for his illness; he might find what everyone has been searching for since time began…but only if he can survive Hollow World. Welcome to the future and a new sci-fantasy thriller from the bestselling author of The Riyria Revelations.
REVIEWS “This is a clever and thought-provoking story, with loads of interesting ideas, some adrenalin-pumping action and plenty of humour...overall an entertaining read with Pax being one of my favourite characters of the year.” — Pauline M. Ross, Fantasy Review Barn 
"This is social science fiction that H.G. Wells or Isaac Asimov could have written, with the cultural touchstones of today. A modernized classic, Hollow World is the perfect novel for both new and nostalgic science fiction readers.” — Justin Landon, Staffer's Book Reviews 
“Michael J. Sullivan has made a name for himself with his excellent series of fantasy novels and Hollow World proves he can deftly tackle science fiction just as skillfully. The ideas are big and the future plausible, this is one of those rare gems you'll be thinking about long after you put it down.” — Bryce Lee, Only the Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 
 BEST OF & MOST ANTICIPATED LISTS 2014 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee2014 Barnes and Noble Top Fantasy and Science Fiction Picks for AprilOnly the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Top 7 books of 2014The Qwillery's Brannigan Cheney’s Top 3 books of 2014The Fictional Hangout’s 2014 Best Books of the YearThe Book Probe's 2014 Most Anticipating Sci-Fi NovelsRanting Dragon’s Ten Fantasy and Science-Fiction Novels worth reading in April 2014The Bibliosanctum's Top 10 Reads of 2013Indie Fantasy’s Best Book List for 2014Fantasy Review Barn's Barney Award for outstanding reads of 2013Ranting Dragon's 30 Most Anticipated Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels for 2014
Thanks to everyone reviewers and readers a like that have loved Hollow World. This was a book very near and dear to my heart, and I'm pleased to offer this giveaway in celebration of all the great year-end recognition it has received.  Good luck on the drawing!

More Hadrian and Royce for Polish Readers

I'm pleased to announce I've signed some contracts to bring the Riyria Chronicle stories to Poland so more Royce and Hadrian for that part of the world.  Getting a foreign language publisher interested in more books from an author is directly related to popularity - or in other words, people buying a lot of the previous books - so thanks so much to all the people who purchased copies of The Riyria Revelations in this part of the world. I don't know when the books will be released yet but it's good to know they are coming.

Hmmm....that looks familiar

Ran across this the other day, I couldn't help but thinking I've seen something like it somewhere before...


Then it occurred to me. Oh, yeah.  This is where ;-)

Just thought that was interesting.  The "double crossed" swords symbol also looked remarkably similar to the icon used for Theft of Swords. 

Hollow World makes a Top 3 of 2014 List

Hollow World makes yet another "Best of" list. This time it's from Brannigan at The Qwillery .


The breakdown went like this:Best Science Fiction - Hollow World by Michael J. SullivanBest Fantasy - The Lascar's Dagger by Glenda LarkeBest Horror/Thriller - Five Ghosts by Frank J. Barbiere and Chris MooneyhamHollow World really is turning out to be "the little book that could" and I'm so pleased that it's loved by critics and readers a like.

German Edition of Hollow World in the Works

A few days ago I signed the contracts to translate Hollow World to German. This marks the second foreign language translation for this book, and I'm so thrilled.

I don't yet have release dates, but it's good just to know its coming. I've been getting a lot of interest from people in Germany who have loved The Riyria books and have said they wanted to get a native language copy of Hollow World as well - so here yo go.

I'm not sure if I announced it here or not, but the other translation that's been signed off on is Portuguese which was purchased by a Brazilian publisher.  Again, I'm not sure of release dates, but I'm oh so happy that people in other parts of the world that speak languages other than English will get the opportunity to meet Pax and Ellis and explore a new world in the distant future of our own. I do hope they are enjoyed.

How to make Button Bars for your Goodreads Profile

A few days ago, I mentioned the article on Goodreads that Writer's Digest asked me to write. One of the things that I discuss in that article is how to make "Button Bars" on your profile, so people can easily get in touch with you.  Since Writer's Digest posted this in their free content or the article, I can share it as well.  So, here goes.

First, What is a button bar. Well, let's look at my Goodreads Profile :


See that line of buttons right below the "About the Author"? Those are links that will allow readers to:
Send me emailVisit my webpageSee my twitter profile and hopefully follow meCheckout my facebook pageGo to my Amazon Author page where people can buy my booksVisit the Wikipedia page about me And the last one, which is hard to read at this resolution is to sign up for my newsletter.I think its important to have all your contact highly visible on your profile page, and this does so in a nice graphical way. It's not hard to create these, and you can even re-use the graphics I made, or substitute your own.

I wrote up a little tutorial on this, and posted it online - you can get your own copy here .

The GrimDark Review takes a look at Rise of Empire

It's been more than two-years since Rise of Empire was released, and I'm thrilled that people are still discovering The Riyria books. Even more so that they are enjoying them.    

The Grimdark Review is a fairly new site, which I've been really enjoying as of late. Eric Fomley recently reviewed Rise of Empire giving it a 9 out of 10. Woohoo!  Here is a bit of what he had to say,

"If you have not read any of the Riyria Revelations then you have missed out on some brilliant story telling by Michael J. Sullivan. If you are a fan of traditional fantasy or even any kind of fantasy, I think you will enjoy the characters that Michael Sullivan has created. Already with my time with Hadrian and Royce only part way finished, I feel like I’m reading about old friends and they both feel very real to me. This third book was an amazing build on to the first two novels of Theft of Swords and I look forward continuing my journey with these old friends."

I'm so glad Eric feels this way, because it was one of the goals I set out for when writing the book. I like characters who feel like friends, and I'm missing Royce and Hadrian, who I've not written about in a while. But I've also found some new friends in the characters of The First Empire, and I'm hoping to introduce them to you soon.

I said I was behind, and I meant it. Here is another "Bes...

I said I was behind, and I meant it. Here is another "Best of" list that came out a week ago.  This one comes from  the Only the Best Science and Fiction & Fantasy site, so I guess it makes it the best of the best. Once again I'm honored to be included on such an amazing list:


It was supposed to be for 7 books but the blog's creator allowed for a tie, and I'm glad he did.  The full rundown is as follows:

Hollow World by Michael J. SullivanCity of Stairs by Robert Jackson BennettBreach Zone by Myke ColePrince of Fools by Mark LawrenceHalf a King by Joe AbercrombieVeil of the Deserters by Jeff SalyarsdsThe Magician's Land by Lev GrossmanThe Crimson Campaign by Brian McClellan
Biggest Surprise of the year went to Pilo Family Circus by Will Elliott. The best standalone novels were Angelmaker by Nich Harkaway and Blackdog by K.V. Johanson.  Best audio books went to Ilium & Olympos both by Dan Simmons. Biggest disappointment went to Impulse by Steven Gould, although the poster did enjoy the other two books that came before.
I really like this list, and not just because Hollow World made it, although that certainly helps. It has a lot of authors on it that I enjoy and even a few I know I have to get to soon.  So, check it out and hopefully you'll find some new titles to pick up.

Goodreads Article in Writers Digest

Recently, Writer's Digest asked me to write an article for them on Goodreads. Anyone who knows me, knows how important I think that venue is for writers, and how important it is to "do it well."  The article appears in the February edition of Writer's Digest. I'm not sure it's on the news stands yet, but I know it's "out there" (maybe to those who have subscriptions?) because I've been getting a lot of positive feedback from it.

Some people have asked me if the article is available for free anywhere. I know that my local library carries this (and many other magazines) so you can certainly go see if yours does as well. I don't think it is available online.
I should note that you don't need a subscription as they do sell copies individually.  Whether downloaded or in print the magazine is just $6.99 and besides my article there is some great stuff in this edition on website building and book promotion, so I think it's well worth the price. Here are links for both the print and digital version.

Of course there is only so much that be put in a single article, even one as large and as compact as I tried to make it.  So here are some other resources that might help people out:
Forbe's Author Brading Article  My subreddit that has advice for authors An Author's Guide to Goodreads  My Goodreads Presentation from the 2014 Writer's Digest Annual Conference There are also a lot of information that Goodreads puts out to help authors, and here are some of my favorite resources from them:
Goodreads Author video Goodreads How to videos Goodreads Presentations on Slideshare Goodreads Ask the Author
I hope that you find some of this useful.