Hugh Howey's Blog, page 95
May 3, 2012
The Silos of my Youth
My stepmom Sheri sent me these pictures she scanned. While reading WOOL, she became convinced the germ of the idea began right here, at the back of my father’s farm. We used to spend hours crawling around inside and on top of the old silos.
That’s me on the grain chute in the blue shirt. There’s a continuous screw inside the chute that pushes the grain up and into the silo. My father stepped over the chute once while it was operational. It was lucky for him that his pants were so worn. The screw grabbed the crotch of his jeans and ripped them right off of him. It could have been worse.
Here I am helping Sheri across the gap. It’s a little wider than it appears from this angle, and even wider in my youthful memories. I remember sliding down from that bar she’s holding on my butt, letting my feet hit the lip, then launching over to the other silo. It felt reckless at the time, but was probably quite tame.
Here’s my stepsister Jen showing us how it’s done! Jen, btw, is a real-life Jules. Smart and capable, she’s one of those women whose power doesn’t come from emulating what men do, but by doing everything better. There’s a quiet fierceness and raw determination behind Jules. That’s my sister Jen. This picture captures it all. Daredeviling with grace.
May 2, 2012
Cool magazine spread
My home county magazine just did a spread on me. You can read the entire issue on-line. Very cool articles, including a story about the policeman who slapped Oprah Winfrey and lived to tell about it. Some enticing recipes, too!
The Disappointing Nook
So far, coming off of Kindle exclusivity has been a very painful experience. Not being on the Lending Library means my “borrows” have disappeared. A lot of readers were picking up the Wool series because it was free with their Prime account, which is factored into our standings on the charts. Even though the book is still selling well, I’ve seen a slide in rankings the past 10 days from the 60s to the 90s.
Meanwhile, despite receiving dozens of emails begging for a release on the Nook, the sales there are paltry. I’m not completely giving up hope, and will wait a few more weeks to see if things pick up, but if this holds steady, the Wool series will once again become a Kindle exclusive by the end of this month.
iTunes, amazingly, still hasn’t published the Wool Omnibus, even though I submitted it over two weeks ago! Amazon publishes in 12 hours. B&N gets it done in 24-48 hours. iTunes? I’m hearing from other authors that it has taken over a month.
That’s ridiculous. I feel awful for the iBook readers who’ve picked up the first four Wool stories and can’t snag #5. It’s been in Apple’s hands for two weeks. Amazon has really spoiled me (and by extension, you) with their turnaround time.
If you are pulling for the books to stay available on the Nook, stop by and leave a review. I’m going to give them this month to see if sales pick up, but I’m not hopeful. I think the discoverability over there doesn’t favor indies the way it does on Amazon. If you have Nook-toting friends, recommend a halfway decent read. Keep hope alive, people!
A Sci-Guys Review and Podcast
Okay, I’m not *on* this podcast, but I think I’m mentioned (listening right now myself).
I’ve already laughed out loud twice. These guys are GOOD.
April 29, 2012
Audiobook Samples!
Here are two chapters from the in-progress audiobook. As you’ll hear, the disparate voices used in the writing of the first two books are reflected in the reading. Let me know what you think about the direction we’re taking this.
Wool 1, Chapter 2:
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Wool 2, Chapter 1:
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April 28, 2012
New print editions are coming…
I’ve uploaded new interiors and exteriors of the Wool Omnibus and the original Wool to the printer. If you order an Omnibus right now, there will be some delay until the new copies get to me. I hope to have them within a week or so.
The Omnibus will feature the new cover seen on the e-book, with the art of Mike Tabor wrapped around the back. The original Wool is also getting the Tabor-love with a cover that pays homage to the original, but adds some spice. The back of the new Wool book is very cool. It highlights the either/or nature of the first story’s mystery. I also reduced the font for the original, which I think increases the readability.
I can’t wait to unveil these!
April 27, 2012
If big publishers had any sense…
They would start signing ten times the number of authors they currently sign. And here’s how it might work:
For every author currently receiving a traditional print/e-book deal, they would sign another handful that were offered an e-book only deal. The advances would be small, in the $1,000 to $2,000 range. The author would receive editing (hired out, not in-house, to provide flexibility and save costs) and a snazzy cover (also hired out). The contract would secure rights for the print book if sales reach a certain figure over a certain time-frame, as well as the rights to the next book, if desired.
I think this would be a boon to the big publishers. What they would get is a near-zero-cost stable of writers whose appeal would be tested on the open market. Whatever hits big gets bumped up to a print deal.
Right now they are scooping up bestselling indies but at a very steep cost. Most of us would have gladly signed with a digital imprint at a big house back when we were just getting started. $1,000 and the promise of editing/cover/prestige would have meant a lot at the time. And the publisher would get the aggregate promotional efforts of all these extra authors while tapping into the long tail of the market.
These would be manuscripts that passed editorial rigor, of course. Let’s say the outlay for each book came to $5,000 after reading/editing/design. At $3.99, that means a few thousand lifetime sales turns a profit. Surely some of these would sell in the tens of thousands, and one or two would do even better. And you’ve got the rights for just about nothing.
Baseball works similarly to this. Think of it as the farm league. If publishers weren’t so terrified to get out of the business of selling trees, I think some sort of e-only plan like this would make great financial sense. It’ll be fun to see who thinks of or implements it first!
Mail Bag #1
An inundation of videos, so you’ll never want for more.
Wool Omnibus on Nook!
Due to popular demand, I’m proud to announce that the Wool Omnibus is now available on the Nook store. Now, this is a terrifying moment for me, because the move to Kindle exclusivity really helped boost the visibility of Wool on the Lending Library. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to keep Wool on the Nook store unless owners of those devices are more supportive this time around. Previously, my sales on the Barnes and Noble device have been a pale fraction of my Kindle sales.
Which is why I need your help in spreading the word. If you want these books available to a wider audience, we need to let them know that they can now sink their teeth into this awesome saga. Inform your Nook-toting friends that if they don’t snag these stories now, they may not be able to in the future. And if you’ve written an Amazon review, feel free to copy and paste that sucker onto the B&N store to let browsers there know what you thought of the read.
Here’s the link for the Omnibus: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wool-omnibus-edition-hugh-howey/1110185323?ean=2940014544085&format=nook-book
You can rate and review the book at the bottom of that page.
