Hugh Howey's Blog, page 97

Wool gets top-billing on Publishing Perspectives!

From the story:

“Post-apocalyptic dystopias seem the order of the day, with an auction underway for Hugh Howey’s Kindle Select-published five-book series Wool, the premise of which sounds like one vision of the publishing industry’s future. Earth (and, we presume, its high streets and publishing houses) has been ravaged by an unspecified global tragedy that we presume is nuclear (or possibly a well-known Internet retailer?), though it isn’t stated. The remaining inhabitants – novelists? editors? – live in sunken shafts. Venturing out is forbidden, and those that are caught expressing such a wish are punished by being given protective clothing and sent to the surface to clean the lenses of the cameras that provide footage of the outside world to those in the shafts. To do this, they use the wool of the title.

Hodder is among five bidders with Associate Publisher Oliver Johnson commenting: “It’s excellent, very well done indeed. Dystopian SF set in the far future of the earth. The Kindle rating has been high, although interestingly, I believe they’re sticking to digital for the US and only going for print elsewhere.” The eponymous Jenny Meyer is selling, for whom LBF 2012 is shaping up very nicely indeed.”

Source: http://publishingperspectives.com/2012/04/lbf-2012-rights-update-from-dystopia-to-dyspepsia/

Coming Soon?

Another stunning piece from Nicole (Nisays). I danced around my house when I first saw this. Just needs an “R” rating and all that gibberish at the bottom that no one reads.

A Week of Highlights!

This is very long, and it's primarily for my mom, so feel free to skip it entirely.

The Challenge of E-Book Covers

By now I'm sure you've all seen the excellent cover put together by three of my readers. Jerry, Mike, and John helped put this bad boy together:

Now, that's an awesome print wrap and a wonderful wallpaper, but look what happens when I chop the front off for the ebook cover:

The shape of the silo disappears! On the print edition, I think this'll work okay, because it continues across the spine and onto the back. However, when scaled down to Amazon thumbnail size, I worried about the legibility and aesthetic of this piece. It also felt like the title began to disappear. So here's a slight modification:

Better? Worse? Lemme know.

My Awesome Betas!

I just made another pass through LEGACY and cleaned up all the little nits my betas picked. Again, this feels like such a fun part of the process. It allows me to collaborate with the people who enjoy these stories so that they're even smoother and cleaner for the rest of you.

I have one reader that I'm dying to interview, much as I just did for Mike Tabor. This gentleman has a freaky intellect. A few weeks ago, I got an email from him with the subject line: "161 errors in the Wool series."

Naturally, I was intrigued. I went through the enclosed document, scanned my manuscript, and realized how much better the work was going to be thanks to this reader's input. I thanked him profusely and asked if he wanted an early crack at part 6 of this series.

He said that would be fine. I felt like a security analyst handing over some piece of code to a hacker. A week later, it came back completely disassembled. This time, I had 182 errors in a document one third the length.

I wish I could share this email with the world. It is freakin' HILARIOUS. Like, laugh-out-loud funny. There's no chance that anyone will derive as much enjoyment from my book as I enjoyed from this reader's corrections of said book. My wife can tell you; she was sitting beside me and cracking up as I read his comments.

What really meant a lot, however, was the body of email that accompanied the attachment. This is a reader who enjoyed the Wool series but would give it a solid 4 stars out of 5. Entertaining, but not all that and a bag of chips. LEGACY, he says, made him a believer. After questioning whether the Silo Series deserves its gushing praise, he then began to gush. And call himself out on it.

This is just one of my awesome betas. I have had incredible feedback from several, and it is all encouraging. Thanks go to my wife, sister, and mother, who all insist on early reads. And also to Bob, Jill, Starr, and everyone that I'm leaving out. The story is better because of each of you.

Wow. The counter up there says six days. That makes me unbelievably nervous. But it means I have time for another pass or two…

The Amazing Art of Mike Tabor

The last few weeks have been an absolute whirlwind. A flurry of good news on the book front has been accompanied by a sudden surge in artwork from readers.

A recent post summarized these contributions, several of which will be used for upcoming book covers.

And then last week, a nuclear blast of awesomeness hit my inbox when Mike Tabor sent me his vision for a new Wool cover. I was blown away. I immediately commissioned him to create a full wrap for a new print version (coming soon). And then he knocked my socks off with a new design for the original Wool! (More on that later).

In our email exchanges, I became fascinated by Mike's prodigious talent and the drive he felt to contribute to the Wool universe. So I asked him if I could do a little Q&A with me on the other end of the Q's. The interview is after the break, along with the first-ever glimpse of a new Wool cover that you have to see to believe.

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Hugh: Thanks for fielding a few questions, Mike. Tell me, what is it that you do with your extraordinary design talents when you're not dabbling in kick-ass book covers?

Mike: I work as a graphic designer for a small company.  Although I work as a creative, a majority of my work doesn't allow me the artistic license that I would like. I've been known to enter online design contests and won a few awards. It's been very rewarding. I've learned a lot and made some great friends. I also love photography. I use a lot of my photography in my design work.

Hugh: Can you describe your workflow a little? What programs do you use? And do you start with photos and textures, or do you layer things in by hand?

Mike: I use Photoshop for the majority of my work. I started using Photoshop back on release 2.0. I'm still learning how much the program has to offer. My process varies with each project. Sometimes I will find a photograph or use my own to start a composition. I use photographs, scanned art and images, and I also paint in Photoshop. I love texture! I use texture in a lot of my work be it a brush, blend or a layer overlay.

Hugh: When I get interviewed, I invariably get asked about outlining. Readers want to know if I have the story sketched out before hand. What about you? Do you know what you're going to end up with when you start? Or does it flow organically as you play around and experiment?

Mike: Good question. Sometimes, as in the WOOL Omnibus image, I had a vision. I then searched for a photograph that might help kick-start the composition; I found a photograph I liked of a hazy sun. I wanted an image that might represent what a silo resident might see when they are in the cafeteria looking at the screen. It took off from there; I added textures and colors and eventually the title in a wool texture. I wanted it all to feel toxic but draw the viewer in. It seemed such an important visual to me. The cover for WOOL came about organically. I wanted to keep the concept of your design but change it up. I made several versions and then deconstructed them and morphed them into the final version. I've been extremely lucky with happy accidents. The process of discovery is always stimulating.

Hugh: How did you discover WOOL, and what was it about the story that made you start fooling around in Photoshop?

Mike: I bought myself a Kindle in December. I started to build a library. I read "The Hunger Games" series by Suzanne Collins and loved it. I went to find a new book and there was WOOL as a "if you liked The Hunger Games you might like" recommendation. I read it in one sitting. I didn't like it. I loved it and bought the Omnibus version. Your characters and environments are so richly described that I was bent on making it come to life some how. So, I started work on the Omnibus cover.

Hugh: Tell the truth: did you just feel sorry for the books when you saw my cover art? I imagine you were a lot like Richard Gere in Pretty Woman, am I right? You thought you could make an honest book of her, didn't you?

Mike: That is very funny! I absolutely saw a diamond in the rough and thought people are gonna flip out when they read this story. How would I bring more attention to the cover? Please understand that I scrutinize marketing all the time. It's not that I think I'm better, I just work with the idea that there are many ways to tell a story visually.  I found your website and saw that you had a friendly dialog with your readers and thought "what the heck?" So, I created the design and contacted you.

Hugh: I've had quite a bit of art and design advice submitted by readers lately. What do you think it is about WOOL that elicits this response? And what are you thinking as you play around and then decide to contact an author to let them know you gussied up their cover?

Mike: I think your readers know what a GREAT story/series WOOL is. Your attention to detail and character development is stunning.  I think the boldness of your readers to offer advice is testament to the richness of the WOOL experience, their desire to express appreciation and the inclusive environment you have created on your site. Now having said that,  I admit I was feeling a bit bold, bordering on disrespectful, when I thought "I should re-do this guy's cover". Then I pressed "send" on that intial email and had serious heart palps. I told a friend, and he said "you did what?" I can assure your readers you were a hero in your response.

Hugh: After seeing reader (and author) reaction to your artwork, do you see yourself possibly freelancing for others? Because there are a ton of indie authors out there who would love to enlist your services.

Mike: I'm really humbled by all of the reader comments. It's a lot to take in. I'm really pleased and relieved that your readers have embraced the cover changes. I absolutely would love to work with more indie authors.

Hugh: I would get first dibs on your time, though, right? And trust me, I'll be spreading the word if it's something you'd like to do on the side. I have a feeling you could stay quite busy.

Mike: Everyone, line up behind Mr. Howey! Thank you for your willingness and grace in this whole experience. I value the opportunity and I am so thankful for your partnership. It's an honor, really.

Hugh: And since none of that last bit was a real question, how about this: If you did pursue more work for authors, have you thought of how you would present yourself or have them contact you?

Mike: I've got to consider this. Maybe a website or an account on DeviantArt. Anyone have suggestions?

Hugh: I'm sure my readers will have a few suggestions! I would love to see a DeviantArt page (just for me to browse, if nothing else). Okay, these next two questions are quick and are entirely motivated by my curiosity (and my envy of your skills): Mac or PC? Wacom tablet/mouse/other?

Mike: PC. GASP! I am self taught and began on a PC. I use a mouse and Wacom tablet. In the days before Wacom I had to use a mouse so I became quite adept with the mouse. Envy? Have you read any of your books? You inspire me and a lot of people.

Hugh: You know, I'm not sure that I've actually "read" any of my books, not once they are finished and bound. By then, I've seen them so much, I'm ready to move on. Maybe I should try that sometime.

Okay, last question: if you could have any job or be doing anything with your life right now, what would that be?

Mike: I love the medium in which I work. I love the creative process. I've had jobs in the past where I sat in a cubicle typing forms and crunching numbers and I always found avenues to apply my creative skills and  overcome the bordeom. If I could be creating illustrative work all day long I would love it.

Hugh: Well, I hope more of it is in your future. You've got an amazing style. The two covers you've done here are just extraordinary. Where most cover art looks flat, yours pop and seem to stand right off the screen. I thank you for your time and for participating in this little Q&A. It's great to get to know something about the man behind this artwork. If you decide to tackle more of this work in the future, please know that I'll be shouting your praises.

And now, without further ado, I present Mike Tabor's take on the original WOOL cover:

Audiobook Auditions!

The first auditions for the Wool audiobook are rolling in, and they are superb! I already have a favorite. I'm hoping we can agree to terms and start production. The voice acting she pulled off was SICK!

I should add how frickin' surreal it was to hear something *I* wrote being read by a professional. It made my temperature go up. It just felt so strange. I hope I never get used to these things or lose my sense of wonderment in all the newness!

Crowdsourced Fiction

I'll never forget the first day I sat down and started writing a book that I felt deserved to be read. It was the first Molly Fyde novel, and I couldn't wait for my wife to get home so I could shove pages in her hand.

It's a writing cliche: the author pressuring his or her spouse to suffer through their drafts. But from day one, I had a more than willing participant in this hobby of mine. She devoured those pages and demanded more. Amber has not only been my creative muse, she's been the constant kick to the pants that kept me forging ahead in that draft, helping me to the end. And all it takes is finishing one novel to become addicted to the process and that incredible high at the end.

But it would be meaningless without a reader, even that one. For the longest time, this is all I ever wished for: to have people read my stories. It seems to have come about suddenly. In the last few months, I've been pleasantly overwhelmed by your emails and your participation in this process. Lately, that participation has become more than the passive devourers of text that I always craved; the Wool series has become crowdsourced.

It started with fan art. A gorgeous rendering of Jules by nisays, a schematic of the aboveground tower by Paul Embree, floor plans of the silo itself by Jerry Aman. I started thinking of ways to incorporate these fantastic pieces into future cover art (with ample compensation, of course). And then actual cover art started showing up, like this brilliant rendering by Mike Tabor! In fact, Mike touched up the FIRST SHIFT cover, which already employs a schematic from Jerry Aman and a text layout by John Jarrett, another regular commenter on this site.

How about this: Last week, I received an email from a reader entitled "162 errors in the WOOL series." Each error was listed by location and detailed. Today, I went through my master copy of the Omnibus and updated these mistakes, slapped it together with the new cover sent in by Mike (with his permission, of course), and we have an improved WOOL OMNIBUS all because of YOUR efforts!

How crazy is this? The same week a Wikipedia entry went live for the series, the series itself becomes Wiki-fied! And now beta readers are feasting on the next Silo Story. Soon, their feedback will be incorporated, a dozen hands stirring a pot, the end result, like a stone soup, a thousand times better than anything I could have come up with on my own.

It's brilliant. I'm overwhelmed by the outpouring of creativity and support. Thank you, to all of you, from the person who is telling all their family and friends, to the dedicated reviewers, to the commenters on this site, to those who email me with typo discoveries. I would be almost nothing without you. I say "almost," because I know I could always force my wife to read my drivel. I'll always have that to fall back on.

Oh. My. Gawd!

Reader Mike Tabor just sent me this Wool artwork.

My wife said, "That makes your covers look like crap."

My wife, as always, is correct. Unreal work, Mike! Let's have my people talk to your people.

On the Casting Couch

As I posted earlier, I've decided to tackle an audiobook version of the Wool Omnibus. A reader suggested I try out as the voice of Holston, and here's my first take. About halfway through the first chapter, I start to get a little more comfortable. Feedback welcomed! A making-of video coming soon!