Lincoln
asked
Michael J. Sullivan:
What was the transition like to purely science fiction with a book like Hollow World, after being established in fantasy with Riyria? In a word, is it scary to rock the boat, going away from what brought you fame?
Michael J. Sullivan
Hey Lincoln,
When a story comes to me I don't really take into consideration the "market" aspects of it. Sure, I'm not going to write something that is so niche that it has no chances of finding an audience, but I don't weigh a project in terms of a fantasy will earn more because I already have fans in that genre.
When I wrote Hollow World, I knew that many of my existing readers would pass it over as it wouldn't be in their wheel house, but that didn't deter me in any way or cause me any pause. The fact of the matter is that I couldn't "not" write it. Once the seed was planted, the only way to exorcise it from my brain was to write it down. Once it was written down, I was proud of how it came out so it made sense to release it.
This is not always the case. A few years ago I wrote an urban fantasy. Again, a genre I'm not known for. The result didn't meet my level of satisfaction so it's not been released, and probably never will. I love pushing the envelope and trying different types of writing...some will work...some won't. As long as I keep those that don't work in a drawer and only release the ones I think I "nailed" I hope that each will find its own readership.
At the end of the day, my mantra is, "Write books I want to read." It doesn't matter to me what the genre is or how big (or small) I think the audience might be. I figure I'll have some winners and some losers, and as long as the winners are more frequent than the losers it will all work out.
Thanks for asking.
When a story comes to me I don't really take into consideration the "market" aspects of it. Sure, I'm not going to write something that is so niche that it has no chances of finding an audience, but I don't weigh a project in terms of a fantasy will earn more because I already have fans in that genre.
When I wrote Hollow World, I knew that many of my existing readers would pass it over as it wouldn't be in their wheel house, but that didn't deter me in any way or cause me any pause. The fact of the matter is that I couldn't "not" write it. Once the seed was planted, the only way to exorcise it from my brain was to write it down. Once it was written down, I was proud of how it came out so it made sense to release it.
This is not always the case. A few years ago I wrote an urban fantasy. Again, a genre I'm not known for. The result didn't meet my level of satisfaction so it's not been released, and probably never will. I love pushing the envelope and trying different types of writing...some will work...some won't. As long as I keep those that don't work in a drawer and only release the ones I think I "nailed" I hope that each will find its own readership.
At the end of the day, my mantra is, "Write books I want to read." It doesn't matter to me what the genre is or how big (or small) I think the audience might be. I figure I'll have some winners and some losers, and as long as the winners are more frequent than the losers it will all work out.
Thanks for asking.
More Answered Questions
Alexander Varhoshkov
asked
Michael J. Sullivan:
Hi, Michael! I'm reading Wintertide at the moment and the whole series is absolutely brilliant! (I am not saying this in order to flatter you only to get my question answered, I really mean it!) So the question - If someone is trying to write a book, but in the same time is reading books he is loving and are inspiring him, will this affect the book he is writting in a way either as a story or atmosphere?
Alana
asked
Michael J. Sullivan:
Hi there! I started reading your work with Age of Myth and fell in love with it. I consequently gobbled up the next two with joy. However, there will be a gap between last released and the rest of the series. I want to jump into the Riyria Chronicles but will it be a spoiler of the Legends of the First Empire? Since Legends is basically history before Riyria Chronicles? Thank you!
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