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Theft of Swords
2014 Book Club Discussions
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January 2014: Theft of Swords - Author Q&A with Michael J. Sullivan
Looking forward to reading this one.
Has there been any talk of making a movie or TV series out of your books? I just imagine the action and the characters involved would transition very well to other media stylings.
Hey Michael!I was wondering how you structured the whole series, seeing as how they could all be read separately (as 3 books, or 6 if you count them all individually). Did you weave the whole story plot for all 3 books to begin with, or did u just write one and see how things rolled from there?
Fantastic series - just finished Revelations about a month or so ago. For those who haven't read, I highly recommend it.
Hi Michael,Looking forward to reading Hollow World! I am just getting to the end of Percepliquis. I discovered you in /r/fantasy and read your books based solely on your presence there. Your dedication to your fans really impressed me! So I gave them a go and they did not disappoint! Can't wait to read the rest of Revelations and start Chronicles as well. You have said before that the Riyria stories were banging around in your head for the last 15 years. Where did you get your inspiration for Riyria? Was Hollow World an idea over 15 years as well? Where did you get your inspiration for Hollow World? Sorry if that's too many questions!
Hi Michael! I absolutely love your books! I recently decided that I wanted to put my novel online as a serial before self publishing it on amazon. Do you know of any complications that I would come across self publishing after having the book online as a serial? I am planning to take the book offline before I publish with amazon, but any insight into the subject would be helpful! Also any other advice you have about self publishing would be highly appreciated!
Monica, As long as you own the copyright to the story, you will have no problem publishing it. If you didn't sell story off to have it serialized (you did the serialization yourself), you can even keep the serialized version online if you wish. If you sold the story to have it serialized, but only sold serial rights, you can still publish it in novel form.
This is your story. Do with it what you want. :)
@Mark - Thanks! I'm looking forward to hearing what you think.
Daniel wrote: "Has there been any talk of making a movie or TV series out of your books? I just imagine the action and the characters involved would transition very well to other media stylings."I actually have 4 different agents, one of them is the head of The Book to Film Division at ICM (which is a big hollywood agency similar to William Morris). There has been a lot of shopping around, but not even a nibble for an option at this point. Many, many books are optioned but few go into production so since I've not even made it to step #1, I think it's safe to say that no one should hold their breath on this one.
The feedback I've received is that the sales for the series just isn't high enough to attract any interest. This has always been a goal of mine...and I've achieved just about every goal I set. But I think this one is beyond my grasp.
I am going to be trying a different route...I have a screenplay being developed and maybe by shopping that, rather than the book. I don't have a deadline on when that screenplay will be done, but watch my blog and any updates about that will be posted there.
Thanks for asking.
Andrew wrote: "I was wondering how you structured the whole series, seeing as how they could all be read separately (as 3 books, or 6 if you count them all individually). Did you weave the whole whole story plot for all 3 books to begin with, or did u just write one and see how things rolled from there?Great question! The larger story arc had been developing in my head for more than a decade (this was during a ten year hiatus when I had convinced myself that I really shouldn't spend any more time writing stuff, but couldn't help but form stories).
I was heavily influenced by Babylon 5 - a science fiction television show that had all 5 years of the series written before production started. What that meant was that there were self-contained episodes but there was also plot arcs that would run across the series as a whole. One of the things that J. Michael Straczynski did was resolve some thread and have some others start up before those wrapped. So I did similarly.
Many of the big items were known from day one and I was putting the plans into place, then there were various aspects that came to me during the writing that would often require establishing a foundation that made me go back to earlier books and add a scene or invent a character.
An example is Merton who shows up for the first time in Avempartha but didn't come into existence until I was writing Percepliquis.
As the series was written, I had 3 - 4 possible endings...none of which I felt was "the perfect way to end everything" but they were all "good enough." I wasn't happy with "good enough" and kept picking at the puzzle and when the ending that the series has now finally came to me I KNEW it was the PERFECT way to go.
So to make a long story short...it's a bit a both. Some aspects stayed the same since day one and other things were added as the books were written. If there are some twists that caught people by surprise, it is because they surprised me as well. Sometimes I would finish a book and say, "it's good" but how can I ramp it up a bit more. Usually if I give it long enough to simmer then I find a way to take it up a notch.
Darren wrote: "Fantastic series - just finished Revelations about a month or so ago. For those who haven't read, I highly recommend it."Thanks Darren! Fellow authors are sometimes the harshest critics because it's impossible not to think about how you would do things differently - so your recommendation means a great deal.
Matthew wrote: Looking forward to reading Hollow World."So great to hear that people are excited about Hollow World. I can't lie and have to admit that I'm supper excited as well. I think it is some of my best work, and truly a "book of the heart." Even if no one likes it, I already got what I wanted out of it as it was just such a pleasure to write - and when I read it myself (which I do from time to time) I just really like the way it turned out and the various aspects that are going on in it. April will be here before we know -- and I'm going to get ebooks out a month early for those that pre-order - so keep an eye out for that.
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Matthew wrote: I am just getting to the end of Percepliquis."
Oh man...expect some fun ahead. I know that it's not humble to say so...but the truth is when I finished that book I actually sat back in my chair and said aloud, "Now that was good." I mentioned earlier how long and difficult it was for me to come up with what I felt was "the perfect" ending and I really think I nailed it and came up with a series that has a very satisfying conclusion. Based on the feedback I get, most agree with that assessment. Percepliquis is far in a way my favorite book of the series.
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Matthew wrote: " I discovered you in /r/fantasy and read your books based solely on your presence there. Your dedication to your fans really impressed me!"
I'll let you in on a little secret...since it is just us here and I'm sure it won't go any further...shhhhh. While I am very dedicated to my readers, and really appreciate the fact that they support me in a way that allows me to live my dream by having the best job in the world...my posting on /r/fantasy is something I enjoy doing. I'm sure there are those that think I'm just there to sell books, and I have no control over what people think. But the truth is I love the community (and learn a lot from it). And how can I not like (and want to thank) people who talk about my books? I wrote these as something "just for me" (well me and a few family members and friends), but I never expected anyone to read them, let alone read them and discuss them. So to paraphrase the commercial..."Writing books for a living...a dream come true...discussing those books with others...priceless."
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Matthew wrote: So I gave them a go and they did not disappoint! Can't wait to read the rest of Revelations and start Chronicles as well.
So glad to hear the books worked for you. I know not all books are for all people, but I still can't help to be amazed that so many seem to share some of my own personal preferences in reading and have enjoyed them. It's no exaggeration that 100 positive comments are required to offset just one negative critique so comments like yours are banked for rainy days. Thanks for that.
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Matthew wrote: You have said before that the Riyria stories were banging around in your head for the last 15 years. Where did you get your inspiration for Riyria?
It truly is a composite of literally thousands of influences. I think authors take in huge amounts of information, process it through our own brains, and spit out things on the other side that are in "our voice." Many times it is a very subconscious level. From time to time when my wife is editing my books she'll point out a various scene or conversation and recognize the source, saying, "Do you know where you got that from?" And then once she tells me I have to think a minute and usually come up with, "You may be right." For instance, the Warlord Erandabon Gile has a lot of similarities to Brad Pitt's performance in 12 Monkeys.
As to the core of Riyria - the friendship between Royce and Hadrian. I was aware when writing about influences from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid, but after writing it I saw a rerun of I Spy (a 60's television drama with Robert Kulp and Bill Cosby) and I immediately saw Royce and Hadrian. It had been years since I saw those shows but somewhere deep inside me my synopsis was still making connections to those characters from my youth. Then there is Sam Becket and Al Calavicci who I also see traces of. So yeah there are too many to list and many that I don't even know about myself.
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Matthew wrote: "Was Hollow World an idea over 15 years as well?"
Yes, and no. Some aspects have been with me even longer. The concept of dualities - that one person's heaven could be another person's hell. The fact that a few key inventions could provide for all mankind's needs. That the interjection of a person from a different time/place could produce a ripple effect that could have catastrophic results. What the true definition of love is. All of these are things I've discussed and often debated with friends over dinner or drinks, but I never thought about wrapping those concepts in a book. Not once. In a lot of ways that was the gas gathered at the ceiling...but then one day a spark was introduced a spark from a very unlikely source, and once it ignite there was indeed an explosion. I became obsessed with the idea, and writing it was very effortless. I hadn't intended on writing that book...in fact I had a back log of 8 - 10 books that I "should" have been writing instead. But as soon as I finished my then current project it moved straight to the head of the list. Not writing it wasn't an option. It consumed all my waking hours and until I purged it from my mind by writing it, I wouldn't be able to do justice to any other work.
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Matthew wrote: Where did you get your inspiration for Hollow World?
Like Riyria the inspirations come from a lifetime of living. The spark came from a request for me to contribute to a short story anthology. N.E. White wanted to showcase some new writers (from sffworld) so she held a contest to pick the best. She asked me and Hugh Howey to volunteer stories as "anchors" to get the book some attention. I created a little short called, "Greener Grass" and when my wife read it her comment was. "This opens the doors to so many things - it shouldn't be a short - it needs to be a novel." That, combined with the fact that the story really didn't fit the theme of the anthology as closely as it should, made me write a replacement for that anthology (Called Burning Alexandria).
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Matthew wrote: Sorry if that's too many questions!"
Not at all - please ask more. Remember what I said earlier...talking to others in this way is priceless to me. I enjoy this kind of thing and am just glad that I'm writing in a day and age that such things are possible.
Monica wrote: "Hi Michael! I absolutely love your books!"Thanks Monica...I'm always glad to hear that!
Monica wrote: "I recently decided that I wanted to put my novel online as a serial before self publishing it on amazon. Do you know of any complications that I would come across self publishing after having the book online as a serial?
First let me say, I'm not an expert with serials...so keep that in mind as I answer this. There are a few great resources that I can point you to though. Hugh Howey did serials in such a perfect way. Wool #1 was a really well written self-contained story that when you got done you wanted more...and hence easy to roll into Wool #2, then #3, #4, #5. From a perspective of how to structure the episodes - I would definitely look at what he did.
As far as marketing and monetizing serial fiction - there creators of the Yesterday Gone series (Sean Platt and David Wright) are VERY smart guys who have been quite successful doing this. They have a podcast (The Self Publishing Podcast) and I would go through all their episodes and you'll learn a great deal.
Monica wrote: I am planning to take the book offline before I publish with amazon, but any insight into the subject would be helpful!
As to complications as far as having it previously out on other forums before going to Amazon - there are none. Amazon doesn't care if it was previously released elsewhere, or even if it is still released somewhere else alongside their versions. They do have a "Select" program where they require exclusivity (in exchange for getting some perks like having your book in the lending library, getting 5 days in 90 to put it free, and getting to implement time duration sales). But if you are not enrolled in Select then you can have it in as many places as you wish. If you do plan in enrolling in Select just make sure you have taken down the work from other sites (like Wattpad for instance) before you enroll in Select.
Monica wrote: "Also any other advice you have about self publishing would be highly appreciated!"
I have a number of really good posts on /r/write2publish. It's a sub that is dedicated to the "business" side of writing - rather than /r/writing which is focused on writing istself. In particular I would start with Author's Guide to Self Promotion .
I also write articles on publishing for Amazing Stories Here is a list Look around there, but read "Three is a Magic Number." In there I mention that when you have only one or two books out, you should be concentrating most of your time on writing new content rather than promoting that one book. Once you get three then you can dedicate more time to that end.
I hope this helps.
Haha - I just got further down the list - and want to "ditto" what Nick said to Monica.
Hey Michael,I just started reading your book on the night of the 30th and already 40% through it. And thats with going out quite a bit. I love it already. Very interesting and looking forward to reading them all!
A slightly random question, but do you have a day job as well? or does writing take up all of your time now? When you decided to not write for those 10 years what did you do?
What happened to those 12 books that were never published?
Thanks!
Nicole wrote: "Hey Michael,I just started reading your book on the night of the 30th and already 40% through it. And that's with going out quite a bit. I love it already. Very interesting and looking forward to reading them all!Wow, that is fast. I'm glad the books have captivated your attention!
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Nicole wrote: "A slightly random question, but do you have a day job as well? or does writing take up all of your time now?"
I am a full-time writer, quite the accomplishment as few authors can say that, sadly. I've been fortunate in that I've never had to juggle a "day-job" and writing at the same time. To be honest, I don't know how those that do it manage the feat, and it's one of the reasons I want authors to earn more so that there can be a greater number of authors who do.
In the beginning (several decades ago), I was the stay-at-home dad and wrote while the kids napped or when they were at school. My wife made much more money than I did and we both wanted one of us raising our kids so it just made sense for me to be the one. The arrangement worked well for us, but didn't go over well with our family who to this day probably consider me a "slacker."
Eventually a quit writing and formed my own advertising agency, which Robin joined me at shortly after its founding as business was brisk. When I got bored with that and decided I wanted to write again, she once more went and got the day job. This was incredibly generous, especially considering that I told her I wasn't planning on publishing and was just doing it because writing is what made me happy. Robin loved her "day job" so being the sole income producer wasn't a problem for her.
Writing income can be very feast and famine so when I started exceeding Robin's income (when self-published) we socked that away and once we had a nest egg equal to two years worth of bills she quit her day job. She now has become "feral" as she puts it and can't imagine going back and "working for the man" so my biggest writing goal from an income perspective is to keep the cash flow coming in so she doesn't have to.
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Nicole wrote: "When you decided to not write for those 10 years what did you do?
By that time the children were mostly grown and we had moved from Vermont where I had a lot of my time was related to things like cutting grass and shoveling snow (we had a lot of both), but then we moved to North Carolina and the kids went to school and the house/yard was much lower maintenance. I never really had much in the way of a career so I wanted to prove to myself that I could "make it." I got a job as a graphic designer at a software company and then realized that I don't play well in a hierarchical environment. I do great things when left to my own devices but when someone tries to "manage me"...well let's just say it doesn't work out well for either of us. So I quit and started the advertising agency I spoke about above.
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Nicole wrote: "What happened to those 12 books that were never published? "
I should clarify...I didn't write/submit 12 books, I only produced 2 that I seriously tried to publish. Books 1 - 8 were pretty much just me learning how to write. Nothing that was being produced there would be worth submitting anywhere - but it was helping me find my voice such as it is.
Books 9 and 10 are good ideas, and probably could be polished off and published, I just have too many other things on my plate that are "new" to really want to revisit them.
Book 11 is a project called Antithesis. I recently took it down to the studs and rebuilt it from the ground up. Robin read it and the two of us determined it's not "good enough" to release so it's sitting on the back burner. I oscillate between putting it in the circular file, reworking (again) and put it out there (I now know what a way to fix it), or just cleaning it up and giving it out for free to people with the caveat that this isn't "my best work."
Book #12 is a book I'm really proud of. But it is VERY much not me. It'a a literary fiction piece that is all about the prose rather than an action related plot. It's a modern retelling of Hamlet about a man who is cripple by his own inability to take action. He's getting older, has done nothing with his life, and is at a cross roads where he'll either take responsibility for his own future or be pushed into insanity by his own inner demons.
The biggest problem with this book is that although I enjoy the writing...I don't really like the character who is bitter and pathetic and in a nutshell not someone I like spending time with. As I am my own audience my honest opinion of the book would be, "Well written, but not enjoyable." And if that is the way I feel about it...I think that is a big problem. It's a shame because as I said it's very well written but I just think it goes against my core "brand" if you will. I keep thinking I'll publish it under a pen name, but before I can submit it I need to do another round of editing. Again, other projects have higher priority so it sits on the back burner.
Thanks for the questions Nicole!
Hey Michael,First of all, thanks so much for being so approachable and answering questions and giving advice to those of us following in your footsteps. It really means a lot.
Second: I'm having a blast so far. Glad I'm finally getting around to reading them. So far, your work is deserving of the praise and buzz surrounding this series.
If I remember correctly, you self-published these before being picked up by your publisher. Did the books go through the traditional editorial process and how much did (if at all) did the books change from the original self-published versions? If the editor asked for changes, how territorial were you over your work? Did you have any disagreements?
I'd also like to ask about the process of aggregating the six books into three (stepping a little bit outside of the thread's focus on A Theft of Swords). I suppose that was the publisher's call? And like M Todd asked, was there any part of that process that didn't mesh with your idea for the series?
Hey Michael, I'm about to finish Heir of Novron today, but I'd just like to tell you that I think you have a real knack for writing sea-faring / sea-based fantasy and maybe you should possibly consider expanding on that. Looking back, I think my favorite parts of the series were the sailing scenes with Wyatt, Thranic, and company. Keep up the good work!!
Michael, Please don't give up on that screenplay. Would be so wonderful to have this brought to the screen, either as a miniseries somewhere or in movie form. I'd actually prefer miniseries, as so much more of the story could be told.You have such a knack for naming characters and places. The names you created are perfect and beautiful. Avempartha, Esrahaddon, Melengar, Maranon, just to name a few. Oh and Maribor, which is my favorite. These names will stick with me forever.
Also, Tim Gerard Reynolds does such a good job on the audio version. The individual cadence and style he gives to each character is genius. One of the best in the business, along with Roy Dotrice! I have read the books, and am getting a whole new enjoyment out of the audio versions.
Thank you, keep writing and bringing us this art!
M Todd wrote: "Hey Michael, First of all, thanks so much for being so approachable and answering questions and giving advice to those of us following in your footsteps. It really means a lot.Hey anything I can do to help, I'm glad to. This isn't an easy business but it is getting easier thanks to self-publishing and I'm glad to see so many people that are getting their work "out there."
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M Todd wrote: Second: I'm having a blast so far. Glad I'm finally getting around to reading them. So far, your work is deserving of the praise and buzz surrounding this series.
Nice to hear you are enjoying the read. I try first and foremost to entertain and it always gratifying to hear I accomplished that. Especially from other authors (who tend to be critical as they are always thinking of how they would do x or y or z.
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M Todd wrote: "If I remember correctly, you self-published these before being picked up by your publisher."
Way, way back I had originally published The Crown Conspiracy through a small press. They picked up Avempartha as well, but ran out of money and couldn't get it on the press so I worked with them to reclaim my rights and yeah from that point on I self-published five of my six books (including book #1 when it sold out its print run and reverted).
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M Todd wrote: "Did the books go through the traditional editorial process and how much did (if at all) did the books change from the original self-published versions?
They did. And it's a little hard for me to talk about that process because it was different having had them self-published before. I already had a focus group of 70,000 reads so if the editor thought something needed changing I already had feedback as to whether it did or not.
I't easier to discuss editing on The Chronicles because those were "new works" and I'll do so in a second...let me finish out your original question first.
Devi says I'm one of the "cleanest" authors she has worked with. Whether she is just saying that to stroke my ego or really means that, I don't know. I asked her what that means and it basically comes down to I turn in manuscripts that are pretty much "good to go" and while she may make a recommendation here or there, they are really only suggestions and not mandates.
The only real issue she had is that she wanted the book to open with Royce and Hadrian (in the other versions it opens with Archibald Ballentyne and the stolen letters). Having had a lot of feedback I knew that the opening had been problematic because people assumed the star of the book was Archie as he who is seen in scene #1. Devi wanted me to show the robbery itself. The two scaling the tower, taking the letters than escaping. The thing I didn't like about that is it spoiled some of the fun as my hope was that the reader would try to play detective and try to unravel how the letters disappeared.
I forget who said it, I think Neil Gaiman, but whoever it was said, "When someone tells you something is wrong with your book, they are are almost always right...when they tell you how to fix it, they are almost always wrong." I've actually seen this time and time again when my wife would have a problem with my writing and try to fix it while editing. Her instincts were "spot on" but I almost always come up with a better solution than she does.
Anyway...we all agreed that the book needed a new beginning. The third book of the series has Hadrian in a kind of mid-life crisis. He plans on quitting Riyria and as such there is a bit of strain between Royce and Hadrian. Robin liked the book but was concerned that some of the "fun" had gone out so she wanted to add a scene to bring some of that in. I came back with a scene where, while escorting Princess Arista, the two were set upon by robbers and while Hadrian tried to negotiate out of it without bloodshed, Royce was giving tips to the robbers for future. Robin loved the scene and thought it definitely brought "the fun" but after reading it felt it had no place in Nyphron Rising so it never did make it into that book. Eventually this became the "new opening" to the book and I think it was an excellent addition.
There were a few other minor changes. A bit more description here or there...and I did make a change where Myron had killed someone in self-defense -- something I wasn't comfortable with as the years progressed so I relieved him of that burden.
There also was copy editing - and even though the books had been copy edited by many people over the years...including my first publisher, paid freelancers, and the like the copy editors on Revelations were amazing and had an incredible eye for detail.
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M Todd wrote: "If the editor asked for changes, how territorial were you over your work? Did you have any disagreements? "
The comments for Revelations fell into two categories. (a) Minor and easy to do (so I made changes) (b) Major and hard to do (so I didn't). For instance...and this really isn't a spoiler per se -or at least I hope it's not. In the last book mankind is under attack from a much superior force. Many of the early battles I didn't show because I was saving that for when they attacked the main capital. Devi wanted to see those other battles but I thought the last book was already long and had a lot to cover...I felt the extra scenes were unnecessary and would make a "thicker book" but not necessarily a "better book." So no major changes were made (except for the new opening).
As I mentioned, The Chronicles is, I think, a better example. As it didn't have copies already "out there." In the first book Devi made a lot of good comments about how Gwen was a bit to "golden hearted" so I toned her down. In both versions she gets the girls of Medford house to join her in escaping their current employer, but in the original she is doing it to help them out whereas in the published version she is doing it because she will fair better if they all band together. It's a minor shift but a good one.
We did have one area of contention in that Devi really, really, didn't want Gwen to be a prostitute. She kept advocating a change in her profession, but the fact is the chronicles were prequels and her history as a prostitute was already well established. It really wouldn't make sense for her to have a successful mercantile business or other profession THEN go into prostitution, she had to be in a position where she had no other choice...and she had to wind up in prostitution because I couldn't do any kind of revisionist history.
There also was a scene in Chronicles that Devi really wanted cut. I understand her reasons for it, but it was one of my favorite scenes and I felt integral to the the story. It's still in the book as originally written.
So long story short...if the suggestion is valid I'm not territorial at all. If I think it will hurt the book, I'm very territorial. I've never been in a situation where an editor has told me "change it or we won't publish it." But if that were to ever happen, and I think they were dead wrong...I would have no problem giving back the advance and walking away.
In general I've been very happy with Orbit on the editorial front. They give me a good "additional perspective" some of which I agree with and some that I don't, but in the end they realize that it is my book and all they can and should do is suggest...they never demand and that works well for me ;-)
Darren wrote: "I'd also like to ask about the process of aggregating the six books into three (stepping a little bit outside of the thread's focus on A Theft of Swords). I suppose that was the publisher's call?"It was, and I must say that originally I wasn't thrilled with the idea. To me the series had always been six books, and I thought it would make more money as six rather than three. But I trusted Orbit's knowledge about "publishing" and I now see the wisdom of their decision and think it was the right choice.
The real issue comes down to how bookstores operate. Getting and keeping shelf space is getting harder and harder and with a six book series it would almost be guaranteed that there would never be all six at the stores at any given time. As a new author the chances of the books existing on the shelf at all past the first 3 - 4 months was slim and if they could only get a book here or there it would make it very hard to get traction.
Then there is the issue that I tend to write "smallish" fantasy - 100,000 word novels rather than 250,000 or 450,000. By combining them together it made for "thicker" books that would attract core fantasy readers that often look down upon something without enough meat on their bones.
Lastly...because of my weird way of writing the series with the worst first and the best last (yeah a strange decision but it's what I did)...Having just The Crown Conspiracy (which was purposefully light on character and world building) might not be enough to hook people. By adding Avempartha we start to see the beginning of the larger plot thread (Th Crown Conspiracy is more standalone). After getting to the end of Avempartha there is a much better chance that people will ant to continue on then if it stopped with Crown, so that was another good reason for the combination.
All in all, they had three very compelling arguments so I trusted them and they proved to be right.
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Darren wrote: "And like M Todd asked, was there any part of that process that didn't mesh with your idea for the series? "
From a creative process absolutely not. As I said Orbit has been really good about letting the books be the way I want them to be, and I'm careful with my contracts so that will always be the case. The only control I give a publisher is the right to walk away, I don't give them the right to demand changes that I don't agree with. From an editorial perspective I couldn't be happier with the way the handle things there. I'm not sure if it is standard "across the board" or just something for me. But in any case I like it!
There is a lot about "the process" that doesn't mesh with me on "the business side." None of it has anything to do with Orbit as an organization (who is actually better than most from what I can gather) But at the end of the day they are still part of the big-five and have some contract terms that I'm REALLY REALLY opposed to. Some examples:
* Contracts for "life of copyright" rather than a certain number of years
* Low "out of print thresholds" so that the books will essentially remain with them forever
* Non-compete clauses that could limit my future ability to earn...which were unacceptable and almost got he deal cancelled because I wouldn't budge.
* A desire to lock up all rights even if they don't do anything with them (for instance audio - which was eventually sold, but there was nothing that would make them do so.
* Unfair (imho) royalty rates on ebooks (giving the publisher $3 for every $1 the author makes.
* Discounted royalties for things like foreign sales, sales to Canada, heavily discounted sales which gives the publisher $12 for every $1 the author makes
I could go on and on. Again this has NOTHING to do with Orbit...it has to do to with traditional publishing which has been in the business of having all the power and so they exercise it. They play really hard ball and won't negotiate some of these things. It is a big problem, and one that I hope to see movement on.
One of the reasons I signed Hollow World with Tachyon Publications was the strength of their contract. By contrast it is:
* Fixed length - 4 years and the rights revert - or we can renegotiate to extended it.
* Out of print means when the warehouse is empty.
* No non-compete clause
* Print only - leaving me with ebook and audio rights (which I sold myself to a different publisher)
* Ebook royalties are all mine (since I reatined the rights).
* Royalties are always the same % regardless of discount or venue sold at.
Lincoln wrote: "Hey Michael, I'm about to finish Heir of Novron today, but I'd just like to tell you that I think you have a real knack for writing sea-faring / sea-based fantasy and maybe you should possibly consider expanding on that.Thanks! I'm a big fan of C.S. Forster and Richard Henry Dana and did a lot of research for The Emerald Storm. I think it paid off because those that do sail seem to indicate I got things right.
One thing I was really surprised by...is there are a lot of people who just don't like "books on boats." I don't know why but it is the one thing that I learned through feedback that I didn't expect to hear. That, combined with the fact that I feel like I've "been there done that" makes it less likely for more seafaring stuff, but I'm glad you enjoyed what of it there is.
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Lincoln wrote: "Looking back, I think my favorite parts of the series were the sailing scenes with Wyatt, Thranic, and company. Keep up the good work!!"
Thranic was a fun character to write. A twisted and pathetic character but I loved playing him out. And you didn't mention Wesley but he bears more than a little resemblance to Horatio Hornblower. T. S. Eliot said, "“good writers borrow, great writers steal." I'll not claim to be a "great writer" but I'm not above getting inspiration from a good source ;-)
As for "keeping up the good work" I will certainly do my best and let you all decided if I succeeded.
Woodrow wrote: "Michael, Please don't give up on that screenplay. Would be so wonderful to have this brought to the screen, either as a miniseries somewhere or in movie form. I'd actually prefer miniseries, as so much more of the story could be told.I'm definitely not giving up. I actually just talked to the screenwriter last Wednesday. He is still plugging away. It's always good to have dreams, and I do dream of seeing the stories in TV or movie form, but I also know more about how things work. I've already become a success in my own eyes with what the work has done so far, so anything else is icing on the cake, and I can be satisfied with just the cake as well.
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Woodrow wrote: "You have such a knack for naming characters and places. The names you created are perfect and beautiful. Avempartha, Esrahaddon, Melengar, Maranon, just to name a few. Oh and Maribor, which is my favorite. These names will stick with me forever.
Glad you like them. I collect names and have a notebook tha I'm always adding new ones to. I was disappointed to learn that two I added (from seeing street signs) Niblick and Mashie are actually golf clubs. They seem like great names for a pair of goblins ;-)
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Woodrow wrote: "Also, Tim Gerard Reynolds does such a good job on the audio version. The individual cadence and style he gives to each character is genius. One of the best in the business, along with Roy Dotrice! I have read the books, and am getting a whole new enjoyment out of the audio versions.
You are so right there! Tim does a remarkable job and it's a joy to hear him bring the characters to life. Even if you've already read the short story, "The Viscount and the Witch" (or read it as chapter 2 of "The Rose and the Thorn" I encourage you to listen to it as read by Tim Here is a link . The first 4 1/2 minutes are me - so you can skip by that - but don't miss Tim's reading.
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Woodrow wrote: "Thank you, keep writing and bringing us this art!"
It will be my pleasure. Recently (on reddit) I saw a video clip with Neil Gaiman and Neil deGrasse Tyson and the later was mentioning how when you do what you love, you don't want a vacation as it is taking you away from that what you want to do the most. That's how I feel about writing. So I'm grateful each day for the people who support my writing and make it possible for me to have the best job there is.
Thanks for taking the time to get back, Michael. Your three points (especially numbers two and three) on why you chose to aggregate was very interesting. I'm contemplating something similar for my trilogy once I publish the third book later this year; an "omnibus" format.
Darren wrote: "Thanks for taking the time to get back, Michael. Your three points (especially numbers two and three) on why you chose to aggregate was very interesting. I'm contemplating something similar for my trilogy once I publish the third book later this year; an "omnibus" format."Sounds like a plan. I hope it works out well for you.
Thanks so much for you answers Michael! I'm about 65% now, back to work so only read on the train and before bed. As I was reading I found it's super easy to read. It normally takes me a bit longer to read most books, as I have/had dyslexia. I think I have mostly over come it, by reading more and learning how I learn oppose how others think I should. I also saw that your daughter has dyslexia. Do you find that that plays a part in how you write?
Who are some of your favorite fantasy writers/books? classics and modern.
Nicole wrote: "Thanks so much for you answers Michael!Well keep the questions coming - it's been a lot of fun.
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Nicole wrote: "I'm about 65% now, back to work so only read on the train and before bed."
Having a commute is a great time for reading books. Back when my wife used to work she got much more reading done as she, too, took a train to work.
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Nicole wrote: "As I was reading I found it's super easy to read. It normally takes me a bit longer to read most books, as I have/had dyslexia. I think I have mostly over come it, by reading more and learning how I learn oppose how others think I should. I also saw that your daughter has dyslexia. Do you find that that plays a part in how you write?
I wish I knew some magic that helped dyslexic readers. I've learned a lot about the condition and the thing that I find the most interesting is how dyslexics adjust and think so creatively to do what is easy for most of us. I truly think that dyslexics are some of the smartest and most creative problem solvers there are. But no, I wrote it for her, but didn't employ anything in particular because of her dyslexia.
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Nicole wrote: "Who are some of your favorite fantasy writers/books? classics and modern. "
Tolkien will always have a special place for me because before The Hobbit came a long I could barely make it through a book and it turned me not only into a reader but a writer as well.
Rowlings also has a special sentimental attachment as she got me to give up my ten year hiatus and try writing again. She reminded me how much fun a great adventure can be and it broke my vow of abstinence.
I think Stephen King writes incredible characters and has many great "what if" plots. I think his ends some times disappoint, but I enjoy what comes before to such an extent that I can overlook that.
Ayn Rand does a really good job painting a scene with words, and has some really well defined characters. Most people think about her writing for her ideology (which I could care less about), but the plot and execution of Atlas Shrugged as a piece of fiction is very well done.
I adore Wartership Down by Richard Adams...so much more than a book about a bunch of rabbits. I think it is the perfect example of a hero's journey and I love the various characters he created and the whole adventure they go on.
Michael and Nick, Thanks so much for answering my question! I got some good news and some great ideas for further research! I've had Wool on my kindle for a few months now. I guess it's time to bump it up to the top if my list. Thanks again!
Michael,I just finished Theft of Swords, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I was a bit skeptical at first, but by the end of Avempartha, I was hooked. Royce and Hadrian are very compelling protagonists, and I can't wait to see where the rest of the books go. I am starting Rise of Empire right away.
Most of my questions would be RAFO, so I will throw an easy one at you and try to remain spoiler free: We've seen a hint at one of the amulet holders, but the second remains unrevealed. Is this character someone that we have already seen in ToS or have they yet to be introduced to us?
Keep up the great work Michael and thanks for all you contribute to /r/fantasy and the community in general.
Michael, Silly question, but I don't believe it has been in a book. How old is Royce, and if a typical elf lives to be 3000, how old would a part elf live to be? In your mind, how do they age. Would they spend the same % of their life as a small child, adolescent, teen, adult, elderly? Or would they age as a human child would into adulthood, then just live much much longer as an adult?
Silly, I know. Just wondering your opinion, since it is your world.
Kyle wrote: "Michael, I just finished Theft of Swords, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I was a bit skeptical at first, but by the end of Avempartha, I was hooked. Royce and Hadrian are very compelling protagonists, and I can't wait to see where the rest of the books go. I am starting Rise of Empire right away."Hey thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed the start. The series was designed to start out simply and to provide more clues, background, and development as it goes along - I think you'll enjoy the next segment and the last one is, in my humble opinion, a very satisfying conclusion.
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Kyle wrote: "Most of my questions would be RAFO, so I will throw an easy one at you and try to remain spoiler free: We've seen a hint at one of the amulet holders, but the second remains unrevealed. Is this character someone that we have already seen in ToS or have they yet to be introduced to us?"
The person has been mentioned a few times, but no you've not actually met them yet. In fact there are quite a few people that have been talked about in passing that will start showing up soon. A re-read when the series is complete is interesting as you can see these little mentions and then, knowing where they will appear is kind of a nice revelation.
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Kyle wrote: "Keep up the great work Michael and thanks for all you contribute to /r/fantasy and the community in general. "
I will certainly strive to do my best and thank you...and everyone else for making /r/fantasy such a welcoming community.
Woodrow wrote: "Michael, Silly question, but I don't believe it has been in a book. How old is Royce, and if a typical elf lives to be 3000, how old would a part elf live to be? In your mind, how do they age. Would they spend the same % of their life as a small child, adolescent, teen, adult, elderly? Or would they age as a human child would into adulthood, then just live much much longer as an adult? Silly, I know. Just wondering your opinion, since it is your world."It really isn't typical for (view spoiler)
Michael, I just finished Theft of Swords and enjoyed it a lot. I like how things are gradually introduced and become more complex over time.
I'm very much looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
Keep up the good work!
No. I just like answer questions and don't have any ;-(
What is your favourite colour?
I'll throw a few more questions at you Michael, having just finished Rise of Empire.1) Do you have any update for us on whether a 3rd Riyria Chronicles book is coming? Last I saw, you had left it as "if the fans want it, I'll write it" sort of thing.
2) RoE obviously had a huge nautical element. Did you have to do a lot of research to get the naming, terminology and technicalities right?
3) Do you feel that HoN answers all of the questions the first two books created? I know some authors are from the school of thought that endings shouldn't be completely wrapped up in a bow. They feel there should always be questions left unanswered.
That's all I've got for now. I'm sure the rest will be answered in the final book.
If you were going to recommend a fantasy author (other than yourself) to someone whom has never read the genre, who would it be?If you could meet one person (historical/fantastical/presentical), who would it be?
Should 'pipe collecting' be considered an indoor sport?
Why are you so damn sexy?
Michael wrote: "Hey all, I'm thrilled that you selected Theft of Swords for the January read. I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have including:* Questions about this book or any of the sequels
* Qu..."
Just wanted to say my enjoyment of your "revelations" knows no bounds! The way the characters resolved themselves in the third book has been stunningly excellent. Depth. And there is a definite good and evil to the whole thing. The ones we thought were our enemies are not necessarily our enemies (elves).
And you did it all without resorting to being overly soap opera. Keep having characters that grow in their integrity! And keep setting up such humorous situations!
Myron-- my man!
Thank you!
Okay, question, anyone in the real world as an inspiration for Myron?
Shane wrote: "What is your favourite colour?"Oh...thanks for adding a questions. Unfortunately I'm not partial to anything in particular - maybe blue but I'm also Irish so green has a special place as well. In fact, I love the green hills of Ireland so much that I moved to the place in the US that resembled it the most, Vermont. I don't live there now, but would like to return some day.
Kyle wrote: "I'll throw a few more questions at you Michael, having just finished Rise of Empire.Great! Thanks so much.
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Kyle wrote: "1) Do you have any update for us on whether a 3rd Riyria Chronicles book is coming? Last I saw, you had left it as "if the fans want it, I'll write it" sort of thing.
Actually I do...although it's not official. I have a poll up where people are weighing in. I've peaked a bit here and there but I haven't done a "complete analysis" as of yet (as I can't really do anything but what I find there.
That being said, I think that between the sales of Chronicles so far, the ratings of the books, the emails I've received, and from what I saw in my "quick look" that I will write another one. The timing is a bit tricky. I have an idea of what I want to write - and have it pretty well outlined. But I'm having to juggle my new series (which has changed from 3 books to 4), a stand alone (that I might have to put out before the series as the series is now 2 rather than 1 book away from completion, and this new chronicle story. I'm talking to my publisher and should have a better idea in March when they are going to get back to me.
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Kyle wrote: "2) RoE obviously had a huge nautical element. Did you have to do a lot of research to get the naming, terminology and technicalities right?
I did indeed. Some of it was already with me as I read a lot of history textbooks. Plus I'm a big fan of the Horatio Hornblower books and Two Years Before the Mast. But I found a couple of great reference books and read them as well.
It's a fine line determining how much of that research is on the page. For some it's too little, for others it's too much...which makes me think I chose about as good as I could have. ;-)
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Kyle wrote: 3) Do you feel that HoN answers all of the questions the first two books created? I know some authors are from the school of thought that endings shouldn't be completely wrapped up in a bow. They feel there should always be questions left unanswered.
Yes, I do, and this was a high priority for me. Interestingly, the only negative comments I've gotten from Percepliquis (last book) is from two reviewers that I have huge respect for and they both had the same criticism...that it wrapped to neatly. It never occurred to me that people would not like that aspect.
That being said...there is a thread that I didn't tie completely. Because I would like to pull it into a new story at some point. For those wondering what it is...I'll just say pay particular attention to any mentions of Yolric and you'll notice that I never say much about him and what becomes of him.
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Kyle wrote: That's all I've got for now. I'm sure the rest will be answered in the final book."
I think they will - but if they aren't I'll watch this thread and come back from time to time. Thanks for asking some more questions!
Shane wrote: "If you were going to recommend a fantasy author (other than yourself) to someone whom has never read the genre, who would it be?Wow, nothing like throwing a hardball, huh. It's so difficult to answer because there are so many great choices. But if I play by the rules and do only one. It would be Brandon Sanderson. I think he is (a) prolific (b) consistently satisfying (c) constructs his stories and magic systems in very thoughtful ways.
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Shane wrote: "If you could meet one person (historical/fantastical/presentical), who would it be?
Another really tough one as there are so many to choose from. I think it would be Jon Stewart. He is a smart and funny guy and seems very down to earth despite wielding some incredible "star power." I'm sure we would find things we agree upon, and things we don't but the conversation would be lively, entertaining, and I would love to spar with him. It would be especially good if we could do it over pizza and beer and I would have to fight the urge to set him off kilter from the start by using a knife and fork. ;-)
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Shane wrote: "Should 'pipe collecting' be considered an indoor sport?"
So, I'm sure I'm missing some "hidden meaning" as to what you mean by this...being an old codger and not plugged into all the modern slang. A quick Internet search gave me nothing, so I'm going to take it on face value that you mean smoking pipes. With that in mind I wonder if you know more about my past than most. The reason I say this is there was a time when I was a regular pipe smoker and I would look longingly at many models in various windows (as I was poor at the time). I only had a few, and my favorites were those with a really long stem. So yes, anyone who is into 'pipe collecting' has picked a wonderful hobby and the more who do so the better as far as I'm concerned.
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Shane wrote: "Why are you so damn sexy? ."
Being that I'm old, have a body that is the envy of any 135 lb weakling. I can't take this question seriously. I will say that it seems to be true that most people can't "have it all" so I'm happy to have been given more in the "brain department" and less in the "body side of the house."
Michael wrote: "Just wanted to say my enjoyment of your "revelations" knows no bounds! The way the characters resolved themselves in the third book has been stunningly excellent. Depth. And there is a definite good and evil to the whole thing. The ones we thought were our enemies are not necessarily our enemies (elves).Hey, thanks so much for stopping by and saying that. When I write I strive above all else to entertain, and I'm glad that there are those out there who have been.
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Michael wrote: "And you did it all without resorting to being overly soap opera. Keep having characters that grow in their integrity! And keep setting up such humorous situations!
I will certainly strive to do exactly that! I'm glad it works for you.
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Michael wrote: "Myron-- my man!"
Myron is indeed my favorite character - it's great that others like him as much as I do.
Michael wrote: "Okay, question, anyone in the real world as an inspiration for Myron?"Not that I'm aware of...but I would love to know one in real life. For many characters I can (usually after the fact) see some correlations or influences that made them who they are. But in many cases it's at a sub-conscious level and it's only after I stumble upon them that I go...hmm...could that have contributed to xyz.
A good example of that is Merton (another monk) who has a tendency to talk aloud to the God Maribor. He asks questions...and then responds as if he is hearing his inevitable response. A few years ago I was re-watching Lady Hawk and had to wonder if part of Merton came from Mathew Broderick's character.
But as for Myron...the only person that comes to mind is one that I saw AFTER the books were completed it is Wall-E from the animated movie. Seeing him, was like seeing Myron re-incarnated into robot form.
Michael wrote: "So, I'm sure I'm missing some "hidden meaning" as to what you mean by this...being an old codger and not plugged into all the modern slang..."I would like to say that I've been stalking you for thirty years and I knew about your pipe collecting first hand, but that would be both untrue and require the use of a DeLorean. I was actually referencing Robert Jordan. In his bio (backcover) he mentioned his enjoyment of certain indoor sports, one of which was pipe collecting. It always bothered me (the whole "sport" classification) so I threw it in as a joke. It turns out that the joke is one me, and you are (were?), in fact, an enthusiast.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go clean this egg of my face. Good Day, Sir!
* Questions about this book or any of the sequels
* Questions about writing
* Questions about publishing
* Questions about anything else
My only request is that you mark spoilers, and I'll do the same.
I'm very excited!