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An Evening with Hugh Howey

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Last night my friend Dominique and I had the pleasure of joining with a small but enthusiastic group of fans in an intimate setting for a discussion with the self-publishing phenomenon that is Hugh Howey. You may recall that Hugh Howey’s book Wool was my favorite read of 2012 and it is a book that has a firm hold on a top spot on my favorite reads of all time list. I can hear you saying, “Yes, that’s nice. You got to meet an author. But why should I keep reading this post? What’s in it for me?”

I am so glad that you asked.

Well, in addition to my scintillating conversation, you have the chance to win your own autographed copy of the newly released trade paperback of Wool.
But wait, there’s more.

I suspect many readers are like me and have some interest in the future of the industry that supplies us our drug of choice: books. Hugh Howey has set some interesting precedents that we may be looking back on as game-changers for authors and publishers in the not too distant future. Most importantly, Hugh Howey is one helluva nice guy and it would be my pleasure to share my experience in meeting him with you.

The event was hosted by Rainy Day Books, the oldest independent bookstore in the Kansas City metropolitan area. I am ashamed to admit that this was my first time in the store, but it certainly won’t be my last. It is a lovely store whose owners are obviously lovers of books, authors, bookstores and the industry as a whole. Before I go any further I have to offer my thanks to them for being gracious and engaging hosts.

I arrived later than planned, about 30 minutes before the event, to find Hugh Howey wandering among the crowd introducing himself personally to every one who came and engaging in one-on-one and group conversations. It was clear from the moment you met him that Hugh Howey is enjoying himself immensely. He is a very personable man and as you listen to him speak and watch him interact with his fans you find yourself thinking “this can’t have happened to a nicer guy”.

The event was intimate, hosted inside the bookstore. I would hazard a guess that there were 30-35 people present and I was pleased that the audience seemed very engaged. Hugh Howey started out the evening by recapping the short story he wrote and self-published, Wool, and how it took off in ways his previous work had not, surprising him with its momentum. The story’s success and emails from readers asking to know more about the Silo and the characters inhabiting it led him to a last minute decision to lay aside the book he was working on and use the NaNoWriMo time to write what would be books 2 through 4 of the 5 “books” that make up what is now the novel Wool. He self-published the book through Amazon and it took off, creating a clamor that had him fielding many and varied offers from big-name publishers.

The Amazon page for Wool is an easy barometer for just how much impact this novel has had. As of this writing it has over 3,800 reviews, 3,200 of which are 5-star reviews. Now that alone may not convince you but when you compare those reviews to that of some of your favorite and more well known authors the results are quite incredible, especially given that there was no publisher behind his work and its success for a long time was the result of word of mouth and its status on Amazon’s sales list. That success eventually led to his precedent-setting deal with Simon & Schuster, the results of which meant the simultaneous release of hardcover and trade paperback editions of Wool that hit shelves this past Tuesday. The movie rights have been optioned by Ridley Scott and Howey has met with the potential screenwriter for the film and is as excited as any of us would be had we written a story that has a chance of getting the Hollywood treatment.

There are others who have done a better job of speaking about Hugh Howey’s path upwards in the book world and I would point you to the Wall Street Journal article, which is good if a little snarky and this Huffington Post rejoinder to the WSJ article. If you are an author, want to be an author, or are in any way interested in the publishing industry you will find these articles worth your time.

Back to the event, it was a fun night. Given the fact that Hugh Howey was interacting with fans when I arrived he easily spent over two hours talking about his own personal experiences and fielding questions that ranged from non-spoiler discussions of the book and the follow up Shift trilogy, that is now out in its entirety, to talking about the changing nature of the publishing industry and tips for those wishing to write. He was funny and self-effacing and a genuine delight as a guest to our city. His may seem like the story of an overnight success but, as it is with most of these situations, the truth reveals many years of hard work and dedication. One consistent message from authors is that it takes discipline to sit down and write every day and that stubborn refusal to give in to distractions was evident in everything Howey had to share.

The crowd was a fun one and I believe that fact, combined with the fact that we were all together in a nice store surrounded by books, made the event special. Nick pointed out the various Wool t-shirts that members of the crowd were wearing that neither one of us had seen before. I’m going to have to pick up one or two for myself. The crowd was a nice mix for a science fiction book. There was a young girl who asked the first question of the night, trying to nail down Hugh Howey’s politics, all the way up to folks of retirement age. And I tell you, that excited me very much. Science Fiction is a niche market to be sure and the stereotypes surrounding people who read it are based in some fact but it was great to look out on that crowd and see the impact Hugh Howey’s novel has had across the spectrum of readers.

It was truly a pleasure to spend an evening with Hugh Howey and I hope he continues to have the sort of success that will bring him back our way. When that does happen I suspect the event will be on a much larger scale (Rainy Day Books utilizes bigger venues when necessary) and it won’t be quite as special as this night was. I’m thankful to my friend Jeff for alerting me of this the moment the announcement came out and I am so pleased that Nick was there last night to share it with. I wish Hugh Howey much continued success. If you are interested in hearing him share about himself and his work, I would point you to this podcast by my internet friend Tim C. Ward.

As promised, you dear readers have an opportunity to win a trade paperback copy of Wool, signed by Hugh Howey just last night. The ink is still fresh! All you need do is leave a comment in this post. On Sunday, March 17th I’ll draw a name and alert the winner! This really is a fantastic book (if you need to be convinced again, read my review). If you’ve already read the book and would like a paper copy of your very own, please take this chance to get in on the drawing. And for those of you who have not experienced Wool, you are in for a real treat.
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UPDATE: The random draw winner of the signed copy of Wool is….

Two Dudes in an Attic!!!

Hope they share well.

45 thoughts on “An Evening with Hugh Howey”

  1. I’m glad you got to meet Hugh, he really is as you described. The drive was unfortunately too much for me on a weekday. That is very generous of you to offer this giveaway. Don’t put me on the list though since I already have a signed copy. I finished Shift a few weeks ago, so my review is soon to come. Take it easy, Carl. Oh, and thanks for the shout out.

    1. I am too, it was a real pleasure. I kept hoping I would turn around and see you walk in the door, but I do understand about the drive, especially on a weeknight.

      1. I’m sorry. I would have seen a few other people I met online through my podcast, but I ended up spending two hours at the chiropractor after work (kickboxing injury), so I guess it wasn’t meant to be.

        Des Moines has DemiCon May 3-5, with a Space Opera theme, if you’d like to come. I still have a couch available if you want to stay the night (or two).

        1. I appreciate the offer and would love to get back to Des Moines one day. I have cousins who live there that I don’t see often. I will be going on a vacation that next week followed by Spectrum Fantastic Art Live so I’ll have to pass this time. Too bad though, a space opera theme would thrill me.

  2. I’m so excited! I remember when you reviewed this I put it on my to-read list but knew that if it was only on ereader my chances were slim of reading it. I don’t own an Ereader and wont be able to afford one for a while. I love it when the author is as awesome as the book we love. Thanks for the chance to win!!

    1. I wish you luck as this is one I think you would enjoy reading. Yes, it is great when you fall for a book and meet the author and they make you feel even more excited about their work because of their passion and personality.

  4. Great post Carl. Pea green with envy!
    As you know I’ve already read the book – thank you again – so no need to add me into the draw (I mean, it’s always nice to have a signed book but I already have a hardback copy and it would be a shame to enter and potentially stop somebody else from winning this and enjoying the read!)
    I’m very much looking forward to April for the next instalment.
    Thanks
    Lynn 😀

    1. Will do Lynn. Or will not do, as the case may be. The hardback copy of the book is nicely put together and I enjoyed listening to Hugh Howey talk about how pleased he is with the finished product.

  5. I’m so glad I went. I was impressed with how much Hugh Howey seems to genuinely appreciate the experience. I was delighted to learn that Dust (the Wool sequel) will likely be available this summer. I hope they make the movie–I want to see if the opening shot is the way he envisioned.

    Thanks for letting me know about the event (but don’t include me in the drawing).

    1. I was excited to see you sitting there when I walked in, given my inability to notice your earlier email telling me you were going, LOL!

      I need to get caught up on the Shift books before Dust comes along.

  6. That sounds like an awesome evening! This is so weird, but Wool just got on my radar earlier this week, so seeing this post felt like serendipity. 🙂 I wish I had a bookshop near me like Rainy Day, very jealous!

    1. I’m excited that the book got on your radar, even if it was just recently. It is an engaging story and one that I hope you track down soon if you are not the one touched by the hand of Fate. 🙂

  7. This is a book I’d love to read and to have a copy if. However, I’m outside the US (New Zealand), so I’ll totally understand if the postage would be too horrendous to include me in the draw. Feel free to leave me out.

    He sounds like a really nice guy and the book has sounded fascinating since I first heard about it. I’m sounds like you had a great evening.

    1. It was, I was so thrilled to see that he was coming our way. I think if you win I’ll need to hand deliver the book, that way postage won’t be an issue. Then I can traipse around Middle-earth for awhile before returning.

  8. Carl, I have this book on my wishlist but so far haven’t seen it here. So please please put me in your draw! Ever since you recommended it to men (and your post), I’ve been anxiously waiting for it. It sounds good, and you know I enjoy dystopian fiction so much 🙂

    What a lovely post, I really enjoyed hearing about his author talk, and the crowd response to him. Isn’t it lovely that science fiction cuts across the spectrum like that? All ages, races, sex……it was also fun to see you with the author. And of course, the lovely bookstore. I think you’ve made us all want to go there! Independents are becoming rarer, and even more of a treasure now. Thanks for sharing all of this with us, Carl.

    1. Will do Susan! This book is right up your alley, I have no doubt about it.

      I was really pleased with the attitude of the store owners of Rainy Day Books. They pointed out that they do not feel chain bookstores are an enemy to independents but are an important part of keeping the industry thriving. They mentioned that it was not a good thing in their mind to see Borders fail nor will it be if/when Barnes and Noble does.

  9. Whoo-Hoo… A signed edition of WOOL would just Frakking Rock!!!

  10. Wool is fantastic. My favorite from 2012 as well. I only have the kindle omnibus — would love an autographed copy.

    I just started the shift omnibus yesterday. Already hooked.

    1. Yes, Shift hooks you right away. Great first book and the second one has been great so far.

  11. Well, if I must…. This means I’d better not use my Amazon gift card until after the drawing, just in case. And if I don’t win, I’ll go ahead and order the ebook like I had planned.
    This is all your fault. I would never have considered reading Wool if not for your blog.

      1. I accept full responsibility…and then will pass it on to Hugh Howey! 🙂

  13. so. reading this had me thinking that I haven’t checked the local stores’ events pages. I just checked Tattered Cover (which is just a few blocks away) and guess who they are hosting in just one hour from now?

    Yep, Hugh Howey!

    may have to take an evening stroll down the street.

    1. Oh, that would be so cool! Wish I had seen this earlier as I would have strongly encouraged you to go and to pass along my hellos to Mr. Howey.

  14. So jealous I would have loved to have met him and discussed “Wool” with him. Did anyone ask him if the deaths that occurred in Book 1 and 2 and 3 were all planned as a way to get the the character who turned out to be the main character? Like did he know at the start who the star was going to be or did he just write and that’s where it went? Don’t know if I phrased that well. It’s awkward trying to keep it spoiler free. But it felt like a Shakespeare play how you never meet the main character in the first couple scenes of the tragedies but they talk about them and then when you meet them it’s like “there’s the one we’ve been hearing all about.”

    1. Actually it was very cool, in my opinion, in that people didn’t ask a lot of spoilerish questions about the books. Anyone could have left that event and read the book without having any ideas of what was going to happen to various characters. Questions were more about inspirations, plans for future books, etc.

      One thing about the book that was really fun to listen to him talk about the opening couple of sentences in the first “book” and how that wrapped up the entire first book right there. He also mentioned that he outlined books 2-4 for NaNoWriMo and so I am assuming he is an outline guy which would indicate that he does some planning ahead of time about where things will go.

      Like the Shakespeare analogy.

    1. No, wish I would have. I’m hoping to see him on that list.

  17. I’m so glad you had a great time and that you got experience it with Nick. Very cool.

    I hate to say this but I’m 99.9 percent sure I had taken you to Rainy Day Books before on one of our book store shopping tours. I thought I remember commenting to you about all signed The Night Circus books they had when were there. I think your memories slipping.

    1. It is possible, but I certainly don’t remember ever being there. It didn’t look at all familiar to me. I’ll want to go back at some point, if only to buy another bag of the chocolate covered almonds that the store owners gave us as treats after the nights’ event.

  19. It is curious. Both my sister, who lives in Australia, and I are both reading Wool. We didn’t talk beforehand. So that is a nice sign the book is spreading far and wide.

    1. That is a fun coincidence. Especially because now you’ll be able to talk about it together.

  21. Oh, my goodness. I take a blogging sabbatical and then come back and read that you met Hugh Howey! Lucky, lucky! The guy is just cool and seems un-jaded by his fantastic, and well-deserved, success, which is fantastic. I must thank you because were it not for your recommendation, I never would have downloaded Wool, Omnibus to my phone and read it within a few days (in the supermarket checkout line, too!); turned out to be my favorite read of 2012. I can’t wait to read his Shift series.

    1. Welcome back Natalie!

      Yes, it was a great time. So happy the store brought him in.

      I haven’t finished with the Shift books but I have been hooked on what I’ve read. You are in for more great reading.

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