Will Wight, New York Times Best-Selling Author of 'Cradle'
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In which we ramble on.
And by we, I mean me.

400k!

10/18/2017

67 Comments

 
I always get sick after I put up a book. Always. I've learned to count on it.

It's because I stress out and go without sleep too much in the days and weeks leading up to a launch, trying to cram as much into the book as I can before it goes out. Then, once the relief sets in, my body crashes.

So I always need a couple of weeks after a book to get sick, get over it, catch up on some sleep, and play Divinity: Original Sin 2.

Now I'm back, and just in time: it looks like we just crossed 400,000 total books sold!

That most likely means that OKAK and Cradle 5 will put us over half a million sold before the five-year mark.

Crazy, guys. That's crazy.

​-Will
67 Comments
Adaen
10/18/2017 02:09:45 pm

That's amazing to hear Will!

You writing is phenomenal. As long as you keep writing books, I'll be here to read them!

Oh, and if I could vote, I want Cradle 5 next :)

Reply
AwesomePossum
10/19/2017 08:43:13 pm

Same! I cannot wait for ghost water!

Reply
Eddie Munster
10/18/2017 02:19:47 pm

Sweet!

Keep getting sick, bed ridden, vomiting blood etc. So long as the books (crack) keep coming!
😉😉

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The Children of the Night
10/18/2017 02:25:04 pm

Congratulations Will! That's awesome news!

Been reading your works since you released House of Blades and trust me I'm not going anywhere. They just keep getting better!

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Mehr
10/29/2017 10:39:18 pm

I feel that Skysworn wasn't worse, per se, but it felt more like filler, even though I know it is just setting up for everything else.

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THE FAMILY OF RACCOONS THAT IS CURRENTLY PLEASED WITH WILL
10/18/2017 02:48:01 pm

Very impressed Will, not just with your accomplishment, but with the quality and entertainment value of your books. Been reading them since HoB as well... Only gotten better (though Simon will always hold a special place).

What's more, I assume that that 400,000 doesn't (or can't) include the number of people who read your work through Kindle Unlimited (I'm one of them)? Because if it did, I'm kind of shocked you wouldn't have already passed the 500k mark with how fast your popularity has risen.

Either way, great work and thank you for the many hours you've kept me entertained, as well as keeping your prices easy to afford!

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Colin
10/31/2017 06:49:49 pm

I believe that Will has said before that he counts a complete Kindle Unlimited read as a sale.

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Faris
10/18/2017 03:33:33 pm

Congrats, that number is only going to keep going up. (Which should be self evident, unless someone starts stealing books and dropping them off in your yard.)

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Ravi
10/18/2017 04:12:11 pm

D:OS 2 is awesome! You earned it!

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Walter
10/18/2017 04:43:42 pm

You deserve it! Please rest up! Take a break, and recharge your batteries- you have the support of all your readers :). Keep up the amazing work!

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Sara
10/18/2017 05:03:24 pm

Awesome-sauce about your sales! You deserve it. Take some time, focus on you, get nice and healed ... And then give me OKAK as soon as you humanly can without doing permanent damage to your health. I totally thought I was in the "give me more Cradle" camp, but then I read the Elder Empire books between Cradles and dude ... so good. Shera reminds me of my favorite literary character ever, Tremaine of the Fall of Il-rien series by Martha Wells. 10/10 would recommend (both you and Martha).

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Kerai
10/18/2017 08:18:43 pm

This guy knows whats up

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Crash
10/18/2017 05:59:03 pm

I have a small dog named Moki. Moki is a cavalier king Charles spaniel. Even though he is small he's an Alpha. Anyways I thought it was important that you know that Moki votes Cradle. The next 12 books Cradle!

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Gary
10/18/2017 08:33:02 pm

That is awesome. You are still the only author whose books I re-read immediately after I finish them. Even Stormlight doesn't get that.

Loved Skysworn and all your other books so far. Looking forward to OKAKs!

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Corey
10/18/2017 10:17:44 pm

Congrats Will :) well deserved.

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Ford
10/19/2017 07:31:41 am

Congrats Will!

So when will we see an HBO cradle series?

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HBO EXECUTIVE
10/19/2017 08:50:17 am

Soon.

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Ford
10/19/2017 09:46:57 am

Ha, I actually LoL'd at that one.

HBO CEO
10/19/2017 10:47:15 am

Done deal, ready to launch with just one condition. Crash will be tapped to play the savvy, dashing and painfully handsome Ethan.

Deadnettle
10/20/2017 08:09:17 am

How do the sales for Skysworn stack up to your other books? Has each release been getting progressively larger?

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Will link
10/31/2017 02:22:14 pm

Essentially yes. Skysworn's launch day was 50% better than Blackflame's, and the end of the month was about 20% better.

That's shocking growth (shocking to me, anyway).

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Xaldin
10/20/2017 12:17:15 pm

no surprise there, you are the best author around

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Earnest Fan
10/20/2017 01:46:46 pm

I wish Lindon would become like a monstrous dread beast artist or something. And become super powerful in a short time and eclipse Yerin and Eithan. Can you make that happen?

Can you also show us more of the blackflame empire? Not just the little bits and pieces of blackflame empire?

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kerai
10/25/2017 06:25:33 am

Oh it could happen Lindon can split his core again and learn another path although I seriously doubt that he will there is already enough stress on him with two paths and a remnant arm

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Oi you, no
10/29/2017 10:44:15 pm

If he became super powerful that would break pacing, make everyone's efforts meaningless, and set him up to be a boring wish washy character who doesn't need any effort for anything.
For a dread beast artist, that won't work.
Besides for Li Jun (lindons rivals sister) there is no one we know of with that kind of mixed core, and where would the HUNGER mandra come from, what type of dread beast (and they are all unique) and what do you mean by monstrous, for they are all monsters that deviate from the way.

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dat dood
10/20/2017 04:14:33 pm

sleep in your bed of money, will, money.

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Will link
10/20/2017 04:17:20 pm

I wonder If I can pretend to be Will...

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ok that's good
10/20/2017 04:17:58 pm

I won't do it again.

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Will
10/26/2017 04:53:41 pm

You?

Bryce
10/20/2017 07:35:01 pm

Im curious of the breakdowns for each series, do you have that info and are you willing to share?

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Polycore
10/21/2017 01:46:06 pm

I was also wondering, how are sales for Skysworn going?

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Will link
10/31/2017 02:25:19 pm

Sorry I didn't respond to this last week--my grandfather actually died last Monday, which was, you know...not great.

But the sales for Skysworn are great. As for the breakdown for each series, I could look that up in my records, but it would take a little while.

Instead, I can tell you the breakdown for May (Blackflame's release month) versus October (Skysworn's release month).

I sold about 25,000 combined copies of Cradle books in May, and I'm expecting to hit 31,000 Cradle books in October (by the end of tonight).

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Diego
10/31/2017 03:58:25 pm

You have my condolences, and I'm sure the rest of the community's as well.

stephen
10/21/2017 09:18:18 am

Congratulations, Will. It's that enough so that you can write full time? I'm re-reading skysworn right now.

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Will link
10/31/2017 02:32:07 pm

Yes it is, Stephen. I've actually been writing full-time pretty much since House of Blades was released.

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Thorgrim
10/21/2017 06:53:24 pm

Cradle is your best series yet. Forget the Elder Empire and keep cranking out Cradle books! Elder Empire is good but Cradle is a friggin' home run.

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Joe link
10/21/2017 07:08:23 pm

Will,

First, thank you for your trio of masterful stories - I especially enjoy following Simon and Lindon. I am another fan that reads your books the day they are published, followed by a slower more analytical read-through over the next couple weeks.

Now, my wife wants to thank you for helping her find a birthday present for me. There was nothing I wanted until I read your latest blog entry and researched DOS:2. It looks like I'll get lost in DOS:2 until your next release.

Thank you for the stories, the characters, and the gaming advice.

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Kevin
10/22/2017 04:55:37 pm

Well earned. It has been a pleasure to participate from the reader side.

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scott pike
10/22/2017 06:03:36 pm

Great fourth book in the cradle series. I've read some books in the Xianxia genre since your first book and I'd like to congratulate you both on have really good gramme and spelling in comparison and I love how your protagonist isn't a complete psychopath like all the other protagonists in that genre.

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Samuel
10/25/2017 06:03:47 pm

Meng*cough*

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Reyna
10/23/2017 08:04:55 pm

OKAK!!!!

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ETO
10/23/2017 08:26:44 pm

I love your books so much they always keep me coming back, so much so that I'm pretty sure that I've read the cradle series 10 times over
P.S. I vote Ghostwriter next
P.P.S Get well soon Will, you deserve some rest after all the amazing books you've made

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ETO
10/23/2017 08:28:40 pm

I meant GhostWater, although a ghost writer would be kinda spooky

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Will link
10/31/2017 02:31:30 pm

Well, it is Halloween...

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Jamie Woods
10/24/2017 04:33:01 pm

I need Cradle #5 ASAP!!! Or more traveler's gate.. . Please?? I love your novels, they are always such good reads and I can hardly put them down!!

Are you thinking about selling physical books any time soon?

Reply
Will link
10/31/2017 02:31:11 pm

I actually do sell physical books, Jamie! Through Amazon, just like the ebooks!

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Asterion
10/25/2017 07:29:57 am

Congrats, I'm happy for you. You definitely deserve it. You're definitely in my top five authors and I'm excited to see you grow even more well known and more published.

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1_Savage_Cabbage
10/26/2017 10:26:53 am

Congrats!!! may we soon reach 1 million before the webspawn hatch and devour us all

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Diego
10/26/2017 03:24:36 pm

Hey Will I want to know something about Asylum's magic system. Intent, does it work even if the object itself does not possess the property the user is attempting to augment it for?

Eg.) Superstitions about the luck a rabbit's foot gives. If the person whom hangs it around his neck 'believes' it grants him that property does it actually accumulate that property?

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kerai
10/27/2017 06:14:54 pm

Yes that is how intent works it is someone's beliefs and hopes that gather into inanimate objects giving them power

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Diego
10/27/2017 09:13:28 pm

Yeah, but so far I've only seen object improve an attribute the already possess. I want to know if it works with things that don't have that attribute.

Examples we've seen
1.) Knives that make killing easier.
2.) Armor that protects from even the strongest attacks.
3.) Crown(symbol of authority) that allows you to command people.

From my information a boots I wear constantly to walk would make walking so much easier. Running shoes would be godly for speed. I want to know if a crazy persons intent can do whacky things to objects.

Let's say I'm curling weights and believe they help me get stronger. By constantly using them would they build up intent and let me surpass human physical limits by using them?

Intent Man
10/29/2017 10:47:31 pm

Pillow that stops a bullet?
Tiles that erupt?
Chairs of omniscience?
Immortality from a corrupt locket using a heart as fuel?

Kerai
10/30/2017 11:10:26 am

Basically what intent man said and for the weights to work like that you would have to be soulbound to them (have the grips be made out of nightwyrm hide so they can be awakened) because you can use intent but you can't gain any advantage to yourself unless your a soulnound

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Will link
10/31/2017 02:30:46 pm

Luck is one of those things that's difficult to quantify. People do invest objects to make them luckier, but they've been proven not to affect things that actually rely on pure unaffected randomness, like a lottery.

Therefore, it's believed that objects like a lucky rabbit's foot (for instance) would only increase your confidence or concentration, depending on what you mean by "luck."

Most of the invested or Awakened objects with crazy powers have Kameira elements, meaning they're borrowing some of the elemental powers of the Kameira. Or the reality-twisting powers of the Elders.

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Diego
10/31/2017 04:03:02 pm

You know I'm not sure you've ever explained what Kameira are. I know they are like the equivalent magical beasts in Asylum. Still I don't think I've read what sort of powers they tend to have. Can they use intent? Or are they just born with powers of some sort.

Nitin
10/27/2017 04:52:09 am

I wonder if anyone from Amalgam has managed to ascend..ever.

Can you ascend from Asylum?

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Samuel
10/27/2017 05:08:02 am

Valin was mentioned in the EE series as the Wanderer by the Emperor, so he can probably go to different worlds, if not actually ascend.I found allies in the void, but enemies too. I was not surprised. There are enemies everywhere. But strangest of all were those that were neither hostile nor friendly: the guardians in white. So yeah, if this was actually Valin then he was probably able to.

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Diego
10/27/2017 09:21:03 am

Will mentioned the only reason the emperor hadn't ascended was because the Abidan purposefully made Asylum hard to escape.

He was said to have been on par with the Sage of the endless sword. (yerin's mentor) That said I believe the emperor was more of a genius than the sword sage, because it seems advancing in Cradle is a lot easier than in any other world. It's why Cradle produces so many immortals.

Going by these clues its clear both these figures could have become immortals.....If they hadn't died. I'm surprised the Abidan didn't try to recruit them though.... Just take them out of the world and make them work for you. Seems kind of like a waste to let powerful figures like these just die off. Probably has to do with the Pact, which is constantly mentioned.

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Matw
10/29/2017 10:50:46 pm

The Emperor had his powers come from mainly his intent and the Dread Mothers Heart. Which gave him power.
Also Asylum's purpose is to be a trashbin, or a prison. The Elders are like dreadpriests on coke.

Diego
10/30/2017 09:10:57 am

He had the Great-Elder heart soul-bound I believe. Also his intent was so powerful the ground he walked on sort or awakened to make his walk easier. The heart made him immortal I believe, IDK if it gave him any additional powers. To me he seemed rather leery of using too much Elder power for fear of corruption.

Meng Hao
10/28/2017 12:59:27 pm

I have just finished the third book in I Shall Seal the Heavens, and there are so many similarities! Core Qi=Soulfire, Foundation=Gold, 7 Nascent Souls=2 Cores(Kinda), and the soul space= the Nascent Soul Immortal Divinity thingy. Also Mercy's bag=Bag of Holding? Are there any other xianxia novels with these similarities? If not, are there any that are good with their own system? FYI I forgot a ton of things that they have in common but can't remember:p

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Will link
10/31/2017 02:27:56 pm

Yeah, there's a ton of similarities within the cultivation genre. I took most of these systems from xianxia novels, but basically all the books in the genre have comparable systems.

To illustrate: I haven't read ISSTH (I tried, but I only got a few dozen chapters in). However, the Cradle books still have all those similarities you pointed out. Basically all those martial cultivation novels work the same way.

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Tom
10/29/2017 12:06:53 am

Congrats on the 400,000 sales.

Xianxia novels are getting popular.

Any chance you would recommend "King of Gods: Book 1" to your readers? It went on sales on Amazon a few days ago.

It's the first xianxia novel from China getting an officially release in English. Gravitytales is doing the translation and has licensed the book from the Chinese publisher.

ASIN: B076VPYVQD

Synopsis:

Zhao Feng never expected to amount to much. Coming from a small side branch of the main family sect, with only his deep commitment to hard work and perseverance to set him apart enough to allow him to be sent to the main sect for training, his prospects weren’t great. However, his left eye accidentally merging with that of an Ancient God’s changed all that in the space of a heartbeat!



Reply
Tom
11/2/2017 08:25:11 am

Just noticed that the description of King of Gods is missing the second paragraph.

Suddenly Zhao Feng developed powers and abilities beyond what he’d ever dreamed, and only his imagination (and his own arrogance) could limit his potential. Will he walk the path of a great cultivator and become one of the foretold legends or will he burn up from the heat of his own glory? Will he remain a mere fish, or become the dragon his god’s eye foretells? Find out in this first installment of King of Gods

-------------

I hope to see more Xianxia/Xuanhuan type novels on Kindle as more novels get licensing from Chinese publishers.

King of Gods: Book 1 is currently #11

#11 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Myths & Legends > Asian


while #1, #2, #3, #4 are all Cradle Book by Will Wight.

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Nikolai Tsekov link
11/4/2017 02:06:16 pm

2 weeks? I think it's past time for you to get an Iron body and forget resting for at least until you finish with the Cradle series. And this is your Underlord talking now, so pay attention: I CAN'T WAIT SO LONG!

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Nathan
12/19/2017 11:18:19 am

Congrats. I love that you include data on the number of books sold. I understand that it may not always feel comfortable, but it is helpful to other authors to see where they are at, and what is possible with self-publishing. Keep up the good work. Oh, and I vote for instructional materials being included on your blog, discussion of any books in particular you found helpful when you started for plotting/structuring your books, etc.

Reply
Cookies
8/25/2019 09:57:44 am

thats a lot of books

Reply



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    ​Waybound Progress:
    Seven-star Phoenix

    Last Written:

    THE END
    Of the Cradle series


    Amount Complete:
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