First of May

4/24/2017

I'm locking it in now: Blackflame is going up on Amazon one week from today, on May 1st.

Enough readers have confirmed that Blackflame is ready for release (with only minor tweaks) that I know I can finally stop making big changes. I'm tuning it this week, polishing it up, and sending it out the door.

After that, we have a lot more to talk about, but let's ship this book out first!

-Will

108 Comments

Julian

4/24/2017 10:41:29 am

That is great news :D hypemeter is through the roof ^^

Thanks for all your dedication and great work :)

Malaco

4/24/2017 10:42:43 am

Woot! Thanks for all the hard work.

Devin

4/24/2017 10:59:06 am

Too hype to handle. Might get killed by a buildup of hype before the 1st

Will link

4/24/2017 05:53:57 pm

Death by Hype: the new debilitating heart condition sweeping the nation. More at eleven.

Tren

4/24/2017 11:16:58 am

Don't do this to me, Will. One week before finals!

Will link

4/24/2017 05:54:13 pm

Plenty of time!

Enkidu

4/24/2017 11:31:07 am

What you just told me is I have a week to finish Abbadon's Gate... I can live with that. Thanks for all of the hard work, Will! Can't wait for the first

Enkidu

4/26/2017 05:17:24 pm

Ok, I'm ready now. Is it May 1st yet?

Jason Dergham

4/24/2017 12:25:12 pm

So....good that its finished....bad that you didnt just wait a week to tell me.....now i have to wait for a week knowing im waiting a week T.T

Will link

4/24/2017 05:54:57 pm

I'd be okay announcing the release as I'm uploading the book, but then people might not have time to read the first two again.

Jason Dergham

4/25/2017 07:43:55 am

But...but...*sigh* i suppose. *Opens book 1*

Dave

4/25/2017 09:17:03 pm

Bamm! Was thinking the same thing!

Sarah

4/27/2017 07:31:22 pm

I've done that twice already!!!

Ihsan

4/29/2017 10:04:31 am

Yes.

Perfect timing. you see i have to go into work early and then go to the dentist at 1pm so i have to stay closer to work which means i have to do a little bit of driving sunday night. so at monday 12am i'll be able to start reading it, fall asleep, wanker through work, go to the dentist, call out tuesday and muhahaha finish it then.

of course, subsequent readings will be much slower and enjoyable.

thanks will, thanks

Azqa

4/24/2017 12:31:03 pm

Sweet!

Garbagiel thr raccoon

4/24/2017 12:31:45 pm

Any idea as to what exact time blackflame appears on the Amazon store for purchase? I want to know if I should sleep on the 30th.

OnlyDrinksOH

4/24/2017 12:42:18 pm

I have gotten books on Amazon at 9pm PST as it was 12am EST. Then again, I have had books release around mid morning on the day of release. Basically what I am saying is this - check to see if it is released +/- 1 hour from 12am EST and if its not up go to sleep.

Will link

4/24/2017 05:58:26 pm

@OnlyDrinksOH

You've seen that wide variety of releases because it doesn't matter what time it is. For independent authors at least, the book goes up for sale an hour or two after it's uploaded, whether that's at midnight or in the afternoon.

@Garbagiel

I'll be uploading it at 3AM EST on May 1st, because that's midnight on the west coast of the US. That means it'll probably be available an hour or two later.

But I'll tweet, put up blog posts, and announce it on Facebook as I upload it, so watch what I say on the 30th. And as soon as there's a link up, I'll post it.

Bridget

4/24/2017 12:40:38 pm

But but I started the Gardens of the Moon this week! I may have to fit Black Flame in the middle of reading that. Any plans on hard copies of Cradle? My brother refuses to read ebooks.

Brian C

4/24/2017 02:52:36 pm

That is a great series! Definitely one of my top favorites.

God of The Tower of God

4/24/2017 03:47:12 pm

Get ready for the feels ! The malazan empire series is not for the weak of heart lol its i think the best fantasy story I've ever read and i found it great to Wills books in between reading that series

Mike I'm too lazy to make up a creative name

4/25/2017 05:34:46 pm

Have to 2nd the feels. A friend asked what the series is about and here's how I explain it.

A massive puzzle that doesn't always look right but along the way you will laugh, cry (not me, I'm too manly), throw the books out the window, ask what the f#*^ many times, wonder "should I know what's going on right now" and eventually close the final book with a feeling of completion, sadness because it's done and wonder of having been able to experience such a grand tale. Then you'll reread the series a couple more times.

Sincerely,

Captain Runon sentence

Will, I didn't really mean all those things I have been saying about you since you first announced (way the hell back in February) that Blackflame is done but didn't give a release date. I really do love you in non creepy way.

Will link

4/24/2017 05:53:19 pm

I'm working on the paperback Cradle books as we speak!

Initially I wasn't going to have any paperbacks of Cradle, because they're such a small percentage of my sales, but the series is popular enough now to justify them.

Nocturniquet

4/24/2017 09:12:22 pm

How many sales or reads has Unsouled gotten so far? WE GETTING A MOVIE IN THE FUTURE????

Lashan

4/25/2017 05:12:40 am

Will,
You should consider translating the book in Japanese and hiring an illustrator to make it more appealing for cosme market. Spent last week in Ikebukuro in Tokyo- these dudes here are insane about games/reading illustrated comics(and i think adventure) all age groups. I have seen45-55 yr olds buying/reading em. And 127 mil marketplace is a good size to justify the expense. CHEA on the release at usa midnight - in asia it will be around noon all day to read it.

George

4/25/2017 06:11:52 am

How much would these paperbacks cost you.
Or, is a certain sum everytime you sell a book going to be extracted from your win, and send to the company that produces them.

Diego link

4/25/2017 11:07:38 am

I used to love paper-back and hard-copy's of books. I initially didn't like reading on the Kindle, but unfortunately I live in a 3rd world country so getting a physical copy of many books is pretty hard.
Still its cool to know your sales are doing good enough to produce them. It shows me you will continue writing amazing stories instead of finding a part-time job or something.

Will link

4/26/2017 03:25:14 pm

Paperbacks are expensive for people to buy, because I can't price them lower or I lose money. For my ~$15 paperbacks, I make the same as a $4 ebook.

So I'd always rather people buy the ebooks. It's cheaper for them and I make the same.

4/24/2017 01:09:41 pm

Hmmm... now to decide if I should re-read books one and two before them. I did re-read them 6-8 weeks ago when the first pending book release was rumored. Do I remember them well enough...?

Will link

4/24/2017 05:59:18 pm

That's too much! If you read them too often, you'll wear them out. They're like shoes.

Garbagiel the raccoon, lord of Dumpsteros

4/25/2017 05:10:55 am

You'd actually be surprised just how rereadable your books are.

Will link

4/25/2017 07:15:38 am

I'm surprised that people reread them at all. When I have to read my books again to prepare myself to write a sequel, I have to brace myself mentally.

Kris

4/25/2017 02:34:12 pm

I think i mentioned to you in email, I've probably read the two Cradle books a dozen times now. Your books are the only ones I've ever read that I could do that with. Possible excepting some of "The Wheel of Time" books. But that is only because every time a new one came out, I'd re-read the entire series. I am eagerly awaiting the announcment of availability.

Will link

4/26/2017 03:26:20 pm

I think I've reread Wheel of Time more than anything else.

I wish I could read my books with fresh eyes. I know I'm embarrassed because I was the one who wrote them, but I wonder what I'd think as a new reader.

Adarsh

4/24/2017 01:32:18 pm

WOOO!!! The wait is over!!!

Now i can finally find out if Lindon actually has a heart attack or not!

God of the towers window washer

4/24/2017 03:48:20 pm

That's the exact thing I was thinking!!

Reddan

4/24/2017 01:42:53 pm

Looking forward to reading the product of all your hard work Will!

But first, I must tell my wife that she will be a book-widow starting May 1. This may take some time.

Will link

4/24/2017 06:00:20 pm

"Honey, there's...someone else. I'M SEEING OTHER FANTASY NOVELS BEHIND YOUR BACK."

John

4/24/2017 01:49:10 pm

SWEET!!!!

Paden

4/24/2017 02:02:24 pm

Will what's the best way / timing for us to purchase to make sure your Amazon ranking is maximized?

Will link

4/24/2017 06:02:14 pm

First day.

It really doesn't matter when, as long as everybody buys it at the same time, because what I need is that spike in rating.

But since most of the people here are going to buy it on the first day...then first day it is.

Will link

4/26/2017 03:32:10 pm

Let me rephrase this for clarity:

I just need as many people as possible to buy it on the same day. It doesn't matter WHICH day, really, as long as it's all together.

And since it's much easier to get people to buy it together on launch day, then the first day it is!

Chris W

4/24/2017 02:09:51 pm

Awesome news Will! Congrats!

Michael Bose

4/24/2017 03:25:34 pm

HYPErdrive is at max right now!!!!!!!!! just out of curiosity Will, which series will you work on next? (secretly hoping for release of OKAK)

God of the Tower

4/24/2017 03:50:36 pm

Yesssssssss!!!!!!!!! Finaalllyy !!!!! This tower god is very pleased !!
Can't wait for badazz Lindon and Yerin!

Jaime

4/24/2017 05:55:14 pm

I hope it has 3000 pages. Congrats.... Waiting for a new Simon adventure

Will link

4/24/2017 06:01:15 pm

If you added all my books together, would they be three thousand pages?

I guess so. They're all over 300, and this is the tenth one.

So hey, taken all together, 3k pages! I guess that counts as a milestone!

Zach

5/12/2017 06:49:50 am

Big problem! You have just surpassed saunderson as my favorite author! Great job! Your work gets better and better and my only gripe is the quality is not in alignment with the quantity.
Wish these books were 700+
Seems you have the content just like to see you build up the stamina. The black flame could easily been 1000 pages great work! Thank you

Caine

4/24/2017 06:49:45 pm

So friggin Hyped!!!

James

4/24/2017 08:48:13 pm

Awesome Will! What's the chance we get to read Abidan part V here before the May 1st release?

Also how well did your tee-shirts sell? I've been wearing my Soulsmith shirt lately in anticipation of the upcoming release.

Will link

4/26/2017 03:29:04 pm

Awesome, James!

The T-shirts sold well, and I'm wearing an Unsouled shirt right now, but I wasn't super happy with Teespring's printing. The logos were darker and more faded than they were supposed to be.

So we're looking into new printing options, including potentially using icon-style versions of the covers instead of the actual images on the covers.

Your shirt might end up being limited edition!

(Abidan Part V should be coming before May 1st, I just wanted to tweak some details so they didn't spoil anything for Blackflame. Soon, now! Soon!)

Caleb

4/27/2017 11:28:43 pm

If you change shirts, select a nice athletic dry release fabric!

George

4/25/2017 01:28:27 am

Will,I dare you not to publish it on May 1st.

If you do it nevertheless, I... I know it's going way too far, but
I... I... am going to call your mother and tell on you.

Garbagiel the raccoon

4/25/2017 05:16:15 am

You. Wouldn't. Dare.

George

4/25/2017 06:29:26 am

Oh, and how I would. But trust me, I am the last person, who wants to take that route...well besides Will of course, who is going to get the ass whooping of his life; I'm getting goosebumps by just thinking about it.
Let's not forget his mother, whose weak heart might not bear such news; it would make future conversations a bit awkward.
Well, good for me that I can easily change my name. :)

Will link

4/25/2017 07:16:30 am

Don't worry, guys, his threat has no fangs.

As long as I send my mother a copy of the book so that SHE can know what happens, we're all good.

George

4/25/2017 08:27:39 am

What do you mean with WE're good. You and your mother are good, while we(the fans) are suffering.

George

4/25/2017 08:32:03 am

I have to add one more thing.
I don't like you are completely unfazed by my vicious threat— makes me look kinda silly.
If you were nice, then you would have at least pretended to have suffered minor damage.

Will link

4/25/2017 08:42:23 am

You will never defeat me with a mother-based attack. I know how to placate her fury.

Garbagiel the raccoon

4/25/2017 10:32:11 am

The vile George has been thwarted! No more shall he threaten the release date of blackflame or the wellbeing of Will's mother!

George

4/25/2017 11:53:02 am

Clicked on the wrong reply button. :)
So, here we are again:

Hold your horses!
How come that I'm now the 'vile George'? Shouldn't I be celebrated for standing up to the mischievous Will, who likes to play with the little hearts of his fans.
Haven't i died as a martyr? Where is my group of followers, who keep fighting against the mean Will in MY name.
Why am I now the bad one?
You are going off the script!! Damn you ,Will, for changing it!

Garbagiel the raccoon

4/25/2017 08:51:11 pm

You are vile because you wanted Will to postpone Blackflame!

George

4/26/2017 11:06:54 am

Didn't I threaten him NOT to postpone it.
I didn'T consider, though, for his mother to have NO integrity.
ONE book takes all to sway her.
IF Will had written the 4th book in secret and bribed her with it, then I could have understood it, but to think that just the 3rd would be enough...

Will link

4/26/2017 03:29:33 pm

Who says I haven't written the fourth book in secret?

Garbagiel the Raccoon

4/26/2017 08:51:31 pm

Me, because if you had written the fourth book by now, you'd have released the third book in order to maintain the traction the series has gained (same reason why you've held off EE until now). Plus, more sales means more money, which means more food for Will.
It's simply pragmatic.

Reddan

4/25/2017 08:48:54 am

A "mother-based attack" sounds like one of the scariest things imaginable. And possibly the source of a very selective Path on Cradle.

Shane

4/25/2017 11:26:28 am

Haha.....the path of Mother's Fury. The Ruler technique is the sound of your enemy's Mother nagging in their ear, while the forger technique summons a copy of their Mother who grabs them by the ear and drags them home xD. It is an incredibly powerful path that even an iron can use to defeat an Underlord xD. I'll leave it to someone else to get the striker and enforcer techniques :P.

George

4/25/2017 11:48:56 am

Hold your horses!
How come that I'm now the 'vile George'? Shouldn't I be celebrated for standing up to the mischievous Will, who likes to play with the little hearts of his fans.
Haven't i died as a martyr? Where is my group of followers, who keep fighting against the mean Will in MY name.
Why am I now the bad one?
You are going off the script!! Damn you ,Will, for changing it!

James

4/25/2017 05:15:12 am

You're awesome man, but don't burn yourself out.

Will link

4/26/2017 03:30:14 pm

I won't! I don't think. Hopefully.

...maybe.

John

4/25/2017 05:50:49 am

If you really want to maximize Will's ranking (and his revenue), borrow it on kindle unlimited, read the whole thing, and then purchase it. It gets counted as 2 sales for ranking purposes and he get's paid twice.

Will link

4/26/2017 03:33:40 pm

If you buy the book at all, I'm grateful!

...but you are right, that WOULD be the maximum boost.

Enkidu

4/27/2017 05:39:31 pm

That's my plan. If any writer deserves the acclaim, it's you. Quickly one of my top authors to wait for. I've ready the cradle series at least 6 times, OKAK twice, and Traveler's twice. I'm contemplating going for a solid 7th run on Cradle before the weekend. I've pretty much memorized it now though. I haven't been this happy with a series since the Way of Kings. Write on, Will!

Kristina

4/25/2017 06:36:31 am

I.AM.SO.FREAKING.EXCITED!!! I'll have to call out sick from work on May 1st, because reading is just so much more important!!!

Will link

4/26/2017 03:34:17 pm

I used to not sign up for classes on Tuesdays, because Tuesdays were when new fantasy novels released, and I didn't want to put myself in the position of having to skip class.

James A.

4/26/2017 04:36:34 pm

Good call. I have two finals and two projects next week, including one on tuesday...but fantasy kind of comes first

Kristina

4/27/2017 06:43:04 am

I always take the last Tuesday of the month off, since it's usually new book day! :) But, since Blackflame is coming out on the 1st, I'll just have to adjust.

Kaden

4/25/2017 06:47:31 am

Congrats on the new book Will hope it gets good sales (for I will be one of them) and OKAK hype train all aboard!!

Will link

4/26/2017 03:34:46 pm

Thanks, Kaden!

It will be interesting to get back into the Elder Empire mindset after this. I wonder if I can handle it...

Garbagiel the Raccoon

4/27/2017 11:17:16 am

If you're looking for something to help ease you into the 'lovecraftian monster' frame of mind, I'd recommend watching the darkest dungeon trailers (new and original one).

Darryl

4/25/2017 09:06:23 am

Yes! So in one week we get to ready about Lindon, Yerin, and Ethan joining the abidan?!?! Oh wait that won't be until book 5 :(

Will link

4/26/2017 03:23:40 pm

Book 5 would be a little...optimistic.

Timmy

4/25/2017 09:20:11 am

YES!!! The day has finally come!!! (Almost)
Thanks for your hard work Will! Looking forward to reading Blackflame at midnight...

Will link

4/26/2017 03:36:05 pm

Well, it depends on where you are in the world. I plan on uploading the book at 3 AM EST on May 1st, because that's midnight on the west coast of the US, where Amazon is.

Depending on where you are in the world, that might be a wildly different time.

Timmy

4/27/2017 10:01:14 am

I'm in Alaska so its probably a couple of hours difference.

Paul

4/25/2017 09:56:01 am

I have to say, it's been a loooooooooong time since I've been this excited about a book release. Thank you, Will, for your FANTASTIC work!

Will link

4/26/2017 03:36:31 pm

Thanks, Paul! I hope the story exceeds even your wildest expectations!

shantanu

4/25/2017 10:05:08 am

Looking forward to it. Congratulations on the new book.

Jeremiah

4/25/2017 11:20:31 am

Will, I hope to be able to say 'Great work' again. I also hope I can say 'What, you are going to release OKAK next month?!?!??!'

I hold no hope out for the later though...

Will link

4/26/2017 03:23:21 pm

Those take a long time. My hope is to have them both out before Thanksgiving.

Jack

4/25/2017 12:46:57 pm

It looks like NSYNC knew the release date before you even wrote the book! IT'S GONNA BE MAY!!

Nitin

4/26/2017 11:20:35 am

Any ETA on Ozriel and Creator;)

Ben

4/26/2017 11:53:21 am

Yeah I need something to wet my appetite.

Will link

4/26/2017 03:37:32 pm

I was going to release it already, but I want to wait until I've finished tweaking the Suriel scenes in Blackflame, to make sure I don't give away any...extra details.

Either that, or I might just make it incredibly vague.

Coldsteel

4/26/2017 01:37:37 pm

Will, I wanted to respond to your response to my questions in the previous blog but it won't give me the option. I'm supposing it only nests responses to a certain level. Anyway, I'll just plop it here and hope you see it. You said:

>Not to name names, but we can all think of examples where the series gets drawn out too long, and now every book is bigger than the last, and it's crammed with characters you don't care about and locations you won't remember and it feels like the story is buried in fluff.

I think that's a great response and although you won't name any names, I'll mention one here that's deceased and no longer subject to any hurt feelings. Robert Jordan.

Robert Jordan and his Wheel of Time series could not be a more classic example of just what you're talking about. Oh how I loved the beginning books of that series (all those decades ago). But, it went on and on (and on) and began to be more and more filled with braid pulling and foot stomping and less and less with plot and tension. I lost my enthusiasm for it because of all the fluff and I think you are absolutely right to avoid that in your books. You have great instincts as an author and it will take you far.

Also, I'm glad to hear that you go into a book with discipline and a planned scope in mind on whether it will be big or small. I look forward to seeing one of your bigger projects come to fruition one day.

Will link

4/26/2017 03:22:02 pm

Good choice of WoT. After I posted my previous comment, I thought, "You know, I probably could have used Robert Jordan as an example without twisting anybody's undergarments," but by then the ship had already sailed.

I really would like to write a 200k+ book someday, because I think it would be an interesting story construction challenge for me. Plus it would allow me to do fun subplot things, like giving more than one main character (Yerin) a full storyline.

I'm trying to remain focused and keep the story where it needs to be, but this one's still 25% longer than the last one. I've got to nip that in the bud, or I WILL be going down Robert Jordan Road.

(...not that I would mind that. WoT remains my favorite fantasy series by far, despite being arguably twice as long as it could have been.)

George

4/27/2017 06:56:46 am

What I had to criticize in almost every WoT book were the end fights.(Rand vs one Forsaken) I can't recall excactly what I disliked of them, though, as it's been so long; I think they were way too fast, thus felt very anticlimatic, which a final battle of a novel should not be.

Jeff

4/26/2017 03:40:01 pm

Will I give you permission to take 2 days off after uploading the book. Back to work on Thursday though

Ben

4/26/2017 05:03:20 pm

I'm going to need the next book two days after this one.

George

4/27/2017 04:01:03 am

Will, how successful was your T-shirt sale?

How many did you manage to sell in that limited amount of time they were available, and which number did you think of, when you first started the sale?

Sean K

4/27/2017 09:45:33 am

My shirt had a tear in the sleeve when I got it...

Other than that, the red Unsouled shirt is one of my favorites!

ALPHA Reader

4/27/2017 06:07:41 pm

Hey, i'm sorry to hear about the tear in your sleeve. This is great feedback though and I'm sure Will would love to get that info from you via e-mail if you get time.

kaden

4/27/2017 07:59:06 am

Will so for OKAK do you think you will do separate endings for both sides of the story or will you just have the same ending for both?

Greg

4/27/2017 10:33:19 am

Forget studying for my finals, I know what Im doing May 1st!!!

jim

4/28/2017 07:40:42 am

That was nice of you to do the "fools of fantasy" thing. Have you actually benefited?

Will link

4/28/2017 08:47:57 am

I benefited because I got to meet and interact with a great group of fellow authors!

...but in the sense of making a profit, no I didn't. In fact, my sales were lower than usual that week.

Np, still worth.

Garbagiel the raccoon

4/28/2017 10:32:11 am

Will, will you be willing to will yourself to will into existence part 5 of your cradle posts? It will allow me to will into myself the will to wait three more days. Please Will, I'm losing the will to live.

Gtr

4/28/2017 10:35:59 am

I will admit that I will not, in fact, lose the will to live, but will instead will myself into waiting, because I will concede that this will be worth the wait.

In which we ramble on.
And by we, I mean me.

First of May

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In which we ramble on.And by we, I mean me.

First of May

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In which we ramble on.
And by we, I mean me.