I'm Bringing Paper Back (Yeah!)

7/29/2013

I have returned to the surface after weeks of total immersion in The Crimson Vault to make an announcement: House of Blades is now available in paperback!

You can order it on Amazon, just like the eBook, only it's not an eBook. It's made of paper and everything. If you see me in person, I'll sign it.

On another note, we've hit 11,000 sales for House of Blades (w00t!), and I am almost done with The Crimson Vault. If I keep up my current blistering pace, I'll be done writing it this weekend.

Of course, that still leaves it to be edited. But don't worry; I'll keep you apprised of my progress.

And that's it for today. I'm spending all of my time working on Crimson Vault, so I'm sorry if I haven't responded to your comment or email. I promise I will get to it eventually, it's just that somebody around here promised a book in two months, which means I have to work like a madman.

As always, thanks for reading!

55 Comments

mike

7/29/2013 02:36:09 pm

I just bought your book on amazon and I loved it. Good read! I was a little sad to see book two wasn't out yet but I think its awsome you are coming out with the second one so soon. I have a feeling we are going to see a lot more of the house explored. Thanks

Will Wight link

7/31/2013 05:59:02 am

Thanks, Mike!

MINOR SPOILER ALERT:

Honestly, Simon spends less actual time in the House in this book, but he sees a LOT more of the powers and rewards that the more experienced Valinhall Travelers have earned.

And, of course, he earns a few himself. You can say a lot about Simon, but he's not a slacker.

Jordan

7/29/2013 02:41:56 pm

Will, I was damn near positive that you wouldn't be able to finish The Crimson Vault on time, but it looks like you've proved me wrong. Your ability to churn out books is approaching Sanderson levels of dedication. I'm looking forward to reading the end result!

Brian S

7/30/2013 09:32:04 am

Sanderson, by his own admission takes about six months to crank out a book. Granted, he's generally working on more than a single book at a time, but he also has the assistance of his publishing house to speed his progress, and in some ways to slow his progress down. What Sanderson does best, and the reason for his reputation is that he always finishes his books before deadline. Could Sanderson crank out a book faster than that? Probably. Tor publishes his books on a schedule to give each book a certain amount of exposure before publishing the next which slows the process some. Compared to his contemporaries he is an ultra fast writer, but then, his contemporaries are Rothfuss, who is good for a book every three years, and Martin who might be looking to collaborate with Robert Jordan before publishing his next book. John Ringo wrote a book in thirty days, but if you ask me, it showed in the writing even after Baen got done editing it. Mr. Wight will, in the event he makes his own deadline, have published his second book in less than three months after his first which is impressive to say the least.

JohnW

7/30/2013 12:02:42 pm

Rothfuss: 4 years (2007, 2011)

Brian S

7/30/2013 12:09:53 pm

No argument, Rothfuss is a word Nazi. Typical English professor. Has to use just the right word and turn of phrase. He's the only author I know who actually takes into consideration how a phrase will translate into other languages while writing a novel.

As for Sanderson, he just pushed back his release date of Words of Radiance. This is the first time I can remember that he failed to meet a deadline.

Brian G

7/31/2013 06:27:27 am

"and Martin who might be looking to collaborate with Robert Jordan before publishing his next book."

That line is pure gold, friend.

Will Wight link

7/31/2013 06:33:39 am

I have to concur with Brian G. I read right past that line the first time I saw your comment, and now I'm laughing out loud.

Kudos to you.

Will Wight link

7/31/2013 06:03:21 am

I'll do my best! It looks like I'm going to finish the full draft of the book Friday afternoon, which means I've got about a week to finish editing. I'm willing to put the book online even if it still has a few minor typos--since I can re-upload a new, cleaner version whenever I want, as I have done several times with House of Blades--but I definitely want to finish any major reworks, rewrites, or corrections before I put the first version up.

Tl;dr - I'll definitely have the book done by the 10th, but will it be in good enough shape to go straight online? I don't know. Depends on how the edits go. Worst-case scenario, it's in crappy shape, and I'll have to delay the book a couple of weeks...but it won't be any longer than that, I promise.

mike

7/30/2013 12:40:02 am

I must say, there are not many books that keep me up until 1am reading them, but house of blades did. I just really hope that your blistering pace with the crimson vault will not affect the quality of the book. But I am very much looking forward to reading it

Devin

7/30/2013 01:00:23 am

No worries, his beta readers won't allow the quality be impacted. We would rather see it delayed an extra week or two than have that happen. That being said, I don't think we will have any issues there post edit.

mike

7/31/2013 08:58:52 am

I feel the same way, glad that it wouldn't be allowed to happen. Thanks for the feedback!

Will Wight link

7/31/2013 06:06:39 am

I'm proud that I helped you stay up, Mike! Sleep is for filthy mortals.

And I am committed to making sure that I upload a good book. Right now it's still possible that I'll make the August 10th deadline, but if I feel like it needs more time, I'll take an extra week or two. I hate missing deadlines, especially self-imposed deadlines, but I would hate to put up a crappy book even more.

Plus, Devin wouldn't let me. He has a tendency to leap on my back and cling there like a baby howler monkey when he doesn't approve of my decisions.

mike

7/31/2013 08:56:16 am

That's sounds great! And I would much rather the book be a few weeks late than read a scrappy book that made the deadline. Keep the work up, and don't worry, I'm sure that I will be able to write positive review after I rear it!
-mike

Brian S

8/2/2013 04:25:29 am

Yes, editing is important. That being said, I hope Mike reconsiders rearing your book. Reading it is a much better idea. :)

mike

8/9/2013 10:20:34 am

I have never had the opportunity to rear a book. Hmmmm, I wonder... ;)

James

7/30/2013 01:30:49 am

I "borrowed" House of Blades from the Kindle store at first, and immediately purchased it when I finished. And it looks like you're actually going to fulfill your promise of writing the next book in two months, how can I not be excited?

Will Wight link

7/31/2013 06:08:29 am

I know I hate to wait for new fantasy novels, I can tell you that. It drives me crazy when I have to wait for years in between awesome books in a series.

And hey, thanks for both borrowing and buying! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Jack Locke

7/30/2013 04:02:05 am

I'm most of the way through your first book. I will likely finish it today. I find it extremely interesting; It's a whole new take on the prophecy vs. choice dilemma that is sometimes an overly saturated subject for this area of literature. I look forward to its sequels, and hope that you decide to make it an epic instead of a trilogy. Epics are always better...

Will Wight link

7/31/2013 06:14:13 am

I'm glad you're enjoying it, Jack!

This particular series will be a trilogy; I planned it as a trilogy, I wrote House of Blades as the first book of a trilogy, and I'm writing Crimson Vault as the second book of a trilogy. If I had known House of Blades would be as successful as it has been, I would most likely have structured it as the first book of a longer series, but I didn't. That train has sailed, as they say. That ship has left the station.

The problem is that trilogies have their own structures, and I've been (for the most part) adhering to that structure. If I had been writing a series, House of Blades would have been very different. So I'm going to wrap up Simon's story in three books, just because at this point it would be very difficult to expand.

That said, I definitely have many, many more ideas in this universe. And I will almost certainly return here for a new set of books: maybe another trilogy, maybe a longer series. I'm not sure. There's just so many possibilities with the Territories.

Heck, even just the history of Valinhall: Valin's adventures as the Wanderer and his founding of Valinhall have a tragically romantic element to them, and Kai's story growing up in the Dragon Army is interesting in its own right. That's two possible books right there.

But I only have one firm plan right now: finish THIS trilogy. After that...well, who knows?

Thanks for your comment, Jack! I hope you enjoy the rest of the book!

Matthew

7/31/2013 04:54:48 am

I just picked this book up on my kindle about three hours ago and really enjoyed it. I'm planning on reading it a second time to see how much I missed when I read it the first time. Good luck with Crimson Vault, I'm looking forward to it.

Will Wight link

7/31/2013 06:16:17 am

Awesome, Matthew! I'm glad to hear it! I hope you enjoy the book--I've rarely been able to read books twice back to back, but I hope that works out for you--and thanks for the encouragement!

Matthew

8/2/2013 11:59:33 am

I guess I didn't make that very clear huh. I reread any book I think is worth keeping. A good example of what I mean would be the Night Angel Trilogy. I've read the whole trilogy seven times. In a few years I might have read House of Blades that many times. It is a money-saving habit but it doesn't mean I don't enjoy rereading good books.
Anyways, I'd like to thank you for the awesome book. I think what stood out most to me about the story was the lack of cliché characters. I really liked that.

Will Wight link

8/2/2013 02:43:41 pm

Thanks! Cliché or boring characters bug me, so I try to avoid using them where I can. Glad to see that worked out!

I also spend a lot of time--probably more than I should, I guess--re-reading old stories. The Night Angel trilogy is a fantastic example, and not a year goes by that I don't re-read Wheel of Time.

Jim

8/1/2013 01:21:18 am

make it a long book

Will Wight link

8/1/2013 01:54:13 am

Sorry, Jim! The Crimson Vault will be roughly the same length as House of Blades.

However, I'll be spending more time on City of Light (Book 3 of the trilogy), and that one might end up longer. It all depends on what I feel like the story needs.

Shiloh

8/1/2013 01:39:05 am

Ah! That is awesome! I can't wait!! But don't push yourself too hard...actually, please do...you can sleep once you finish the book. ;) That is, until you start on the one after that...lol

Will Wight link

8/1/2013 01:52:42 am

Sleep is for the weak! And also for the week...after this one.

*BA-DUM-PSCH*

No, please, please, hold your applause.

Rebecca

8/1/2013 09:01:31 am

I'm barely containing my enthusiasm.

Marcos

8/2/2013 03:19:42 am

Congrats on 11,000 copies sold. As a struggling husband of a talented writer(this is sarcasm, can't find that font), to what would you attribute you success in having your book sell so well in such a short period of time. She suggests it's your platform, as that's the mantra in most of the courses/seminars she's done. But as a new writer, I can't see where you would have developed such a platform.

Anyway, congrats on your success. Looking forward to Book #2.

Brian S

8/2/2013 04:38:16 am

I would suggest that it was excellent cover art followed by about ten five start reviews within a week of publishing that gave him immediate exposure. Those handful of reviews were quickly followed by more. Reviews help sell books, but the value of a good cover should never be under estimated. WIll you should give your artists a big wet kiss.

Will Wight link

8/2/2013 07:34:56 am

That's a great question, Marcos.

Honestly, I didn't even try to develop a platform until after I released the book. I know you're supposed to be gathering fans via Twitter and your blog years before you ever release something, but I certainly didn't do that. And, to be honest, I haven't put enough time or energy into marketing even since the book was released.

Basically, what happened was that I got enough sales and enough positive attention in the first week that Amazon started promoting me. The vast majority of my sales come from Amazon's "People Who Bought This Also Bought...." or "You Might Like..." lists. Apparently, Amazon automatically picks people who are doing well in certain subcategories and begins promoting them in those categories. If they continue to do well, Amazon continues promoting them.

As for how I did well that first week or two...well, there are really a few factors. As Brian said, the cover's great, and it stands out. I am 100% glad I hired professionals to do it right.

Just as importantly, I have a lot of awesome friends and family who were very passionate about the book. When I posted on Facebook, they re-posted, told their friends, posted on fantasy novel forums, etc. And I had about fifty people buy it in the first 24 hours just because they knew me and liked me enough to buy the book.

That said, I don't want to downplay the key factor here: people apparently really like the book. I have a crazy number of positive Amazon reviews right now, and MAYBE 5% of them are from people I've ever met. The vast majority of them are from real readers who actually liked the book, which just blows my mind. You guys are awesome!

Most of the platform-building, so to speak, that I've done on the book has been through this blog and my Facebook pages. I haven't spent a lot of time on it.

Well, there's my extensive essay answering your question. Thanks for asking! That was astute of you to notice what you did about my platform. I'm new; I barely have a following yet. I've had several people say, "Well, obviously you did a great job building your platform."

To which I can only say, "Not really."

And to Brian S: my cover artists are a pair of blond cosplaying twin college girls from Canada. They are so far out of my league that I'm not even allowed to make eye contact. I have to thank them from miles away, via smoke signals.

Shiloh

8/2/2013 07:44:24 am

I gotta say, as someone who had never heard of Will Wight or the House of Blades until a few weeks ago, the reason that I found Will's book is because it was a free monthly rental from Amazon because of my Prine membership. The cover art was interesting and once I read the plot description, I decided to try it. Then, I bought it several hours later after I finished reading it. Definitely props to both Will for the great story and to your cover artists!

Marcos

8/2/2013 12:10:13 pm

Will,

First off thanks for the lengthy response. I would suggest that your interactivity with your fans/readers is definitely helping. I've noticed your engaging your readers in a very genuine way. And 92 five star reviews is definitely better than a stick in the eye.

To be honest I wasn't expecting much, I have a hard time reading new writers as I'm more drawn to accomplished writers(Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson, Robin Hobb, Stephen Donaldson, etc). I was scared about reading a self-pub new author who self edits. But I have to say I'm very impressed, for doing it all yourself it's a very good, very tight story.

I found the book because it seems like no matter where I looked in fantasy books for a new Kindle book I found your book. The more research I did, the better it looked. I'm glad I took the plunge. To be honest I'm a little worried about the short time line for the next book, but I'm willing to be pleasantly suprised.

The funny thing is we were at the Ancient City Con, and I believe we chatted with most of the writers there, but I'm not sure we met you. Maybe next year.

Anyway, good luck with the book. I'm anxiously awaiting August 10th(or later). And thanks again for the taking the time to respond in full.

Marcos

Will Wight link

8/2/2013 02:38:56 pm

Shiloh: I know I've said this to you before, but thanks for giving me a shot! I think the Amazon Prime Lending Library has been really awesome for me, and has certainly been one of the most pleasant surprises as I've learned about Amazon's infrastructure. It really seems like it benefits me, the readers, and Amazon. So it's a win-win...win.

Marcos: That's very encouraging, thanks! I also tend to spend more time reading accomplished writers, like the ones you named. I mean, 95% of the time, their books are just better than the low-profile ones. Every once in a while you get lucky, though; I happened to read Blood Song right after it came out, and before it became successful. I was very proud of myself, in a creepy hipster way, when it later became well-regarded.

But I feel like I need to clarify something, lest I fail to give credit where it's due: I definitely did not do all the editing myself. I do, of course, edit the drafts myself to some degree, but pretty much every writer does. I have a team of awesome, talented people around me who work with me through the editing process, and I just wanted to make sure I point them out. I couldn't do it by myself.

Well, I could. But the story likely wouldn't make nearly as much sense.

I can't believe you were at Ancient City Con. Small world!

Brian S

8/3/2013 06:30:38 am

Those cover artists of yours are actually pretty hard to track down. Had to get tricky to find them even on the book of faces.

You should whine to them about not adding your book to their book section under more in FB.

Chelsey Batesons FB page: https://www.facebook.com/rivruskende?hc_location=stream

Caitlin Bateson FB page: https://www.facebook.com/sinnsykt

Web Site: http://designosaurus.ca/

They do some okay work, I think your cover was better than most of what they show though. I'm also at a loss as to why they don't show your cover art or book on their sites.

The possibility exists that this information is all wrong and that these are different Canadian artists with the same names who have added each other to their friends list and focus on fantasy art.

Will Wight link

8/3/2013 08:13:20 am

That's them, but to be honest with you I never communicated with them through Facebook. Most of our conversation was via phone, email, or Skype.

I know they have the cover art up on their DeviantArt pages, but I don't know if/where they put it up elsewhere. I certainly wish they would; it's free advertising for me.

Devin

8/3/2013 09:57:53 am

As someone who keeps a constant track of Will's internet presence, this is where I've seen them post the cover and some of their work. http://sandedfaceless.deviantart.com/art/Book-Cover-House-of-Blades-377764069

Will Wight link

8/15/2013 05:50:04 am

Today, Chelsey posted a comment on my Crimson Vault Release Date blog post. If you're interested in finding out about them, check it out!

Colin link

8/3/2013 12:08:29 pm

I've got to say, that was a pretty decent read, Will. Makes me yearn to finally finish my own novel. I'm glad I won't have to wait very long for the sequel. I only found your first novel today. One thing that struck me was the length of the story. I think it needed a bit more length in order to finish. It was kinda like, "... And then a big epic battle, that you don't get to see, The End".

Devin

8/3/2013 01:24:39 pm

I definitely agree that the first book could have used a solid extra 30-40 pages to touch it up perfectly. It's something i'm sure the author might consider perfecting in the future once he finishes the trilogy. The beauty of amazon, is that he can upload an updated copy with fixes and the readers can ask amazon to switch it out for the new one.

Will Wight link

8/5/2013 04:35:28 am

Devin's filthy mouth and outdated opinions aside, I agree with you, Colin. There were parts that I really did rush; not because I was trying to meet a specific deadline, but because I was afraid of boring readers and stepping away from the plot too long. Fight scenes are great, and I love writing them, but in that particular instance SEEING the fight wouldn't give you any additional information about the storyline. So I cut it.

Maybe I shouldn't have; I'm not sure whether I would choose to go back and add that particular scene if I could. But in general, you're totally right: the ending needed to be paced better, there were parts in the middle that could have used more explanation, we don't get to see much from Alin or Leah, we don't know much of what their daily life was like in Myria, etc.

At the time, I was afraid the plot wouldn't move quickly enough. I'm now learning how to keep the plot moving without rushing through and abbreviating scenes.

Anyway, thanks for giving me a shot! I think you're totally right, and I'm working on it, so bear with me!

Will Wight link

8/5/2013 04:38:02 am

P.S. I've known Devin for years. I'm not just verbally abusing some random person in the comments; I'm verbally abusing my friend.

That degenerate pervert.

Colin

8/3/2013 12:13:44 pm

Oh, and I meant to include, "It's definitely one of the better stories I've paid $3 or less for." but I forgot. Thanks for pricing it reasonably. I just bought an $11 hunk of polished dog turd from Amazon Kindle, recently. I'd burn the damn thing, except it's on my Kindle phone app, and I'm not due for an upgrade for another 6 months.

Will Wight link

8/5/2013 04:40:21 am

Thanks, Colin! I'm of the opinion that $3 is a good price point for books like mine. They're fun, they're not long, and they give you at least three dollars worth of entertainment.

Call me crazy, but when I pay more money for a book, I expect to be more entertained.

Alicia

8/4/2013 10:18:33 am

So utterly in love with your writing style and am ecstatic that the sequel to House of Blades is expected to be out so soon. Thank you!!!!

Will Wight link

8/5/2013 04:29:00 am

Why thank you, Alicia! I'm glad you enjoyed Book 1, and I hope you have just as much fun with Book 2.

Brian S

8/4/2013 01:37:39 pm

I was just wondering, where did you get the idea for the Nye? They are like creatures out of every five year olds nightmares. Turn off the lights and let the imagination free and that pile of cloths kicked half under the bed takes on a life of its own. They are perfect and add an extraordinary amount of character to Valinhall. They bring it to life and fill it with peril and uncertainty. They are definitely a very interesting story element.

Will Wight link

8/5/2013 04:44:48 am

Well, they sort of came along when I made Valinhall a house.

The first thing I did when fleshing out the Territory was try and figure out how the House itself worked. How does an entire self-contained world, cobbled together from the remnants of other worlds and built into a house, even work? Well, SOMEBODY has to do the mundane chores: polishing candlesticks, repairing broken tables, cleaning clothes, etc.

At first, I thought I would sort of imply that the House did those necessary tasks while you weren't looking. But that was sort of boring: when you looked away, your bed made itself. I thought it would be a lot more fun to imagine that all the chores were done by ninjas.

So that was how the Nye started out. Ninja-maids. Over time, their concept and history sort of evolved, but that was where the core idea came from.

Great question!

Colin

8/6/2013 10:55:07 pm

I thought the Nye were rather clever as well. Not the concept of them, but the way they operated. One of the things that irritates me about novels these days is the penchant of authors to cast characters in a good/evil light, as opposed to the shades of gray everyone actually lives in. The Nye aren't good or bad, they just ARE. This doesn't even make a ton of sense right now, thanks to two double Bourbons, but I'm sure you get the gist.

Blanton's, in case you were wondering. : )

Will Wight link

8/8/2013 10:56:36 am

I was wondering, Colin. I was wondering, and you stabbed my wonder right in its baby wonder heart.

It's leaking rainbow-colored wonder blood, Colin. What have you done?

Amy C

8/9/2013 11:31:23 pm

Hey, just saying I LOVED house of blades. One of my favorite parts was when Simon rescued the villagers and they didn't believe that he was a traveller. That was a LOL moment. My favorite kind of heroes are unconventional ones, and I like the idea of Alin not Simon being in the prophecy.

The concept of travellers and territories is new and fresh, I really like it; (That's my code for 'I wish I had thought of that.'). I also think the Nye are awesome, I can't wait to find out more about them and the history of Valinhall.

I found out about your book on a recommended book list, it was a fortunate find. I finished it in about four hours (i'm a fast reader) then I read it again. I sounds kind of sad, but a was lying awake that night fantasising what the next one will be like. WooHoo, The Crimson Vault!

P.S: I agree with you about well-known authors, their books are generally better, (with some exceptions) but some gems are to be found among some lesser known works. For example have you ever read Adept by Michael J Arnquist? I also found it in a recommended book list and it is currently one of my favorite books.

P.P.S: I have also read the Night Angel trilogy and Blood Song. Excellent books.

mike

8/10/2013 09:05:14 am

I do apologize if I am intruding but if you did greatly enjoy this book (and you're not the only one who was awake for more than a few hours imagining what the Crimson Vault will be like) and you enjoyed Blood Song, I would recommend The Inkeepers Son. I won't spoil it for you but I was greatly pleased by the read. Perhaps you might want to check it out!

Will Wight link

8/15/2013 05:54:00 am

I enjoyed The Innkeeper's Son as well. It has a few problems, but--let's be honest--so does House of Blades. You should give it a shot!

Will Wight link

8/15/2013 05:53:08 am

Thanks, Amy! I, too, have spent quite a lot of time imagining what The Crimson Vault should be like.

Probably for an entirely different reason, though.

P.S. I have not read Adept, but looking at the Amazon reviews I probably should. There it goes, onto my ever-increasing list of books to read!

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