In a Horde 4,000 Strong!

6/28/2013

At some point today, June 28th, I will hit 4,000 sales. I believe the appropriate expression is "w00t!"

As I may or may not have mentioned before, before the book came out I had set a high sales goal for the entire month of June: I was aiming for 1,000 sales. I was hoping to really work hard on marketing, and that maybe I could hit that 1K sales goal. And now I'm about to hit four times that.

It's a crazy world.

But this is all thanks to you folks, who bought the book, read it, reviewed it, and told your friends. You're the best! You're like a moist, triple-layer cake that tastes like awesome, with rainbow-flavored icing and sprinkles made of raw joy. That's what I think of when I think of you, specifically.

The convention last weekend in Jacksonville was exciting, productive, and exhausting. I loved it. I'll probably be going to Tampa's MetroCon in a few weeks, and I'll certainly be at DragonCon in Atlanta on Labor Day Weekend. Will I have a booth? Who knows? But I will be there in some capacity, and it would be awesome if I ran into some of you.

I'm also on a retreat-sort-of-thing right now, writing The Crimson Vault (Book 2). What are you guys looking forward to in Book 2? What should I definitely include?

Let me know.

42 Comments

J Moore

6/28/2013 12:47:27 pm

I just finished the book today. Blown away. Valinhall was amazing and what hooked me. I'd love to know more about the house, what is in the other rooms and more secrets of the Nye. The end of the book opened up some questions about other things obviously. Also need more Kai, I enjoyed him very much and I'm a little sad he won't be talking to the dolls anymore.

I'll leave it in your good hands but I'm very excited about the follow books (You sure you can get this done in 3 books?), something I haven't been since the Darktower series...but please don't lose your mind and put yourself in the story before puking out an ending like that series. :)

Will Wight link

6/28/2013 02:33:09 pm

Yeah, that series did sort of peter out, didn't it?

And thanks! I'm really glad you enjoyed the book. I've spent the past few days writing The Crimson Vault, and if you wanted more Kai and more Valinhall...hey, I think you'll like how the book opens. Thanks for giving me a chance!

G Chasteen

6/29/2013 02:36:33 am

Just finished your book. Great read! I really enjoyed it. I liked the pace and it felt more than the usual hack and slash. Innovative is the word I'm looking for. A job well done! Now I can't wait for the next two volumes.

Gary C.
Orlando, Fl

6/29/2013 04:02:57 am

Thanks, Gary! I appreciate you giving me a shot, and I'm hard at work on Book 2!

I would also like to compliment you on your choice of residence. I hear cool people live in Orlando.

Gary Chasteen

6/29/2013 11:19:02 am

LOL your right about the residence, In fact that was the deciding factor on picking your book. That said, "I happy you live here or I would have missed a good book.

Thanks,
G

Lewis link

6/30/2013 11:58:32 am

Hey Will! Congrats on all the success! Just picked up a copy!

What sort of marketing did you do for House of Blades? 4,000 copies in under a month is incredible!

7/1/2013 04:42:24 am

Thanks, man!

To be honest with you, I'm not 100% sure what I did that worked so well. I put a lot of thought and effort into the book cover, and I had that done by a professional. I put the cover on business cards and handed them out. I and some friends went into some fantasy novel forums (where, for the most part, we already had accounts) and talked to other fantasy fans about the book. I did a Casual AMA on Reddit. That sort of thing.

At some point, the book started selling well enough that it got on the front page of my sub-categories, and at that point the Amazon machine picked up my book and gave it some prime real estate on their site. But how did I get to that point? I don't know.

I can tell you that I feel sort of...unfair. In a good way, I guess. I have definitely seen the benefits from how well the book is doing, so I'm certainly not complaining, but where did all these sales come from? I'm not sure.

I went to your site and checked out your book, "I, Minion," which is an awesome concept with a fantastic cover. For $0.99, it's a steal, and I'm picking up a copy as we speak. But I see that you've had a lot more blog/review coverage than I have, so obviously you've done a better job than me in that arena.

Tl;dr - I have awesome friends, fans, and family who have done everything they can to spread the word about the book. Other than that, I can't take credit for the marketing success. Must be the grace of God, because I have no other explanation.

7/1/2013 04:45:15 am

To clarify my enormous post: the book started selling quickly about the 10th or 11th of June. And then it just kept selling faster and faster until it plateaued around the 15th, and it's stayed at around that level of sales ever since.

What caused it to reach that level? Angels. Sunspots. An ancient curse on my enemies. As far as I can tell, people may have just liked it and told their friends. It's hard for me to be sure.

7/1/2013 05:40:46 am

I totally get it! At a certain point these things just pick up steam and become an unstoppable force of epic goodness. I don't mean to take away from your success because it is well-deserved! I'm about halfway through House of Blades right now. It's caused me to ignore my familial and writerly obligations all morning.

The way I see it once you break into the Top 100 of Epic Fantasy you're golden. And the Redditors are certainly not to be underestimated! Thanks for the kind words/support about Minion and I hope you enjoy it! If your book wasn't so good I'd be hard at work on the sequel right about now.

RWAhrens link

6/30/2013 12:35:10 pm

Just finished your first book, and was intrigued by the innovative ideas for the Travelers and their source of power. Simon's seven foot sword was particularly interesting! I am definitely waiting for book #2!

7/1/2013 04:33:06 am

I'm glad you liked it! I had a lot of fun writing a seven-foot sword, because it's just so impractical and yet awesome at the same time.

rex

7/1/2013 08:39:49 pm

Loved the book. Since you asked for suggestions here are some: 1) the number one rule of modern fantasy is don't show character's faces on the covers (leave that to people's imagination) 2) as a tiny suggestion : maybe yet the protaganist have another enhancement with the same theme as the first two, the dangerous house rooms are a great setting for exploration and really piqued my intrest, let's explore them (togther with some other characters maybe ( I would love to see their reactions to the house)?)

7/1/2013 11:12:42 pm

I'm glad you enjoyed it! I definitely have a lot more of Valinhall to come, though I'd also like to show off some of the other Territories this time. I'm trying to make sure we don't spend the majority of our time in the House again.

As for the cover, I'm certainly not planning on showing the characters' faces. But I'm not sure what you mean when you say it's a rule. I'm having trouble thinking of a major fantasy series where they DON'T show a character's face on the cover.

7/1/2013 11:22:28 pm

That said, Simon will definitely get some new powers this time. Plus, you'll get to see several other characters react to Valinhall, so that should be fun.

Oh, and there are Indirial and Kai POV scenes relatively early. They get to show off some of the House's more advanced powers.

Spoiler warning, I guess.

Alfred

7/2/2013 04:11:10 am

Heu, you have french readers too !
Well, a least one !

7/2/2013 02:53:21 pm

All right, Alfred! That's awesome!

It's times like this when I wish I could speak French, so that I could make a joke in your native language. But alas, I do not speak French.

Calvin

7/6/2013 05:21:26 am

Hey there, just going along with Alfred on the list of international readers, I'm from Brazil, though.

Just wanted to say that your book was awesome, loved it.

Joel Li

7/2/2013 11:22:27 am

Love the book.

Found it an Amazon. I normally dislike to pick up a first book from an unknown author with only 1 book.

Either I love the book then have to wait forever for the continuation or the new author has some ways to go...

What convinced me to purchase the book was the type of reviews posted on Amazon. Really there are certain key words I love to heard. For this book, it was a 3 way view point that view the book added width but by keeping it to 3, does not sacrifice depth and character building.

Also all the reviews agree that the story is great and the concept is interesting. I love how it manages to merge 2 major fantasy themes together.

The theme of the dark hero seeking revenge that has an gloomy jaded cynical outlook of the world but is inherently good.
And the prophesied hero that is overwhelmed by what he has to do and must come out of his sheltered life and destiny to find out how the world really works.
You can also say the role of spy and the internal struggles faced while being pulled by feels to all sides as a 3rd theme.

Would love to see their characters grow and convergence hopefully somewhere in the middle. As in Simon learns confidence. Alin learn humility and the girl (forgot her name) actually learns what she really stands for.

Also would like to read the next chapter in this interesting saga. Keep it up and you will be an author to be watch out for.

7/2/2013 02:55:16 pm

Thanks, Joel! That's definitely one of my key goals in The Crimson Vault: I want to make sure that all three of the major characters develop in different and satisfying ways.

Brian S

7/3/2013 05:37:32 am

Will, I must say that I loved your book, and everything you've said you were going to put in the next book sounds great. Seeing some other territories would be cool too. I almost expected Simon to get invited to join Elysium at one point to tell you the truth.

::SPOILER::
I think what I loved the most was that Simon desperately wants to take himself seriously, and you keep getting in his way. The absurdly large sword, the dolls, the black cloak that he has to wear, These things just make a great story even more enjoyable.

Oh, and thank you very much for giving Simon a plausible length of time to become a competent swordsman given the type of training he was subjected to and the time displacement of Valinhall.

7/4/2013 01:48:25 am

Hey, I'm glad you enjoyed the story!

One of the major reasons I kept throwing in those fun things--the huge sword you can't quite wield properly, the talking dolls, the cloak you trip over--is because, like you said, Simon does tend to take himself too seriously. And, really, so do Alin and Leah. So when I get a chance to prick their bubbles a little bit, I have to take it.

Next time I write a series like this, at least one of the main characters is going to have a better sense of humor.

Thanks for noticing the training thing! It's still probably a LITTLE fast, but one of the things that we'll see in The Crimson Vault is how Simon stacks up to the other, older Valinhall Travelers.

He's got a long way to go, I'll tell you that.

Anyway, I'm really glad you enjoyed it! I'm hard at work on Book 2 right now, and hopefully it will be just as much fun as the first!

7/4/2013 02:13:32 pm

Yes, his training was a little fast, but all told he had about three months of hard core training (with the time displacement) where he had excellent motivation for succeeding (He was hungry). Additionally, while he may have never had any real training prior to that, he had managed to learn enough about swordsmanship on his own so that he wouldn't cut his own foot off, which is something. During that three months he was always healthy due to the pool, so he didn't have to worry over much about strains and sprains and could push himself to his limits constantly. Finally, I never got the impression that Simon was a master swordsman, merely that he was competent with some extreme advantages from his house.

Three months was enough time to train a farmer into a conscript that could fight in a formation. So I figure with his other advantages, your time table is plausible for the skill level depicted.

I can't even tell you how many times I've seen stories that bestow sword skill upon a character because he was born to be a swordsman or because it was his birthright or something equally silly. Not only did you not do that, you made his training entertaining.

7/4/2013 02:16:50 pm

Great! I'm glad it worked! Entertainment is my goal, after all.

Also, when you said "wouldn't cut his own foot off," I immediately think that's what Lan from Wheel of Time would say. Just saying, you're in good company.

Shaun

7/4/2013 10:53:32 pm

I can't wait for the next 2 books in this trilogy. I really like the magic in this world very unique very cool. I am going to use some of it in my Gaming Sessions. I have pages booked marked so I when I plan my story I am going to reference the cool abilities and some of the magic. I really loved how you worked with your time progression with Simon. I think it was cool how when he got knifed in the back he showed back up a few minutes later soaking wet and healed. I love little details like that. I also like seeing for once two "kids" who are not best friends but also not enemies. It seems much more real. And the girl who is not a love instrest but they are both attracted to her with out being ga ga for her. This is a really great book. Keep them coming!!

7/4/2013 11:05:28 pm

You're using aspects of my magic system in your tabletop gaming sessions? I'm honored! I honestly thought about doing that myself, but for me that would feel a little...weird.

For me, using my own magic system seems kind of like hanging a portrait of myself on the wall. But I'm glad you're doing it!

Neal

7/5/2013 05:16:16 am

Great book! Loved the magic system and the fact that Simon had to work for his power rather than it coming to him as a birthright and other fantasy cliches. Especially enjoyed Simons remarks on the "chosen one" suddenly talking like a lord. Great to read a POV with the "other guy". Keep up the good work! Looking forward to book 2.

7/5/2013 11:18:25 am

Thanks, Neal! I'm hard at work cranking out The Crimson Vault as we speak.

Joshua Hoover

7/5/2013 01:38:55 pm

Great book! If you keep cranking out books like this you will have a me waiting to buy them lol

7/24/2013 12:38:40 pm

Thanks, Josh! I'll do what I can to keep turning that crank :)

Rhys

7/9/2013 10:45:06 pm

Cant wait for the next book. I can't remember the last time that a character learned to use a sword or any weapon in a believable amount of time. I loved the idea of having to earn your powers through travelling and that each territory had different strengths and weaknesses. It's really nice to see a new magic system that doesn't come from Brandon Sanderson. Personally I would like to see Simon mature(not really a fan of Alin) and learn more of Valinhall. Regardless of what happens though you've given me a brand new world to let my imagination run wild in.
P.S Is there a map for this world?

7/24/2013 12:35:53 pm

Sorry it took me so long to respond, Rhys; I sort of missed this comment.

I have a map that I sketched in the back of one of my notebooks, and I use it for reference. At some point I'm definitely going to need to produce a good one that I can put in my books. The story really needs a map. And also a glossary/appendix/encyclopedia-type-thing for the Territories.

I'm working on it, I promise.

Brian G

7/12/2013 01:10:35 am

I agree with Rhys. Having a unique, coherent magic system that properly fits into the world is something I haven't seen enough in recent novels that weren't writen by Sanderson.

One thing I want to see in this next novel is for Alin to grow up. Right now his POVs are almost painful. He is just tiresome with his overinflated ego. I'm glad Simon always notices that during his POVs though. I want something to knock him off his pedestal so that I can root for him to succeed instead of always hoping Simon shows him up.

One thing I liked a lot about your book is that I sympathized with almost every character. Please don't create a black and white bad guy. Let them all continue to have some noble motivation.

7/24/2013 12:37:53 pm

You know, Brian, that's a good way to put it: pretty much every character in the story does have a noble motivation. Even if it's not REALLY noble, they think it is.

And don't worry; I continue that tradition in Crimson Vault. There are a couple of bad guys who (at first) look traditionally evil, but they're not. Their true motivations are revealed over the course of the book, and like everybody else, they have some good points.

RyanG

7/13/2013 01:33:41 am

First off, I want to express how much I enjoyed the book and how much of a pleasant surprise it was for me. I was in an airport browsing through amazon's "you might like..." fantasy novels and the cover/title caught my eye enough to read the description, so I borrowed it for free from the Prime library. I wasn't expecting much from a first-time author with only one book (sorry) but... I couldn't put it down (extremely annoyed when asked to turn off all portable electronics) and ended up purchasing my own copy before I even finished the book I was enjoying it so much. So... a long-winded thank you!

As for what I would love to see in the next book, I would mirror a great deal of what has already been said and hinted at (more Valinhall, more Kai (and Denner?), more unlocked powers) but also:

1) a Map :) I don't think I am quite picturing the world in the same way that you are, and I would very much like to.

2) Elaboration on the various territories and their powers. I was fully expecting to "sit in" on one of Alin's Enosh lessons that taught him all of the basics of what the well-known territories were, what their basic powers are, etc. There are... 9 total? +Valinhall? If traveling through a territory allows you to learn that territory, and throwing Simon into Valinhall (and the little girl, forget her name right now) allows them to become Fangs... can anyone enter any territory and do the same? Can someone travel from territory to territory and gain power? Is the King a master of all? Do you apply to the different territories to become one? How do people randomly get drawn in (like Alin or Valin)? Etc.

3) A promise that book 3 will come as quickly as book 2! ;)

7/24/2013 12:44:36 pm

Thanks, Ryan!

Let's see if I can do this point by point:

1.) Totally agree about the map thing. I really am working on it, and I'm just not a visual artist. Once I get paid, I'm going to need to just hire somebody. I do have a map, but it was drawn by me, by hand, in pencil. It's crap.

2.) Some of these answers are coming in Crimson Vault, and I also definitely need a reference/encyclopedia sort of thing in the back to help keep track of the Territories and their powers/alignments. I'm working on it. But one of the things you've noticed (and I'm very conscious of this) is the fact that my three main characters have Territories that are exceptions to the usual rules. Leah's Lirial is pretty normal, but Ragnarus, Valinhall, and Elysia all have completely different rules regarding how to become a Traveler.
Bottom line: I'm trying to work that information in, I really am. At the very least, though, I'm going to try and get you some sort of encyclopedia that answers these kinds of "Traveling 101" questions.

3.) I promise NOTHING!

Becky

7/23/2013 05:51:29 pm

I just wrote my first Amazon review for you :) are you still giving out virtual cookies?
As for what I'd like to see in book 2 is more info about the other advisors, so far you have a talking book and the dolls but what about the guy that saved Simon? Maybe a caved manatees, I read somewhere they have 3 brains.
Ok now I feel bad for taking time for you finishing book 2.

7/24/2013 12:46:54 pm

You're a hero and a scholar, Becky. Your psychic-projection cookie is your favorite flavor, and also sprinkled with fairy dust.

I'm really glad you want to see more advisors, because I just wrote a scene that heavily relies on Indirial's advisor. So, awesome! That's encouraging.

And that's true about manatees. They're crafty devils.

Peter

7/25/2013 07:10:00 am

You have to include more trials in the territories for the abilities they recieve. I found this to be the most intriguing part of your book. I would also like to see more evisceration. Cheers

7/31/2013 06:31:28 am

Hmmmm, there's a lot of decapitation and limb-severing in Crimson Vault, but not a whole lot of evisceration. A little bit, but not much. Just a dash of disembowelment, so to speak.

**HERE THERE BE SPOILERS, YAR...**

So far there's only one trial actively shown in Crimson Vault, though you see a lot of the other rewards. And I may add in a second trial at the end. I'm thinking about it.

I'm saving several of the powers he needs for the third book, I think, but that could change.

8/13/2013 03:57:52 pm

Please do add in another trial, definitely want to see that.

Bryce

8/13/2013 12:31:04 pm

Reading all the comments on this post made me think about all the things which could make The Crimson Vault better than the House of Blades(if that's possible!). Below are some of the things that I thought of. These are all just food for thought of what I would think would be personally cool.
1) Other characters reactions to Valinshall.
2) More chains. Chains are cool.
3) Simon's sword being on fire all the time. That doesn't make any sense it would just be epic.

Good luck writing the Crimson Vault! Hopefully its as good as or better than the House of Blades!

8/15/2013 05:59:57 am

All right, let's see if I can respond to this in a non-spoilery way:

(NOTE: I guarantee nothing. For those of you who hate reading anything that even might suggest a spoiler, probably don't read this. Also? It would be wise to stop reading these comments in general, I guess.)

1.) Yes. Quite a bit. You might even get sick of this, by the end, that's how much of this there is.
2.) Chains are totally awesome. That's just science fact.
3.) Swords are better when they're on fire. How could anyone argue that? It's not happening in Crimson Vault, but that's just because I can't make Simon TOO epic. I have to save some cool moments for other characters.

Thanks for your comment, Bryce! I'm doing everything I can to make The Crimson Vault as cool as possible, just for you.

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