Two Years Ago, Right Now...

6/1/2015

At this exact moment, three years ago, I was writing the first words on the first page of what would eventually become House of Blades.

At this exact moment, two years ago, I was waiting on House of Blades to upload to Amazon.

It wasn't until June 2nd, 2013 that I sold my first book, but it was the night of June 1st that the upload began. At this time, I was refreshing my laptop every thirty seconds to see if I'd gotten that email saying my book was finally available for sale.

I had a book. It was rough. And it was going out into the world all alone. I only hoped that people wouldn't hate it too much.

At this exact moment, one year ago, I sold my 101,988th book.

***

I don't talk much about my personal life on here, mainly because my "personal life" mostly consists of writing more fantasy novels. There's not a whole lot else to tell. But let me assure you that this has been an amazing journey for me over the past two years. For one thing, I've always wanted to be a professional writer...but I never expected to get there so quickly.

If we're going by the timeline in my head, I'm about twenty years ahead of schedule. I was supposed to go to college, get my degree, and then figure out some career while I was writing on the side. Eventually, maybe I'd be good enough that I'd write a book that people would want to read.

There are a million proverbs and parables that essentially translate to, "If you think the future is going to play out the way you planned it, you're an idiot." Pick your favorite.

So I just wanted to share this with you, as I sit here after two years. Because many of you have been following me, supporting me, reading me, or riding around on my shoulder (I'm looking at you, Shuffles) for every one of the last 730 days.

All I wanted to say was thanks. It's been fun.

I know it might not mean that much to you--you're looking for something to read, and I fully understand that--but I get to entertain you. I don't care if you shelve my books next to Lord of the Rings or if you spent a couple of hours reading my books on Kindle and never thought of them again.

If you're here reading this, it means I was able to distract you for a while. To me, believe me, that's a humbling privilege.

And I thank you for it.

-Will

P.S. And now, on the second anniversary of House of Blades, I'd like to reveal the cover for the soon-to-be-bundled complete Traveler's Gate Trilogy!

50 Comments

Christian

6/1/2015 11:37:40 am

Hey Will, I love your books. I was wondering, do you ever plan on joining a publisher instead of self publishing? If not, I was was curious as to why not. It seems like if you approached TOR and showed them that you sold over 100k books on your own that you would be a lock. Just curious. Congrats on the successful 2 years!

Will Wight link

6/2/2015 12:18:58 am

It's a little more complicated than that, though it's possible that I'd be able to make a compelling case to a smaller publisher than Tor.

That said, I don't want to do it.

For one thing, House of Blades has a lot of weak points. I'd have to shore those up and do some hefty rewrites to please an editor. Many of those changes are probably for the best, and I'd be happy to make them if I had the time. Some of them probably wouldn't be, and I would be making them only to please an editor.

Either way, it would take lots of time.

And DURING that time, while I'm making all these changes, I wouldn't be making any money. I'd have to take my books off Amazon if a publisher expressed interest, so I'd have no income until the published books hit store shelves...which means, optimistically, a year or two of no money.

So it's just not practical at this point. But even if that weren't the case, I've been happy with self-publishing. I like the total control I have over the books. I like directly interacting with fans. I like not being accountable to anyone, and having the ability to release 3-4 books a year.

And I'm already making a full-time salary selling books on my own, so why would I join a company? I'd be making LESS money with MORE restrictions.

My primary reason? It wouldn't be as much fun.

Justin Sloan link

6/2/2015 02:53:08 am

Well said, Will. Keep them coming! I'm glad to see the trilogy coming out as one book - exciting times!

6/3/2015 09:35:05 am

That's very interesting. Do you use beta readers or do you just "tweak" until it's done and send it out the door? If so, I can see why this would be such a streamlined process.

6/3/2015 02:11:19 pm

I do have an editing process that involves two waves of beta readers, but in all honesty the editing could be a lot more efficient than it is. I'm working on it, and I get a little better each time.

Because of the way Amazon works, I have to sustain releases in order to maintain my ranking/visibility, as well as keep the cash flow going. It's easy to keep momentum going, but it's very hard to rebuild it. So I've been emphasizing quick releases, which makes it difficult to hold on to a completed manuscript for very long.

Typically, a book is out the door 3-4 weeks after I finish the rough draft, which is RIDICULOUSLY short. In the future, I want to be able to organize my schedule more effectively so that I can release books just as fast, but still spend a couple of months editing.

Aaron J.E.

6/1/2015 11:40:19 am

Wow... I did not realise what an incredibly fast time frame that all happened in...

It feels like a decade ago I was getting ready for a 12 hour night shift in a dark and boring airplane and was looking for a book to hold me over. I stopped by the Kindle store, and seeing that all my established authors had nothing new I decided to just head to the 'cheap bin' to try my luck. Thought the synopsis of House of Blades was cute, picked it up - and absolutely loved it.

In the following years you have given another four books, plus a wealth of short stories, that I have grown to enjoy more with each iteration.

So congratulations on the anniversary of your first words and first book. It's been a fun ride watching your creative talents grow, and has been incredibly impressive to see how every new iteration is another great step forward in quality, vision and world building.

Keep it up, and I can guarantee you will always have an audience.

6/2/2015 12:22:13 am

Aaron, in some ways it feels like ten years since I first published House of Blades. In other ways, it feels more like two months.

It's been a crazy ride.

And thanks for giving me a shot, man! One cool aspect of this journey is that I get to grow as a writer without having to sit and revise one book over and over for years. I can write a book, learn my lessons, and commit to making the next one better. All while having my stories read and critiqued by real readers.

You guys are with me each step of the way as I try to learn and improve, and I'm thankful for it!

Kenneth

8/21/2016 07:16:56 am

Aaron, sorry for the necropost, but I did a Google search to try to figure out why a young talented author would prefer to self-publish rather than find a publisher. I just finished the House of Blades compilation and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I found this book in a way similar to the way you did. I stumbled on Will Wight after finishing all of the Sanderson books (except for his massive door-stop series, which I'll wait for him to finish before reading past the first). I think I found Wight from either a recommendation in an Amazon reader's review on a Sanderson book or maybe it was a "if you liked this author you might like this other one." I was curious about the comment that the books were self-published, but still of a high quality. Never read one of those before so I thought I'd give it a try.

So, a belated congratulations to the author. A few wishes for the future: 1) get a publisher with an editor, 2) publish even more books faster, 3) make them longer and more detailed without slowing down the action, 4) rework the space-time continuum (see 1-3).

But seriously, I'm glad Wight found a writing and publishing process that works so well for him and his fans (I now count myself as one) at such an early stage in his writing career.

Will link

8/21/2016 07:53:28 am

No necropost escapes my eyes, Kenneth!

If you've been trawling through my old posts, I'm sure you have an answer to your question by now, but just in case I'll answer you directly.

Initially, I tried the KDP program instead of looking for a publisher because I didn't really want to publish House of Blades. It was a test case, a way to check with real readers and see if they were at all interested in the sorts of stories I wanted to tell. After that, I was rushing to capitalize on the momentum of the first book's success, and the train basically never stopped.

Overall, though, a publisher simply doesn't provide enough benefit to me. That's what it boils down to. I make enough to write full-time on my own, so it's hard to justify turning to a publisher, who would:

--Take a bigger cut of the profits than Amazon does, leaving me with higher-priced books and most likely the same (or less) income per sale.
--Take much longer. The publication process alone adds six months to the lead time of a new book, not counting the time it takes to squeeze through a committee editing process. I want to write more books faster, not fewer books slower.
--Take all the rights. They determine the cover, they determine when it goes on sale, they determine print runs, they determine if any changes need to be made, I have no control of anything and the rights never revert to me.

And in return, they would provide access to a developmental editor (something I sorely need; I have very skilled copy editors, though there's no such thing as a book free of typos, but I don't have a developmental editor and I want one) and access to bookstores, as well as a vague aura of legitimacy. They don't do promotion except for their top authors; I would have to do all that myself, just as I do now.

Now, I don't want to make light of the editor thing. My books are both edited and beta read by people who know what they're doing and are not me, which is an indispensable part of the process...but a full developmental story editor is going to do more than that. They'll help me build the story from the ground up, telling me what storylines to cut and what character arcs fall flat instead of just what lines aren't working. I need that, I want it, and I don't have it.

But in my eyes, that benefit is not worth pursuing a publisher. I'd lose too much.

So anyway, that Great Wall O' Text is why I don't want a publisher. From my perspective, they would take more from me than they'd give back.

4.) I get to put this first because I've reworked the space-time continuum.
1.) I don't want a publisher, but I do want and need a higher level of editor.
2.) That's the goal! I'M TRYING SO HARD!
3.) Man, if I had a writing genie...

To extend this terrifying text tower a story further, I would like to say that I am working on my writing process. I believe that as I become more efficient in this area, I can write longer and better books in the same time period. There's a cap on that, obviously, but I can do better than I'm doing and I'm working on it.

As an ancillary benefit, the more reliable and productive my writing schedule, the more room I'll have to bring in an editor. Right now I just kind of work furiously until I'm finished, run it through my editing process, work furiously to implement those changes, and publish immediately (and furiously). If I can compress the amount of time I spend writing the book, I'll have the time and flexibility for developmental editing.

Anyway, I'm sure you've died of old age by now, but you had a well thought-out and sincere post, so I wanted to respond in kind.

Great to meet you, Kenneth!

April

6/1/2015 02:09:19 pm

Will,

Thank you for everything. Thanks for interacting with your readers. Thanks for publishing quickly. Thanks for all the things you do that set you apart as an author, and of course, thanks for 5 great books and several great short stories.

It has been a little less then 2 years for us, but it seems much shorter then that since a first found an interesting sounding book in the Kndle library and gave it a shot. I loved it and convinced my husband to try it. He almost gave up in annoyance due to all the text being bold, but once he got into it he loved it also.

Congratulations on your success, and continue doing what you're doing. We will continue to read.

6/2/2015 12:24:33 am

Thank YOU, April! Thanks for taking a chance on my books, and thanks for commenting here on the blog!

I just love making up new stories, and I still can't believe I get to do that for a living. It's all thanks to readers who are willing to roll the dice on a new writer.

(By the way, I still have no idea why the HoB text was bolded for a few weeks. Sunspots. Amazon sunspots.)

John

6/1/2015 02:18:46 pm

I love your books, I have been a rabid fan since The House of Blades, and you have not disappointed me yet. I was timid to try Of Sea and Shadow so I tried Of Shadow and Sea first and readily devoured its twin. I am eagerly awaiting the next two and lets be honest anything you decide to release will be read with great enthusiasm. Thank you for bringing your worlds to us especially Valinhall.

6/2/2015 12:26:27 am

Thanks for sticking with me, John! Thanks for giving my first book a chance, thanks for trying the Elder Empire, and thanks for trusting me with your time.

There are more worlds to come!

Jonathan

6/2/2015 02:47:44 am

I think it's been nearly a year since I first saw house of blades on amazon and began debating over trying out a new author. The thing that got me (of all things!) was the authors bio. It was refreshing to have a lack of seriousness, got me to laughing so I said "with a bio like that I have to buy the book". Thoroughly enjoyed it! Was actually a very refreshing book to read! The unusual "magic" system tied to an odd religious/diety system was great! Loved the house of blades concept! The. The characters felt like they actually had some depth, good storyline to boot! Really hoping to see more of that world, especially Valinhall!

Love the books Will! Keep em coming!

6/2/2015 10:52:21 am

I've always found it weird that other fiction authors have completely straightforward bios.

It's like...no one cares how many cats you have. They want to know if you're a good fiction writer. So why not have some fun with it?

Glad you're enjoying the books, man! Stay tuned!

Freudian Slip

6/2/2015 07:15:27 am

Hey Will, just wanted to congratulate you on the anniversary, and express my gratitude to you for doing what you do, and for being so dedicated to doing it better at every step of the way! I actually came across your books when I was knee-deep in the worst parts of writing my thesis in clinical psychology in the fall of 2013. I was stressed beyond belief, to the point of constant insomnia. During a rather desperate 3am search for something to alleviate that stress and insomnia I found House of Blades, and finally while reading it - after months of stress - I managed to forget about my thesis for a while and simply relax. This might sound a little weird, but from there on out I read myself to sleep with your books (and eventually re-reads of Brandon Sanderson's books, haha!), and I'm pretty sure it helped keep my sanity intact. Needless to say, I've been a huge fan ever since, and can't wait for the next set of books to come out!

6/2/2015 10:56:15 am

As a matter of fact, I wrote House of Blades as a break from writing my OWN thesis. Oh, thesis. I'll never miss you.

In the best possible way, I'm glad I've been putting you to sleep!

Kevin

6/2/2015 08:26:47 am

Will, you are a man living your own dream, it is gracious of you to share and include us in it. Your availability draws me back as much as your writing, both of which are fantastic! I have a special place in my heart for self-employed people because of my Dad. You have a fan for life my friend.

Must have more!

6/2/2015 10:57:54 am

Kevin, Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.

I AM your father!

Search your feelings, you know it to be true!

Mesmerizing Suggestion

6/2/2015 09:56:15 am

*Pride in favorite author intensifies*

6/2/2015 10:54:43 am

I regret that I can't respond in pictures, but please follow this link:

http://i.imgur.com/tLGqA0k.gif

Ashton Rust

6/4/2015 08:41:40 am

Honestly, I was just going to read all of these comments and believe that you had enough fan support without me adding in, but your response with that gif was just too good to pass up. I've said it before that I enjoy reading your books just as much as any big name author, and sometimes even more. I'm glad you're the kind of guy to respond to his fans, and have a good time while you do it. Keep doing what you're doing, I'll just jot my name down on that list of fans for life.

6/4/2015 10:26:39 am

Thanks for taking the time, Ashton! It's always encouraging--and a little bewildering--to hear that people are really enjoying my books.

And remember: the more confidence you have in me, the more devastated you'll be when I finally betray you!

http://www.reactiongifs.com/r/mnlgh.gif

(My greatest regret is that this website doesn't allow me to embed pictures in comments. That's my greatest regret IN LIFE.)

Peter

6/2/2015 11:41:46 am

I only discovered your books last year, but I quickly fell in love with House of Blades. I was a bit nervous when I started The Elder Empire--I sincerely wanted to enjoy it as much as Traveler's Gate--but I was not disappointed. You have a gift for writing, good sir. You're one of the few authors that I eagerly follow for new books (figurative or literal? I'll never say). I look forward to many more Wightian adventures.

On a side note, thank you for writing books for mature audiences without excessively mature content. Whether it's intentional or simply coincidental, it's refreshing.

6/2/2015 12:25:55 pm

It's definitely intentional. I know I might go overboard with the violence a little, depending on where your threshold is, but there's no cursing or sexual content intentionally.

I wanted to write the kind of books that I could recommend to anyone without caveats. The sort of books I would have read out loud with my family as a teenager.

In the future I might include a little low-level profanity, simply for a degree of realism--there are certain character types that you basically can't write without letting them curse. But it will never be excessive.

Thanks for giving the Elder Empire books a shot, Peter! And thanks for coining the term "Wightian," which I will henceforth begin using.

6/3/2015 04:02:15 pm

I'm glad to hear that you intentionally avoid it. Now I can recommend you as an author with even more confidence. And I definitely understand what you mean about certain characters using profanity.

As for coining "Wightian," I'm glad to have been of assistance. I look forward to seeing the term put to good use. Perhaps it will be used someday to describe the hit children's show Reading Rainbow, hosted by Calder and Shuffles. (Frankly, any children's show featuring Shuffles screams "Emmy" to me.)

6/4/2015 10:23:14 am

"Our book today is a classic: 'The Cat in the Hat,' by Dr. Seuss! This timeless children's story stars an unwelcome cat--"

"UNWELCOME."

"--who sneaks into a home--"

"SNEAKS!"

"--to teach young children a lesson."

"TEACH THEM A LESSON!"

"...I'm sorry, but do we really need him here?"

"SNEAK INTO THEIR HOMES!"

Terry

6/3/2015 12:14:54 am

Will,

I just finished reading the Traveler's Gate Trilogy. I basically stopped doing work in my office at 3pm because I could't concentrate and wanted to see how City of Light ends.

My question is, which one of the dolls is the one Simon is holding in the title?

Thanks!

6/3/2015 02:12:30 pm

I'm proud to take you away from your work, Terry!

She was supposed to be Caela, but there are a few minor inconsistencies in her appearance. For one thing, the dress should be a shade lighter, and she should have a bonnet.

So let's just say..."another doll."

Spork

6/3/2015 11:30:10 am

I love all your books and look forward to reading whatever you write next.

P.S. Anybody else think that the blade was larger(wider)? It is made to be a monstrous weapon but here it sort of appears to just be long. Maybe it's just my brain blowing the blade out of proportion.

6/3/2015 02:14:35 pm

Vasha, Indirial's sword, is wider. It's more "monstrous," as you describe.

Azura, which is the blade Simon's holding in the picture, is long and relatively thin. Some of the other blades are shaped differently; Mithra is shaped similarly to Azura, but with a gold core, and Denner's sword (whose name is escaping me at the moment...I'm a bad author) is much shorter.

6/3/2015 11:15:48 pm

I was thinking it was wider too... haha maybe twice the Width that is shown

6/6/2015 12:42:28 pm

Just re-read the first book, and it does mention that it is a slim blade.

6/3/2015 11:14:36 pm

Hey!! I've read Traveler's Gate 3 times, It is one of my favorite Trilogies EVER... so Thank you. I just finished Shadow for the second time!! That series is pretty amazing too.. FINISH THE NEXT BOOKS!!!! haha. Thank you for the amazing worlds you have created!!

6/4/2015 10:17:40 am

Pretty amazing, huh? I'll take it!

I actually just re-read Shadow myself, as reference material while I'm writing Darkness, and I actually enjoyed it. That may be the first time I've actually enjoyed reading one of my own books; I'm usually too caught up in looking at the flaws to have a good time.

Thanks for reading, JM! Here's hoping you enjoy Dawn and Darkness just as much!

Nikk

6/4/2015 05:54:03 am

Congratulations Will! I have been a big fan ever since I read the House of Blades, and I have read all your books and enjoyed every one of them. Then re-read them. Then found this blog and now I can’t wait for your next books. The important question is… do you talk to dolls?

6/4/2015 10:28:17 am

No, no, no. The IMPORTANT question is: do they talk back?

Yes. Yes, they do.

Mike C

6/5/2015 09:48:53 am

Hey Will. This is my first time commenting even though I follow this blog religiously. I just have to say I truly appreciate the Traveler's Trilogy, as well as the new books. So keep it up please! The main reason of this post though is to say how completely awesome that cover is! Like serious, it's amazing.

6/7/2015 07:29:13 am

Thanks, Mike! I've been a bit disappointed that nobody's commented on the cover yet. I was proud of how it came out.

Glad you enjoy the books! Keep reading, and I'll keep it up!

Madeline M.

6/6/2015 04:14:48 pm

I am happily looking forward to your next books, and thank you again for recommending me all those books to read way back when!

6/7/2015 07:30:31 am

I love recommending books! If no one told their friends about books they liked, I'd be out of a job.

Tom

6/6/2015 04:36:43 pm

Been a follower of your blog for a long time now and have read your books from the start. And I haven't regretted a single moment.

You're so fun and interactive to read. Your books are top notch and always show what I love about fantasy. Reading your books make me want to write more, and so for that, thank you.

I'll always await your next book, your next blog post, and pretty much whatever you have to offer.

-Tom

P.S. That cover is awesome.

6/7/2015 07:32:44 am

If you're motivated by something I wrote, Tom, then I'm happy. Even if it was just, "Man, I can do way better than this guy!"

When I'm having fun as a writer, and you're having fun as a reader, that's when I think fantasy is most successful.

P.S. I agree. I was really excited about this cover.

Jeremiah

6/7/2015 08:31:17 am

You've did good with HoB. Then it got better w/ CV and CoL. The wighting impoves with each installment. Even the revision of HoB made it so much smoother and a better read. I re-read it and siad "good, he figured out that we will know exactly how Alin's character will be within a few chapters, there is no reason to bludgeon them with how annoying he is"

In hindsight, I think I dislike Alin because he is too much like myself in the always needing to be the hero. It gets one in trouble even in average life.

Keep up the good work

6/7/2015 09:09:24 am

At the very beginning of House of Blades, I had no idea where the story was going.

It began as an exercise to get me to finish a novel, even if it sucked. So I was basically like, "Well, I can start where every fantasy novel of all time has begun: with a village being burned to the ground for no good reason."

After that, every time something occurred to me that seemed cool, I'd find a way to work it in. Ridiculous swords. Talking dolls. Energy blasts. Giant, flaming ants. Psychic birds.

I already had the Territory system worked out separately, just as a cool idea I'd had a while back, so I ended up using it. Then, when I was done, I went back and added/rewrote scenes so the whole thing made sense. The prologue was actually the last chapter I wrote, in real life.

But there was still way too much of that first draft in the first few chapters, remnants of a time when I didn't know my characters or where they were headed. So they needed a rewrite.

To tell you the truth, I'm STILL tempted to completely rewrite House of Blades. That's not productive, and I love new ideas more than anything, but I'm so confident that THIS time I could fix it...

(P.S. "wighting" made me laugh.)

6/8/2015 09:02:37 am

So, I'm not a fan of this cover. Apparently I'm the only one. I think it really lacks the gravitas, mystery, intrigue, etc. from the covers that currently adorn your tree-books. I understand what's going on in this picture because I've read, (and dug) the books, but if I was new to the series, I think it would be a turn-off for me. My first impression: "Darth Reven-ish sword-bro plays with dolly." It really depends on your target audience I suppose, but this would negatively affect my perception of the book(s) within. All books are obviously judged by their covers (and Amazon Reviews).

6/9/2015 12:41:13 am

I understand that, BW. For this reason, I actually don't like book covers with characters on them. I would prefer covers to emphasize the world and uniqueness of the stories, not give you a picture of characters that A.) might look awkward, or B.) might look different than you pictured.

But you know what? I'm fine with it in this case. First of all, I think the artist did a good job. Second, this is a collected trilogy of already-successful books. If readers are drawn to the individual books instead of the collection because of the covers, well, that's fine by me. They're welcome to buy the books one at a time, or all together. I don't mind.

David

6/10/2015 03:23:59 pm

Will I just have say your travelers series is just amazing! Completely delivered everything I would want to read in a series! Definitely already hooked to your elders! I just want to thank you for even existing so that we are able to read your incredible handiwork! Much love and keep them coming!!

6/11/2015 04:46:47 am

David, if there's one thing I'm good at, it's existing. I'm getting pretty good at it, in my humble opinion.

And I guess the books are pretty good too.

Marcos

7/4/2015 03:17:36 am

I just wanted to stop in and congratulate you on your success Will. I'm an alpha reader for a couple of writers(my wife included). I thoroughly enjoyed House of Blades, although to be honest I found the next two to be a little bit of a muddled mess. I still enjoyed them, but not as much as the first installment.

I can tell you've gone through a pretty large growth as an author, this second series is much more developed, and I have enjoyed it thoroughly. Your world building is much improved it feels like.

I think it's good that you put your work out there and make money from it. Now if I can talk my wife into releasing some of her work as well, instead of the interminable rewrites, and shelving til she feels like messing with it.

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