#726: Hugh Howey, Author of Silo and Wool — A Masterclass on Writing, Unorthodox Self-Publishing, and Living in The AI Age
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Hugh Howey is the New York Times bestselling author of Wool, Beacon 23, Sand, Machine Learning, Half Way Home, and more than a dozen other novels. His Silo trilogy was recently adapted by Apple TV, becoming their #1 drama of all time. Please enjoy!
Timestamps for this episode are available below. Resources from this episode: https://tim.blog/2024/03/13/hugh-howey/
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Timestamps:
[06:48 ] Breaking the formula with a literary sleight of hand.
[11:00 ] A commitment to 10 years of obscurity.
[15:02 ] Buying back rights and self-publishing.
[22:04 ] Why authors should strive for a reader-first vs. publisher-first mindset.
[24:22 ] Hitting the NYT Best Sellers List with a self-pub book.
[27:44 ] Pricing logic.
[31:00 ] The undersold value of worldwide rights.
[33:57 ] How authors can find deal leverage early on.
[37:07 ] Establishing a daily writing habit.
[41:34 ] Fiction that inspires better writing.
[45:27 ] Collaboration vs. writing solo.
[46:59 ] Ways the publishing industry protects the status quo.
[49:55 ] Why Hugh makes publishing deals at all.
[50:45 ] Self-promotion as therapy.
[53:05 ] Keys to fruitful collaboration.
[55:47 ] Common mistakes creatives make.
[1:01:03 ] AI’s present-and-future impact on publishing.
[1:06:05 ] AI-generated occupational and existential crises.
[01:10:11 ] Mid-term optimist, long-term pessimist
[01:14:57 ] Procreation in uncertain times.
[01:19:07 ] The future of religion.
[01:26:21 ] Free will and objective moral truth.
[01:31:02 ] Parting thoughts.
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