#726: Hugh Howey, Author of Silo and Wool — A Masterclass on Writing, Unorthodox Self-Publishing, and Living in The AI Age

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/ Sponsors: Momentous high-quality supplements: https://livemomentous.com/tim (code TIM for 20% off) Helix Sleep premium mattresses: https://helixsleep.com/tim (20% off all mattress orders and two free pillows) Wealthfront high-yield savings account: https://wealthfront.com/tim (Start earning 5% interest on your savings. And when you open an account today, you’ll get an extra fifty-dollar bonus with a deposit of five hundred dollars or more.) Timestamps: [00:00] Start [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. * For show notes and past