Michael Sullivan - Hollow World

— Michael J. Sullivan July 2013

Hollow World , more than any other book that I’ve written to date, is the product of many people. And to each of them I’m eternally grateful. This list is bound to be extensive, but bear with me because if you liked Hollow World , then you have these people to thank for it.

First there is Nila White, who ended up planting the seed of Hollow World when she asked me to create a short story for her anthology The End—Visions of Apocalypse . Nila did a tremendous job pulling together anchor authors and judging entries by new authors as a way of showcasing new talent. This isn’t a money-making project for her, and the anthology is often free or sometimes a measly $0.99. There are great stories in there including a fabulous one by Hugh Howey. Please give it a try.

I had an incredible group of beta readers for Hollow World including: Alexander Grevy, Algernon, Audrey Wilkinson, Bobby McDaniel, Cait M. Hakala, Caroline Reiss, Clay Ashby, Elizabeth Berndl, Gary Kempson, Greg, Heather A. McBride, Jeffrey Carr, Jeffery Miller, Libby Heily, Marc Grenier, Marcelle McCallum, Nathaniel and Sarah Kidd, Piero, Sebastian O’Sullivan, Shane Enochs, Shawn Haggard, Sheri Gestring, Simon, Stephanie Van Pelt, William Watson, and a few people who asked to remain anonymous. While I can’t call out each and every one of their contributions, they are sure to see aspects in the final book that are the direct result of their feedback. I wish every author had such conscientious and astute beta group. All of you are welcome to be my beta readers anytime.

I’d like to specifically call out Jeff Miller whose enthusiasm helped convince me of Hollow World’s value. Jeff is a fine writer in his own right (if you like well-written mystery/thrillers then check out his Bubble Gum Thief , the first in his Dagny Gray series). Jeff provided some exceptional ideas each of which improved the book.

I’d like to thank Marc Simonetti who produced some amazing artwork depicting Hollow World. Not only did it provide me incredible inspiration, but it was the glue to which all my pre-promotion for the book centered around. People saw his incredible artwork and just knew this was a project of the highest quality. His artwork also used for posters and bookmarks giving an incredible perk to those who contributed to the Kickstarter. I’ve seen framed and mounted copies of the posters from many readers and I’m honored that my idea, and Marc’s talent, is adorning their walls. Or those that don’t know Marc did the covers of my French editions of The Riyria Revelations and has created covers for many other fantasy authors such as Patrick Rothfuss (also French editions of The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear ) and George R. R. Martin (Mexican edition of Game of Thrones ).

One of the advantages of traditional publishing is structural (sometimes known as content editing). This is an important job done by highly skilled professionals. Structural editors concern themselves with things such as pacing, plot holes, and character development. They are the “reader’s advocate,” who know from years of experience what works and what doesn’t. When I thought I would be self-publishing, I didn’t want to skip this important step. Luckily for me, Betsy Mitchell, who was the editor-in-chief at Del Rey for more than a decade, is now offering her services directly. Betsy has over thirty years experience editing science fiction and fantasy and has worked on more than 150 books from authors such as Michael Chabon, Terry Brooks, and many New York Times bestselling authors. Betsy confirmed what I suspected, that Hollow World was already a good book…then she made it better.

Due to the generous contributions of the people in Kickstarter, I was able to afford not just one, but two exceptional copy editors. Both routinely work for the big-five publishers, including Macmillan, Tor, St. Martin’s Press, Del Rey, Putnam, and Ballantine Books. One has two masters degrees (one in English and Writing and the other in Creative Writing and English ) and has been nominated for the Nebula, World Fantasy, and Tiptree awards. The other has edited Naomi Novik’s Victory of Eagles, a number of the books in the Star Wars franchise, and two New York Times bestsellers for Steve Berry. The two of them saved me from innumerable embarrassments. If Betsy took a good book and made it great, then these two editors made me look smarter and more polished than I am.

Then there was the editing that Tachyon Publications contributed. Jacob Weisman was extremely helpful with feedback, especially in the early portions of the novel, which made the work more focused and faster paced. Another pass by their copy editing staff put another coat of polish that gave it that extra shine.

Of course anyone who knows anything about me and my writing knows that my wife, Robin, is integral to every work that is produced. She is always my “first reader” whose opinion ultimately decides whether a book will see the light of day or die hidden in a drawer…and no she doesn’t love “everything” I write. During the writing of Hollow World I would discuss in vague generalities various aspects about the book. After many of these conversations she professed how scared she was. You see, Robin is not a science fiction fan, and from the bits and pieces I told her she was far from enthusiastic. In fact, I knew she would have preferred for me to be writing other books that she was already anxious to read. When I finished Hollow World I thought it was a good book, but it was only after she devoured the whole manuscript in a day, then requested, “more please,” that my suspicions were confirmed.

Robin’s fingerprints are all over Hollow World . Like Betsy and Jacob, she performed two comprehensive sets of structural edits. She helped organize and coordinate the beta readers, including compiling all their edits and comments into one massive file so I could easily process all their feedback. Then she did that again with edits from Betsy, Jacob, the copy editors, and my agents. She masterminded the Kickstarter, and provided much of the logistical support for it. She worked with Teri to get the audio book contract with Recorded Books and with Laurie to get the print-only deal with Tachyon Publications. There is absolutely no way I could have made Hollow World a reality without her tireless efforts. She has always and will always have my love, but she also has my undying gratitude for constantly dealing with all the business aspects of my writing and turning my dreams into reality.

Hollow World ’s audience potential has been greatly increased due to the efforts of two fine literary agents. Teri Tobias, who has also represented The Riyria Revelations and The Riyria Chronicles, and secured the audio book rights. Laurie McLean did the near impossible by obtaining a print-only contract for a mid-list author. I thank both of them for their efforts and talents they brought to this project.

The audio edition of Hollow World will be published by Recorded Books, who did an exceptional job with my Riyria Revelations and The Riyria Chronicles. Recorded Books has an incredible recording facility and top notch voice talent. As indication of their quality, the audio book of Theft of Swords garnered an Audie Award nominee for 2013 and that wasn’t the only title they were short-listed for. In all they had six titles and the list of awards for their books are too numerous to list here, but you can check them out here. Recorded Books’ acquisition team is picking the best and the brightest in speculative fiction and have produced titles by J.R.R. Tolkien, Diana Gabaldon, Charlaine Harris, Brandon Sanderson, Cormac McCarthy, Gregory Macquire, Marion Zimmer Bradley, James S. A. Corey, Peter V. Brett, Gail Carriger, Joe Haldeman, Connie Willis, Piers Anthony, Daniel Abraham, Ursula K. Le Guin, Kim Stanley Robinson, Ilona Andrews, Naomi Novik, Mark Lawrence, and hundreds more.