#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:

[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 guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.

For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors

Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.

For transcr