Thread by @hughhowey

♦️TEN YEARS♦️

It's been 10 years since I wrote and published my first novel. 10 freakin' years.

When I started this adventure, I told myself to give it 10 years before I took stock of any success.

Let's take stock. It's time.

THREAD

The idea of taking this long view was to not get frustrated if success didn't come quickly and easily. Labor in obscurity. Spend more time writing and improving and little time promoting and begging.

My goal was to write 20 novels in 10 years.

The ultimate achievement would be to pay the bills with just my writing. It seemed unlikely. I focused on the writing. The characters. Their worlds.

I fell short of my goal of 20 novels. More like 15. But with a few anthologies edited that I didn't plan on. Close enough to not beat myself up.

Those works have been published in over 40 countries. This was something I did not expect at all. Complete bonus. And it led to book tours all over the world. I saw places I'd only dreamt of visiting.

The TV and film deals have been mega bonus. I've gotten to work with people I look up to. I've seen how the sausage gets made. I get to read adaptations written by very talented peeps. Even the meetings and phone calls are fun.

Landing an agent is a fantasy I long ago discarded. But then the best agent in the world came to me. Working with Kristin Nelson has been the epic highlight of my career. I love her. I look up to her. She's a badass. Her entire team is.

I think I've sold around 5 million books? I remember dreaming of selling a thousand. I used to have a table, folding chair, and a box of books in my pickup. In case I needed to set up shop and sell a copy in the back of a Starbucks.

I dreamed of selling a thousand books. Total.

Two years after publishing my first book, I quit my day job. That never would've happened had I not self published. And had I not gotten lucky in so many ways. The timing was fortunate. I had amazing fans who pushed my work. I got extremely lucky.

Six years after publishing my first book, I embarked on my other lifelong dream to sail around the world. For the last four years I've been doing just that. This seems impossible to me. How has it only been 10 years? I'm gobsmacked.

Now for the best highlights: the people. The readers who drove hours to come to readings. The other writers who have become friends and family. The bloggers and reviewers who spread their passion. I stan you all.

And my editors...

Lisa Kelly-Wilson, David Gatewood, and John Joseph Adams. The hours we've communed in the margins has been pure hell and pure joy. They made me believe. They made me better. They showed me that writing is not a solo endeavor.

Reflecting on the last 10 years, two people deserve final mention. The best for last. That's my sister and my mom. We went to dinner to celebrate my first completed manuscript. They've been my champions since.

My sister used to get her local pub to host me for my first book readings. She made all her friends read and support me. My first protagonist was named after her, and I wrote like hell to capture her awesomeness. I hope I got close.

And Mom. What can I say? She's my first reader, my greatest editor, my #1 ally. She taught me to read. Filled our home with books. Ran bookstores with passion. Encouraged me endlessly. Thanks, Mom.

10 years after my first book, I look back at all the friends who are a vital part of my life. All the readers who have found joy in my words and give me joy with their emails, reviews, and support. I think of the agents and artists I teamed up with. I think of family.

They overall takeaway is that I'm damn lucky. I did something I loved, and it opened countless doors. I had a 10 year plan. Somehow, I didn't dream big enough. It's unreal to me, looking back at it all.

END...?