Hugh Howey

In 1975, Howey was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was raised in Monroe, North Carolina. Before publishing his books, he worked as a book store clerk, yacht captain, roofer, and audio technician.{{cite web|title=Hugh Howey Goes From Bookstore Clerk to Self-Publishing Superstar|url=https://www.wired.com/underwire/2013/04/geeks-guide-hugh-howey/|publisher=Wired|access-date=4 May 2013}}

In mid-2015, Howey moved to St Francis Bay, Eastern Cape, South Africa. He commissioned the construction of a sailing catamaran, on which he sailed from Cape Town to Australia.{{cite web|last1=Howey|first1=Hugh|title=Ends and Beginnings|url=http://www.hughhowey.com/ends-and-beginnings/|website=Hugh Howey|access-date=9 September 2015}}{{Cite web | title = A Life at Sea | author = Hugh C. Howey | work = The Wayfinder | date = 7 March 2015 | access-date = 2016-02-08 | url = http://www.hughhowey.com/a-life-at-sea/ }} In November 2022, Howey married pilot and former model Shay Londre. They live in New York City.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

File:Hugh Howey by Gage Skidmore.jpg]]

He began the series in 2011, initially writing Wool as a standalone short story.{{cite web|last=Wecks|first=Erik|title=Hugh Howey Interview Part 2: A Spoiler-Filled Discussion of The Wool Omnibus|url=http://archive.wired.com/geekdad/2012/03/hugh-howey-interview-part-2/|publisher=Wired|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024133533/http://archive.wired.com/geekdad/2012/03/hugh-howey-interview-part-2/|archive-date=2014-10-24|access-date=11 March 2025}} His first book was initially published with a small press.{{cite web|last=Wy|first=Denise|title=The WOOL Success: An Interview with Hugh Howey|url=http://www.coveratelier.com/the-wool-success-an-interview-with-hugh-howey/|publisher=Cover Atelier|access-date=2 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112182453/http://www.coveratelier.com/the-wool-success-an-interview-with-hugh-howey/|archive-date=12 January 2016|url-status=dead}} After that, he decided to publish through Amazon.com's Kindle Direct Publishing system because of the freedom of self-publishing. After the series grew in popularity, he began to write more entries for it.{{cite web|last=Wecks|first=Erik|title=Hugh Howey Interview Part 1: Science Fiction, Indie Writing, and Success|url=http://archive.wired.com/geekdad/2012/03/hugh-howey-interview-part-one-science-fiction-indie-writing-and-success/|publisher=Wired|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150225191231/http://archive.wired.com/geekdad/2012/03/hugh-howey-interview-part-one-science-fiction-indie-writing-and-success/|archive-date=2015-02-25|access-date=11 March 2025}} Howey began soliciting international rights in 2012, including signing a deal for Brazil.{{cite web|last=Deahl|first=Rachel|title=Self-Made Bestseller Weighs Traditional Deals|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/51416-self-made-bestseller-weighs-traditional-deals.html|publisher=Publishers Weekly|access-date=30 September 2012}} Film rights to the series were sold to 20th Century Fox; Lionsgate also expressed interest.{{cite web|last=Fleming|first=Mike|title=20th Century Fox Spins ‘Wool’ For Scott Free And Film Rites|url=https://deadline.com/2012/05/20th-century-fox-spins-wool-for-scott-free-and-film-rites-270955/|publisher=Deadline|access-date=30 September 2012}}

In 2012, Howey signed a deal with Simon & Schuster to distribute Wool to book retailers across the US and Canada. The deal allowed Howey to continue to sell the book online exclusively. He notably turned down seven figure offers in favor of a mid-six figure sum, in return for maintaining e-book rights.{{cite news|last=Alter|first=Alexandra|title=Sci-Fi's Underground Hit|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324678604578340752088305668|access-date=5 April 2013|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=7 March 2013}}

He has also signed publishing contracts with Random House Century UK for UK distribution of both his Wool and Sand series, published as novels of the same names.{{cite web|last1=Nelson|first1=Kristin|title=A Letter from ‘Lil Kris|url=http://www.hughhowey.com/a-letter-from-lil-kris/|website=The Wayfinder|publisher=hughhowey.com}}

Howey became closely tied to both Amazon/Kindle Direct Publishing and self-publishing as a leader. He opened up his Silo Saga to other authors, formalizing that effort when he signed with Kindle Worlds. Though authors like Fredric Shernoff (Atlantic Island), Jason Gurley (Eleanor), and Michael Bunker (Pennsylvania) all experienced some degree of success that can be attributed to Howey, Wool, and the Kindle Worlds project,{{cite web|last=Barnett|first=Matia|title=Patience Pays Off: An Indie Success Story|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/pw-select/article/77326-patience-pays-off-an-indie-success-story.html|publisher=Publishers Weekly|access-date=22 June 2018}} nobody was able to replicate Wool{{'}}s success either through tie-in books or those authors' original stories.

Silo series:

1. Wool (2012), fix-up novel of one short story and four novellas:
2. : "Wool: Holston" (short story), "Wool: Proper Gauge" (novella), "Wool: Casting Off" (novella), "Wool: The Unraveling" (novella), "Wool: The Stranded" (novella)
3. Shift (2013), prequel, fix-up novel of three novellas:
4. : "First Shift: Legacy", "Second Shift: Order", "Third Shift: Pact"
5. Dust (2013)

The Sand Chronicles:

1. Sand (2014), fix-up novel of five novellas:
2. : "The Belt of the Buried Gods", "Out of No Man's Land", "Return to Danvar", "Thunder Due East", "A Rap Upon Heaven's Gate"
3. Across the Sand (2022)

Stand-alones:

• I, Zombie (2012)
• The Shell Collector (2014)
• Beacon 23 (2015), fix-up novel of five short stories:
• : "Beacon 23: Part One: Little Noises", "Beacon 23: Part Two: Pet Rocks", "Beacon 23: Part Three: Bounty", "Beacon 23: Part Four: Company", "Beacon 23: Part Five: Visitor"

Bern Saga:

1. Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue (2009)
2. Molly Fyde and the Land of Light (2010)
3. Molly Fyde and the Blood of Billions (2010)
4. Molly Fyde and the Fight for Peace (2010)
5. Molly Fyde and the Darkness Deep (TBA)

Stand-alones:

• Half Way Home (2010)
• The Hurricane (2011)

Collections:

• Machine Learning: New and Collected Stories (2017), collection of 16 short stories and five novelettes/novellas:
• : "The Walk Up Nameless Ridge", "Second Suicide" (novelette), "Nothing Goes to Waste", "Deep Blood Kettle", "Machine Learning", "Executable", "The Box", "Glitch" (novelette), "In the Air" (Silo series), "In the Mountains" (Silo series), "In the Woods" (novelette, Silo series), "Hell from the East", "The Black Beast", "The Good God", "The Automated Ones", "Mouth Breathers", "WHILE (u > i) i--;", "The Plagiarist" (novella), "Select Character", "Promises of London", "Peace in Amber" (novelette)

Silo series:

• "In the Air" (2014)
• "In the Mountains" (2014)
• "In the Woods" (2015), novelette

Uncollected short stories:

• "Gloria" (2015)
• "Full Unemployment" (2017)
• "The Blast" (2018)
• "No Algorithms in the World" (2019)
• "Bones of Gossamer" (2019)

• Misty: The Proud Cloud (2014), picture book illustrated by Nidhi Chanani{{cite web|last1=Chanani|first1=Nidhi|title=Portfolio|url=https://everydayloveart.com/category.php?category_id=18|website=Everyday Love|publisher=Nidhi Chanani|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304025936/https://everydayloveart.com/category.php?category_id=18|archive-date=2016-03-04}}

• Wool: The Graphic Novel (2014), with Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, illustrated by Jimmy Broxton, {{ISBN|1-47784-912-2}}

Wayfinding series:

1. Wayfinding Part 1: Rats and Rafts (2015)
2. Wayfinding Part 2: Hell and Heaven (2015)
3. Wayfinding Part 3: Hot & Cold (2015)
4. Wayfinding Part 4: Old World & New (2015)
5. Wayfinding Part 5: Consciousness and Subconsciousness (2015)
6. Wayfinding Part 6: Highs and Lows (2015)

• Wayfinding - Food and Fitness (2015)

The Apocalypse Triptych, with John Joseph Adams:

1. The End is Nigh (2014){{cite web|last=Gilliand|first=Blu|title=Book Review: 'The End is Nigh' Edited by John Joseph Adams and Hugh Howey|url=http://www.fearnet.com/news/review/book-review-end-nigh-edited-john-joseph-adams-and-hugh-howey|publisher=Fearnet|access-date=29 March 2014}}{{cite web|last=Edidin|first=Rachel|title=Exclusive Excerpt: Heartbreaking Stories From the End of the World|url=https://www.wired.com/underwire/2014/02/apocalypse-triptych-excerpt/|publisher=Wired|access-date=29 March 2014}}{{cite web|last=Newitz|first=Annalee|title=Does the apocalypse come in three stages?|url=http://io9.com/does-the-apocalypse-come-in-three-stages-1467092213/all|publisher=io9|access-date=29 March 2014}}
2. The End is Now (2014){{cite web|last1=Bradford|first1=K. Tempest|title=io9 Newsstand: Best Stories of the Week for September 15–20|url=http://io9.com/io9-newsstand-best-stories-of-the-week-for-september-1-1636974953|website=io9|publisher=io9|access-date=12 October 2014}}
3. The End Has Come (2015){{cite web|last1=Howey|first1=Hugh|title=The End Has Come|url=http://www.hughhowey.com/the-end-has-come/|website=Hugh Howey|access-date=9 September 2015}}

{{main|Silo (TV series)}}

Production on the serialization of Wool was announced in 2012. After development was begun by AMC, the project was moved to Apple TV+ in May 2021, and the ten-episode first season began streaming in May 2023.

{{main|Beacon 23}}

In 2018 it was announced that the Beacon 23 series was going to be adapted into a television series. Filming began in 2022, and the series premiered on MGM+ in November 2023.

{{reflist|25em}}

• {{official website }}
• {{ISFDB name|134759}}
• {{cite journal|author=Anon.|date=December 2013|title=Artisanal publishing : Hugh Howey|journal=Locus|issue=635|pages=72–74}}
• {{cite web|title=How Bestselling Author Hugh Howey Writes|url=http://www.copyblogger.com/wf-hugh-howey-file/|website=Copyblogger|access-date=9 September 2015}}
• {{cite web|title=Winning at the Self-publishing Game with Hugh Howey – The Knowledge Project Episode 63|url=https://fs.blog/hugh-howey/|website=FS.BLOG|access-date=3 September 2019}}
• {{LCAuth|no2012093228|Hugh Howey|3|}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howey, Hugh}}

Category:21st-century American novelists

Category:American science fiction writers

Category:Living people

Category:1975 births

Category:American male novelists

Category:American male short story writers

Category:Place of birth missing (living people)

Category:21st-century American short story writers

Category:21st-century American male writers

Category:Writers from Charlotte, North Carolina

Category:Novelists from North Carolina