Wool in ePub?

[hughhowey]

Originally Posted by elemenoP

I had a weird thing happen when I read the first three Wool books on my Sony reader. I downloaded them from Amazon (why would I do such a thing? well they were free!) and then converted them in Calibre. The files had extra characters here and there. They are not typos. For a long time I wondered if they were a secret code and I would scrutinize them closely. But I got books 4 and 5 from B&N and they didn't have these extra characters. I have no idea what could have caused this. Here are some examples, copy and pasted from Calibre:

had felt,>As with its floors and floors of apartments

“Do you think it was an accident? A fire or a power outag, be?”

The first year without angher, Holston had waited,

Although I have "bought" dozens and dozens of Amazon freebies, these are the first that I actually *read* so I have no idea if it happens frequently with Amazon books converted with Calibre.

eP

That's very strange. I would guess it was something Calibre choked on, maybe some background code left in the .mobi file. The books were never published with those sorts of typos (just other sorts )

[hughhowey]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I do like that Wool (at Kobo) is using the fan made cover that is much better. It's the cover I've chosen to use as well.

Thanks! Wait. I drew those other covers.

But seriously, the guy who did the Kobo cover is a Dutch Master. Seriously. He designed Fiji's currency for goodness sakes! He does ad campaigns for Fortune 500 companies and sent me that cover and a cover for the first Molly book. They were "doodles he put together on his day off."

Can you believe that?

I immediately commissioned him to do covers for the other three Molly books. My wife balked when she found out what these would cost me (I insisted to Jasper that I pay a fair price). My argument to my wife was that I'm not splurging on anything for myself with money from book sales, and these are like works of fine art. So please let me commission them.

I won.

The cover for the second Molly book is almost done, and it looks spectacular. I can't wait to see what he does with the rest.

[Pax]

Originally Posted by hughhowey

I immediately commissioned him to do covers for the other three Molly books. My wife balked when she found out what these would cost me (I insisted to Jasper that I pay a fair price). My argument to my wife was that I'm not splurging on anything for myself with money from book sales, and these are like works of fine art. So please let me commission them.

I won.

The cover for the second Molly book is almost done, and it looks spectacular. I can't wait to see what he does with the rest.

If I may say so, I think this was a good decision. I do not like the current covers of the Molly books, please no offense. (the covers for the Wool Omnibus are all fine)

For myself, covers are giving me the the first impression of the book (obviously), which is very important, especially when the author is new to me.

I am looking forward to see the new ones. I am curious how the new covers will influence your sale numbers; maybe you can report about that on your homepage.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by Pax

If I may say so, I think this was a good decision. I do not like the current covers of the Molly books, please no offense. (the covers for the Wool Omnibus are all fine)

For myself, covers are giving me the the first impression of the book (obviously), which is very important, especially when the author is new to me.

I am looking forward to see the new ones. I am curious how the new covers will influence your sale numbers; maybe you can report about that on your homepage.

[Pax]

Thanks, Alan.
I was aware of them, I meant the new covers for the whole Molly series.

Comparing the current and the new cover for the first "Molly Fyde" book, people will have a different expectation of the book. It's definitly better!

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by hughhowey

Thanks! Wait. I drew those other covers.

But seriously, the guy who did the Kobo cover is a Dutch Master. Seriously. He designed Fiji's currency for goodness sakes! He does ad campaigns for Fortune 500 companies and sent me that cover and a cover for the first Molly book. They were "doodles he put together on his day off."

Can you believe that?

I immediately commissioned him to do covers for the other three Molly books. My wife balked when she found out what these would cost me (I insisted to Jasper that I pay a fair price). My argument to my wife was that I'm not splurging on anything for myself with money from book sales, and these are like works of fine art. So please let me commission them.

I won.

The cover for the second Molly book is almost done, and it looks spectacular. I can't wait to see what he does with the rest.

Very nice. I really like his Wool cover. I look forward to seeing the others. Is Wool 6 getting one of these covers?

[hughhowey]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Very nice. I really like his Wool cover. I look forward to seeing the others. Is Wool 6 getting one of these covers?

Wools 6, 7, and 8 will be combined into one big honking book. I might have Jasper do a cover for that edition. Or I might use whatever Random House comes up with (if they'll let me).

I've seen the Random House cover for the UK hardback coming out in January, and it is amazing. Not in the hand-painted and detailed style of Jasper's covers, but a really iconic-looking and timeless design. I can't wait until I have permission to show it off.

As for the rest of the Molly covers, I have this mock-up Jasper sent for book two. I haven't shown this anywhere else, though I may use it for my Kobo and iBook versions until the final art comes my way. I think it's breathtaking.

[JSWolf]

It is very nice even if that is the final cover.

[hughhowey]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It is very nice even if that is the final cover.

That's what I said! When he told me "mock-up," I thought he meant a sketch. He actually sent two files that look this good, both drawn from scratch. It would take me 20 years to make this one file. I think he can do this in an afternoon.

The guy is classically trained. A literal "masterclass" artist. And he does my book covers on the side.

I swear, I'm a bigger fan of this guy's art than he can possibly be of my writing.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by hughhowey

Wools 6, 7, and 8 will be combined into one big honking book. I might have Jasper do a cover for that edition. Or I might use whatever Random House comes up with (if they'll let me).

I've seen the Random House cover for the UK hardback coming out in January, and it is amazing. Not in the hand-painted and detailed style of Jasper's covers, but a really iconic-looking and timeless design. I can't wait until I have permission to show it off.

As for the rest of the Molly covers, I have this mock-up Jasper sent for book two. I haven't shown this anywhere else, though I may use it for my Kobo and iBook versions until the final art comes my way. I think it's breathtaking.

[Click on cover for larger version.]

Originally Posted by hughhowey

That's what I said! When he told me "mock-up," I thought he meant a sketch. He actually sent two files that look this good, both drawn from scratch. It would take me 20 years to make this one file. I think he can do this in an afternoon.

The guy is classically trained. A literal "masterclass" artist. And he does my book covers on the side.

I swear, I'm a bigger fan of this guy's art than he can possibly be of my writing.

Wow! Yeah, that 's quite some "mock-up"!! Really fantastic!

On a related note, there's a mobileread rule about the size of an attacked graphic. I don't remember what is the limit, but yours is pretty large [just looked it up it's 600x600]. Be aware that alternatively you can upload a graphic then display it like so, and then, when it receives a mouse-click, it'll get displayed full-size.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by alansplace

Wow! Yeah, that 's quite some "mock-up"!! Really fantastic!

On a related note, there's a mobileread rule about the size of an attacked graphic. I don't remember what is the limit, but yours is pretty large [just looked it up it's 600x600]. Be aware that alternatively you can upload a graphic then display it like so,Attachment 89907 and then, when it receives a mouse-click, it'll get displayed full-size.

Um... quoting an image that's too large is just as bad.

[hughhowey]

Hey, how'd you do that? I'll edit my post.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by hughhowey

Hey, how'd you do that? I'll edit my post.

Use the paperclip in the advanced toolbar.

[JSWolf]

Or you can just attach the image.

[alansplace]

Wool Gets a Fancy New Jacket

[Click on cover for larger version.]

Quoting Hugh Howey's blog:

Now, I’ve spent a solid five years of my life as a bookseller, staring at and judging jacket art all day long. I’ve spent thirty years reading voraciously. And in all that time, I’ve never seen a cover like this anywhere. Never. Do you know how difficult it is to stand out and be unique? Well, Random House UK has managed to achieve that. I love this cover. I think it is absolutely brilliant. And the longer you stare at it, the more you realize there could be no other cover for the hardback release. It is bleak and powerful. It is both iconic and timeless. This cover will be recognizable from a distance. Like the title, it raises questions and piques curiosity. It demands to be handled, but perhaps carefully. Warily.

Random House UK also has a few tricks up its sleeve with the fabrication. They are going with a matte finish, which I think is brilliant. Gloss and post-apocalyptica do not mix. There will also be some raised features, which I’ve always loved on quality hardbacks. This will be a treasure to own. I’m speaking for myself, here. Holding this will likely move me to tears. I couldn’t be happier with the design, not one bit.

I immediately wanted to know the process behind this, the committee, how such things are done. I’ve long created my own covers with almost no direction or help (though my wife is a fine hand and foot model!). Who came up with this, and what were they thinking?

I asked Jack Fogg, my editor, some of these questions. He said it was the vision of one of their artists, Jason Smith, and that even though this was one of several mock-ups, everyone loved it straight away. I wondered if I could email Jason and thank him. Jack welcomed the idea.

In chatting back and forth with Jason, I found out what his inspiration was. Jason read WOOL as it made the rounds of Random House (even people who weren’t supposed to be reading it were picking it up). He loved the story so much that he asked if he could be attached to the project. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the sort of people you want involved with your work. Jason brought the same sort of passion, as a fan, that so many of you have brought to this series. And there was this feeling, this particular mood that he wanted to capture with the cover. He couldn’t stop thinking about one particular fiery ordeal in the silo’s airlock. And so he came up with the bubbled glass and the red flames, the feeling of a thing melting down, of a dire view through an airlock porthole or even through the wallscreens at something at once terrible and compelling.

This cover frightens me. It moves me. I can’t wait to see it wrapped around the story, to hold it in my hands. In fact, it’s just about perfect. Maybe there’s one little thing missing, a final touch, the cherry on top. I think I know what that is.

Stay tuned. Tomorrow, another big surprise, a way for you to help, and a way for you to win something truly marvelous.