Slate recently reviewed Wool and interviewed Hugh, calling Wool’s popularity his “Cinderella story”.

Howey’s self-publishing Cinderella story is so compelling that it often becomes the media story about Wool. But way more fascinating than that is the way the world of Wool reflects our own world—and how Howey’s interactions with readers are overturning the traditional relationship between an author, his creations, and his audience.

[…]

Howey also taps into many of our current anxieties. Who controls the flow of information to all of our screens? How much privacy and control are we willing to give up to ensure domestic security? And how much good will it do to know the truth if you can’t change the system? It’s this last question that fuels uprising in the silo. Knox, the head of Mechanical who rallies his colleagues and others to revolt, explains why his anger compels him to violence: “I only want to hurt those that lied,” he says. “That’s all any of us want. We’ve all lived in fear. Fear of the outside. Fear of cleaning. Afraid to even talk about a better world. And none of it was true. The system was rigged, and in a way to make us hang our heads and take it.” Being in the silo is like living in a world where the decisions were made a long time ago by people you didn’t vote for. Sound familiar?

To read the full review and interview, head over to Slate.com.

Today is the big day! The day Wool is released simultaneously in hardback and paperback in the United States. Did you pre-order your copy yet?

I have to admit it’s crazy to remember that I first picked up Wool when it had under 500 reviews, and now it’s passed 3,800 and will surely pick up hundreds more with the book’s wide release.

To coincide with Wool’s big day, The Down Deep sent some questions in to Hugh, which he graciously answered for us.

You just spent some time over in the UK and Europe. What was the biggest highlight of that trip for you?

There were quite a few awesome moments. Seeing posters of my book on the tube, seeing a guy on the flight back from Dublin reading a copy of WOOL, meeting awesome fans like radio host Rick O’Shea, spending time with the Random House team . . . but one moment really stood out. And that was getting off the plane, checking into the hotel, and then walking straight to Foyle’s — a famous bookstore in London — and walking through the door with my wife on the phone while I saw my book on store shelves for the very first time. It very nearly moved me to tears, both the realization of a dream and also being so far away from home when it happened.

What are you most looking forward to in your upcoming book tour? What are you most nervous about?

I’m most looking forward to meeting readers, shaking hands, signing copies of books (especially the occasional oldie they might bring in, the Plagiarist or Molly Fyde book). I’m most dreading the airports and airplanes. Twelve flights in the next two weeks seems inhumane, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

What’s the craziest thing a fan has ever said to you during a meet-up or random encounter?

I had a guy stand up during a Q&A in Wales and say that he has read thousands of books in his life and WOOL is his absolute favorite. That blew me away. I’ve also heard of people naming their pets after a character from the book, which is very flattering.

What are your personal favorites in the science fiction genre?

The FOUNDATION saga. Neal Stephenson’s DIAMOND AGE. BATTLEFIELD EARTH. Card’s ENDER’S GAME. DUNE. Mostly the classics.

When you traveled to California to talk about the Wool movie, what was your biggest personal fan boy moment?

Meeting Danny Glover (and getting my picture taken with him!). I grew up with his films. Talking with him in the flesh was awesome.

In your recent WSJ interview, it was mentioned that the idea of re-naming Wool came up. While we agree that would have been a bad idea, did any of the new title suggestions seem like they would have worked well if you went back in time to before you published Wool 1?

Sure. If I could go back in time, I might have called the first book SILO or DUST or any of a number of things. But I can’t imagine repeating the success I’ve had. It has all been serendipitous. Perhaps the quirky title is one of the reasons so many people have picked up this work.

You seem to have fulfilled so many of your dreams. Do you now have new dreams?

I have old ones unfulfilled. I want to sail around the world. And I will.

You’ve mentioned that Wool was a story that had been in your head for a while. Do you have any stories like that rattling around right now that give you that same writing itch that Wool did?

Oh, yes. I have one called INVARIABLE that’s actually my very oldest story idea. I’m dying to get this one written. Maybe in 2015.

You do such an incredible job of making the reader invested in every character, even for those that only have brief appearances in the book. As a writer, how do you approach your characters and make them so compelling?

It’s hard to describe. I just see them in my head. I can hear them. I feel their exhaustion or their merriment, and I make sure I describe this, that I capture the essence of what they’re feeling. I don’t know why or how it works. It just feels natural.

Wool is already in the top 50 on Amazon just 3 days before release. If it hits the top 10 or #1, how are you going to top your ballet dance?

Oh, no! It’s #13 right now. I hope it falls. Please fall. The dance videos are never a good thing.

I think my next video will be of me performing a front flip. I’ll take out insurance, first.

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We want to thank Mr. Howey for taking the time to answer our questions!

In addition to the video we published earlier today, the Wall Street Journal has published a full article on Hugh and Wool, providing readers new to the story with a great write-up on his career take off since he first published Wool 1 in 2011.

The story will be in the March 8 print edition of the WSJ tomorrow.

When “Wool” hits bookstores next Tuesday, publishing industry insiders will be watching the experiment closely. Simon & Schuster will release a $15 paperback and a $26 hardcover simultaneously, competing directly against Mr. Howey’s digital edition, which costs $5.99.

“We would have preferred to own all the rights, but that wasn’t going to happen,” says Simon & Schuster President and Publisher Jonathan Karp. “It was a very unusual circumstance.”

The story also interviews the women in his life such as wife, Amber Lyda, and mother, Gay Murrill.

Mr. Howey grew up in Monroe, N.C., the son of a farmer and a schoolteacher. As a teenager he devoured popular science fiction books like “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and “Ender’s Game,” and always had a wild imagination. He studied physics and English at the College of Charleston, but dropped out his junior year to sail to the Bahamas. He cycled through a series of odd jobs, working as a yacht captain, a roofer, and a technician for an audio-video company. Four years ago, he decided to give writing a shot. He and his wife were living in a 750-square foot house in Boone, N.C. He was unemployed; his wife, Amber Lyda, was working as a psychologist. He had an idea for a story about a young spaceship pilot who travels across the galaxy in search of her missing father. He sold the novel, “Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue,” to a small Indiana publisher for less than a thousand dollars. Sales were meager.

“When he first published ‘Molly Fyde,’ I’d call his wife and say, ‘How many books has he sold? Should I go to Amazon and buy three more?’” says his mother, Gay Murrill, who owns a yarn shop in Charleston.

Mr. Howey kept trying. He got a 30-hour-a-week job at a university bookstore that paid only $10 an hour but gave him some flexibility. He got up at two or three in the morning to write, and wrote through his lunch hour and after dinner. He designed his own cover art, enlisting his wife and sister to pose in photos. He would often jolt up in bed in the middle of the night to scribble down ideas.

So cute of his mom, seriously! And now she can go to a newsstand tomorrow and buy out the WSJ.

The article is a really great read, so you should check it out here at WSJ.com.

Alexandra Alter from the Wall Street Journal discusses in the video above whether Wool is the “next Hunger Games”.

They talk about Wool’s rise to fame and mention that Hugh has sold over 500,000 digital copies of Wool so far. Amazing!

With Wool’s publication date approaching (March 12!!), it’ll be amazing to see how much higher Wool can climb. I can feel it in my bones that when the rest of the US can get their hands on physical copies, the book will soar to amazing heights. Have you pre-ordered your copy yet?

Source: WSJ

With Hugh Howey currently touring in Europe and the UK, he took some time to speak to the BBC about Wool’s rise to bestseller status and his thoughts on the likelihood that a movie will be made.

How involved were your readers in shaping Wool?
I liken it to the difference between recording an album in a studio and playing live. When you play live it’s you and an audience and you get energy from the applause.

Everyday I was getting emails, Facebook posts and tweets. It was energising knowing I was writing for an audience.

I’ve hidden my phone number in one of the books and people find it and call me randomly. It’s awkward when it happens but I like that blatant transparency about everything. This ride’s not going to last forever and why not just enjoy it?

What’s it like dealing with publicists and agents?

Hugh Howey’s sequel will be published next in April
Agents started calling me when the first four Wool books were topping the the science fiction chart on Amazon.

The agent I’m with now hired a co-agent in Hollywood to take it to JJ Abrams and Joss Whedon and all those guys – and Ridley Scott’s the one who won the rights for it.

How likely is it the film will get made?
I’ve had really low expectations because I’ve worked in the book industry and I’ve seen how many books get optioned – but everyone is really excited about this.

Me and Ridley Scott have exchanged emails, but he’s the top of the food chain and would get involved when this thing goes ahead.

Have Ridley Scott’s films been an influence?
I’m sure I was influenced growing up on Alien and I’m sure Ripley [the character played by Sigourney Weaver] was in my mind when I wrote the character of Juliette. I’m sure the pacing of Wool also harkens back to his older works where you can develop characters and tell the story rather than starting off with explosions.

The full interview can be read here.