Has the winter freeze put a chill in your bones? Maybe you need some Wool.
Wool, a science-fiction novelette by Hugh Howey, tops today’s Buffet for two simple reasons:
1.) It’s free today.
2.) It’s the most successful book — commercially and critically — to ever light up the Kindle. No other work, fiction or nonfiction, long or short, comes remotely close.
Hugh self-published the first installment as a stand-alone short on Kindle in June 2011. He didn’t expect much; it was simply a 50-page story. But the book caught on like wildfire, and he sold a gazillion copies at 99 cents a pop, hitting #1 on the Kindle bestseller list.
After that intoxicating start, Hugh put his nose to the grindstone, quickly expanding Wool into a five-novella series. He racked up more Kindle sales. Then he mashed it all together and sold it as an “Omnibus” edition, which hit the New York Times’ bestseller list. After seeing the first two weeks of sales reports from that compilation, Hugh quit his day job working at a college bookstore. Suddenly free from the 9-to 5-grind, he felt a jolt of “terror and excitement.”
“I’d been writing and publishing at a furious pace, but working a day job on the side to pay my meager bills,” he recalls.
It didn’t take long for Wool to hit the radar in Hollywood and New York. Hugh recently sold the film rights to 20th Century Fox, and auctioned the paperback and hardcover rights of Books 1 through 5 to Simon & Schuster. Both editions will hit the street next Tuesday, and a glance at the Amazon Sales Ranks shows that pre-order sales are brisk.
The dollar amount of the movie deal hasn’t been announced, but according to the scuttlebutt, it’s over $1 million. Hugh also sold the paperback rights for translation in 20 countries, and an unabridged 18-hour audiobook version is ready for download at $21.95 apiece.
And here’s the kicker: After raking in all this well-deserved cash and signing all those contracts, Hugh is keeping the Kindle distribution rights for himself. The guy is not only a great writer, but a brilliant negotiator, too.
Whether you’re a sci-fi nut or not, get this edition while it’s free. The story takes place on a post-apocalyptic Earth. Humanity clings to survival in a subterranean city known as the Silo. The storyline concerns the mystery of the Silo and the secrets it holds. A continuing cast of characters fuels the action.
When he’s not not writing — or figuring out ways to spend his royalties — Hugh enjoys hiking and taking strolls on the beach with his wife, Amber. They currently reside in Jupiter, Florida, with their dog Bella.
As usual, each book listed here has gone FREE within the past 24 hours (except for the “Kindle Daily Deals” on page 3). Warning: Kindle book promotions can end without notice, so before downloading click the link “See Kindle price at Amazon” to verify that the book is still free. (Prices and availability may differ outside USA.)
Wool – Part One
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Thousands of them have lived underground. They’ve lived there so long, there are only legends about people living anywhere else. Such a life requires rules. Strict rules. There are things that must not be discussed. Like going outside. Never mention you might like going outside.
Or you’ll get what you wish for.
Silver (An OgmiosTeam Adventure)
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Two thousand years ago, thirty silver Tyrian shekels were paid to secure the most infamous betrayal of all time. Melted down by the grandsons of Judas Iscariot, in the dark heart of the Sicarii fortress, Masada, the silver was re-forged as a dagger. When the Sicarii zealots committed mass suicide in AD73 the dagger of Iscariot and the truth of his sacrifice were lost. Until now.
A religious cult calling itself the Disciples of Judas has risen in the Middle East. Its influence is pernicious, its reach long. In thirteen cities across Europe thirteen people martyr themselves in the name of Judas, promising forty days and forty nights of terror.
Stars Rain Down (Biotech Legacy)
Science Fiction
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Meet Marcus Donovan: astronomer, day dreamer, and smart ass. He was just another researcher in a jumpsuit until he saw something that didn’t fit. At the time, it was nothing but a blip on a sensor read-out, an asteroid that wasn’t an asteroid, but it became his obsession. He named it Zebra-1, and now he’s hurtling through the solar system on a mission to see it in person.
Meanwhile, the Earth has its own visitors. Seven massive vessels appear out of nowhere and rain hell down from orbit, reducing civilization to a pile of ashes and rubble. Our world is conquered before anyone even knows we’re under attack.
Elephant Girl: A Human Story
Biographies & Memoirs
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Devin takes readers on an intimate, imaginative and often harrowing life journey. Born unwanted and raised without love, the child-author invents a rich inner life to see her through years of trauma. Leaving home at 16, the teen-author struggles to find happiness and a sense of place in a world that feels confusing and unfamiliar. Then, years after stumbling into an adulthood mired in tragedy and broken dreams, the woman-author finds herself at a crossroads. The choice she ultimately makes is as stunning as it is brave.Told in unflinching and often lyrical prose, Elephant Girl goes beyond a singular life story to speak of powerful, universal truths and the ability of the human spirit to redeem itself.
Maid for Me
Action & Adventure
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Feisty Mina Lin waltzes on glass shards when she lands a job as billionaire Jaiden Daniels’s maid. What happens when Jaiden hires her to become his pretend girlfriend? Pretending to be in love with the hot Rich Boy is hard, when Mina’s heart only beats for her boy next door, Kiterin Forrests. What happens when Mina doesn’t know what her heart wants and a crazy Stalker is after Jaiden’s life, and the only person who can save him is Mina?
Bloody Mary – A Thriller (Jack Daniels Mysteries)
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Start with a tough but vulnerable Chicago cop. Add a hyperactive cat, an ailing mother, a jealous boyfriend, a high-maintenance ex-husband, and a partner in the throes of a mid-life crisis.
Stir in a psychopath littering the city with body parts. Mix with equal parts humor and suspense, and enjoy Bloody Mary–the second novel in the funny, frightening world of Lieutenant Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels.
Join Jack as she struggles to repair her train wreck of a personal life while tracking down and convicting one of the scariest serial killers in recent memory–a killer for whom getting caught is only the beginning…
Ordained Irreverence (Elmo Jenkins Book One)
Humor
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A young church intern named Elmo Jenkins is learning the ropes in a big downtown church. The cast of characters filling the pews at First Church keep Elmo on his toes and more than a little bewildered at times. Woven throughout Elmo’s adventures is a hundred-year-old mystery he’s determined to solve and even a chance at romance along the way.
Some Things Never Change (Elmo Jenkins – Book Two)
Humor
Elmo Jenkins is now a full-fledged staff member at First Church. As Assistant to the Senior Pastor, he’s responsible for designing a strategy to transition the church into the future. But trouble’s brewing and not everyone’s on board.
The whole gang is back for the bumpy ride along with some colorful new characters. Be there when Elmo surprises Bonnie on their wedding day. Tag along when Dunston finally takes Elmo fishing. Feel the thrill of riding in a red Viper with a friar at the wheel. And help Elmo figure out that creepy little statue named Ferty . . . who’s stalking him?
Stepping Stones
Short Stories
Willie-Washer’s Local No. 38
Fantasy
Solomon Khash is a horse willie-washer. He dreams of riding the majestic boars of Bannock Brier and winning a massive endorsement contract. Alas, he is constrained by the strict class system of Eng.
An invasion by the long forgotten Ug-Slugs changes everything for Solomon. He finds himself on an unlikely quest to find the Golden Goat Horn of Gannoth Gor, and bag the girl of his dreams. Come for the adventure and the brass and leather. Stay for the rich red gelatin.
Maggie for Hire (Maggie MacKay – Magical Tracker)
Fantasy
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Now an elf named Killian has shown up with a gig. Seems Maggie’s uncle is working with the forces of dark to turn Earth into a vampire convenience store, serving bottomless refills on humans.
The only hope for survival lies in tracking down two magical objects and a secret that vanished with Maggie’s father.
SEVEN-X (A Terrifying Psychological Suspense-Thriller)
Horror
Los Angeles Times investigative reporter Eddie Hansen gets a tip on a missing death row prisoner being held at a Behavioral Health Center in a remote location outside the small town of Dell City, Texas. With an opportunity to break the story, Eddie voluntarily commits himself into the asylum in hopes of finding Annette Dobson, “The SIDS Killer.” She is rumored to have had her execution faked so she could be shipped to the asylum, have an exorcism and give birth to the child the world thinks is dead.
How Cohesive is your Company?: A Leadership Parable
Business & Investing
How Cohesive is your Company? Do your company’s executives and employees truly appreciate the passion and purpose behind the company? Do your company’s management philosophies and strategies leave room for ambiguity? Are employees oblivious of the strategy?
If your company or team is facing these issues, this book is a must-read for you and your colleagues. This book presents the Cohegic business management method, to help you overcome your tough management and leadership issues, cohesively connect every strategic aspect of your business, and take your company to the next level.
The Time Machine (Enriched Classics (Pocket))
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Forget Me Not
Religion & Spirituality
Inspired by the five petals of the tiny forget-me-not flower, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf reminds us of five things we will be wise to never forget:
- To be patient with ourselves
- To distinguish between a good sacrifice and a foolish sacrifice
- To be happy now
- To focus on the “why” of the gospel
- To know that the Lord loves each of us infinitely.
A wonderful gift for any woman in your life.
Your Happily Ever After
Sometimes we need a reminder that life was never all sunshine and roses for fairy-tale princesses. Before the true love’s kisses and happily ever afters, there came once upon a times of poisoned apples, spindle pricks, and impossible tasks.
Speaking to the princesses of our Heavenly King, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf compares their challenges to those faced by famous fairy-tale heroines. Recounting Belle’s captivity, Cinderella’s servitude, and the sacrifices of the miller’s daughter, President Uchtdorf emphasizes that each princess had to overcome adversity before she reached her happily ever after.
The Keeper: A Short Story Prequel to Forbidden
Blue Like Elvis (The Moody Blue Trilogy | Book Two)
Religious Fiction
In the spring of 1977, Shelby Colter moved back to Memphis, Tennessee hoping to make a fresh start after breaking off her engagement. Working as a patient representative hostess at Baptist Memorial Hospital–the world’s largest private hospital–she’s thrilled with her new job, assisting patients with their non-medical needs. She has to laugh at her colorful co-workers who constantly chat about Elvis-sightings. After all, Baptist Memorial was “Elvis’s hospital.”
Shelby hits the ground running, taking care of her patients, getting to know her new friends, and bumping into . . . Dr. Tucker Thompson? As the summer rolls along, three people she loves face life-threatening situations, drawing Shelby back to her faith. And then one night, in a hospital prayer room, she pours out her heart to a most unexpected visitor . . .
How to Fail: The Self-Hurt Guide
Parody
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Self-help guides SUCK. How to Fail is the world’s FIRST Self-Hurt Guide, the polar opposite of a self-help guide. Follow the misadventures, misgivings, and massive mistakes of Stu Fish as he tries to find success in New York City. Includes:
- How to Fail to Write a Cohesive Introduction
- How to Fail to Not Get Mistaken For a Bum
- How to Go Insane and Garner Voices in Your Head
There’s not an aspect of life that How to Fail doesn’t tackle and offer a terrific non-solution for.
In The Shadow of Babylon
Action & Adventure
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Have you ever wondered where emotions come from? Do you wish you could live in the present rather than thinking about the past or worrying about a future that may never come?
Hell Around the Horn
Action & Adventure
In 1905, a young ship’s captain and his family set sail on the windjammer, Lady Rebecca, from Cardiff, Wales with a cargo of coal bound for Chile, by way of Cape Horn. Before they reach the Southern Ocean, the cargo catches fire, the mate threatens mutiny and one of the crew may be going mad, yet the greatest challenge will prove to be surviving the vicious westerly winds and mountainous seas of the worst Cape Horn winter in memory. Based on an actual voyage, Hell Around the Horn is a story of survival and the human spirit against overwhelming odds.
THE ROAD FROM MOROCCO
Biographies & Memoirs
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Based on recorded history and family memories, the book chronicles Saadia’s arranged marriage and hardships as a young mother to Wafa, a French-educated, sexually liberated Muslim woman, who traveled to Europe and then to America, reaching a top position on Wall Street. In theory, it’s the fulfillment of her American dream, but in reality an overwhelming experience that threatens everything she holds dear.
Minder
Fantasy
Oh, Parents. If you knew what was inside that security blanket, you’d never throw it away. Childhood is governed from a sacred place within the trees, lit by fireflies, and overseen by ancient souls devoted to the sanctity of youth. Some kids are lucky enough to visit this place, but mortal danger arises for Sophia, who arrives uninvited. Readers are carried through a whimsical, often nail-biting adventure as brother and sister confront every parent’s worst nightmare. Dragons and fairies are alive and well in this old-world tale, where scary things happen to children who ignore their Minders.
P.S.: Childhood ends at 30. And this book proves it.
Snow White and Rose Red: The Curse of the Huntsman (Fairy Tales Retold)
World Literature
Welcome to the Festival of Roses, a world full of magic and romance. Every year during the festival each boy leaves a flower at the door of the girl he believes is the “fairest of them all.” Naturally, Snow White gets dozens of flowers, while her younger sister Rose Red is ignored. This year, though, things are different. For the first time, Rose Red has a mysterious admirer, and this year she isn’t the only one jealous of her sister’s beauty. But even though it’s a time of celebration, when girls begin disappearing, the festival turns deadly. With mysterious strangers arriving every day, an ominous marriage proposal, and magic and danger everywhere, Snow White and Rose Red will need to work together to survive the festival and solve the mystery.
Curricle & Chaise
Historical Fiction
When Mrs. Thomas Barrington was so inconsiderate as to depart this world without so much as a “by your leave,” leaving two daughters to burden their aunts and precious little else to cover their maintenance, their futures looked very uncertain indeed. Of course, it was entirely natural that two young ladies of 19 and 7 would feel bereft at the loss of their mama, but to Miss Lydia and Miss Susan Barrington their change in circumstances demanded a total and somewhat painful adjustment to their whole way of life. With their father less than two years dead and no male relative available to render them assistance, it quickly became apparent that they must learn to shift for themselves.
Lucky Charm: A Romantic Comedy
Contemporary Fiction
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Twenty-eight-year old Annabel Green is about to tie the knot with her college love, aspiring author Jeremy Blake, but her plans for an ideal wedding are rudely interrupted when she catches Jeremy kissing his gorgeous book agent.
Shell-shocked by Jeremy’s betrayal, Annabel retreats into the quiet routine of TV dinners and solitary evenings. Annabel’s best friend, fashion designer Lilly Clayton, tries to draw Annabel out of her shell. In an attempt to persuade Annabel to keep an open mind on dating, Lilly takes Annabel for a stunning makeover, but after Annabel passes on a date with a dashing entrepreneur, Lilly decides that more drastic measures are needed.
The Makeover
Contemporary Fiction
Phoenix Jean-Baptiste is a thirty-three-year-old Haitian-American psychologist. In spite of her ability to assist others with their life struggles, she is unable to help herself through crippling low self-esteem and depression. Phoenix’s misery stems from the belief that she is too ugly to ever be loved.
Paulo is a kind, handsome, Brazilian man, who talks about God like He’s an old friend. Paulo lives for Christ, is an anointed prayer warrior, who serves on his church’s Intercessory Prayer Ministry.
God reveals to Paulo that Phoenix is meant to become his wife. As Phoenix becomes more beautiful on the outside, she becomes bitter, arrogant, and self-absorbed on the inside. She wants revenge against her ex-fiancé, Cedric. She desires to become beautiful so she can win back her ex and break his heart.
Detour to Dusk
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
A ragged band of vampires are cutting a bloody path of destruction from Alaska to Washington State. As frost turns the leaves gold and paints the high mountain treetops silver, hundreds of hunters arrive in Swan Valley for their annual deer hunt. What they don’t know is an outcast band of vampires have arrived, as well.
Four people, a Ferry County forest ranger (Roger Atley), an Indian spirit-walker (Harley Truefeather), and a young married couple (Brian and Holly Jensen), are about to be caught up in an ancient power struggle, and in a love affair as old as time itself.
Engulfed
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Maggie Finn travels to South West Florida expecting to find heat, sand, and gangs of old people. What she finds are dead bodies, a kidnapping, the mob and a certain Jewish Cuban detective that she has developed a school girls crush on. It’s not long before she’s engulfed in events that will either destroy her or prove to her that it’s never too late to begin again and that life isn’t over until it is.
Secrets of Parenting with Love and Logic: How to Help Your Child Play a Musical Instrument with Enthusiasm
Parenting & Relationships
If you have a musically talented child and are not sure how to organize his music lessons, this book is right for you. You’ll better understand the psychology of your child and be ready to help him learn how to play a musical instrument, even if you have no musical background.