Live video chat with Hugh Howey, author of the sensational 'Wool' Join us for a live video chat with Hugh Howey, author of the sensational dystopia "Wool." First self-published as an e-book -- as a single short story, even -- "Wool" gained its own momentum and is now a 528-page print book published this month by Simon & Schuster. Yes, Howey wrote a little bit more after the initial short story was finished. "Wool" is a dystopia in which a community lives in a 100-story tube, connected by a narrow spiral staircase at its center. It's an entire ecosystem in a silo, one that's survived there for generations with just a tiny view of the toxic landscape beyond. And it's an ecosystem that's about to be thrown out of balance (dum dum dum). It's a richly imagined world, one that is packed full of plot twists and surprises. Howey wrote it in five sections, each of which got readers clamoring for another, and all of which are packed into the print edition. Simon & Schuster is releasing the book in hardcover and paperback simultaneously; the story has been optioned by filmmaker Ridley Scott. Aspiring authors have been paying keen attention to Howey's trajectory. What's the root of his success? Is it Facebook, silly dance videos, getting lots of positive Amazon reviews, shifting his e-book's price? Or, you know, the book itself? During his recent Ask Me Anything on Reddit, the most frequently asked questions had to do with his advice for writers, so he wrote up his thoughts -- but that doesn't mean you can't join us and ask some follow-ups. Publishing observers are fascinated by Howey's business strategy -- he's one of the few authors to retain e-book rights after selling a successful e-book to a traditional publisher. We'll ask him about that too. And then we're going to ask him about the world of "Wool" -- details, deceptions, death, dystopia and more. Join us. Pope Francis to be subject of new book (already) Tom Angleberger on origami, karaoke and great children's books