Michael J. Sullivan Books

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Michael J Sullivan is a bestselling American author whose books have been translated into over a dozen languages. He writes science fiction and fantasy.

Sullivan’s journey to publishing success was a difficult one. Before he became a USA Today, New York Times, and Washington Post bestselling author, Sullivan was just another aspiring writer struggling to get his voice heard.

He started writing in the 1970s, trying his hand at a number of genres. However, after accumulating over a hundred rejection letters in response to the thirteen novels he had written, Michael J Sullivan gave up.

He saw no point in pursuing an industry that had no use for him. And he was quite serious about giving up on his writing habits. However, over the course of eight years, Sullivan’s desire to write grew. More importantly, a story started taking shape in his mind.

But Sullivan was still pessimistic about publishing. He did not believe that any notable publisher would ever take his books seriously. So he decided to put his story on paper but only for the sake of sharing it with his friends and family. He had no intention of publishing his work officially.

The books he wrote during that period became the ‘Riyria Revelations’ series. Written between 2004 and 2008, Sullivan’s wife Robin was so impressed by his work that she encouraged him to take another shot at publishing.

Robin was certain that her husband’s career would take off if he could only get his stories before the eyes of readers. When Sullivan rejected her suggestion, Robin took over. She made it her business to champion Sullivan’s books to publishers on his behalf.

They thought they had caught a break when a company called ‘Aspirations Media Inc’ offered Sullivan a contract. The contract did not include an advance but Robin was sure that it would kickstart her husband’s career.

However, AMI was sorely lacking in financial muscle. They did not have the money to deliver on the promises they had made and Sullivan had to spend his own money to get his first novel to readers. Disappointed by the progress they were making, Sullivan was still far from optimistic about his publishing future. AMI validated his doubts by failing to release his second book.

Having self-published the first book in response to AMI’s financial woes, Sullivan and Robin did the same thing to the second one. The sales figures for their first two novels were nothing special and things were hardly better in the years that followed. But Sullivan kept writing, driven more by his passion for storytelling than anything else.

Before long, he had quite an impressive collection of novels that were selling a thousand or so copies a month. The pair wasn’t sure where to go next, what with the disaster they had encountered with their first publisher.

But then a foreign agent took the author’s work to the international market, securing contracts with companies like Orbit and transforming Sullivan’s life overnight. Before long, the author’s books were making tens of thousands of dollars a month, an achievement that exceeded his wildest expectations.

Today, Sullivan is one of the biggest names in indie publishing. He left traditional publishing after realizing that self-publishing would offer him more freedom to tell the stories he wanted.

Michael J Sullivan Awards

Sullivan’s work was shortlisted for an Audie Award for Fantasy in 2013. Seven of his books were selected for the ‘Goodreads Choice’ Award.

Best Michael J Sullivan Books

Sullivan wrote the first Riyria books because he wanted to teach his dyslexic daughter to read; some of the best books in his bibliography include:

The Rose and the Thorn: Gwen DeLancy saved Royce and Hadrian’s lives. Royce has tried and failed to get the woman off his mind. When an opportunity to return to Medford arises, Royce is quite excited. However, once they arrive, Gwen isn’t quite as welcoming as they expected.

In fact, she refuses to see them altogether. What they don’t realize is that her attitude is designed to protect them, to keep them from seeking revenge once they realize what happened.

The Crown Tower: Arcadius has a problem. He needs to infiltrate the crown tower, an impregnable fortress. The tower houses invaluable jewels and treasures. But Arcadius doesn’t want gold. He has entrusted the mission to Hadrian and Royce. However, talented though they may be, Royce and Hadrian hate each other.

When Does The Next Michael J. Sullivan book come out?

Michael J. Sullivan doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Drumindor and was released on October, 21st 2024. It is the newest book in the Riyria Chronicles Series.

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