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I've had some incredible and flattering reviews for the WOOL series so far, but also some complaints that each entry feels too short. From the outset, I've compared this method of storytelling to a televised series. And I found this comment from an Amazon thread interesting:

"Personally, I love that so far the Wools take place in the same world but focus on new characters. Rather than being a novel with a distinct beginning, middle, and end, in these stories our individuals exist in the same world. They are enthralling from beginning to end. I am more excited about this collection than nearly anything else I've stumbled across on Amazon. I will be recommending this to all my friends. Please keep up the good work."

To which I replied:

"Thanks, Jacob. It's all very experimental. I wanted to do this with my MOLLY FYDE series, but I sold out when a publisher offered me money. Not that I regret taking it; I'm just happy to have a chance to give this serialized method of storytelling a chance.

One powerful benefit I've noticed now that I'm four entries in: You can vary the tone, pace, and "feel" of each story to suit the content. It's almost impossible to do this in a single book without it feeling jumbled and unrefined. I don't think I could go a fourth of the way into this story and jump from Holston's to Jahn's perspective and alter the mood so severely if all the chapters shared the same spine, the same nervous system.

The quotes in book 4 are another example. This will be the only entry that features them, and for obvious reasons. How jarring would it be to do this in any other format? In fact, it reminds me of great televised drama. FIREFLY was awesome for using a different mood for each episode. Some felt like horror stories (the 2-parter with the assassin), some were comedic in nature, some were romances (the ballroom story). It's liberating to be able to conclude each entry, allow it to have its own climax, and begin the next one fresh. The benefits are so enormous (and I think the results are pretty entertaining), that I'm shocked anyone is complaining that it's costing them a dollar."

What do you guys and gals think? Is the Kindle store spoiling us with free classics and thick tomes that only cost a dollar? One thing I've wondered is whether the physical time I put into each WOOL doesn't equal what many authors put into a story five times as long. I see a lot of Amazon reviews for other works that complain of the editing and typos. I go through my stories six or seven times and try my best to polish them to near-perfection. Should that be taken into account?

I'm not sure I have the answers to any of these questions. I think we're all making it up as we go along!

Personally I cannot imagine how people are upset about spending a dollar LOL! I actually saw a review mentioning it and had this long convo with my husband about it, because I was so shocked by it and felt it so absurd. I certainly feel I get my money's worth every time that I buy one of your books. Hell, just going to a movie these days costs around $10-$12 and the movie lasts only 2 hours! We could get 10-12 Wool books for the same price and get much more than 2 hours of enjoyment out of it!

Yes, there are some indie authors out there with lengthy novels for $1, but I will say the majority that I have read are full of MANY typos and pacing issues and I recall in Wool 2 I saw 3 or 4 typos and in Wool 3 I only noticed 2 typos and in the first Wool I don't remember coming across any at all (I remember thinking to myself maybe I should tell you, but I thought that might just be obnoxious, hehe). I find the lack of errors to be extremely impressive! I am also impressed by the pacing, particularly in the first and third books, as I never felt like there was a dull moment or a period I was finding myself bored, which happens often in the books I find for $1 ;P. Personally, I would pay more for this type of quality, because I find it very distracting when there are many, many typos. One example of this would be some of Amanda Hocking's books. Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE her as an author and her books are always up for a great price, but I do find the many typos extremely distracting at times and I feel it really pulls me out of the story each time I come across them, so I actually really respect the time and effort you put into ensuring the books are as perfect as possible!

Also, I do think of these as TV shows in a way, just as you mentioned. I like that I keep waiting, hoping to advance further into the story. I think if there were a neat and tidy ending for each one, I would not feel quite as compelled to rush and get the next book and I certainly wouldn't be checking Amazon daily in hopes of finding the next entry in this series. I think there's something interesting and refreshing in the way you have gone about creating Wool and I have to agree that it never would have worked in a different format. I have read a few stories now with alternating viewpoints and I have to say that most of the time, it does not work well. I love getting to see the Silo from varying viewpoints and what I love even more than that is the fact that I feel each individual truly does differ from the other. I have found that almost all of the books I have read with alternating viewpoints were a disappointment because the characters seem so similar that I had a hard time even distinguishing them from one another, which really defeats the purpose of showing these different viewpoints in the first place. I am so impressed by how distinct and well-developed each character's personality is! Anyway, just my two cents ;).

When do you think Wool 4 will be released? I check Amazon almost daily (sometimes a few times a day) :D and I am dying for the next book!

Also, how many stories will there be in the Wool series? I am hoping many, many more ;)!!

I loved Wool 3 by the way! I am dying to find more time to write the reviews these books truly deserve! Wool 3 was definitely, without a doubt, my favorite Wool book so far and I think that was in part due to the fact that I loved Jules and found her character the most interesting of those we've been introduced to thus far. I reallllllllly cannot wait for the 4th book!!!

Ahhhh I just found Wool 4 on Amazon!! It wasn't there an hour ago, so I am happy I thought to check on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ and Amazon again. Okay, I am very happy and heading to buy it now :D!!!

Well, and that leads me to a new question now lol...when will Wool 5 be out :D??? I know I will be dying to read it later this week, though I imagine it will be awhile, so I may as well get the question out of the way now hehehe... (sorry, the more excited I get about something, the more !!! and lols and hehehes you will find in my writing lol...)

Hey, Jessica! Thanks for joining the group. GoodReads pestered me about creating one of these, and I can already see why. One of my favorite writing joys is gabbing with readers at conventions and book-signings, and this gives us a forum to do it in our pajamas!

I really appreciate the feedback; it means a lot. And by all means, if you want to point out a typo (or two or three), please do. I can correct them and re-upload to the Kindle store at any time.

I liken typos to cockroaches. They scurry out of sight when you're staring at them, then come crawling back once you're gone. Even after 6 or 7 full revisions, I still find them. It's frustrating, but I do pride myself on getting my work as clean as possible before I put it up. I know a lot of writers who are in the "completion high" that comes from wrapping up a story, and they just want it out there, *immediately.*

Oh, I suppose I should also mention this: WOOL 4 is out right now! I saved that for last so you'd stick around for everything else I had to . . . Hey! Where'd you go?!

Hugh wrote: "Hey, Jessica! Thanks for joining the group. GoodReads pestered me about creating one of these, and I can already see why. One of my favorite writing joys is gabbing with readers at conventions and ..."
I am so excited you started this group; I think it's awesome and a great idea :)!

Okay, I will see if I can scan it and find it later lol (typos), but honestly there were SO FEW!

I just bought Wool 4!! It is weird because it didn't show up when I searched earlier, so I am not sure if it just took time to become searchable or what, but either way I am beyond excited now :D! That basically makes my day and I know what I will be reading tonight. The synopsis sounds very, very intriguing!

Do you know how many books there will likely be total, or is that still to be determined?

Thanks for responding btw :) that is very cool! I love it when authors connect with their fans and always find it incredibly admirable!

WOOL 5 is going to wrap up this storyline. The very final scene is already written, so it's just a matter of me filling in the rest.

There's a ton of future stories to tell, of course. There's a character you'll meet in WOOL 4 who deserves his own book. I'm already looking forward to writing that one.

After WOOL 5, I have a Molly book to finish up. After that, I'll have to see what I feel like working on. I have a straight-up horror story I've been dying to tell and another non-SF book that I've been sitting on for eight years.