First the regular updates. In this week’s Writing Excuses podcast episode, Dan, Howard, and I talk about how writing a story from the end rather than the beginning is very often a good idea. And then we attempt to brainstorm a great ending on the spot. Give it a listen.

The WARBREAKER annotations are getting into full swing. Recently I finished up the prologue talking about the awakened cloak that Vasher doesn’t use, the straw figure, and Vahr. And in the first chapter’s annotation I talk about tone shifts in the novel, as well as the origin of Siri and Vivenna, who I lifted from an unfinished novel from 2001 that I called MYTHWALKER. It got to 130,000 words in 22 chapters, with no ending in sight, and it was boring. Almost all of the good ideas I used in it I later cannibalized in WARBREAKER and the Mistborn trilogy. Now I’ve been thinking I might post it for free on the website. Would any of you be interested in seeing it?

Now to THE WAY OF KINGS. Tor has allocated close to a hundred advance reading copies for me to send out. I have a few dozen names on a list already, but a longer list of contacts that we had got lost when a hard drive suffered a head crash a few weeks ago, and we hear the data is unrecoverable. (Don’t worry; that hard drive didn’t have any of my writing on it.)

So . . . if you’re a reviewer, bookseller, or librarian, do you want a copy of THE WAY OF KINGS? I realize this blog isn’t the best way to reach out to people who aren’t already likely to get the book, but it’s a start. Tor has already sent out a ton of ARCs, and they were available at the ALA conference as well. There will also be a number of them at Comic-Con in San Diego this weekend. But if you don’t have one already and want one, let me know.

Here’s the information I’ll need:

• Your name and whether you’re a reviewer, bookseller, or librarian.
• Where I can find your published reviews, or at what store/library you work.
• The mailing address the book should be sent to; for booksellers or librarians, this must be the business address.

You can submit the request on my contact page (pick any subject line except for the Webmaster one). That’s pretty much it. This doesn’t guarantee you an ARC since I do have a limited number, but I’ll see what I can do. I will add this info to my (currently very small) pro contacts database, but I will NOT add you to my fan mailing list (unless you’re already on there or you specifically ask to be added).

If you’re not a reviewer, bookseller, or librarian, there will still be other chances to get your hands on an ARC. The GoodReads giveaway ends in two weeks. Stormblessed.com has another giveaway, and Adonalsium.net has yet another one. And I’ve heard there will be more opportunities in the future.

Meanwhile, the book itself is coming out in a mere 43 days.