[ RMC | Kingdoms | Dragons | Battle for Ruin Mist | BLOG | Close-up | Guide Books ] Welcome to the Official Web Site of Author Robert Stanek.
|
|||
Robert Stanek is the author of more than 250 books, written over the past 35 years. He is widely credited with transforming Microsoft Press from a publishing company its readers swore published books in a foreign language called Microsoftese into one praised for publishing books in plain language, and it was Robert himself who created that plain language approach. His words and style were so beloved they eventually became the plain language style of Microsoft itself. His words formed the foundation of millions of training courses and college classes, earning Microsoft and other instructional companies billions. This plain language style informs all of Robert's writing and helped sell more than 20 million copies of his books worldwide. With works translated into 57 languages and counting, Robert is one of the top authors in the world.
Much of Robert's early inspiration came from his forefather, Wallace Stegner, the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author, who was Robert's mentor for many years. Wallace Stegner is credited with being the co-creator of the modern creative writing industry, having taught creative writing at Harvard, Wisconsin State, Iowa State and Stanford, where he built the prestigious program. It was Uncle Wallace who inspired Robert to become a columnist and editor of his school newspaper in the 4th grade. It was Uncle Wallace who encouraged Robert to challenge and prove himself through his writing. It was Uncle Wallace who told Robert that he was one of the most versatile and naturally talented writers he'd ever met, and indeed Robert is extremely versatile and talented having written successfully in dozens of subject areas and genres. Everything from a 1600-page megabook on computers to a 24-page picture book for children with original watercolors that Robert hand-painted himself. Some people wear one hat or two, Robert has always worn many. His hundreds of written works as William Stanek (primarily nonfiction) and Robert Stanek (primarily fiction) are well known, less well known are the thousands of iconic photographs and hundreds of canvas paintings he created for World Galleries over the past 30 years. With the permanent closing of the physical galleries in spring 2021 due to the worldwide pandemic, Robert and his wife stepped out from behind the scenes to support the online initiatives for 360 Studios, @24 Studios, 1North Studios and Studio 2. You'll find three decades of their creative work at: pictorem.com/gallery/360.Studios pictorem.com/gallery/Robert.Stanek
As a notable writer, photographer and artist, Robert has met
CEOs, presidents and monarchs, and yet it
was a meeting with Ronald Reagan and George HW Bush
in the early 1990s that he remembers most vividly. Both were
trustees of the National Awards program at the Freedoms Foundation
at the time, and he had recently received the Distinguished Flying
Cross for his wartime service to the USA and the George Washington
Honor Medal from the foundation. “It was an honor,” Robert says, to
have those great men shake his hand and mean it when they
congratulated him for his achievements, but for Robert those
moments marked a beginning, for in his view he had not yet achieved
anything. And so he set out determined to make his mark on the
world. Decades later, most would agree he has indeed succeeded.
Diversity, equality, fairness and justice have been constant themes in
Robert's many works of fiction, as have conservation and the environment.
Robert was asked recently if he was so passionate about #diversity,
#equality, #fairness, #justice and all the other things we was writing about
in his essays why has he been silent? Where was his social commentary 5
years ago, 10 years ago, 15 years ago. Or is this something he decided to
speak up about just now? His reply, "Have you actually read any of my books?
Have you actually listened to anything my books have to say? Have you
actually listened to anything I’ve been saying?"
Magic Lands is an allegory for our modern world. The main character, Ray, is
a POC, who must battle with stigma, racism and the perceptions of those
around him as much as the wild elements and incredible dangers of his
homeland.
FACT: Robert really was asked by white publishing to remove #Diversity and
#POC from his Bugville Critters Lass Ladybug books. Thus focusing only on
the Ladybug family. Yes, he really did refuse and publish independently.
Years ago Robert could’ve easily removed POC from his books as white
publishing wanted him to, and he could’ve easily cashed the six- and
seven-figure checks for the rest of his life because that’s what was
offered, but he chose not to. Not only because it was morally wrong and
reprehensible to him, but because what would he be saying to his children,
to the world, if he did so. He’d rather the few read his work, than his work
to represent something he do not believe in. A lesson from his forefather that really resonated with Robert was related to his many writing awards. Wallace Stegner told Robert that winning the Pulitzer was impressive but it didn’t really help sell his books or pay his bills, nor did the National Book Award, nor the three O’Henry awards, nor the two Guggenheim fellowships. The craft of writing is about the writing. Professional writing is work. Professional writers write to pay the bills and pay the bills Robert did as he wrote for major publishers across several decades.
With so many books to choose from, it's hard to
know where to start, so here's a quick start guide: The Bugville Critters picture books. Good news! There are over 100 to choose from, all featuring hand-painted watercolor originals. Look for the books in print, digital and audio. Start here with the originals.
* Kids and teens will want to look for: In the Service of Dragons #1, 2, 3, + 4 Guardians of the Dragon Realms #1, 2, + 3
After the Machines #1, 2, 3, 4, + 5
* Adults will want to look for Keeper Martin's Tale, Kingdom Alliance, Fields of Honor + Mark of the Dragon Guardians of the Dragon Realms
Official Links Robert Stanek is the creator of After the Machines, Bugville Critters, Magic Lands, and Ruin Mist. On Facebook, he posts regularly to his author page. You'll find him on twitter @robertstanek. His blogs include: Books & Things, Read Indies and Around the Town Books. Find his blog archives here. Find Books by Robert Stanek Play | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Oyster Books | iBooks & iTunes
This long road has included a dozen awards for outstanding
writing and excellence from peers, recognition from reader groups
and other organizations like the ACM, features on his books and work in Parenting Magazine, Children's
Writer, The Children's Bookshelf, Writer's Digest, The New York
Times, Publisher's Weekly, and more. A fun fact about William Robert is that he and JRR Tolkien share the same birthday: January 3rd.
What Do Other Writers Say About William Robert?
When fellow
writer Emily Asimov heard of Robert Stanek’s lifetime
achievement nomination, she jumped at the chance to write a
tribute. Here's what she said...
When I heard
of Robert Stanek’s lifetime achievement nomination, I jumped at
the chance to write a tribute. Robert is one of the most
inspirational people I know and an exceptionally talented
writer. He’s also the reason my work is published today, and the
author of some of my favorite childhood reads. From his superbly
written “The Kingdoms & the Elves of the Reaches” to his sublime
“Journey Beyond the Beyond,” I have been smitten with his work
for years and gobbled up nearly everything he’s written.When I heard
of Robert Stanek’s lifetime achievement nomination, I jumped at
the chance to write a tribute. Robert is one of the most
inspirational people I know and an exceptionally talented
writer. He’s also the reason my work is published today, and the
author of some of my favorite childhood reads. From his superbly
written “The Kingdoms & the Elves of the Reaches” to his sublime
“Journey Beyond the Beyond,” I have been smitten with his work
for years and gobbled up nearly everything he’s written. * The Kingdoms & the Elves of the Reaches, fifteen years in print and forever in the canon of fantasy classics * Journey Beyond the Beyond, a beautiful, underappreciated master work * Air War, a timeless snapshot of life in war that pays homage to the men and women Robert Stanek served with * The Cards in the Deck, an edgy thriller that far surpasses the original work, The Pieces of the Puzzle * After the Machines, one of the best
works of science fiction I’ve ever read
When fellow writerr Jennifer Blakeheard of Robert Stanek was named "An American author who should be on everyone's must read list." Here's what she said...
Robert Stanek was fresh off a recent Lifetime Achievement nomination for distinguished accomplishments in American letters when a group of libraries took notice and started buying up his work for their patrons, having named him “an American author who should be on everyone’s must read list.”
To date, Robert has released 100
Bugville Critters books. These include magnificent learning
books under the Bugville Learning umbrella, Bugville Jr. books
for toddlers and preschoolers, and Bugville picture books for
kids ages 4 to 8. With the 28 original Bugville books all
featuring luscious 2-page spreads from original watercolors,
it’s no wonder that millions of readers have devoured the books. Few other authors have written over 200
full-length feature works. Few other authors have been
successful in so many genres.
Robert published these works
independently. After being the #1 author at Microsoft Press for
nearly twenty years, Robert says it was time to do things his
own way. Robert tells me his writing career began in 1986, the year he finished his first novel. In 1991, Robert won his first writing award, The George Washington Honor Medal. The winning work was an essay about his combat tours in the first Persian Gulf War, an essay that was later turned into a full-length memoir that has recently been re-released for the 20th anniversary of the war as Air War: The Incredible True Story of the Combat Flyers. I’ve only met Robert a few times. Each time felt like an extraordinary opportunity, like I was walking with a giant among men. Not because Robert’s 6’ 2”, but because he himself is larger than life. The kind of person you feel honored and privileged to even be in the same room with. Yet, at the same time, he’s so self-deprecating and real. It’s rare to meet someone who is so down to earth. Funny, sincere, caring, giving, passionate about the causes he supports. And if you know Robert, you know he’s passionate about many things, but especially causes related to peoples with disabilities, veterans, libraries, education and conservation.
When fellow writer Cathy Thompson heard Robert Stanek had given up writing and illustrating due to the relentless malicious targeting of his books by rivals who were bribing Amazon insiders, here's what she said... ![]()
Robert Stanek was always creating resources to help writers.
Writer’s Galley, Internet Job Center, Internet Daily News,
others, his earliest efforts in the mid ‘90s. Go Indie, Read
Indies, Free Today, and others in the mid ‘00s. He taught us
all how to use social media, to create blogs, to use
Facebook, to use Twitter and beyond. He created and curated
memes like #amwriting, #amblogging, #epicfantasy, #kidslit
and #teenlit. He led by example.
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
We all know what happens to those who are so far ahead of
their time that they seem to exist in a world of their own
making. Robert had climbed too many mountains, and those
standing at the bottoms of those mountains desperately
wanted what he had, and so they did whatever it took to take
what Robert had created and claim it as their own or destroy
it. Read Robert’s heartbreaking posts about the things that
happened to him and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking
about. We as a society love to tear down our heroes. We tear
them down with lies, with fake news. We puff ourselves up
and make ourselves look big, to make those who are larger
than life look small.
![]()
Sad but true, strange but true, one of Robert Stanek’s
favorite sayings was dare to dream and he dared all of us to
dream. Not only to dream with him as he conquered the
bestseller lists, which he did time after time until he had
so many number ones it seemed a thing unreachable in the
sky, but to dream our own dream, forge our own paths and to
make of our writing and lives whatever beautiful dream we
could dream. Robert told me many times that the empty page
was friend, not foe, that he never knew a day of writer’s
block. He saw the empty page as a challenge, one that he was
not afraid to answer, and answer it he did. In his lifetime,
over 20 million of his words were published in over 250
books. I know from speaking with Robert that he has half as
many words unpublished, words that we all should hope are
someday published. Robert had much to say to the world, and
his books indeed say much.
Robert challenged us as writers to see the blank page as a
friend as well. He dreamed that his books would be his
legacy, his way to ensure his family was financially secure.
My silence when Robert needed me the most is something I
will never forgive myself for. It was shameful. It was
disgraceful. It was dishonorable. I hope that Robert can
forgive me, forgive all of us, for not doing what we should
have when it would have mattered most. I’m sorry, Robert.
Please, please forgive me.
![]() To those reading my words, if you want to do one decent thing today, one decent thing this week, read Robert Stanek’s books and tell the world about them. It’s never too late to right a great wrong. - Cathy Thompson, author
|
![]() Get the Books Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Play Tech Books @ williamrstanek.com On Twitter at
williamstanek Fiction Books On Twitter at
robertstanek
Robert Stanek's Guide to Publishing & Being an Author: Traveling the Writer's Road | Taking Your Work From Print to Film Selling Rights to Your Books | Viewpoints on Rejection Letters Understanding Bestseller Lists | Finding Success as a Writer How Far Indies Have Come | Understanding Book Sales Data Understanding Publishing Today | From 4th Grade Musings to Published Pro Don't Quit Your Day Job | Tours of Duty - Write What You Know Using Twitter Effectively | Now Appearing... Places Books Have Been How I Made This Crazy Thing Called Writing a 20-year Career The Road To Success is Paved with Potholes Understanding Long-tail Publishing and Hybrid Authors What It's Like to be Wildly Successful as an Author Shopping, Dragons, Independents, Oh My! | Protecting Your Books Printing Your Own books | Supporting Authors Who Are Veterans
|
Are you looking for other Robert Stanek web sites? Visit Ruin Mist.com and Magic Lands.com. Find a complete book list for Robert Stanek. Other sites you might like? Okay, try the official Reagent Press web site and the official Web site of J R King. Don't forget to visit the new Robert Stanek site for Ruin Mist: The Lost Ages or visit the website for author William Stanek. You'll find all things Bugville Critters here. |