Robert
Stanek is the creator of
After the Machines, Bugville Critters, Magic Lands, and Ruin Mist.
On Facebook, he regularly posts 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.
[ RMC | Kingdoms | Dragons | Battle for Ruin Mist | BLOG | Close-up | Guide Books ]
Welcome to the Official Web Site of Author Robert Stanek.
The #1 bestselling Ruin Mist books are celebrating their 20th
Anniversary.
Translated into 57 languages, Robert Stanek’s books have sold
20 million copies worldwide.
Renowned for creating beautiful, vibrant
scenes full of wonderful color, Robert Stanek has been called a living legend
and national treasure, his words and illustrations have captivated the hearts
and minds of millions over the past thirty years. As a combat veteran who is
partially disabled and father of a daughter with Down Syndrome, he is a vocal champion of
veterans and the disabled. He also is a champion of books and libraries,
frequently donating his time and resources to support related causes.
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.
For decades Robert never talked much about people he knew in the industry but
recently he talked about Oprah, J. K. Rowling and others and his long-time friendships
with Brian Jacques, Beverly Clearly, Walter Dean Myers, and his
Pulitzer-prize winning forefather, author Wallace Stegner.
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?"
"I’m
not speaking out ‘just now’ or because it’s convenient, I’ve been speaking
out my whole life. This is a fight of a lifetime that I hope is resolved in
my lifetime. The best way to end inequality, racism, discrimination,
injustice and all the other things that sicken our world worse than any
pandemic is to shine a light on them, to keep shining a light on them even
where there seems to be no hope. And so, I have shined a light, I have
continued to shine a light even though I knew I may never be heard."
"One of my earliest stories, written in the 1980s, is about the demise of
native, indigenous and other peoples and the compounded tragedy that their
languages are lost with them. The heroine of the story rages against the
white majority (referred to as Majority-1), sacrifices her life, her
husband, even her children to preserve what little she can of a nearly lost
language—and the people the language represents. That story speaks to the
futility of this lifetime fight that I recognized even as a young man, and
yet the heroine fights. She fights because she cannot rightly do otherwise."
That
story has been published in several collections, including Absolutes and
Other Stories. The original version of that story ended with the scientific
facts about the demise of native, indigenous and other peoples and their
languages. The title of the story speaks to yet another factor that
compounds the tragedy: Silence. Silence is death. Silence is complicity.
That title being: “Silence is Golden.”
Robert was also asked recently how come none of your books feature People of
Color. His response, "Have you actually read any of my books?" FACT: Over
120 of Robert Stanek's books feature People of Color. Of these, one of his
favorites is the Magic Lands series, which includes Journey Beyond the
Beyond (Intl as Into the Beyond) and Into the Stone Land (Magic Lands #2),
and which has been collected in several editions and omnibuses.
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: The critters in over 100 Bugville Critters, Bugville Learning,
Bugville Jr books represent the diverse peoples of our world. Robert wrote
the books as bedtime stories for his own children because they weren’t
represented in picture books. He wrote the books to show everything he
wanted to see in the world and everything he wanted them to see in the
world. His wife and children are POC.
FACT: Robert really was asked by white publishing to remove #Diversity and
#POC from his Bugville Critters Buster Bee books. Thus focusing only on the
Bee family. Yes, Robert really did refuse and publish independently.
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.
Yes, he really was told that Lass Ladybug's mother should be married to
another ladybug. Thus, not having the perception of interracial marriage.
Yes, he really did refuse and publish independently.
Robert
also told white publishing it was not perception at all, it was a point of
actual fact. White Mrs. Ladybug was married to a black man, that black man
was also Mayor of Bugville.
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:
* Parents
of children birth to eight should look for:
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:
The
Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches #1, 2, 3 + 4
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
In
2017 and 2019, William Robert Stanek was nominated for an award for
Distinguished Contributions in Writing & American Letters for his body of
work encompassing more than 20 million words spread across tens of thousands
of pages in the 250 full-length works he's written. Since his breakout
bestseller in 1995, his work has been published and/or distributed by every
major publishing house in the U.S. from Time Warner to Simon & Schuster to
Random House as well as Hachette, Pearson, Macmillan, McGraw Hill, and
Microsoft--not to mention over 100 other publishers globally.
William Robert has said
many times that the success he's had is the stuff of Willy Wonka's wildest
dreams. Still, as he wrote about in “How I Made This Crazy Thing Called
Writing a Career”, wild success doesn’t necessarily mean riches for the
writer. When asked about this, he said, "I will forever remain grateful to
his publishers and everyone else in the business who made my dream possible.
They may have gotten the Lion's share of the wealth but I got to live the
dream and living the dream was as good as being Spiderman."
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
In
2020, William Robert Stanek celebrated his 250th book. About this he said,
"When I began writing stories so many years ago, I had no idea that I'd be celebrating my 250th book some day or that 20 million people would have read those books."
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.
All those years ago
William Robert
never dreamed that his books would be so successful and yet they are
thanks to readers who have shared their love of his books throughout
the more than 150 countries where his books are available.
A fun fact about William Robert is that he and JRR Tolkien share the same birthday: January 3rd.
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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.
An extremely prolific author, Robert Stanek has been writing for
over 30 years and has produced close to 200 book-length works of
fiction and nonfiction. It’s no secret to anyone who follows his
work that he also writes as William Stanek and has been
published by nearly every Big 6 / Big 5 publishing house. That
feat alone would, and has, made him the subject of jealousy and
envy throughout the writing community.
What most don’t
know about Robert Stanek is his giving, earnest spirit. Robert
is the type of guy who would (and has) literally given the shirt
off his back to help someone in need.
Robert has given
tirelessly throughout his life to support causes he believes in.
Anyone who knows him knows the causes he champions: veterans,
peoples with disabilities, animal rights, conservation, and
education. And books and libraries have no better friend.
If
there was ever an author who deserved to be recognized for
lifetime achievement it is Robert Stanek. When I think of books
and authors I’ve read and reread during my life, only a rare few
spring to mind with Robert being atop that short list. His works
have challenged and inspired me. His works have educated me. His
works have opened my mind.
Listing all of my favorites
and the reasons why here would take pages, so I’ll keep things
brief and list the top few:
* 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
These books
alone are reason enough for Robert to be “one of the most
featured and respected Kids & Young Adult authors” as named by
The Audio Bookstore. But Robert has written many, many more, and
all of which are worthy of your time and support.
When
it comes to helping others, Robert has spent a tremendous amount
of time and effort championing veterans, peoples with
disabilities, and other causes he believes in. Robert is a
veteran of multiple wars, conflicts and campaigns, including
Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Provide Comfort. In his
inspirational true story, Air War, he writes about doing what
was needed when called upon, the pieces of himself left behind
on the battlefield, and his willingness to give everything to
what he believes in. I came away from the reading in tears, a
new respect for our service men and women, and with a profound
sense that something deep within me had changed. Something had
changed. I had grown as a person from living his experiences
through his words.
The causes and challenges of peoples
with disabilities aren't just something Robert supports but
something he believes in wholeheartedly. He has a daughter with
Downs Syndrome and some disability from his service. Whether
supporting the Wounded Warrior Project, Special Olympics or
otherwise, you can tell he gives a hundred percent every time.
People like Robert who give with their heart rarely
receive anything in return. But after reading this, I hope you
will join me in supporting Robert Stanek, spreading the good
word about his work, and sharing his kind heart and beautiful
spirit with others.
Robert Stanek is an author whose
works you should read and shout about from the rooftops. He's
earned the support a hundred times over. - Emily Asimov, author
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...
A
group of us have been wanting to honor Robert for such a long
time, and I jumped at the opportunity to pay tribute to someone
I owe so much to. When no one else would publish my work, Robert
took me under his wing and helped me publish my first book.
The book been turned down by every publisher on the planet,
well practically every one, at least that’s how it seemed to me
as the rejection letters kept coming year after year after year.
As a single mom who works in special needs classrooms, I’ve been
writing stories for children since grad school. I wasn’t able to
find a publisher or anyone who believed in my work until Robert.
To shorten a long story, getting my first book published changed
my life. With Robert’s help, I’ve even released a sequel.
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.”
I
don’t disagree. The Audio Book Store called Robert Stanek “one
of its most featured and respected Kids & Young Adults, K-12
Educators and Kids authors.” Parenting Magazine in a listening
partnership with Audible.com named his Bugville Critters,
recommended reading. Follett Early Learning said his wonderful
Bugville Critters stories addressed all major issues of growing
up, while combining facts about the natural world with
instructive and entertaining fiction.
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.
Of his Ruin Mist novels, which include The Kingdoms & the
Elves of the Reaches and In the Service of Dragons book and are
now enjoying their 15th anniversary, The Fantasy Guide said the
work was very satisfying and that word of mouth had turned it
into a bestseller. VOYA, the leading magazine for young adult
librarians gushed even more saying that the books were “sure to
attract fans of graphic novels and classic Tolkien alike.” With
all the praise, it’s no wonder the Ruin Mist books were featured
on Audible’s homepage for an entire summer in 2005, #1
bestsellers at Audible in Fiction, and on the Audible Children’s
bestseller lists for 182 consecutive weeks.
Robert also
has written bestselling thrillers and science fiction. His Scott
Evers novels, which include The Pieces of the Puzzle and The
Cards in the Deck, have also climbed the charts to become #1
bestselling fiction. Meanwhile, his “After the Machines”
dystopian novels are some of the most gripping sci-fi I’ve ever
had the pleasure of reading.
Few other authors have written over 200
full-length feature works. Few other authors have been
successful in so many genres.
Robert’s oeuvre doesn’t stop
with fiction, however. In his day job, he’s an internationally
acclaimed technology journalist writing for Macmillan, Microsoft
Press, Pearson, O’Reilly, and other leading publishers under the
name William R. Stanek. His William R. Stanek books include over
a hundred heavy hitting titles like Windows Server 2016: IT Pro
Library, a multi-book set with over 500,000 words, and the
equally impressive Exchange Server 2016: IT Pro Library, with a
mere 300,000 words. Oi!
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.
That’s
what I noticed most when talking to Robert. You don’t see the
decorated soldier (yes, he received the Distinguished Flying
Cross) who fought against the second Gulf war with raised fists
or the guy who conquered the publishing world from his worn
keyboard while wearing pajamas. You don’t hear those things in
his words you expect from someone who’s achieved so much. You
see instead a guy who’s trying like the rest of us to swim up
river. You see a guy who deserves your wholehearted support. You
see a guy whose works should be as widely read as any author
today. There are certainly enough of his masterworks to choose
from. Works that will move you, teach you, show you. Works that
will make you think, deliver you to the brink, leave you
breathless.
Read Robert’s work. Praise it
where you can. Spread the good word. Tell others. -
Jennifer Blake, author
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...
After
hearing about Robert, I broke down in tears, fits and sobs
really, the kind reserved for family because Robert Stanek
was like a father to some of us in the writing community, a
favorite uncle, Uncle Robert, to others, and a valued mentor
to a great, great many. So many writers, hundreds really,
owe their start in writing and careers to this guy, and the
same is true of thousands who work in Big Tech, on web-based
platforms or in web-based businesses. This guy taught them
all how to set up those very businesses. This guy who was
larger than life. This guy who was so down to earth. This
guy who was so humble. This guy who so loved life. This guy
who so loved family. This guy who took care of everyone
else. This guy who gave and gave and gave over so many
decades to so many and never asked for anything in return.
By
2000, his professionally published books numbered over 100.
Those books, published and distributed by the biggest names
in publishing—IDG, Simon & Schuster, Random House,
Macmillan, Pearson, Microsoft, McGraw Hill, Time
Warner—blazed trails. At a time when few understood the
world wide web and its technologies, Robert was not only one
of the few recognized world leaders in the web and its
technologies, he was the recognized world leader in
explaining how those technologies worked clearly and
concisely.
Robert
was a King maker, unmade by the very things he helped
establish. He put upstart Amazon on the map by writing about
the company to his audience of millions from its earliest
days. He transformed 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—that plain language approach Robert
himself created and that praise itself was for Robert’s
books. His words and style were so beloved they eventually
became the plain language style of Microsoft itself.
Credit
where credit is due one might imagine, but instead as Robert
revealed through his varied writings and blogs, he got no
credit for any of it. At the end of the day, his work taught
tens of millions, enriched the pockets of his publishers,
agents and managers, but left Robert and his family with 3
cents on the dollar. Robert’s work was used in $1B-$2B (yes,
B-I-L-L-I-O-N $) worth of training courses and other
Microsoft and non-Microsoft work for which he never received
a single cent. Not one. None. Zero.
In
2000, Robert Stanek founded the modern indie author movement
with his breakout self-published books that transformed
publishing and the way we publish today. In 2001, Robert
became the first indie author to serialize an e-book at
Amazon and has since gone on to write more than 150 indie
books. In 2002, his Keeper Martin's Tale and Kingdoms & the
Elves books were the first indie e-authored books to top
Amazon's bestseller lists. In 2005, the same books were the
first indie e-audiobooks to top Audible bestseller lists
where they dominated for the next three years (#1 fiction
for 14 weeks 2005, 167 weeks Top 10 YA 2005-2008). His
Kingdoms & the Elves became one of the top grossing
e-audiobooks of all time and was featured on the Audible
Home Page throughout the Summer of 2005.
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
Facebook page:
William Stanek
Fiction Books
On Twitter at
robertstanek
Facebook page:
Robert Stanek
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
