Kevin J. Anderson!
Kevin J. Anderson is one of the most accomplished writers/producers/creatives in our industry today. You can find his name on the credits of Dune: Part 2. (He writes the media-tie in Dune novels.) The science fiction epic has made over $700 million and is the highest grossing film of 2024 so far.
I met Kevin when I attended his Superstars Conference this February. (So… this one time at Superstars…)
There is a full interview with him coming up shortly on Horrortree.com, but here are a few highlights for us writers desperate for the secret to success. The man has over 200 books published. How the heck does he do it?
AF: What is your writing process? Take us through a day in the life of Kevin J. Anderson.
KJA: I always have a lot of irons in the fire, and my day is busy with many different things. On a good, typical day, I will be working on a new novel or story in the morning—I always write by dictating, so I’ll go out for a walk or a hike, dictate a couple of chapters, and come back into the office. While my transcription app is converting my new chapters into text, I’ll be doing email business, social media, working on my publishing business (WordFire Press). In the afternoons I’ll edit a work in process, work on my online classes (I run a graduate program in Publishing for Western Colorado University). I’ll do some zoom calls, and wish I had more time just to write!
AF: If you could give one piece of salient advice to writers struggling for success, what would it be?
KJA: Nobody ever said it would be easy, but if you love what you’re doing, you won’t mind the unending uphill marathon.
AF: Tell us about the role of media tie-in fiction in your career?
KJA: I was offered my first Star Wars novel (completely unexpected) after I’d published four original novels. I had never considered it before, but I loved it because I was a fanboy at heart and this way I got to participate from the inside on one of my favorite universes. My Star Wars success certainly changed my career, and the Star Wars work led to many other opportunities, from X-Files, to Star Trek, to Batman and Superman, and eventually to working with Brian Herbert on Dune.
Kevin is currently running a kickstarter featuring ALL of his short stories.
Check it out here! The Kickstarter
