Ask the Author

[Mark Robson]

Hi, Dylan. Yes, I'd like to do more with Femke and Reynik, but it will depend very much now on what the publishers want me to write, rather than what I want. I'm not quite in the JK Rowling position of being able to write what I want and know it will be published.

I will certainly be pitching ideas for a potential follow up series at some point. At the moment, however, I'm having fun writing dragon stories. Two down and two to go on the current series. They will start launching in August. I hope you'll check them out, as I think people who've enjoyed my previous stories will really like these.

[Threddy]

Question Mark(technically three):

Which in your opinion, is your best series of books(even though you haen't finished writing the dragon orb one?:

Storyline?
Writing Style(presumably your later ones)
Book Covers?

Ed - Threddy

[Mark Robson]

Threddy, I think you can probably guess what I'm going to say, but here it is anyway:

Storyline and writing style - definitely Dragon Orb. I think those who have enjoyed my previous stories are in for a treat with Dragon Orb. My writing is still improving - you only have to look at the reviews that are already beginning to appear for Dragon Orb to see this is the case.

Covers is a tricky one. I've been fortunate enough to have a hand in the design of both the Darkweaver covers and the Imperial Covers. I prefer both of these over the Dragon Orb ones because of this, but to pick a favourite set is tricky. I would probably have to say the Imperial Covers are the best so far.

[Threddy]

Another question (you've probably been asked this many times before, sorry):

Do you know how many of each book you've sold?

Ed - Threddy

[Mark Robson]

I don't have up to date figures for the Imperial books, Threddy, but I could work out the Darkweaver figures exactly if I sat down and checked my books. What I can say is that the total sales across both series is now well in excess of 100 000 in the UK alone.

I see from some of the Italian websites that Imperial Spy reached number 3 in their national fantasy bestseller charts last year, and stayed in the top 5 for 4 weeks. I imagine that it's sold a good few copies there. Imperial Assassin is out there as well now, but I won't see hard figures from Italy, Denmark, Germany, France, Romania or Turkey for some time to come. It is actually pretty much impossible to say how many books total you've sold at any one time, but you can normally look back to about a year ago and give totals for that time.

[JDP]

I'm no expert, but those figures look pretty good. Congratulations, Mark!

[M@.Price]

Any ideas as to where you'll be galavanting off to over the next few months yet Mark?!

[cocob3an-xx]

not really a question... more a compliment on your superb writing.
I turned 14 today and the only thing that I asked for (I never ask for anything) was Imperial Assassin & Imperial Traitor. Started reading as soon as I got hold of them! I've just got to say that your books are incredible, and I enjoy them more than some of JK Rowling's books. Just thought you'd like to hear how much I enjoyed them x

[Mark Robson]

Thanks, Coco.

Compliments are always received well. It's comments like yours that spur me on with my writing. I've been struggling recently for a number of reasons, but I shall print off your words and stick them to the top of my screen today to remind me why it's good to perservere.

[cocob3an-xx]

ok, now a real question...

who's books did you read as a teenager?

[cocob3an-xx]

ok, again not a question...

just finished Imperial Assassin today, just a few days after getting it for my birthday. Fantastic, as always, and just as good as the first. Great book, thank you so much for writing it.

[Mark Robson]

Originally Posted by cocob3an-xx

ok, now a real question...

who's books did you read as a teenager?

The question is 'who's books didn't I read when I was a teenager?'!

From fantasy I read: Tolkien, Eddings, Gemmell, Julian May, Stephen Donaldson, Anne McCaffrey (though technically I suppose she's more of a SF writer) Louise Cooper, Gene Wolfe, Piers Anthony, Hugh Cook, Freda Warrington and many many more.

From SF I read: Asimov, Heinlein (sp?), Silverberg, Aldiss, Clarke, E.C. Tubb, E.E. Doc Smith, Frank Herbert, ...

From other genres it was: Desmond Bagley, Alistair McClean, Wilbur Smith, Robert Ludlum, Clive Cussler, James Herbert, Stephen King ... to name but a few.

In short - I read a lot!