An interview with Oleg Sapphire

Hi everybody. Today we would like to share with you an interview with our new author Oleg Sapphire. Oleg is a writer with a surprising, even phenomenal, capacity for work. Despite his relatively short career so far, he has written nearly fifty books, and he has no intention of stopping. Oleg's latest releases never fail to make the bestseller list on the Russian literary portal author.today, just as they invariably top the charts on the English- and German-language versions of Amazon. In this interview we speak with Oleg about his work, series, future plans, and tricks of the trade. Enjoy!

Four of your series are being translated, one solo project and three co-authored. An Ideal World for a Sociopath is all your own work, while The Healer's Way is being co-authored with Alexey Kovtunov, and The Hunter's Code and The Order of Architects with Yuri Vinokuroff. The Healer's Way is a bestseller, and The Hunter's Code is doing very well, while An Ideal World for a Sociopath is not selling quite so well. Is that how you were expecting things to turn out?

Probably not. I figured Hunter would do better, and Healer has become a bit of a dark horse for me. I was expecting Healer to sell well in Germany. The main character is cynical and judicious, and has to make unpleasant decisions which are nonetheless necessary. I thought my American readership wouldn't like the books' harsher moments so much.

Do you mean that writing is a lottery?

Yes, it is a lottery, and not only on the American or European markets. I know authors who write for a number of years with barely any success, and then one random book becomes a smash hit. That's when they find themselves, and if they continue writing in that style, everything works out for them. For others, such as me, the first series makes a splash. Sociopath was my first series, and it was an instant success, not bad for a newcomer. After that came Hunter, and it blew everyone else out of the water. Now it's the most popular cycle on author.today (a Russian bookselling platform – interviewer's note), despite the fact that it already comprises 18 books. After book 6 of Hunter, the number of readers grows instead of dropping, although usually readership begins to dwindle after the third or fourth book in a series.

Tell us about co-authorship. How does it come about, and how does it work?

The main thing is to find a co-author whose spirit and ideas are close to yours. Many joint ventures fail because the writers argue or don't share the workload evenly, so you have to agree terms at the very beginning. You're doing a job together and it must be done well. Even if there are disagreements, a cycle must be finished and the disputes mustn't be allowed to affect the readers. It's easier with the plot. Two people sit down together and think of storylines. Then you can write alternating chapters or half chapters. If there are disagreements concerning the plot, it's important to be able to compromise calmly. You must understand why you're doing all this. Is it for your ego, or is it to do a good job? Compromise is the name of the game. Write as your co-author would like you to.

How do you like working more, alone or with a co-author?

At the moment I probably like working more with co-authors. I've noticed that when you're working alone, firstly, it's not so much fun. There's nobody to discuss things or have a laugh with, and as a result the whole process becomes boring. It's possible that's what happened with Sociopath. I got bored of sitting in an empty room on my own. When you're working in tandem with someone else, you have to speak to each other, read each other's writing and look at the style. The point is that each of you should contribute something that the other doesn't have. One of you paints a good picture, while the other has a good sense of humor. It's important that each of you brings something to the table. For example, Alexey Kovtunov, my co-author on Healer, is a medic by education. You don't have to actually work in the profession, because nowadays any information is accessible in the Internet, but it's easier with Alexey because he understands medicine. Some writers work in five or six professions before they begin writing, and that can produce excellent material for books. That's why I always say that writers over sixty years of age can be very estimable. The main thing is to work without arguing and stressing, and saying, "I've done this much, but you've only done this much." That's where the path to failure begins. It's vital to understand you're working towards a common goal, so you must be able to compromise.

Have you drawn any conclusions about your western readership?

Not conclusions about the readership per se, but I have come to understand that you just have to get your books translated, and the rest is a lottery, you don't know how it's going to go. Even if you have two or three flops, the fourth attempt might unexpectedly be a howling success.

If you compare the popularity of your series among the Russian-language readership, what order do they come in? First is Hunter. And then?

Before we wrote either Healer or Hunter, Sociopath had already spent a year in the charts, so it's impossible to compare. According to the number of subscribed readers, it goes: Hunter, then Healer, then Sociopath. But when I began work on Sociopath I was a nobody without a name.

How much have you tried to capture today's trends in these series?

I usually don't try to capture anything like that, and I never have. I don't try to capture a genre. Rather, I try to capture a writing tone that will appeal to people. It doesn't matter if it's past time travel, future time travel, LitRPG, RealRPG, or Boyar-Anime. I've written three series and they've all been successful. It's not important what you write, it's important how you write. Of course there are certain trends. For example, if I understand correctly, gore has become much less popular (in Russia – interviewer's note), and there's much less demand for violent murder and overpowering one's enemies.

What is happening in popular literature generally? What's in vogue?

If you look at author.today, Boyar Anime is on the rise. I think that will continue for another six months, and then perhaps its popularity will wane, but not for long.

What alternatives do you see to that genre?

I think fantasy has become seriously neglected, perhaps even crossbred with the world of time travel. It used to be a very popular genre, and now it overlaps very much with Boyar. I am planning in the future to write a number of cycles about time travelers. It's always interesting to read about what our people get up to in other worlds, whereas Boyar is more about people from other worlds visiting our world, or one like it. And in different time periods, for example, Japan during the time of the Russian Empire.

What can you say about cosmos?

Not many authors are writing cosmos now. I know some good series about the cosmos, but what is being written now is not quite what's needed. Cosmos is not for everyone. It needs to be described so clearly, interestingly, and easily that someone who knows nothing about spaceships can get into the story from the first page and not want to put the book down. I have read a lot of cosmos, but it's hard to get into something if you don't understand what you're reading. And of course the author has to be able to create an interesting story. The basis is completely different, although it is extensive, with its countless planets, technologies, and the like.

There are some writers who establish new trends and tendencies, and there are those who adapt themselves to already existing trends. Which category would you put yourself in?

I can't say I'm always 100% sure my cycles will be met with enthusiasm. Maybe 70-80%. But I don't copy anybody. Yes, there might be overlaps. It does happen that I read other authors and see something similar to what I've written, and sometimes in a book published before mine, but which I'm only just reading now. Everything has already been written, and you could spend eternity trying to find who has copied what from whom, but I can only write what comes into my head. Of course there might be overlap. I've read over 3,000 books, and something in my head might easily have come from one of them, but I would never just take someone else's book and write something similar.

Tell us about your series which have been published in English. How many books are there, and how many more are in the pipeline? Beginning with Hunter.

There are currently 18 Hunter books, of which a certain number are being translated, and 10 in the Healer series, of which around five have been translated. Sociopath comprises 13 books so far. How many more will there be? I don't know. I don't have a concrete plan when I'm writing a book, I just sit down at my computer and begin writing. I have tried to create work plans before, but as soon I write the first line, everything changes, something disappears, something else appears. The only thing I can say for sure is that everything I've written so far will be translated.

But Sociopath is at least finished?

No, Sociopath isn't finished. I have more books planned, but they're on hold for the moment. At a certain point, I realized I needed to take a break, get my thoughts together, and continue the story at an interesting tempo. But it will take 2-3 years to translate what I've already written.

How do you solve the problem of the development ceiling in such a very long series?

That's easy: don't give the main character any particularly world-spanning goals to reach at the very beginning, as often happens. For instance, if the hero is reborn in a new world, don't give them the immediate task of becoming Emperor and taking over that world. Why? Well, let's take as an example Zander from The Hunter's Code. He lives an epic interesting life, and then is sent away as though on holiday. He just likes to chill and solve local problems. Why would he want to become Emperor himself if he's on first-name terms with the incumbent emperor? He has other interests. It's not vital for the hero to have great goals. He shouldn't be a cardboard character and have the same desires from book to book. Maybe he just wants to relax or entertain himself somehow, or maybe he doesn't know what he wants. He's a living person, not a robot or a god. Today he might want the title of Count, but tomorrow he changes his mind. That is the essence. You need to write about the hero's life and what happens in it, not just that there is a goal and he must strive towards it. The reader knows that in the end the hero will definitely become what he wants. But I think it's much more interesting sometimes when he himself doesn't know. For example, a character wants to become Emperor, but instead becomes a firefighter, and he's very happy, with his own family and children. That is happiness. Sometimes I don't know myself what's going to happen tomorrow, in the next chapter, in the next book. No global aims, no global enemies. It's naïve to think you can become stronger than everyone else, when a simple combination of circumstances might momentarily disrupt your plans.

Would you be happy with an ending where there is no formidable achievement, as with the example of the firefighter? Would you not feel somehow deceived?

Everything depends on how you write. If you drag out the same theme from book to book and then suddenly change everything, then yes, that's bad. My plots write themselves, flowing smoothly from chapter to chapter, and I have no idea what will happen next. It might be a firefighter ending, if that's the way the stars align.

But still, what about development? After all, the main character is always developing, and mastering new skills, right? How long can that go on?

Well, if we take Hunter, in book 5 the main character still has a very long way to go before he reaches any incredible heights. He doesn't develop at a very fast pace, and the narrative is unhurried. And being realistic, the population of the planet is 6-7 billion. So, is he the only one like that in the whole world? Is he unique? Unequalled? No, there are other people, other time travelers and sleeping deities. The world does not revolve around the main hero. He lives his own life, and we don't know what awaits him in the future. And also, why does it always have to be vanquishing enemies? Problems might occur with politics, or with other worlds, and all problems are solved gradually. The world's very very strongest main character can't be in twenty places at once. He can't protect everyone: his family, the Emperor, and everyone he holds dear. So how can he do it? He needs to think of a way, for example, by hiring or training dedicated people, and establishing contacts. He needs to look at the situation from all angles, not just from one.

Can the hero lose? What if there's a massive conflict?

Of course. The heroes of my books are strong, and the main character isn't supposed to be a milksop, but great defeats are certainly possible. There are plenty of small defeats in my books. The heroes don't have a clearly outlined sequence of operations, they're not programmed, they simply live their lives, and I simply describe their lives. Occasionally it might happen that the hero is victorious officially, but inside he feels that he's lost, he has doubts, he was wrong about something and has to rethink.

They say there is an unwritten rule book concerning how to write popular literature. The main hero must always win, there must be a romantic interest, etc. I haven't read that book. Maybe that's why I've written three successful series?

Do you build on the feedback you get from readers and critics?

Of course. Sometimes I spend half a day responding to people's private messages and comments. When you have so many cycles published, it's easy to build up 600-700 comments, even 1000. Of course I don't base my narrative on them, but they can have a certain influence. It does happen, for example, that a reader reminds me of something and I think, "That's it!" And sometimes comments contain interesting ideas and I take them on board. It's definitely an unwritten rule that new authors just starting out must read all comments concerning their books, to understand what readers like and what they don't. You write a scene and see that it's provoked a storm of negativity, and you understand not to repeat that. We don't write books for the sake of writing, we do it for the readers. You could certainly write a book without regard for the reader, but what would be the point? You like it, and one person reads it?

Are your books influenced by your own views and things that happen to you? Or do you write about completely separate worlds?

Let's say everything that happens in the real world – a failure or a bad mood, for example – must remain in the real world. In my books, I write about different worlds, and I write for people who don't care about my point of view or my life. I have to be levelheaded. That's what I think and that's what I do. If you're asking what inspires me, I like travel, museums, archaeological digs, castles, and all sorts of unusual places. That's where I draw some of my ideas.

What about your characters?

My books do not involve anyone from real life. I prefer to create new characters rather than paint portraits of real living people. And if I did that, I would run out of characters by the third or fourth cycle. I'd have to write in the morning, and go out in the evenings to meet new people.

You've been asked this question many times, but since it's still relevant, I'll ask it again: why a sociopath? Why did you choose such an unusual hero?

It's a very interesting idea, which has kicked up a huge storm of emotion. Lots of readers are arguing about it and putting forward their theories. For example, approximately 50% don't actually agree that he's a sociopath. What can I say? Russian readers already know what happens later, but my German and American readers don't know yet. That's why I try not to give spoilers. I'll say it again: the characters must be alive, they're not robots or computers. It just so happens that this person considers himself a sociopath. He's had this mask put on him, but he wears it and tries to discover his hidden self. Who knows what conclusions he comes to?

A short question to finish with. Are you happy with your collaboration with Magic Dome Books?

Generally, yes I am. I would like the translations to be published sooner, but I can't do anything about it, and broadly speaking I'm satisfied. And I'm grateful to my translator Colin Parker for his efforts.

All of the author’s books can be viewed at the following link: BOOKS