Colorado’s Rebecca Yarros was already a staggeringly successful New York Times best-selling author when Amazon announced Monday that it is planning a TV series based around her latest fantasy novel, “Fourth Wing,” and its sequel, “Iron Flame,” which is due out Nov. 7.
But the news reinforced Yarros as a force in global publishing, with 25 weeks on The New York Times best-seller list (13 of those weeks at the No. 1 spot) and an estimated half-million copies sold of “Fourth Wing” as of this writing. Yarros has garnered another 1 billion views to date across all related hashtags of her name and work on TikTok (more on that below), Variety wrote.
Yarros is known among fans and critics for her evocative, richly detailed and romantic prose, which is expected to be spread across five total books in the still-developing Empyrean series, which includes “Fourth Wing” and “Iron Flame.” Fan site Empyrean Riders, which has already begun speculating about casting for the “Fourth Wing” TV series, summarized the positive critical response for Yarros as being due to her “intricate plotlines, compelling characters, and meticulous world-building.”
“Fourth Wing,” which is marketed as adult fantasy, is full of dark and alluring scenes. “A thrilling fantasy epic … ‘Fourth Wing’ centers on the bookish Violet’s attempts to become a dragon rider amidst the intrigue and deadly danger of the kingdom of Navarre,” wrote London-based publisher Waterstones.
For those who have yet to be riveted by her novels, here’s a primer before this month’s “Iron Flame” release parties — including a long sold-out Nov. 18 event with Yarros in-person at the Colorado Springs Barnes & Noble on Briargate Boulevard.
Yarros, who describes herself as a military wife, began writing fiction during her husband’s deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and published her first novel “Full Measures” – the inaugural title first in her Flight & Glory Series – in 2014, Waterstones said. Her other series include Legacy, Renegades and In Luv Duet.
As of Aug. 18 “Fourth Wing” had already sold 400,000 copies, Publishers Weekly wrote. Published on April 5, 2023, it took over BookTok (the book corner of TikTok) and proved Yarros as a master social media presence. “In the first six months of 2023, adult fiction was once again the only category to register an increase, with sales up 4.2%. The biggest driver of those gains, of course, has been books that have the backing of BookTok,” Publishers Weekly wrote.
In its first day available for preorder, “Iron Flame” quickly became the fastest-selling preorder in Waterstones’ history, according to The Bookseller, with the $19 to $27 special editions selling out in a mere seven hours, and in a variety of languages and nation-specific formats.
Gaby Lee, genre fiction buyer at Waterstones, commented: “The Iron Flame announcement truly landed with a bang; it became our fastest-selling pre-order title in a single day on our website with our special edition selling out in just seven hours. Pre-orders for the standard edition have been going from strength to strength since.
The new “Fourth Wing” TV show comes from Amazon and Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society, which has an overall deal with the studio, acquiring the rights to not only “Fourth Wing,” but the three remaining planned books in Yarros’ “Fourth Wing”-universe, “The Empyrean” book series, from Entangled Publishing, Variety wrote this week. Yarros is a non-writing executive producer, along with Liz Pelletier for Entangled Publishing, the trade publication reported.
Yarros, who is based in Colorado Springs, is “a hopeless romantic and adores all things chocolate, coffee and paleo,” she writes on her website. “No, seriously, I need to have a caffeine IV put in. I’ve adored reading all my life, and writing naturally evolved from my love of late nights and promises of one more page.” Her husband retired last year, she said, and he and their six kids –including a foster daughter that she adopted — are her main focus outside of writing.
The nonprofit and Colorado Springs-based One October, which Yarros founded, helps foster kids get the resources they need. “We’re proud to service all child placement agencies in Colorado Springs as well as provide for the individual needs of fostering families,” she writes. “If you’d like to donate, we’ll put your money to good use. And if you’d like to follow along as we better the lives of children in foster care, we’d love to have you.” oneoctober.org/our-story
Have you read Rebecca Yarros’ books? We may be able to chat with her in the near future so submit your need-to-know questions below.
