I am Rob Hart, author of THE WAREHOUSE, plus other books, and I like cooking and fight training too, so AMA!

[u/robwhart1]

I'm Rob Hart, author of the THE WAREHOUSE, which on sale now from Crown at Penguin Random House, and has sold in more than 20 countries and been optioned for film by Ron Howard. I would call it 1984 but instead of Big Brother it's Big Business. That's the elevator pitch. In a larger sense it's about the way I'm angry that large corporations treat us like disposable products.

I'm also the author of the five-book amateur PI Ash McKenna series, the food-noir short story collection TAKE-OUT, and SCOTT FREE, which I co-wrote with James Patterson. I've had my short stories and non-fiction published widely, and I've worked as a publisher and editor, so I've seen the business from both sides.

I also really like cooking and fight training (Krav Maga, Muay Thai) so figured I would throw that in here to spice things up. It doesn't all have to be writing-related, right? You can find me online at www.robwhart.com, on Twitter at @robwhart and on Facebook and Instagram at @robwhart1.

Otherwise, ask me anything. Don't be gentle.

Proof: /img/j238qrz8f2g31.jpg

[u/Cramulus]

"1984 but instead of Big Brother it's Big Business" sounds very intriguing. How much of it is fiction vs how much is describing the world as it exists right now?

[u/robwhart1 → u/Cramulus]

I spent a TON of time reading the news and paying attention to what was going on in the economy; a lot of the worldbuilding in the book is rooted in real-world examples. It's fiction in the sense that the company and the characters and the actual current state of events are fake, but otherwise... it feels a lot more like nonfiction to me.

[u/EmbarrassedSpread]

Hi Rob! Thanks for doing this AMA!

1. Do you have any reading or writing related guilty pleasures?

2. Do you have a favorite and least favorite word? If so, what are they and why?

3. What’s the best way to make you laugh?

[u/robwhart1 → u/EmbarrassedSpread]

Thanks! This is exciting! It's my first AMA.

1. 'Guilty pleasure' is a funny phrase, in the sense that... I don't know that we should ever feel guilty about things that make us happy? Unless those things are illegal! Then they were a guilty pleasure. But... yeah, sorry, I don't feel bad about the things I like!

2. Defenestration is such a lovely word, because the root of it reveals nothing about itself and yet the definition is so specific. My least favorite word is Trump. Every time I see it I shudder.

3. I'm a big fan of lowbrow humor. I have seen Anchorman a hundred times and still laugh like an idiot throughout the whole thing.

[u/EmbarrassedSpread → u/robwhart1]

Aww!! Well I hope you’re enjoying your first AMA! It’s always a fun time! You’ll definitely have to do more in the future!

1. You’re not the only one like that! Lol. I’ve gotten this answer a few times. And you’re right!! No reason to feel guilty at all!

2. Lol! Good one! Very specific, but I definitely look forward to using it on the rare occasion someone’s pushed through a window. And yeah, I think many of us can agree with not liking that word. Unfortunately, it’s an every day thing. 😩

3. Anchorman is such a classic, you can’t but laugh everytime. Lol! What other movies have you laughing like crazy?

Thanks so much for answering!

[u/Cramulus]

1984 ends on a very hopless and defeated note. Without spoiling your ending, do you see a way out of the megacorporate nightmare?

[u/robwhart1 → u/Cramulus]

I do—and it starts with us. I think we all need to sit down and reconsider who we interact with the economy. Do we really need things in two days? Do we need a new phone every year or two? Is our own comfort really worth someone else's discomfort? We can't count on large corporations to do the right thing. Faced between that and profit they will always take profit, because they are incapable of processing empathy. We can do that, though.

[u/rebekai81]

Hi Rob!!! I know I'm late, but I stumbled across this AMA and just finished devouring The Warehouse two days ago. I've already recommended it to all the fellow book lovers in my life. Have you thought about doing a follow up book? Not necessarily a sequel, but a companion book maybe? I just got so invested in this world of Cloud I would love to visit it again. Especially after that ending. Thank you for sharing your gift with words and I look forward to reading more of your work.

[u/robwhart1 → u/rebekai81]

Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Definitely not writing a sequel (at least not anytime soon). My next book, which I'm plugging away on now, is a bit of a spiritual sequel. Warehouse raises some questions I'm hoping to answer in the new one. We'll see how it goes!

[u/[deleted]]

[u/robwhart1 → u/[deleted]]

So Cloud, the company in the book, gives tracking watches to everyone, and it helps them do their job, pay for stuff, track their health, etc. And I thought it would be fun to add a game linked to their productivity... the way to advance in the game was to work harder. It was going to be like a Candy Crush sort of thing. Then I thought, No, this is too ridiculous, no one will buy it, I'm taking it out. And, well... https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/22/18635272/amazon-warehouse-working-conditions-gamification-video-games

[u/Lndnst_66]

Rob, have readers in the UK/around the world shared perspective on THE WAREHOUSE (Big Business as a whole) you hadn't thought of or heard before?

[u/robwhart1 → u/Lndnst_66]

Not so much a unique perspective, but a perspective at all. What I mean is: I thought this was a very American book. I figured it was SO MUCH about the American economy that we'd never make any inroads with foreign publishers. And then we sold in more than 20 countries so far. So... I was really very wrong about that. I didn't realize these concerns were so prevalent in other countries. It's encouraging so many people responded to it but also kinda sucks at the same time.

[u/roblecop]

Hi Rob! Thanks for taking time to answer questions!

Were you always writing full time or did you have a day job? If so, how/when did you carve out time to write (especially when dealing with a job/family/friends/etc.)?

[u/robwhart1 → u/roblecop]

I used to have a day job--I was a reporter and then the communications director for a politician for a long time. Neither gave me headspace to write, so I took a job running a small digital press. That's where I wrote the majority of my books, and then about five months ago-ish I went full time. It's not easy to carve out the time--it takes some sacrifice. I had to stop watching baseball. I'm not always caught on on the latest TV shows. Some shows I know I'd love, like The Wire, I never pick up because I know it's going to kill a few weeks of productivity for me. I also have a four-year-old so a lot of my writing time has to fit around her schedule; I drop her off at school, I know I've got the day, I need to make the best use of it that I can.

[u/Chtorrr]

What were some of your favorite things to read as a kid?

[u/robwhart1 → u/Chtorrr]

I had three really distinct phases: Encyclopedia Brown, then Hardy Boys, then a lot of Dean Koontz. Which my mom encouraged me to read. I think I read Intensity in the eighth grade? That was too young to read that book! I think it explains a lot about me.

[u/Dhorlin]

Wow! What a coincidence. I just found and downloaded The Warehouse to my Kindle today. The 'blurb' looked so good that I bought it. Cheers m'dear.

Edit to add: I can't read any of your AMAs as I might see some spoilers for your other titles.

[u/Chtorrr]

What is the very best dessert?

[u/robwhart1 → u/Chtorrr]

This is a very difficult question to answer. My absolute favorite dessert is party cake ice cream from Carvel with hot fudge and melted marshmallow. If I'm looking at a menu my eye will always be drawn to salted caramel. I will say probably the best is any combination of fried and creamy—so like a churro or donut with ice cream. It's all about the contrast.

[u/Scottyman1206]

I am a fan of James Peterson, he seems like he has predicted the future in his books. What was it like working with him?

[u/UnlikelyType]

What advice would you give to someone wanting to look into becoming an author?

[u/PaulKrueger]

What's the most exotic meat you've consumed?

[u/Lo1919]

Just finished the audiobook of The Warehouse. The narrators are fantastic, great job on the production of the audio version.

I really liked this book! The pace, characters, and world building kept me listening late into the night.

I finished the book a few hours ago.

Then went back and listened to the last few chapters again, then again - then again.

I do not understand the ending and it's been bothering me, so I googled to see if there were any discussions out there and ended up here.

I would go into it more, but I do not want to throw out any spoilers for those who haven't read it yet.

[u/seltzr]

Since this is a six year old post, might as well ask

>!1. Did Embers’ plan work? 2. Did Zinnia survive? I know deaths shadow remained but Nick was left alive. Hell, Nick being alive was the match for Paxton to take action. 3. If Zinnia did survive, maybe the same for Carson but he would have a TBI.

I have to be honest, while I enjoyed the book, the outside world seemed so broken that who had the money to consume everything that cloud could ship? There seemed to be so few jobs outside of cloud we never got a feel for the world outside beyond environmental collapse. Plus Cloud as an employer didn’t seem to have families living in Mothercloud. At the same time, there was a functioning society for people to consume but this was never elaborated upon. The book gave me Max Barry vibes and it was definitely a fun read.!<