The Official Web Site of Author Robert Stanek

Where Legends Live & Stories Breathe

Clarity matters. After decades of writing across genres and mediums, the most honest way to describe this journey is simple: measure it by the work, the readers, and the record.

This page collects the enduring facts — the books, the reach, the platforms, and the impact — so new readers, librarians, educators, and industry peers can understand the scale and shape of a career built on story, service, and persistence.

The Snapshot

  • Books & Editions: 150+ professionally published titles; 100+ independent releases; children’s, fantasy, thrillers, memoir, and technical works.
  • Translations: Published or translated in 57+ languages.
  • Readers Reached: Millions worldwide across print, digital, audio, and institutional distribution.
  • Recognitions: Featured or recommended by VOYA, Publisher’s Weekly, Foreword, School/Library Journals; multiple Microsoft MVP awards for technical leadership.
  • Service & Advocacy: USAF veteran; lifelong advocate for literacy, access, and inclusive storytelling.

Across Genres, One Thread: Story First

Ruin Mist brought epic fantasy to new readers in both YA-focused and adult-collected editions. Bugville Critters supported early learning with empathy, numbers, shapes, and everyday adventures — becoming a classroom staple for many teachers and families. In nonfiction and technology, plain-language writing helped millions learn, build careers, and lead teams.

Labels matter less than outcomes: stories that help, teach, comfort, and inspire.

Milestones & Highlights

  • Audible Charts: #1 Fiction, #1 Kids & YA; sustained Top 10 Kids & YA presence (multi-year).
  • Retail & Library Presence: Amazon, Apple, Google Play, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Walmart; OverDrive, Hoopla, EBSCO, ProQuest, Baker & Taylor, and more.
  • Education & Reference Mentions: VOYA; Foreword Magazine; Publisher’s Weekly; The Journal of Electronic Defense; and reference guides such as Popular Series Fiction for Middle School and Teen Readers.
  • Technical Leadership: 6x Microsoft MVP; series editor for Pocket Consultant; widely used enterprise and classroom materials.

About “Reach” and “Numbers”

“Reach” is broader than a single storefront. It includes direct retail sales, institutional circulation (libraries, schools, universities), enterprise distribution (training, courseware), and long-tail discovery via audio/digital ecosystems.

  • Retail: Trade and indie channels across major platforms and international storefronts.
  • Institutional: Library systems, school programs, and education platforms that introduced the work to students and families at scale.
  • Enterprise & Learning: Technical content used in training and leadership programs worldwide.

When added together over decades, the effect is cumulative and profound: millions of readers and learners.

Transparency, Always

Like many authors, early contracts weren’t always favorable. Like many creators, some materials were reused or redistributed without attribution. The lesson, however, is not bitterness — it’s clarity: continue creating, document the work, and keep the focus on readers and results.

What matters most is not a single quarterly report, but the continuity of a record that spans formats, ages, and communities — and the readers who return, recommend, and share the stories with the next generation.

What Endures

  • Consistency: Decades of writing, teaching, and mentoring.
  • Community: Readers, teachers, librarians, veterans, families.
  • Contribution: Stories that center resilience, empathy, and wonder.

That is the true measure of the work.

Where to Begin

  • Winds of Change — 25th Anniversary Legacy Edition (Ruin Mist) — launches Feb 10, 2026.
  • Bugville Critters — early learning adventures for families and classrooms.
  • After the Machines — speculative fiction on AI, power, and resistance.

Explore books & preorder

Related Reading

Celebrating Worldwide Recognition & Success

Beloved Series & Bestselling Titles

Ruin Mist • Bugville Critters • After the Machines • Scott Evers Thrillers

Chart-Topping Achievements

As Featured In

The New York Times • Publisher's Weekly • VOYA Magazine • Foreword Magazine • School Library Journal • Library Journal • Children's Bookshelf • Parenting Magazine • The Journal of Electronic Defense • OverDrive’s “ContentWire for Libraries” • Ancient Art of Faery Magick • The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Elves & Fairies • Popular Series Fiction for Middle School and Teen Readers

Trusted by Leading Platforms

Audible • Emusic • Epic! • Kobo • Spotify • Tales2Go • Playaway • Findaway World • Ripple Reader • Sony Ebooks • Google Play • Apple Books • Walmart • ThriftBooks • OverDrive • eLibrary • Ingram Digital • EBSCO • Chirp Books • Barnes & Noble • Scribd • Hoopla Digital • Bookshop Org • Tolino Media • Target • Storytel • Librofm • Audiobook Store • Downpour Audio • BookPage • eBrary • Proquest • Baker & Taylor • BookSource • and dozens more over the years to ensure our stories reached homes, schools, and libraries everywhere.

Acclaimed Worldwide by Readers, Critics & Professionals

Ruin Mist / Kingdoms & the Elves / Service of Dragons

The Pieces of the Puzzle

Bugville Critters

Stormjammers