Today we’d like to introduce you to William Tracy.
Hi William, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve been writing since I was a teenager, both creative writing and technical writing for school and then for my work as a mechanical engineer. Eventually, as I got more experienced, I started critiquing other people’s writing and having them critique mine in online groups. A lot changed when I was able to go on a Writing Excuses retreat (and cruise!) in 2015, where I networked with a lot of other upcoming authors, as well as some established writers like Mary Robinette Kowal and Brandon Sanderson.
In 2016, I self-published my first novella, followed by another later that year. Soon after, I signed up for a local comic convention, Oak City Comicon, where I sold copies of my books. It turned out pretty well! I was still working as an engineer at this time, which was where most of my income came from. But it also allowed me to experiment and figure out how to sell books. I signed up to sell books at more conventions while also writing and publishing more books. I’ve been at GalaxyCon, Raleigh Pride, Durham Pride, Geek&Grub, the Carolina Renaissance Festival, Festival of Legends, night markets and game shops around the triangle, and many more!
I came out as bisexual in 2019, and my amazing wife of approaching twenty years was incredibly supportive. It also helped inform my writing, and I started to put more queer elements and themes in. I grew closer to several of my writing group who also fell under the LGBTQIA+ spectrum.
In 2021, with ten of my own books available, and a pandemic in full swing, I left the engineering job where I’d worked for seventeen years. I moved to a part-time job as a data analysis mentor, helping students, while I published my first anthology, Distant Gardens, which contained lesbian romance stories with a theme of “strange plants,” written by myself and my writing group.
Soon after, I opened the doors of my small press, Space Wizard Science Fantasy, to other authors. In 2022, after a successful Kickstarter that raised almost eighteen thousand dollars, I was able to cover publishing costs for twelve books, one published a month, between June 2022 and June 2023.
Space Wizard is now going into its second year, and it focuses on queer science fiction and fantasy. I hope to uplift those voices that are marginalized or have a harder time getting into mainstream publishing. There will be another Kickstarter starting June 1, 2023, where you can back a subscription for the next slate of books to come out. Click here to get notified when it launches! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spacewizard/space-wizard-science-fantasy-year-2
I have some really great ones in store… Space Wizard’s authors and stories are growing, and you can find me around local markets and events in Raleigh, Cary, and Durham, as well as occasionally in farther cities like Charlotte and even into Virginia and South Carolina.
Check out Space Wizard’s catalog here (https://spacewizardsciencefantasy.com/books/). The 2023 titles are coming soon!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest challenges to a small press are getting eyes on the books. In the age of Amazon and ebooks, it’s hard to get noticed, and I keep up with research on new ways to get books to people or let them know they’re available.
Word of mouth is still the best way, but it still takes a lot of money to get those first few books in the hands of people who will share what they’ve found. That’s one of the reasons I vend at so many conventions and markets. Every time, I get new people who haven’t heard of Space Wizard before, and I can help find them an adventure to read. I also get a lot of repeat customers looking for their next book!
Reading is a great way to pass the time! And if you’re interested in new stories, or find you’re not seeing yourself represented well, try out some indie authors and publishers! You might find stories a lot more to your liking.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
You can find my writing online and in person. I’m always willing to sign a book for you or ship it out!
My first series was a space opera with music-based magic, which you can find here: https://spacewizardsciencefantasy.com/books/#TDC
I was trained in classical violin growing up and also worked in vibration theory as an engineer, so I combined those with my writing to create a society where magic users can hear the Symphony underlying the universe. When they make changes, reality changes as well! The books include a trilogy with a young man learning magic to stop voids of energy from destroying homeworlds, but also have some side stories with political intrigue, adventure, a Sherlock Holmes-style murder mystery (with magic and aliens), and a Jules Verne-type journey on the back of a steampunk beetle!
I also wrote a book called “Fruits of the Gods” (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QYB7FPX/) which uses seasonal fruit-based magic. There’s a different type of magic every season! The story is about two women who escape confinement, learn to use the magic, and then…plot to overthrow the government (as you do).
Currently, I’m working on a hard sci-fi series which deals with a generational fleet landing on a planet entirely covered by a sentient fungus. Except the colonists don’t know it’s sentient. You can see it here: https://spacewizardsciencefantasy.com/books/#TFC
The second book will be coming out in May 2023!
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Indie publishing and small presses are changing fast. The traditional publishers (the big four) have a huge amount of momentum and aren’t going anywhere. But they also don’t respond to the market as quickly as an individual author or a small press can. I’m looking to tell great stories and also respond to current events, as fantasy and sci-fi always have. Indie books as a whole now make up a larger percentage of Amazon book sales than traditional publishing does, and I think that trend will continue in the next few years as authors harness options like agile small presses, crowdfunding, and even aid from AI art and text, though that has a lot of controversy surrounding it, and is changing incredibly rapidly.
Pricing:
- Paperbacks: $20
- Novellas $10
- ebooks $5
Contact Info:
- Website: https://spacewizardsciencefantasy.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/williamctracyswsf/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/wctracy
- Other: https://wandering.shop/@wctracy, https://www.patreon.com/wctracy, https://williamctracy.com/newsletter-signup/
Image Credits
William C. Tracy
Heather Tracy
