I’m feeling fairly confident about where things are headed for Book 2, so I took a second crack at writing the blurb for it. The first attempt will not see the light of day, since some of the things mentioned there were deleted, and the focus is just wrong. Revisiting the blurb partway through is useful to see whether I am still on course or if the course has changed.
Since I can only write part-time and the time between books is far longer than I would like, I am releasing this version for your enjoyment and hopefully to reassure you that Book 2 really is in progress. Here is a *possible* blurb for Book 2 (subject to further changes, of course). Let me know what you think in the comments.
Sinprejic has finally accepted his talent for magic, but to investigate the disappearance of his parents he will need both power and autonomy. The only option is to travel to the Wizard’s Academy, where he may earn a staff and the title of Mage.
Although the trail of his parents’ mystery is growing cold, his talent for Metamancy is dangerously taboo. The telltale trait of a Metamancer is the ability to learn spells very quickly, so he must conceal his rapid progress and divert attention to his talents in Necromancy (and its application to healing).
On top of this, he has to deal with a deteriorating situation back home between the elves and the D’Arnor barony, news that his brother may be in mortal danger, a strange discovery in the wilderness outside the school, and finding people he can trust in a school where graduating involves fighting other students to the death.
Through it all, there is the growing sense that someone is manipulating him. Is it the ghost haunting him for no clear reason? Is it the current Grand Adept of Necromancy who fears he will be displaced? Maybe it is his Master Morphosius, or Aurcivius the thousand-year-old Archmage, or is it someone else entirely?
Book 2 in the Skeltouch Saga will take our main character, Sinprejic, out into the world and away from his small town home of Arnoria. I have long had a large amount of conceptual material tucked away in corners of my brain regarding the various regions of the world I am creating. Although the wizards he meets in Metamancer are from other regions, wizards, as a rule, don’t discuss their origins, so I was spared most of the need to formalize and set details in stone.
While the students at the wizard’s academy will also be cagey about their past, I want to be sure that these inexperienced wizards-in-training have some slip-ups and tells that hint at their origins. Also, there will be some non-wizard folks encountered, and later books will visit more regions so I’m going to have to get those right to avoid contradicting myself later. As such, part of my work on the continuation of the series is further fleshing out of the wider world.
To keep my readers entertained and reward those who have subscribed during this process, I’ve decided to publish some subscriber-only posts detailing some of the world lore as it becomes semi-solid. Details may change before publication, but hopefully, the general feel will remain consistent.
Please don’t fear the subscription. Zmancy is not a huge evil company. Right now it’s just me and I have absolutely no use for your email aside from letting you know when I’ve posted something here, I’m attending an event or I (finally!) publish another book. Why have subscriber content at all? For the same reason as every other content creator… to entice you to provide an email I can use to let you know when I’ve created content. Without some way to communicate to my readers, I’m just posting into the void… which is of course fairly pointless.
However, unlike Patreon subscriptions, this one is 100% free.
The first such post will discuss this map of the duchy containing Arnoria, the town on which the first book is centered, ruled by Baron D’Arnor.
So here we are at the end of 2024. Metamancer has been out for almost a year and a half. It’s long overdue for me to address the status of the series and my expectations for the publication of book 2, as well as a few other details.
Metamancer
During the last year, book one had four significant events.
SPFBO X: it was entered in the Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off #10. This was a fun, wild ride in which I met a wonderful set of fellow contestants. Unfortunately, it suffered a bit of bad luck in the first phase, assignment to initial judges. The assigned judge began with a read of the first 10% and then chose one book to read all the way through. That format is awful for my book because the prologue is long, and the number 10% happens to turn over at precisely the ONE place where I (intentionally) allow for a bit of an info dump. The next scene is where the significance of the forgoing scenes starts to come into focus. My judge has probably never read that far. Oh well. Them’s the breaks. The story was meant to be read as a whole, not a ten-part serial.
Audio Edition: Having been enthused by the eBook sales, especially on Kindle Unlimited, I decided it might be good to publish an Audio edition. My book seemed to do well where the barrier to entry was reduced, and it seemed to me that Audible provided a similar environment. Being committed to providing the best possible experience for my readers, I contacted several narrators and selected John Pirhalla. The audio edition became available on Audible on Aug 11, 2024,
Second Printing: The process of producing the audiobook revealed a few necessary edits, all of a minor nature, so I made those updates and uploaded new eBook and paperback files. I still have about 40 first-printing paperback copies, which I will likely sign and offer for sale once I write up an errata sheet to include. If you really want one, let me know!
Wide availability on all platforms: Since KU sales were tailing off and I was producing a new set of files, I decided to ensure that my book was also available to users of other platforms. This turned out to be a bit of a waste of time since, in 6 months, it’s added a grand total of 4 sales and one return (the return was on Apple Books, which is notorious for its read/return policy allowing readers to essentially read for free). As far as I know, this is the only reader to ever return my book, so I’m thankful for that!
Sales Status
For those interested in the economics of self-publishing, here are my numbers to date:
Format\Year
2023
2024
Total
KU Page Reads
667,544 (1,304)
396,904 (775)
1,064,448 (2,079)
Amazon Kindle
396
503
899
Other eBooks
–
3
3
Paperback
99
9
108
Audible
–
66
66
Total Reads
1,799
1,356
3,155
Total Revenue (some is estimated)
$7,588.70
First Printing Costs (Cover, Editor, ISBNs)
-$4790.30
Audiobook Costs (Narration)
-$3,850.00
Profit Before Advertising
-$1051.6
Advertising (Amazon, Mailings, BookBub, Facebook)
-$5,259.63
TOTAL
-$6,311.23
Unfortunately, I don’t seem to be able to find a blurb that makes advertising effective. My conversion rates are always terrible, and I sell one book about once every 20-30 clicks. Whenever someone clicks on “sponsored” books on Amazon, it typically costs the author/publisher $1.50. As far as I can see, advertising books on Amazon builds readership at a cost to the author, but that is necessary because readers are very skittish about books with few reviews.
My conversion rate may be lower than usual because when discussing covers with my artist, my bias was for something that creates a curiosity to know more. I selected an initial concept with that in mind. I imagined folks would look at the cover, read the blurb, and then wonder how those fit together. I assumed they would read the book to find out. That would likely work for me, but apparently, I’m not normal. Some feedback I have received has led me to realize that many prospective readers are terrified of the possibility that they will waste their time or money. It would seem that the proper strategy is to ensure everything is perfectly reassuring and cohesive, leaving no doubts. I love my current cover, and my artist performed his craft excellently, but my input on the process seems to have led it astray. Live and learn. I am mulling the idea of a second edition with a new cover when I release book 2.
Book 2 Progress
Book 2 is in progress, though I’ll admit that some technical hurdles have been getting in the way. My process for the first book left me with straightforward technical steps for producing the PDF and eBook files, and it was good for the creative side of writing/drafting and allowed me to make sensible use of GitHub version control. The downside was that I had to convert to Microsoft Word format for editing because I was writing in LaTeX format, which is unacceptable to most editors. Then I had to hand-apply thousands of corrections made in the Word document to my LaTeX original, which was absolute TORTURE.
My brain doesn’t seem to do commas and grammar at the same time as it does creativity. When writing new material, I typically hold an image of the scene in my head and transcribe what I “see” and “hear.” Technicalities generally get lost as I seek the best descriptions and mentally verify that everything makes sense based on what came before, what’s present in the current scene, and what will come next. Like all writers, I have difficulty seeing my own mistakes because I know what the page should say, and my brain loses patience and regularly skips to what it already knows rather than actually doing the work of actually reading the page. So even after editing passes and reading it aloud to myself, I tend to need a lot of corrections (90% of which leave me saying, “crap, I knew that!”). Microsft Word has grammar checking, but the grammar checking available for LaTeX-oriented editors is rudimentary and buggy.
So, I’ve re-tooled for book two and am now using a new web-based editor and a browser-based plugin for grammar checking. That transition had a few technical hurdles, but I finally overcame them this month. I should be able to focus more on actual writing in the new year. (Yay!) Hopefully, I’ll hand my editor something with a lot less rudimentary oversights this time, leading to a faster turnaround by him and me, better feedback from him, and a lot less pain for me.
“But WHEN?!?!” I hear you cry.
It’s too early to make any commitments, but I’ll say I certainly want to have a draft complete within 2025. As you can see above, I need to keep working as a consultant, so my work schedule and life events may interfere, but that’s the goal. This time last year, I was in the middle of a minor medical crisis that took a few months to resolve. 2025 appears to be starting out better for me, and I wish my readers all the best for the new year.
Especially those dedicated enough to read this whole post! The first person to subscribe (or already be subscribed) and leave a comment with the name of the character shown below will receive an email to their subscribed email address to arrange delivery of a signed first-printing paperback.
Book marketers are constantly pushing the concept of “comp titles.” Essentially, they want to say, “If you liked that, you’ll like this.” As an author, I’ve always found identifying comp titles difficult. I tend to think of works that influence me, but I take lots of minor influences from many places, so I always come up with too many and can’t decide. However, an excellent and modern comparison to my debut book, Metamancer, has recently become apparent. Since I read these after I wrote Metamancer, it’s easier for me to say, “Hey, this resembles something I wrote.”
Recently, I wanted to read something self-published with an audio version, so I picked up Runelight by J A Andrews. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable book. Then, since book 2 of Aenigma Lights is not out on audio (yet), I followed with her The Keeper Origins series. I’ve now finished the first book in that series, Dragons Reach; amazingly, it’s even better than Runelight. If you have already read my book, I highly recommend that you check them out.
Beyond her excellent storytelling, one of the fascinating parts of reading her work was continually finding significant parallels to my work. Here’s a list of similarities that I think make these two J A Andrews titles a good “Comp” for my book Metamancer:
Theme – Difficulty of long-lived Elf relationships with Short lived humans (Runelight)
Coincidence – Main Character befriends a female red-haired elf. (Runelight)
Theme – Powerful characters manipulate naive main characters. (Dragons Reach)
Setting – Magical Powers are inherent to individuals; not everyone can use them (Runelight, Dragons Reach)
Theme – Romantic interest, as a sub-plot, not a Romantasy (Dragons Reach)
Of course, there are differences, too.
Style – Main character gender: Her MC is female in both cases; mine is male.
Style – I delve a bit deeper into the childhood origins.
Style – I spend less time inside the character’s head, relying more on actions and dialog to convey emotion.
Setting – Magic systems are very different.
Setting – My book takes place on a far-future, unrecognizable Earth; hers is an entirely separate world.
Style – Though my book focuses on the MC, I have some scenes that cut away from the main character to show things the MC isn’t aware of. However, those are generally 3rd person non-omniscient (fly on the wall) and not really a character perspective, so I still consider my work single POV.
Style – Metamancer uses dramatic irony much more heavily (fueled by what we learn in the cutaways).
Theme – Life throws more varied problems at the MC in my book; some are internal self-conflicts, some are intentionally caused by others, and some are things nobody controls that just happen. In J A Andrews’s works, pretty much everything that happens is something someone or something did, while in my world, simple accident, inanimate environment, and factors no one controls may all play a role. In Metamancer, one major event stems from a danger the characters are unaware of. Technically, it would have been preventable, but lacking awareness and experience, they knew of no reason to take precautions. Sometimes, life just plain blindsides you.
I think it’s reasonable to say that my imagined world stands a little closer to our reality as we know it. However, it is still high fantasy and far from anything that would be called low, urban, or historical fantasy.
Final note: I’m now listening to Raven’s Ruin (Book 2 of the Keeper’s Origins series), which is less of a comp. Although it does have a warrior monk element (that also appears very briefly in my book), it leans into the romance far more heavily. Also, it spends more time on the main character’s internal dialog, which is less like my style. Of course, Raven’s ruin is also book 2 in a series, so we’ll have to look again after I have book 2 out.
Agree? Disagree? Care to suggest another comp title? Leave a comment below!
Metamancer will be touring several book review blogs and vlogs courtesy of IndieBookTours! The idea is that book review bloggers/vloggers will sign up with IndieBookTours and receive a free copy of my audiobook or my ebook in exchange for an honest review. The reviews will then be published daily across five days.
The tour is now in the signup phase, so if you are a book reviewer and think it might be fun to review Metamancer, you can sign up using their form here.
If you are a reader (or prospective reader) and want to hear what they say, stay tuned to this blog. I will post a list here when the tour is fully booked, and I know the blogs involved. As the reviewers post their content, I will update it with links.
Quick details about Metamancer:
Genre: High fantasy
Stakes: High
Age Appropriate: All ages (11-111)
Setting: Magic and low technology (medieval)
Romance: Incidental (romance is not the main focus, low spice).
We are proud to announce the selection of John Pirhalla to narrate Metamancer, Book 1 of the Skeltouch Saga! John is an award winning narrator for over 400 audiobooks including work for Macmillan, Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Blackstone, Audible Studios, Podium, Aethon, Spotify, and more. To get notified when the audiobook goes on sale, you can sign up for our mailing list or follow William I. Zard on Facebook or X (the service formerly known as Twitter).
Finding a narrator has been something of an adventure. After researching multiple narrators, we spoke with with several excellent narrators (or their agents). One had very high rates and confusing cost estimates. Another had no availability before 2026, but did recommend some colleagues.
John was one of those recommendations. There were lower cost options, but feedback from friends and ARC readers preferred John. Zmancy Books strives to provide the best quality possible for readers (and listeners), so John will be our narrator for this project.
You can learn more about John and preview his vocal talents on johnpirhalla.com
TLDR; It depends on how well the first book sells, but 1-3 years from today is the goal.
One of the biggest fears of any reader when choosing to start an unfinished series is that the next book will take forever, or worse yet never be published. Some of the greatest series of modern times are unfortunately fanning the flames of this fear. Rothfuss, & Martin have left truly astounding series unfinished for decades, Robert Jordan took so long that he passed away before finishing his series. It’s not a new problem. I recall decades ago David Eddings starting additional series before completing his Mallorean.
I assure you that all of these events have affected me too, and as a reader I found myself having great difficulty forgiving these phenomenally successful writers for their tardiness. In the case of David Eddings, I suspected that the publisher was to blame, trying to make sure that readers would get hooked on the new series before completing the old one… As a result I vehemently refused to read any David Eddings until the final book of the Mallorean came out… and as a result, I never read anything further by that author. Someone actually gave me a copy of the Diamond Throne before the Mallorean was complete, but it still sits on my shelf unread today. When I look at it I only feel the remembered irritation, and never feel like actually reading it.
So now that I’m an author how do I feel about these things? I have less sympathy, not more. These authors have the blessing of success and the ability to write full time. I on the other hand must spend my free time in the evenings and weekends, and fit in the writing when and where I can. The mortgage has to get paid. My book has made it as high as #8 in one placement, and had a best sales rank in the low 4000’s. Over five months, that meas I’ve made about $900/month. Before tax. Before cost of advertising ($1500). Before other promotions and not even counting the cost of my editor and my cover art… Overall, the book is still in the red despite uncommon success for a first time indie author. Note that a month or so ago I looked into it and found that I had better sales rank than all than most of the finalists in the SPFBO #9 competition, so for a self published book with no awards (yet) I am doing quite well.
Promoting, and tracking things however has taken quite a bit of my time, time that could be spent writing of course. So a lot depends on finances and sales, and its very hard to be sure. What I can do is consider some scenarios.
Scenario 1: We can imagine that next week my book shoots to #1 and I sell a million copies (vs the ~2000 sold to date) and money is no longer a problem, how long would it take?
So in this case I could drop everything else and work exclusively on book 2. I know that when I was writing the second half of book 1, I seemed to write about a page an hour of first draft material. The first half of the book was spread out over 30 years, and I have no idea how much time went into it, but I’m willing to guess, that planning, plotting, and ideas took perhaps another hour per page, but I have a lot of plans and world building done already. I think for book 2 there’s probably no more than 30 min/page required for ideation. Then comes editing the first draft into final for. This seems to consume almost as much time as the first draft for me. There is then probably at least 3 months of planning and coordinating to publish and launch the book in a coherent manner. For book 2 this will include getting it onto Ingram-spark from the start (something that is still on my “to-do” list for book 1, but getting close!), but won’t include the month long delay to bootstrap an author page on GoodReads.
So in the end we are looking at 2.5h/page plus a fixed 2-3 months for publishing.
How long will book 2 be? It’s hard to say at this point. I already have 100 pages of first draft, and expect book 2 to be somewhat longer. The environment of an academy of wizards leaves a lot more room for sub-plots, and there won’t be a break point in the middle that forces a disconnection between the first half and second half of the story so I’ll be having more fun in that direction. I’m guessing 400-500 pages, but that’s totally subject to change. For now we’ll assume I have at least 300-400 more pages to write.
That implies 750 to 1000 hours of work. If I approach that like a full time job, it’s in the range of 5-6 months, but I’ll admit that I probably can’t write 8 hours a day every day. 5 hours is more likely before I get tired, loose focus and just need to do something else. Creativity comes in spurts of course, so there might be some 10h days and some days off… but 10h days are probably rare, because creating is also tiring, and there’s a good chance the last 3-4 hours of such a day will be drivel and need to be re-written anyway. So maybe 9 months or so? In the best case book 2 would probably take me a year from now, maybe sooner if full time focus speeds things up.
Scenario 2: I’m working full time as a consultant and writing evenings and weekends, 10h a week is a concerted consistent effort without entirely abandoning my wife or the rest of my life… In that case we are looking at 75-100 weeks, or about two years minimum. Life is rarely smooth, and something will likely disrupt my life in that time, so without instant best seller money, two to three years is more likely.
Scenario 3: We can imagine that my book experiences a bit more success, but not stupendous success. Let’s say it makes it to #1 in one category, maybe earning me 30-60k in a year. This is where there’s some good news. Since I am a consultant, I can arrange my life/work balance as I see fit, and a moderate success that generates tens of thousands of sales dollars will definitely allow me to consult part time and write part time. I don’t need to break all records to accelerate the process.
So if you want book two to come faster, you CAN help. The biggest problem selling a book is getting the reader to take a chance on spending money and (more importantly) time reading it. It is very hard for me to convince anyone, because nobody believes the author. Authors always think their book is great. I need your help to convince others to read it. If you want to help rate it it five stars, and leave a written review telling people what you thought of it.
Please bear in mind that any other rating will lower the overall average and reduce the number of readers. Four stars hurts more than it helps, and tells me you don’t really want the sequel any time soon, especially on Amazon or Good Reads. I’m not haranguing you or anything. That’s just the fact of how Amazon’s algorithms, and user behavior on Amazon is. I have no control over that.
If you want to use your own rating system on LibraryThing, Storylace, or The StoryGraph that’s fine, but Amazon and GoodReads directly display on the Amazon page and Amazon promotes higher rated books over lower rated ones.
On Amazon or GoodReads only five stars is good. Everything else is BAD.
So I’ll keep plugging as time allows, and I hope some of you will spread the word and help me move a bit faster with book two.
