Andrew Rowe is a professional game designer. He’s also worked at awesome companies like Blizzard Entertainment, Cryptic Studios, and Obsidian Entertainment.
When he’s not crunching numbers for game balance, he runs Shades of Venaya, a swords and sorcery themed live-action role-playing game. In addition, he writes for pen and paper role-playing games.
Aside from game design and writing, Andrew watches a lot of anime, reads a metric ton of fantasy books, and plays every role-playing game he can get his hands on.
Andrew Rowe 
Andrew, good sir: I am a true fan of all three books I have read thus far.
I am delighted to know that there is another on its way during the year. I think it is excellent that such a busy person finds time to share their passions. Keep up the good work and know that I, just as many more will continue to support you on Kindle and Audible.
My thanks and godspeed with the writing!
So I noted the sneaky little tip of the hat to kai in your latest book therefore i offer my tip of the hat to you good sir
Scratch that it wasn’t kai it was the protagonist whose name eludes me
Michael, thank you for the kind words and the support. I just finished up a Lydia chapter and I’m hoping to move onto a Taelien chapter later today.
Logo, you’re absolutely right that I had a Traveler’s Gate cameo. It’s Simon, although I did consider using Kai. =)
I also noticed that and wondered if it was an intentional cameo. Awesome to know that it was!
Interestingly I also assumed it was Kai rather than Simon, even though I had no real reason to assume that.
I think people just usually associate Kai with the dolls more. The Nye cloak is the main descriptor that makes it Simon rather than Kai.
Just remember don’t chain-ge your ways and may the maker watch over you
May the Maker watch over you as well. =)
Loved sufficiently advanced magic, was quite sad when I reached the end and definitely looking for more. Do you have a publication notification system I could sign up for so I can get started on it as soon as you publish? Well done sir
I don’t have a mailing list up and running just yet. Working on it! In the meantime, your best bet is to keep an eye on this blog. Sorry for the inconvenience. Glad you enjoyed the book!
Just started reading your work and I’m enjoying it so far. Can I ask though if you’re a fan of Will Wight, only one of the characters described off hand sounds a lot like a description of one of his main characters and I wondered if that served as some inspiration.
The character isn’t named but does carry an overly large sword and a doll, a lot like one of the main characters from the Traveler’s Gate Trilogy
I’m glad you’re enjoying it!
Yes, that’s a reference to Simon. Will was one of my beta readers for the book, so I put the cameo in as a “thank you”. I’d call myself one of his fans, too. He’s one of my favorite fantasy writers.
You’ve made my day with the last post. I came looking to see when Sufficiently Advanced Magic would have a sequel, only to find that you’re writing for both series at the same time. Since I thought they were both amazing, it looks like Christmas is coming early!
I’m glad you enjoyed the book! I’ll try to get the sequel out as soon as I can. =)
Hello Andrew! I just wanted to say I absolutely loved the romantic interest you gave the main character in Sufficiently Advanced Magic. Unexpected and refreshing. Not only is the fantasy world you’ve depicted in the book fun and intriguing but it’s something that leaves plenty of room to enthrall any fan of the fantasy genre and maybe a few people who don’t know they are a fan yet.
Hello Ephraim,
Awesome! I’m glad you enjoyed it. There will definitely be follow up on that romantic plotline in the future.
Thanks for the support and the kind words! I’ll try to make sure the sequel is even better.
Best,
-Andrew
I just finished Sufficiently Advanced Magic, and both books in the broken mirror series and I loved them. Is it possible that both books take place in the same world?
Great question! The two series do take place in the same universe, which is why you see some overlapping names (like House Theas and House Hartigan). There will be more obvious overlap in future books.
Ever since i finished reading Sufficiently Advanced Magic i have been trying to solve a rather large plot hole but i cannot seem to figure it out at least not within what was described in the book, i do not want to give away spoilers so i will keep it as vague as possible…
Sera’s secret contract…
When/How did she obtain it?
The contract lives in the Spire, Sera has only been the the spire once, during her judgement. Sera would not have been attuned when she was in the spire and would not have been able to make such a contract until she was attuned and even if she met the contract during her judgement she would not have known what her attunement was going to be.
I am hoping you can provide an answer because i cannot think when her secret contract would have left the spire. Sera’s secret contract said at one point in the book that she was the first one to approach it in centuries so they would have had to meet at some point after she was attuned.
This is an excellent question, but don’t worry, it’s definitely not a plot hole. It’s definitely unusual, though, and it’s good that you caught that detail. It’s a significant part of her character.
I’ll say this much – Sera obtained the contract the first time she entered the spire. I won’t go into any more details because that’s something that needs to be answered in the books themselves – either in a sequel or potentially a story from Sera’s perspective.
Corin isn’t the only one who has had some weird things happen to him in the tower. =)
As long as it is going to be explained i am happy, eageraly awaiting the next book
It’s definitely going to be explained. Thanks for the comment, and I appreciate that you paid close enough attention to notice how strange that was. Thanks for the comment! I’ll try to get the sequel ready soon. =)
I would be amazed if the answer wasn’t that she encountered and avoided the being with whom she made the secret contract earlier in the tower, and decided to go back and bargain with it once she had received her attunement. That would really fit her character…
So glad I found Sufficiently Advanced Magic. I enjoyed it so much that I introduced it to my 14 year old son who is quite picky with his reading… He LOVES it!! We chat about how Corin thinks everything through… And how my son does the same thing. We also talk about our love for words and how happy we are that you don’t dumb things down. Thank you so much for all your work. I am excited listen to your Broken Mirrors series, although, I can’t wait for the next in Sufficiently Advanced Magic! Keep up the brilliant writing! Blessed Be!
I’m so pleased that you and your son have been enjoying the book together, and even more so that your son thinks similarly to Corin. That’s fantastic.
Thanks for the kind words, and I’ll try to get that sequel ready as soon as I can. =)
Hey, Andrew! I’m such a huge fan of your work! I love all of your books! My favorite is definitely Sufficiently Advanced Magic! I’ve read it like a thousand times. There are so many things I want to know! Like what monster did Sera make her first contract with? Please don’t tell me though because I don’t want any of the sequel spoiled. I am really excited for a sequel! I also think that a Sufficiently Advanced Magic Video Game would be AWESOME!!! I think you should make a map of the continent in Sufficiently Advanced Magic. One last question that I do want to be answered, could you make a list of every attunement from every spire? (Except the spider spire and the spire in the unclaimed lands of course).
Yours in Inquiry, Matthew
Hi Matthew,
I’m so glad you enjoyed the book! I’d love to see a video game in this universe eventually, too.
I agree that I should get a map made – I’ll look into that for the sequel.
As for the full list of attunements, I’m going to reveal them gradually over time – probably one or two towers per book. I think dropping too much information all at once would make it harder for most readers to keep track of.
Best,
-Andrew
Matthew, Sera’s secret contract is reveiled in the last few chapters of Sufficiently Advanced Magic
Mr Rowe,
This is the second time I’m listening to ‘Sufficiently Advanced Magic’. I would like to say Excellent Work and Thank You! I hope this series continues! The character life, flow of thought and background are excellent! I can’t wait for the answering books!
Also, I can see the influence LARPing gas had on your writing! I would love to see you at our larp in new york some time!
Best Regards,
Joe
Hi Joe,
I’m glad you enjoyed the book, thank you for listening to it!
What LARP do you participate in out in New York? I probably won’t make it out there, but I’ll take a look. =)
Best.
-Andrew
Hi Andrew,
I picked up the audio book for Sufficiently Advanced Magic. I’m halfway through and I’ve got to tell you, I’m disappointed. Disappointed there isn’t already another book in the series yet! I’m definitely picking up the rest of your work! I love the details and problem solving so far.
See you around,
Chris
Hey Chris!
I’m glad you enjoyed the audio book. I’m working on the sequel, and I’ll try to get it ready soon!
Problem solving is definitely my favorite element of stories like this, so you can be sure there will be more of it in future books.
Best,
-Andrew
Audible recommended Sufficiently Advanced Magic to me, and so I started in on the Audiobook. I started listening to it and I quickly realized the audio book was WAY too slow for me to devour this book at the speed I needed. So I moved on to the e-book instead! I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, every step of the way! Cannot wait for more in this world.
Awesome, thanks for reading the book! I’m glad you found it engaging. I’ll try to get that sequel ready soon!
I listened to sufficiently advanced magic while driving on a particularly long road trip and I loved it so much!! When I got to the end I was literally screaming in my car on the highway, I must have looked so crazy! I absolutely wasn’t expecting the ending at all and I have so many questions!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited for the next book and I wish you the best in writing it!!!
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it so much! I’ll try to get that sequel ready soon. =)
I just finished reading Sufficiently advanced magic, did i somehow over read the naming of Corins second mark\attunement? Or is that one of the coming things in book two. Good read though.
Mike
Please add a Spoiler Notification in future posts, don’t want to ruin the book for anyone.
Read the last few pages, that is the only mention i saw Karas and Derek had never seen it, Derek gives Corin a book of attunements which he never actually reads. Instead he writes in the tower book
The name will be revealed early in book 2.
What i really want to know… right before Corin enters the tower he goes to the bathroom… so that got me thinking, what do all these climbers do for days on end without a bathroom in the tower? Its not as if they can use a chamber pot and just not empty it anywhere….
Experienced climbers have magical items for that express purpose. Otherwise, there’s an assumption that the spire’s ever-shifting rooms are also self-cleaning.
Big fan of Sufficiently Advanced Magic. Keep up the good work. My brother is a huge fantasy fan as well, and was thinking this book would make a good birthday present, do you sell signed copies?
I’m glad you enjoyed it, and I’m honored that you’d think to give your brother a signed copy for his birthday. I’m not doing signed copies yet – I don’t have an easy way to ship them – but I might figure out a method for it at some point in the future.
At what level does corin get his new attunment? And also, is Keras really telian?
When is the expected date of publish for arcane ascension book 2?
1. The level for Corin’s attunement is a very minor spoiler, so don’t read below if you don’t want spoilers.
***SPOILERS***
It’ll start out at Carnelian level, because he already has more mana in his right hand than he does in his forehead. Thus, it will be just a little bit stronger than his Enchanter attunement is at the beginning of the book.
2. This is also a potential spoiler, so…
**SPOILERS FOR BOTH SERIES***
Yes, he is. Sufficiently Advanced Magic takes place later in the timeline. You’ll see in the next few books how he gets there and the things that happened in between.
3. I’m aiming for early next year, most likely February or March.
Cannot wait for the new book!!! Super excited it’s getting closer!! I keep checking hoping it comes out today 😂
Thank you very much
If Jin got another attunment on his hand would that attunment be sunstone level??
Or even Derek?
You’re welcome!
The level of the attunement would depend on the amount of mana that individual has built up in that particular location. Corin’s is high in his right hand because he has used his dueling cane so frequently.
It is unlikely that if someone like Jin got another attunement it would be at the same level as his other attunement. The same is true for Derek. It might be higher than Quartz, but it would really just depend on how much they use the mana from that particular part of their body. Most people rely heavily on their attunement and don’t use the rest of their body very much.
Do they find Jaden?? it’s on my mind because of sera and Corin’s attunment.
That’s something you’ll have to wait until seeing the next book for.
Andrew,
My friends and I have greatly enjoyed the books you have written so far. We wanted to know if you had plans in the near term to make a rpg game book based on the magic and setting, as it seems to be geared mechanically to work very well for one. We loved the idea of having a fun dungeon delve (climb?) in the tower with the other towers as expansions. Thanks for the books!
Warm Regads,
Ike
Hey Ike,
I’m in the early stages of putting together a tabletop game that will have rules for both Broken Mirrors and Arcane Ascension games.
I also have a LARP rules set that’s already written if you’re interested in looking at it for ideas.
Main Rule Book: https://www.dropbox.com/s/c7gdpmnd2qdm7ii/The%20Arbiter%20System%202.60.doc?dl=0
Advanced Rule Book:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/yyo9h1l8299rov6/Arbiter%20System%20Advanced%20Rule%20Book%202.60.doc?dl=0
Kaldwyn Regional Guide:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/48jz963akkyfs1b/Kaldwyn%20Regional%20Guide%202.60.docx?dl=0
None of these are 100% finished, but they’re in a usable state.
Fair warning that there are some minor spoilers for future books in there, but nothing super severe.
Best,
-Andrew
Hi Andrew,
Firstly, I’d like to express how glad I am that Nick Podehl narrated your books. So far SAM was the best of the books I’ve listened to from him, cannot wait to listen to the broken mirrors series.
I really enjoyed the book and am excited to start the broken mirrors series. Through this blog I learned they are the same universe and maybe i started with the wrong series, but I am excited to find out.
I also wanted to say that I am really glad SAM had a clear end to the story arc and finished with a stand alone book. I have been getting increasingly annoyed with other authors ending their individual books of a series in an abrupt and cliff-hung style. The way you ended SAM left me enthusiastic for more of the series while leaving me fully satisfied.
I look forward to more of your work in 2018.
I agree that Nick did a fantastic job! I’m glad you liked his narration.
Don’t worry about starting with SAM. While the Broken Mirrors books do come first chronologically, they don’t really spoil each other (at least at this point). There may be spoilers deeper into the Arcane Ascension series, though, so reading the Broken Mirrors books now is a good idea.
Do be warned that the Broken Mirrors books aren’t quite the same style, and that they can feel slower (especially because they have multiple perspective characters).
I’m really glad you enjoyed Sufficiently Advanced Magic and found the ending satisfying. I hope you enjoy the other books as well!
Best,
-Andrew
Is there any insight you can share on the process of turning your book into an audiobook? It’s not something I’m very familiar with.
I absolutely loved listening to the book, and then of course, I had to read it as well. Point being, I found Nick did such a good job on this narration that it made for a more enjoyable experience, however, there is no way I am waiting months after release to get the story.
Can’t wait to see more of your writing!
I’m not the best authority to talk to on that subject, as I had very little to do with the process for my own books. I was approached by a publisher (Podium Publishing) and signed a contract for them to produce the audio version of my first book (Forging Divinity). From there, I’ve talked to them about each of my subsequent books and signed additional contract addendum as needed.
They did all the hard work of booking a narrator, doing the editing, and making revised cover art for the audio version. My only real contributions to the audio books were things like pronunciation guides and other general notes (like “this character has an accent that sounds something like Irish”).
Some authors work directly with narrators through sites like ACX, but I didn’t go that route. In those cases, the author would probably be more involved with things like editing, marketing, etc. or hiring additional people to handle those elements of the process.
I just have to say this, I’m currently reading Sufficiently Advanced Magic and I freaking love it! Seriously, I love it as much as I love Kingkiller Chronicles and Stormlight Archives. Please keep up your amazing work! I don’t get a massive amount of joy out of life, but watching anime and reading is at the top of the list. I’m already getting depressed that I’m going to finish SAM and have to wait to continue this. You have become one of my favorite authors, can’t wait to see what’s next!
Thank you so much! I’m flattered to have my work compared to Kingkiller and Stormlight – those are two of my own favorite series.
I’m currently editing the sequel and it should be out in March or April. =)
Awesome I can’t wait! And in my opinion, you deserve to have your work compared to both those series. I was definitely just as invested in SAM as I was in both SA and Kingkiller. So much so that I actually stayed up all night reading it and called into work the next day… not very adult I know but there it is. I would someday love to see some art for the series (namely the attunment marks and some of the weapon and creature designs). Well that’s probably enough fanboying from me lol, also a big thank you for not having to wait 7 or 8 years between books.
I take it as a huge compliment that you were willing to stay up all night reading. I love doing that for my own favorite books. Thank you for the support, it means a lot to me that you liked it that much. =)
Well I did with your other books as well. I have now finished broken mirrors since. I have a couple questions. The first is about the time gap between the two series. About how long is the gap between Broken Mirrors and SAM? I kind of get the feeling it may be significant as the language appears to have changed when describing the same thing as is the case with Dominion Marks and Attunments (I may also be way off base here). Only other thing I can think of is that they take place on entirely different continents with absolutely no contact with each other. But then, how is Keras there and so knowledgeable. Also, is Keras even capable of receiving attunments? If so, an attunment mixed with his epic demi god like status would make the most OP stud of all time. Looking forward to to seeing if my boy Bell Carnel will make an appearance in book 2 of SAM. I loved that show and think he would do well in your world.
I consider the time gap between the series to be a bit of a spoiler. it’s…complicated. The simple answer is that you will see Broken Mirrors characters showing up in the Arcane Ascension series relatively soon (and there have been a couple cameos/references already).
It’s definitely supposed to feel like a lot of time has passed, but there’s more to it than that. You’re correct that the continents being isolated from each other is a major factor as well. A large part of this is that the local religion on Kaldwyn (where the Arcane Ascension books takes place) indicates that the whole rest of the world was conquered by the Tyrant in Gold, so people don’t leave the continent very often, and they tend to make extraordinary efforts to keep outsiders away. This is part of why Keras is treated as a “heretic”.
Keras is going to answer some of these questions directly in the second book, and you’ll get answers to other parts in the third War of Broken Mirrors book and subsequent books.
I probably won’t have any direct Danmachi references – my cameos are from authors that I’ve gotten direct permission from. I agree that Bell would fit in very well in this setting, though (even if his growth rates are totally OP).
Mr. Rowe,
I have thuroughly enjoyed your books, I read both of the War of Broken Mirrors books very quickly after discovering them and now recommend them to anyone looking to read a new fantasy series. The magic system is quite complex and I love the characters you created. I recently began Suffeciently Advanced Magic and just came accros the name Darek Hatigan, Tristan’s old friend. I was curious, I read on a forum that these two series take place in the same world, obviosly in different parts possibly seperated by a sea or even more? The magic systems seem to be vastly different which could be explained by the presents of the spires which are non existant in WOBR and the name Hartigan is the only thing so far that connects the two. Well my question is if the Hartigans in each series are related? And if so is all this happening during the same timeframe? Or is one story happening hundreds of years before the other?
Mr. Rowe
I thoroughly enjoyed War Of Broken Mirrors, I read both books in quick succession finding myself enjoying the complexity of the magic and the character devlopment. I began reading Sufficiently Advanced Magic and cannot put ot down! Very good book sir! I read somewhere that both series were set in the same world and expected much of the same magic system to be present, I was very wrong. This made me believe that SAM was possibly set in either a different continent, or years before or after WOBM. Seeing as how the spires are not in WOBM and dominion magic is not in SAM. But then, not more than a half hour ago, I read the only thing that seems to connect the two (so far) the name Hartigan. So my question is, do the Hartigans have any relation? If so, what is that relation? Is SAM a prequel to WOBM or vise versa?
PS. I tried posting a similar comment a few minutes ago but it seems it didn’t post. But if it did then I apologize for being a double poster.
Thanks for reading both series!
Yes, Derek Hartigan and Blake Hartigan are references to the same family. I won’t give more details because that’s a bit of a spoiler, but great catch.
You’re correct that the books take place on different continents. They’re also not in the same time period, but I won’t go into any details about how much time has passed between books just yet – that’s going to be clearer very soon.
No worries about the double post. Same thing has happened to me. =)
Hey Andrew, I just finished SAM and can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel. Is there any way I can preorder a copy so I don’t miss the release date?
Unfortunately, I’m not planning to put this one up for preorder – mostly because I just plan to put it online the minute it’s ready, and I don’t want to have to wait for an arbitrary date that I set in advance if I get it done sooner than that.
I’ll plan to post on the blog, Facebook, etc. as soon as it’s uploaded and ready to go. I hope that’ll be enough to give you a heads up that it’s ready. =)
Awesome! I will make sure to check your blog daily! Unless you want to send me a beta copy!
Cheers with the writing process, looking forward to reading your next piece.
No need to check again for a little while, it’ll be at least another few weeks. =)
I’m honored that you’re interested in beta reading, but I’m just finally done with getting beta reader notes, so I’m going to stop sending those out. Thanks, though!
Hi Mr. Rowe,
Just recently picked up Sufficiently Advanced Magic, and I enjoyed it so much I started rereading right after I finished! You did a fantastic job, and I plan to read your other works soon.
If you’ve got a second, I had a quick question: is there an attunement level between Citrine and Emerald that isn’t mentioned in the story? Only because there’s a mention that Teft, as a Citrine, is “only two levels” below Mizuchi, who Corin calls an emerald.
Again, great job on your writing, I hope to be enjoying your books for a long time in the future!
Looking at that scene again, it’s poorly phrased. Sorry for the confusion.
There isn’t a level between Citrine and Emerald. Rather, it’s that Teft is a couple letter grades away from Emerald.
It should have said something more like, “Teft’s aura was bright yellow, without any hint of orange. That meant he was deep into the Citrine levels, probably Citrine C or B.”
Hello Mr. Rowe,
I just finished reading Sufficiently Advanced Magic and immediately searched for the sequel, coming across this blog. The world you have built is unforgettable and I feel that the entire piece is well paced, something difficult to accomplish when there is so much information about magic for readers to process. The characters are surprisingly deep, each being much more than their appearance suggests. I’ve started several projects myself over the years, but I’ve recently been using my job as a teacher as an excuse to give up and let them collect dust. You have definitely inspired me to pick a couple back up and begin writing on them again, and for that I am very thankful. I’m eagerly awaiting On the Shoulders of Titans and hope to have a finished work of my own soon. I send you the best wishes in all your endeavors.
Thank you so much! I appreciate the kind words, and I hope you find the process of working on your own writing fulfilling.
And thank you for being a teacher – the world needs more of them.
Hello Andrew!
It is always a pleasure to find a fellow LARPer! I use to LARP myself but I have been out of it from moving several times and not finding a group to join. Oh how I miss it dearly.
If it is not too much to bother, I would like to know I I may ask for your advise. A fellow wattpadder came across one of my discussions on wattpad and recommended that I talk to you for some possible insight and advice on what I am looking for.
I have been writing for 14 years now and while my work, as I feel, is finally taking a good turn and the possibility of publishing is down the road, I started to consider other possibilities for my talent and love for writing. I would like to know what it might take for an unpublished writer like myself to start getting associated with people in either the gaming or film industry and I was told you might have some advice when it comes to gaming. Seeing that you have worked for some big companies, I thought that this would be a good opportunity to learn from someone more experienced.
In specific, I am looking to work my way into storyboarding. Whether it be an established job or just contract/temporary work, the idea interests me and I have found little to nothing on the subject browsing google. I am not concerned with going straight into a big company like Blizard, but if you might know of where I could get started and get introduced into something that would lead me to work in such a position, I would be most grateful for your advice.
I hope you may be able to bring some answers for me and bring some insight into what opportunities I may have before me. I know being published and having a name in writing might help, but this is what I have to work with for now. On a side note, would you by chance know anyone who could lend some information as to how to become integrated into the film industry on the same idea of world-building/storyboarding?
Okay, enough questions from me xD I am going to go ahead and check out your novels though. I love a good fantasy novel and it sounds like your work will be right up my ally. Thank you for taking the time from your day to read this and if you do get back to me then I must thank you again for taking the time out of your day to respond. If you would like, you may feel free to contact me via email or on wattpad. (I added that site below in a link, but I am not sure if you will see either. if not, you can reach me at christophermpoet@gmail.com)
Thank you again!
Best regards,
Hey there,
Always great to hear from another LARPer.
I got my start as a writer by submitting to an open call for writers for a RPG project for White Wolf. That type of thing isn’t quite as common these days. The closest current analogue would probably be submitting short stories to anthologies or sites like Tor.com (https://www.tor.com/submissions-guidelines/#Novella-Submissions-Guidelines).
In terms of the gaming industry, getting into writing is *hard*. Most of the writers that I know (myself included) took entry level jobs in the industry like Customer Service, Quality Assurance, or various types of internships and tried to move up from there. Internships tend to be the most likely to turn into actual jobs in the field you’re interested in, from what I’ve seen, but they’re also generally rare and often require current enrollment in college.
It can be *somewhat* easier to get writing jobs for smaller companies, but it’s still pretty difficult. There are a lot more applicants for game writing jobs than there are open positions for them.
If you want to stand out, you want a strong application. I recommend something that shows branching dialogue options, such as a small story built with Twine (http://twinery.org/).
“Storyboarding” isn’t really a game writing job, as far as I’ve seen at the places I’ve worked. There might be some for things like Blizzard’s Cinematics team, but traditional game writers are (in my experience) probably going to be one of the following:
* For games like World of Warcraft, there are people like Quest Designers that have a skill set that primarily involves game design, but with some degree of writing involved.
* RPG style companies sometimes have “Narrative Designers” that do things like write and implement dialogue trees for characters. This can have some overlap with quest design and may involve more general setting writing.
* Traditional “writers” that *just* write and don’t do any game design are, in my experience, relatively rare. They do exist, but it’s a coveted style of position and most smaller companies don’t tend to have them, in my experience. In these cases, a writer might spend most of their time on game documentation that is used by the people who are actually implementing the content. For example, a writer might create a faction background page that is used as a reference for people who are writing quests for that faction.
* Some companies also have editors that read through things like quest text and other game narrative text for quality and consistency.
Every company handles this stuff a little differently. Blizzard’s style of handling writers is very different from Obsidian’s, etc.
Overall, I’d honestly say that self-publishing books is a *vastly* easier way to get into writing than working in the gaming industry. I can’t common on things like TV or film, since I have no experience with them, but self-publishing is something virtually anyone can do if they can finish a product.
The key issue with self-publishing is making sure your books are actually good enough to publish, and then marketing them properly. This is something I’d advise doing some research on before you start. If you’re planning to write fantasy, I strongly recommend watching Brandon Sanderson’s lecture series (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4ZDBOc2tX8&list=PLH3mK1NZn9QqOSj3ObrP3xL8tEJQ12-vL).
I also recommend reading Michael J. Sullivan’s guide to self promotion (https://www.reddit.com/r/Write2Publish/comments/1aqjxy/authors_guide_to_self_promotion/).
I wrote several books before I had anything good enough to self-publish, and my first book wasn’t hugely successful. For most writers, I tend to hear a ballpark figure of writing ten books before you can expect any degree of reasonable income. (It took me eight books to get to the point where I felt I could write book time, and I was *considerably* luckier than most.)
I don’t mean to discourage you, just trying to give a realistic assessment from my own experience. I’m not any sort of authority on all this – I recommend looking at some sites that have publishing data for more reliable information.
I hope this helps.
Best,
-Andrew
Hello!
It does help! It helps a lot and again I must thank you for taking the time out of your day to respond to my questions. All I could ever ask for is honesty. I am not looking for some golden ticket to get big and make money. Granted, it may be nice, but my love and passion is in my writing and the stories I can tell.
I am going to look into a lot of what you have shared with me. Having a better idea of how this all works does a lot to clarify what I can expect. I will be honest though, I have no schooling when it comes to the gaming industry. Nor do I have a means to start in the near future. But I will keep that in mind for future interests. There was a time I did consider paving a career in the industry before my passion settled on writing.
Is there any possibility you may know someone who does work in the film industry that I could talk to? Even if they don’t know much about it themselves, they might know someone who does or people who know people. Anyone that might lead me to learn what it is I desire to know. Google has been less than informational in these matters.
If not, then I will just keep searching. Again, thank you for taking the time for such a response. I honestly was not expecting this lengthy of a reply. Granted, you could say the topic itself warrants a lengthy conversation of sorts, but still, thank you.
Best regards,
Hi again,
Glad to help!
Unfortunately, I don’t really have any contacts in the film industry. I haven’t seen a lot of overlap between film and gaming industry people. There might be some in things like cinematics departments, but I’ve never worked within one of those.
Best,
-Andrew
Is book 2 going to get an Audible?
Yes, but it’ll still be a while. The narrator is very busy.
Hi,
I just want to say how much I appreciate your characters and the variety of your representation. I don’t know if Corin actually is asexual, or if I’ve just been reading him that way, but it’s pretty great to have a main character read as ace. And as a bundle of socially inept anxiety. Thank you.
I can confirm that Corin is definitely asexual. (He’s probably not aromantic, but he is ace.)
Thanks for the post and for reading the books!
I think I just found your Amazon review of Ghostwater (how many Andrew K Rowe’s can there be?) and had a moment of pure joy. I actually discovered Arcane Ascension because I was jonesing for more Wil Wight.
I think Arcane Ascension is one of the best things I’ve ever read. Well-thought-out magic systems are crucial, certainly (I’m a firm believer in Brandon Sanderson’s Laws of Magic), but the way you write your characters, as if they live and breathe separate from the written word, is perhaps the best I’ve ever read from any author. I can’t hands-down call it the best, because Robert Jordan, but damn dude.
That was probably me. =) Will is definitely one of my favorite writers.
I’m glad you enjoy my books! Completely agree about Sanderson’s laws. He’s one of my inspirations.
I’m thrilled that you like my characters. I’m honored to be compared to heavyweights like Jordan.
Thanks!
-Andrew
I loved the first Arcane Ascension book. Heading on to the next! Thanks for the good reads.
– Kim
Thank you, I hope you enjoy the sequel!
You are everything that I strive for. I want to be an author as well as a game designer, I play dnd, and I’m a huge fan of Anime as a genre.
I also love your books! Keep it up. 😀
I’m honored, thank you! I hope you get a chance to live your own dreams the way that I have. =)
I like your books and look forward to more from Arcane ascension.
In particular I’d like to seem more item design, rune mechanics(like why do marks do what they do and why are they always usefull?). And people other than the main charicters being clever in destructive ways, I mean he can’t have been the first person to throw a random teleport potion or try and counter it, I suppose you did have people do that but I mean with other things.
I’m glad you like the books!
There’ll definitely be more item building and experimentation in the future books.
I definitely plan to show other people doing clever things. It’s harder to portray that sort of thing because of the sheer amount of screen time some characters get compared to others, but other people absolutely *do* come up with creative solutions to problems, and I’ll try to make that clearer.
Hi there, I love the books and am really looking forward to future books. I’ve been wondering if you’ve ever thought about uploading your books to Google play as it’s a boy of a faff to download and uninstall Kindle but of uploading to Google is as con[;icayed as I’ve read then don’t worry, the faff is worth the amazing books. Thanks again for writing the great books!
I’m a part of the Kindle Select program, meaning that my books are available on Amazon exclusively. This allows people to check my books out using the Kindle Lending Library and Kindle Unlimited. Unfortunately, it also means I can’t sell the books anywhere else. Sorry for the inconvenience!
No worries, it’s worth it!
I just wanted to stop in and thank you for doing what you do. I ran into Sufficiently Advanced Magic for the first time last year, and am currently enjoying my second listen through. It’s refreshing to have a main character I can relate with on so many different levels and for different reasons. Thank you, also, for keeping up this handy blog so I know when I can rush off and preorder the audiobooks!
You’re welcome, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the books!
I just wanted to say I love your books and writing style! I am listening to ‘Titans’ as I type this, after reading the book 3 times. You have inspired my wife to pursue her dream of being a an author and after seeing your success, she wants to try self publishing. Your books are amazing!
One question/comment I wanted to make/ask is if you wrote Corin as someone with autism, PTSD, or both.
I am actually Autistic (specifically I have Asperger’s Syndrome before the DSM retconned that term and called it “High Functioning Autism”).
I find myself highly relating to the character in an incredibly unique way. I have listened/read his plights as he navigates social norms and have found tears in my eyes to find a character going through the same things I have in situations others might find laughable. Whether or not you intended Corin to be any kind of autistic (Oh yeah! You’re supposed to ask people about their interests after they ask about yours!)
I wanted to thank you for creating the first character I can fully identify with.
Thank you; for writing such amazing books with a character that is far outside the norm in any genre. You have a reader for life.
I’m so glad to hear you identify with Corin! It’s always gratifying to hear when people connect with one of my characters. Thank you.
I’m also very pleased to hear that I’ve helped to inspire your wife! I hope that she’s successful.
The answer to your question is a little complicated.
Corin is not intended to be neurotypical, but I didn’t write him with a specific diagnosis in mind. Instead, I wrote him with a series of behaviors that I felt suited the character. A lot of people have said that he reads as being somewhere on the Autistic spectrum, and I think that’s a valid read of the character. I’m not a medical professional, however, and I don’t feel comfortable giving a “canon” diagnosis for him.
I would interpret Corin’s behavior as being a combination of biology (meaning having a condition like Asperger’s or something similar) and also a consequence of the abuse he’s suffered. I’ve deliberately left it open how much was caused by each, since I feel that just like in real life, it can be very hard to tell.
I hope this helps answers your question!
Thanks again for the interest and support.
Hi Andrew,
I’m a huge fan of your Arcane Acension series and I just want to say thank you for having a character named Sheridan in your book !
I haven’t read to far so I don’t know yet if they’re good or bad, but honestly I don’t care. I’m just so happy to see a character with my name, where it isn’t their last name for once.
Thank you so much and good luck with writing your next books !
– Sheridan 🙂
Hi Sheridan!
That’s awesome, I hope you end up enjoying seeing Sheridan in the books! =D
Best,
-Andrew
While i’m still a bit new to LitRPG, I had recently read the chaos seeds series by Aleron Kong and was amazed with the unique perspective of adventure. I found your work by wanting to hear more magical tales to the tone of Nick Podehl. His voice acting is highly engaging and really brings a story to life. So, while looking through his list of book narrations, Sufficiently Advanced Magic jumped out as the definate next read.
Thank you for writing such an enjoyable story. So far my husband and I have read the first 2 Arcane Ascension books and are now on to the rest of your other works.
Keep up the awesome writing!
Thanks for listening to the Arcane Ascension books! I hope you and your husband enjoy my other works.
I really loved the Arcane Ascension series, I’m reading it for the 3x. I know that there’s a prequel but if there going to be a book 3 to the Corin series?
Yes, definitely. There’s still plenty more of Corin’s story to tell.
Andrew Rowe, could you email me? I made my son a birthday cake that looks like a book with the title Sufficiently Advanced Magic. It’s nothing super-fancy, but I would like to send you a photo. You can reach me at ae@unixmama.com
Sent you an e-mail! I hope your son loved the cake.
So I have a question. Are you considering any merch for the books in the future?
Maybe eventually, but I’d probably need to hire an assistant to handle things like that. It’s too time consuming to handle it on my own.
Hi Andrew!
Stumbled into Sufficiently Advanced Magic and a few days and books later, was determined to try and contact you.
First and foremost, thank you. Your writing has immediately touched and inspired me. Not only as great fantasy writing, but also the subtle ways you created a character like Corin, with his gently noticeable spectrum, but without making it blatant or ‘about that’.
But most of all – the books reignited my desire to create another RPG. And this is what prompted me to try and contact you.
I want to create a role-playing project based around Arcane Ascension. A combination of several Tabletop RPGs and a big LARP. I do not want, however, to create such a game without the author’s blessing. Creative rights are important. So here it is: will you give me your blessing in creating such a game?
If you approve, any relevant materials that will help us make the game better and more cohesive, consistent and loyal to your writing will be hugely appreciated.
Thanks in advance and especially for the books!
Hiya,
I’m flattered by your interest. I have an Arcane Ascension tabletop game already in progress myself, so I can’t release any intellectual property rights for anything like that to someone else.
You’re welcome to run games in this universe for fun, but I can’t give permission for you to create anything for commercial use, sorry!
Thanks for reading the books and the interest in my world!
Best,
-Andrew
Andrew,
Just finished your last book in the Broken Mirrors series.
Could be spoiler-ish
Great books, I was reading through the blog and saw other compare these with kingkiller and stormlifht and I agree I love all of these series! I was wondering if you are only doing a trilogy with these books, does that mean these character and plot line end? I know they are in the other books as well so does that mean the battle with the people from the end of defying destiny will still continue with the characters in broken mirrors? Sorry to be vague I don’t want to spoil anything.
The War of Broken Mirrors concludes (at least for the moment) with Defying Destiny. The surviving characters, however, will appear in other books in the future. I do have plans for a book that was something like a “Book 4”, but that will more likely be in a different series now.
Six Sacred Swords picks up right after Defying Destiny, so I’d recommend looking at that next if you haven’t already.
Weapons and Wielders and Arcane Ascension are both planned to be more than three books.
Take my money, take it all… if you wait till payday, it might even stand you a round.
Soon as I finished the Kindle version of sufficiently advanced magic I bought your catalogue on Audible and a handful of them as eBooks. Simply the most enjoyable reads and listens that I’ve had in a long time.
I hope you keep it up, because I’ll certainly keep coming back… also hope you get a reasonable return from places like Audible.
Thanks so much, I’m glad you enjoyed them! I’m making good progress on the next book and hoping to get something out soon.
I love all your books so far Andrew! Especially the Arcane Ascensions! I’ve always wanted books that delve into the nitty gritty of magic use and these books finally fit the bill. I can’t wait for Arcane Ascension book 3 and I definitely wouldn’t say no to being a beta reader 😉
I’m glad you’re enjoying the books! I’m not adding more beta readers right now, but I really appreciate the interest.
Good Sir, I read voraciously and have just started Arcane Ascension. I’m looking for world information as well as info on how your magic system works. I’ll probably wait until I’ve read your collection before I dig into that material but your attunement system has given me ideas. That’s likely only a couple weeks as I read very fast and finish a book or two each week. I’m rambling but the gyst is, do you have a website or wiki dedicated to your world?
Thanks
Daniel
There’s a fan-made wiki here: https://arcane-ascension.fandom.com/wiki/Arcane_Ascension_Wiki
It’s not super populated yet, but it’s getting there.
There’s also a subreddit here: https://www.reddit.com/r/climberscourt
The subreddit has a good number of readers discussing the book.
I have a lot of world documentation beyond what is in the books, but it’s in documents formatted for a LARP. I’m in the process of converting some of it to a tabletop document that I plan to release publicly, but that’s going to be a slow process, since my books are a much higher priority.
Andrew,
I have finished all of your works. I am currently looking for a listing of all of YOUR works as they strike a strong chord of interest for me. You should definitely have a listing on this site or if you do, could you point me to the correct address?
I have listened to Arcane Ascension 1 & 2, A War if Broken Mirrors 1 & 2, and Six Sacred Swords 1. Do you have any other works out there?
Again, each of the three groups of stories are incredibly engaging and entertaining. Thank you for that. Also, great choice with Mr. Podehl. Your books rank up there with Mr. Rothfuss’ work which is something I’ve been looking for, for a very long time. I’m excited to hear that I should have two more books of yours to read within the next year.
Thanks for the interest!
I’ll look into putting up a list of my works – that’s a great suggestion.
The third War of Broken Mirrors book is out on Kindle and paperback, but not on audio yet. Aside from that, it looks like you’ve listened to all my novels. I’ve worked on some smaller stuff, but nothing else on the novel scale.
Best,
-Andrew
Hello huuuge fan
I just finished reading On the shoulder of Titans just to find out that there is another series taking place before all of this. I love love your work, but I am a little confused. Apologise if this has been posted someplace but I could not find it.
From your the series taking place on Kaldwyn what is the optimal reading order?
I read both Arcane books and I’m moving over to Six sacred swords., But what would be your optimal reading order?
Chronological Order is:
* The War of Broken Mirrors
* The main plot of Weapons and Wielders
* Arcane Ascension
* The frame story in Weapons and Wielders
I tried to design the reading order to be flexible. Reading the first two books of Arcane Ascension and then Six Sacred Swords is great, because you’ll be coming in right at the right time in terms of the frame story (which involves Keras telling people his story while they are on the train at the end of On the Shoulders of Titans).
Overall love the books and can’t wait for the upcoming release of the next part of the weapons and wielders series. I think six sacred swords is my overall favorite, so I am really looking forward to it’s continuation.
Have you ever considered publishing hardcover signed limited edition versions? Something like what Subterranean Press puts out?
Yes, I’ve thought about it, but I sell so few paperbacks that hardbacks are tough to justify. I’ll keep thinking about it and may look into it more eventually, though.
Hello Mr. Rowe. First – Thank you for a truly enjoyable series in the Arcane Ascension series. I’ve greatly appreciated the way that you’ve written Corin. This leads me to a question that I hesitate to ask, but just HAVE to know as I recognize certain keys and patterns in his behavior; Is there any chance that Corin’s character was in some way patterned after someone who lives with Asperger’s? (I am being completely serious if anyone doesn’t live with someone in their life that does and thinks I’m trying to be funny.) I ask because while I appreciate much of Corin’s social and personal contact struggle, it would mean just that much more to know that I’m not just projecting… If so, BRAVO for writing a character who isn’t “main stream” and who so deftly portrays the contrast between their obvious fantastical EXTERIOR struggles and their private INTERNAL ones.
Thank you again sincerely for your time and for a wonderful new world to explore.
I wrote Corin with a series of traits that are not neruotypical, but without a specific diagnosis in mind. I don’t feel that I have sufficient medical knowledge to accurately write with a specific diagnosis, so my emphasis was on consistently writing individual characteristics.
It’s very common for readers to interpret this as being a form of high functioning autism or Asperger’s syndrome, and I consider that to be a valid interpretation.
Hi Andrew. I been trying to find a contact email for you with no luck.
Is there an email I can reach you at?
You can e-mail me at andrewkrowe@gmail.com.
Hey Andrew, just wanted to say keep up the great work.
I have thoroughly enjoyed all 3 series set around the characters in the Arcane Ascension series. I have all the audio books (even bought the pre-orders) and just got the second soft cover in Arcane Ascension for my collection, and will be buying the rest over the next few months. I know you have been asked before about hard cover books, and just want to say if you ever do release some to let me know. I have read through the Sufficiently Advanced Magic book a few times now (and listened a few more) and if hard covers ever did come out, I would buy the entire series over again.
Love the series and the passion you put into writing them. Hope you keep writing for many years to come, and I can’t wait for the next book in the Arcane Ascension series.
Go team Corin!
Thank you very much, I appreciate the support!
Andrew,
Would love to know more about the “harvester” characters. What is their pedigree? Will there be more?
They’re a classification of elemental, and you’ll definitely see some more in the future.
I am a big fan of your books. I have two questions. One, what is the swordmaster attunement and two, what is domain sorcery equivalent of enhancement ?
Yes, Swordmaster is an attunement. The dominion sorcery equivalent hasn’t shown up in the books yet, so I won’t discuss that yet, sorry!
thank you for the quick reply. again huge fan
You’re welcome, and thanks for the interest!
i am sorry for bothering again you but i have another question. if someones have two attunement marks on the same body part, will both attunement have the same ranking and mana level ?
No. I’ll get into how that works in a future book.
Loving the books Andrew. Started with Arcane and now working through Broken Mirrors. Do you have a character list (with their multiple aliases) and the books they appear in? My memory is not what it once was and would be very useful now I’m on Defying Destiny.
There’s no singular list that spans across all my works, but there’s a character list at the end of each book in the appendixes. If you’re listening to audio and don’t have access to the appendixes for each book, there’s some info on the wiki: https://arcane-ascension.fandom.com/wiki/Characters
Thank you for your reply. I am listening to the audiobooks – makes journeys to work and washing up easier. Thank you for the link. Looking forward to AA3.
i have just finished Diamantine and i was wondering what can the champion attunement do?
Hi there,
I don’t generally give too much info on attunements outside of the books, since I think it’s more fun to reveal the details in the story. For now, I’ll just say that Champion is a defensively focused attunement with a combination of protective spells and ice magic.
thank you for entrusting us with this information
You’re very welcome!
Hi, I’d be interested to get signed copies of your books, particularly six sacred swords. My wife and I both love them. There doesn’t seem to be a good way to do this yet though, is there any way you do this through email? Thanks!
Terry
Thanks so much for the interest! I’m not doing signed copies yet, but maybe someday in the future.
Is there a way to buy your ebook for devices that are not kindle? I really want to support your work but it is not on any other store and I can’t read kindle books on my kobo.
Thanks in advance
Unfortunately, the digital versions are Kindle only. I’m in the Kindle Select program, which requires exclusivity on Kindle. It’s how I’m able to put my books on sale, lend them out through Kindle Unlimited, etc.
Hey, Mr. Rowe!
My boyfriend’s birthday is coming up in a few months, and he is a HUGE fan of you! Is there any chance we can discuss signed copies at this time for his 30th? I’d be happy to leave you my email address!
I’m very sorry, but I’m not doing any signed copies right now. I might be able to give you something digital to give your friend as a gift, though. Email me at andrewkrowe@gmail.com and I’ll see if I can figure anything out.
No requests here Andrew, I just want to share my love for your work. I consider your books to be the most enjoyable and immersive experience I’ve had in years. If you ever have doubts, just know that your work has given me and so many others so much happiness. Thank you for your efforts!
Hello Andrew, I wanted to ask where are you from since I’m setting up a database of fictional media (books, series, …) for myself and I’d like to put that info if you wouldn’t mind.
Hope this doesn’t bother you, sorry if it does. Ciao.
I’m in California in the United States.
Hello Andrew,
As I read through the design of your universe I find myself constantly drawn in and wanting to make my own character to explore and have adventures. So I was wondering if you have any updates on the game system you previously mentioned you were working on? Are you planning to adapt an OGL d20 based system, a LARP system, a GURP like system or something completely new? I plan to pick up whatever’s put out for this universe but I am curious where it’s heading.
Respectfully
Matt Cramer
The LARP system already exists, but it’s not accurate enough to the current incarnation of the setting to publish. The current plan is to publish something d20 compatible.
Hi Andrew. Big fan of your series so far. Just finished book 3 of Broken Mirrors and going to start the first Weapons and Wielders book. I had a question about something. I don’t know if it was brought up in another post or not so sorry if it was. At the end of Defying Destiny, Taelian makes his Keras persona to go to Kaldwyn. However, at the beginning of Forging Sorcery, Lydia said that she had a soft spot for Veruden because she reminded him of a man she knew named Keras that she trained with. Is this supposed to be a different Keras or some continuity error since the Keras that we know of technically doesn’t exist yet?
That’s a different Keras – it’s a common local name, which is part of why “our” Keras picked it as a pseudonym.
hello big fan of the arcane ascension series. also my question is what is the tertiary mana for the seer attunement?
It’s Death, which may seem a little strange without context for how Death mana can be used. I’ll get into that in future books.
so seer is mental, air and death?
Mental/light/death.
Love your books. I started with Sufficiently Advanced Magic finished the second of that series, then read Six Sacred Swords and Diamantine before I read The War of Broken Mirrors. So I have a jumbled ordered.
Mainly just curious if you still have that write up for a rpg conversion. Also besides the d20 system have you considered the Genesys system by Fantasy Flight?
I’m likely sticking with d20 or something completely home-made. I’m much more familiar with d20 than other systems, since I’ve written professionally for d20 games in the past and played with them for years. The open gaming license (OGL) also makes it much easier to publish d20 system content than it would be for most other systems. I haven’t looked at the licensing for Genesys specifically, but most other game systems don’t allow people to just use them as foundations for their own content the way d20 does.
Not to pry to hard, but for your OGL game I am wondering. Are you planning on making each Attunement a class or will it be a more free form system? Also will their be other races to start as like Dragon, serpent, hydra, etc…
Personally I would love to see a d20 system closer to Mutants and Masterminds, World of Darkness, or Iron Kingdom. Where your class is chosen at first level and everything is bought with experience. Making what you can buy/prices restricted based on class, mana access, and the like? But as a long time table top gamer I trust you to make a fun system regaurdless.
The current setup is Pathfinder 1e with “Attuned” as a base class with different attunements as archetypes and a non-standard advancement system. That being said, I may be bouncing back to focusing on a stand-alone game after talks with a publisher. Not 100% sure yet.
Hi Andrew, thank you so much for your books. I like to read them when my baby is asleep. Sometimes I read them out to her too, she seems to like that. I hope you have a very nice day! And If you ever feel that any of your books should be available I’m German, I would offer you special rates for a professional translation – actually enjoying the text makes work way more fun. Not trying to sell you anything, just letting you know. 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that you’ve been reading my books to your baby! That’s amazing, thank you.
I appreciate the translation offer, too. My translation rights are complicated and I’m not handling that directly, but I’m hoping to get translations eventually. I appreciate your offer!
Writing on my phone, hence autocorrect typo 😅 – more very nice day to you! 😉
Great post
Love the books!
A couple of quick questions if you would be so kind.
1. Is there a maximum number of attunments one can have?
2. Does every attunement also have an ascended version?
3. Can a attunment have different ascended possibilities?
4. What do the other shrines in the unclaimed lands do and grant? (Like the elemental shrines, etc.)
5. Will we learn how the sacred swords were made, and if others can also be made?
6. What does the stalker restricted attunement do?
Totally understand if you would rather not answer any of these questions, or only some of them. I just have a super curious nature and like to understand everything. I have many more questions too, but some of them you already indicated would be answered in future books, like two attunments on the same body part (though I hope we learn if either of those attunements can or cannot have opposite mana).
Hi there,
Thanks for the interest! I generally don’t answer lists of questions like this on my blog – there’s a place to submit questions on the Climber’s Court Discord and I try to get to those whenever I can. Many of these types of questions won’t get answers even on that Discord, though — I tend to leave mysteries like these to be explored in the books themselves. That’s part of the fun of the story, at least to me.
Best,
-Andrew
Thanks for the reply! I figured as much, but it never hurts to ask. Thanks!
Also, is there anyplace I can find a link to join the climbers court discord? Thanks!
Sure! You can find that here: https://discord.gg/j95BTF2
I’m trying to write a book about my time as a military officer being on the autistic spectrum. I’ve seen that you self publish and I was wondering what you think of using the amazon platform and how you went about reaching people with your writing. I understand I most likely won’t make any money, but I would like other people on the spectrum to be able to read it and maybe help someone else with their journey. We’re all struggling through this thing called life, right.
Hey there! Best of luck with writing your book. As for publishing with Amazon, unfortunately my only real experience is with fiction, not non-fiction, and most of my advice would not be directly applicable.
The publishing part is relatively straightforward. You’ll need to finish the book, get it properly formatted, and then get yourself cover art and typography. I would also strongly advise getting a professional editor if you can. If you can’t, I suggest getting at least a few friends to look it over to find typos, because you want to make your product look as professional as possible.
Aside from that, I strongly recommend researching similar books and seeing how they did things. Look up those authors and see if they have advice.
Good luck!
Thank you. That’s solid advice. I love your work by the way. Can’t wait to see how AA series unfolds.
Hey Andrew! I hope you see this one day!
In SoulBrand the sword ‘FeatherLight’ has enchantments that can nullify/manipulate gravity.
Could Corin theoretically
1. Learn these Runes
2. Scribe them onto a Dueling Cane
3. Create some sort of directional matrix with Air Runes (Up, Down, Left, Right, Forward)
4. Attach and Trigger the Runes with his ‘Mana Strings’ ability
Corin could end up with some cool as heck Remote Control Dueling Attack Canes
I know you probably have corins weapon progression mapped out but your books inspire some crazy in depth weapon designs!
Hope this finds you well! -Guy
Yep, that sort of thing is definitely possible. He wouldn’t necessarily want to use exactly the same rune set, but the theory behind it is sound, and the core concept is possible.
Hi Andrew !
First of all, I am a HUGE fan of all of the books and the universe, I’ve read all of them and I have to fight to put the books down just so they last a little longer ^^
But the thing I’m most grateful for is the diversity of representations which we need sooo much ! These are the first and only books I’ve ever read with non binary, asexual, panromantic, etc. characters and where their queerness is NOT the center of the story. And oh my goddess !!! My jaw dropped when I read that line for the first time. Additionally, the importance of respecting consent (I’m thinking of Corin or Dawn for example) is so well highlighted and again I had never seen that before in a fantasy novel. So on behalf of a lot of people, THANK YOU SO MUCH, I hope you realize how important and major your work is to our community !!! Rainbows, unicorns and glitter to you Andrew
Victoria
You’re welcome, and rainbows, unicorns, and glitter to you as well!
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I loved your book How to defeat a Demon King in 10 easy steps. It was so much fun and I loved all the little, and sometimes big, nods to the old school games.
I will say that I am very interested to see where this world leads in the future. I hope that you plan on having some more stories in that world.
I’d love to do more with that universe someday. It was a ton of fun to write that story, but I need to focus on wrapping some things up in my main universe before I start playing around with other settings further.
I’ve read the first four Arcane Ascension books and the first three Weapons and Wielders books. I love both series.
I’m part of my employer’s Allies in the Workplace group and a DEI ambassador, which is a fancy title for caring enough to go through several trainings and being open to discussions about uncomfortable topics as needed. I’m helping to coordinate our June Pride Month celebrations which will include recommending authors. I’m planning to suggest your books because of your seamless integration of fluid gender and sexuality into your novels.
In your books, there is no special setup for preparing the reader for Corin being romantically interested in a man, which at first took me completely off guard. I thought I must have missed something, and I re-read the book up to that point to make sure that I hadn’t. As I kept reading, and as you continued to make it a very mundane part of life that anyone can and will love anyone else (and be whatever gender they wish) without ever making a “big deal” out of it, it started to feel more natural and it was a refreshing take on what we should be as society. The ultimate acceptance of LGBTQ+ is that their love lives are as boring and unremarkable as everyone else’s.
The fact that it surprised me when Corin was bi- (or maybe pan-) sexual says something about how most authors approach non-hetero sexuality: it’s always hinted at but the reader is left to wonder, until a big reveal moment that answers all of the questions raised by subtle behaviors. But a big reveal is only necessary if there is an assumption that’s the behavior is “unusual” or “abnormal”, or somehow slightly outside of socially accepted norms.
You, on the other hand, don’t incorporate big reveals or construct delicate, vague webs of possible questions about sexuality, your characters simply are who they are and the reader can take it or leave it. That’s such a great way to write about LGBTQ+ people.
Thank you, I appreciate it! If you like that specific style of representation, I recommend looking up “queernorm” books — that’s a term that’s sometimes used to refer to LGBTQIA+ characters existing in a universe and simply being treated as normal.
Hi, I will be self-publishing a poetry bundle for my graduation project and I was wondering if you would be interested in partaking in an interview about self-publication?