Welcome to the first article showcasing the participating editors and presses of my new indie-press centered pitch event, #SmallPitch. (If you are hearing about #SmallPitch for the first time, you can find information about the event here.)

I asked a few questions to William C. Tracy from Space Wizard Science Fantasy, an independent publishing house focused on telling great science fiction and fantasy stories with queer elements and under-represented people.

Can you introduce your press?

I run Space Wizard Science Fantasy, which publishes primarily queer scifi and fantasy books. You can find our web site at spacewizardsciencefantasy.com.

It was almost an act of self-defense to start it in 2021. I had written seven or eight books already, we were in the midst of the early pandemic, and my writing group decided, “why don’t we put together an anthology of lesbian SFF stories focusing on strange plants?” Many of us were published already, but I was the only one who had a concerted self-publishing presence at that point. So I volunteered.

Little did I know what that would bring. Space Wizard consists of mainly me and my wife, who is also our primary copy editor. This year we’ve brought on a second copy editor, and I’ll likely need a dedicated social media/marketing person soon. However my writing group is a big behind-the-scenes force, helping out with marketing, illustrations, beta reading, and marketing descriptions.

We’re now in our third year, having published around 12 books each year (one a month). We’re still a very small press, and I’ll warn that my publishing schedule is actually pretty full all the way into late 2025! In fact, you can see our lineup for this year (and preorder the books) in our campaign running until July 2 on BackerKit.

What will you be on the lookout for during #SmallPitch?

I’ll be looking primarily for science fiction and fantasy by queer authors with queer characters. Gay, lesbian, sapphic, nonbinary, trans, ace, and just generally queer (if I missed anything). We are also actively looking for POC and neurodivergent stories. If this is you, great!

We publish mainly stories of adventure and wonder. I don’t really publish urban fantasy or grimdark, however I do publish series, standalones, and even a few novellas.

If I like a pitch and invite an author to submit, our submission guidelines are available here.

What type of author do you like to work with?

I want to work with an author who wants to write and sell books. It’s no secret you can’t just turn in a book and walk away nowadays. I will market your book for you, but readers like to see an author who is present, and the more the author helps out, the more we sell! The second best way to do that is just to write another book! More books to your name means more choices for readers.

What’s your favorite part of being an editor at your press?

The great stories! I love to work with authors and I take a definite part in developmental editing all of the works I publish. Seeing the gem of a great story and really polishing it to a shine is my main aspiration.

What’s the benefit for authors to work with an independent press like yours?

I specifically bring a marketing angle. I’ve heard horror stories of books languishing at small presses and large presses alike. I personally market each of the books in my catalog, and I handsell books at 20+ markets and conventions a year. I usually do more in physical sales at markets than I do online!

I’m also a mechanical engineer and a data analyst, so I study the trends of markets as well as how to stay profitable as a business. In fact, I have a few SFWA articles on how to make your books sell better on Amazon, and how to accurately track whether you’re making money selling books (here and here).

What’s your opinion on the role of independent presses in the current publishing market?

I think indie presses have some of the most vibrant and original books on the market today. Big presses are stuck in a cycle of pleasing the readers they have, and small presses are where you can see more innovation in the market.

How does your press engage with readers?

We engage online and in person. I have a dedicated group of readers especially in the North Carolina area, where we’re located. In the past year, we’ve started branching out to more markets out of state. We also go to WorldCon most years that we can, I have a lot of connections in the Writing Excuses community, and we’re always finding new readers in the area.

What’s your vision for your press in the coming years?

Keep selling books! For right now, I still plan to publish a limited number of books a year, keeping careful track of finances, so we don’t overreach like many small presses. I hope to make continual, steady growth and make Space Wizard a stable company for many years in the future.

What’s your favorite writing advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors?

The secret to writing is you can change the story once you’ve written it. But you have to finish writing it first.

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Find William C. Tracy at: