Frequently Asked Questions:
Jump to: book availability, my availability, or writing & publishing
⚠️ Someone claiming to be you reached out to me through social media or email. Is this you?
Probably not! I have been almost completely absent from public-facing social media for years, limiting my correspondence to emails and closed Slack or Discord communities. Recently, I’ve been getting (much appreciated!) messages from people letting me know that various accounts have taken advantage of this to impersonate me across multiple platforms.
So everyone knows: my inactive business Facebook is M. L. Wang Books, my inactive personal Facebook is ML Wang, my inactive Twitter is @M_L_Wang, my updates-only Instagram is @mlwangbooksnews, my parrot’s updates-only Instagram is @bird.in.a.book, and my email is ml@mlwangbooks.com. These are the only accounts connected to my author name that actually belong to me. With the rare exception of the email, I do not use ANY of these accounts to reach out to new people. If you corresponded with someone claiming to be me under a handle NOT listed above, that is NOT me. I recommend blocking the user, warning others who might have been affected, and reporting the account to the platform in question. Thanks to the people who brought this to my attention and I’m so sorry it keeps happening!
Book Availability
Can I still get [Insert Edition] of The Sword of Kaigen somewhere?
As of this 8/18/2025 update to the FAQ, you can still order the second Wraithmarked edition of The Sword of Kaigen (with cover art by Tom Jilesen) through Backerkit. After that, the edition will be available for purchase on the Wraithmarked Creative website and through subsequent Wraithmarked Kickstarters.
There will NOT be another printing of the first Wraithmarked edition of The Sword of Kaigen with cover art by Felix Ortiz. The original Kickstarter backers purchased this edition on the premise that it would be a limited run of only 4,000 numbered copies. Consequently, when we polled the original backers on whether they would be okay with a second printing, enough people answered ‘no’ that Wraithmarked decided against it.
There will NOT be another printing of the Page & Wick edition, which was produced under similar conditions and has already completed an additional printing.
If you’re looking for a foreign language edition of The Sword of Kaigen, those are listed on this page, which I try to update whenever a new translation becomes available.
To be notified about future limited editions of any of my books before the window to order them closes, I recommend subscribing to my newsletter.
Can I still get [Insert Edition] of Blood Over Bright Haven somewhere?
As of this 8/18/2025 update to the FAQ, both the Wraithmarked Deluxe Illustrated Edition and the Broken Binding Edition of Blood Over Bright Haven are still open for pre-orders on Backerkit and TBB’s website respectively.
If you’re looking for the red edges on the standard hardback, those are out of print in the US, though as of now (August 2025), I’m told some physical stores still have stock with the red edges. I’m not sure if the same is true in the UK.
If you’re looking for a foreign language edition of Blood Over Bright Haven, those are listed on this page, which I try to update whenever a new translation becomes available.
To be notified about future limited editions of any of my books before the window to order them closes, I recommend subscribing to my newsletter.
Can I have a review copy of [Insert Title Here]?
Possibly! Whenever I have a self-published release coming up, I create form for people to apply to receive ARCs. These forms will usually be linked in any relevant blog posts or newsletters I publish leading up to the release, so have a look around for one of those if you’re after an ARC. If you can’t find the ARC application for an upcoming title, feel free to email me. I’m less likely to distribute review copies of books that are already published because taking requests one by one is more time consuming than the batch sending I do with ARCs. That said, I’m fine with people asking. You might catch me on a slow week.
For my traditionally published books, I think you need to request on NetGalley or get in touch with my publisher.
Can I buy [Insert Title Here] from you directly?
No. I used to let people buy signed paperbacks and bookmarks from my personal stock (this one box in my basement) via PayPal, but as these requests increase, I just don’t have the time, facilities, or organizational skills to fulfill them. I greatly admire authors who have it in them to ship product out of a small home like it’s a warehouse. I’m just not one of them.
For similar logistical reasons, I don’t want you to send me your book for a signature.
Can I buy copies of The Sword of Kaigen wholesale for my bookstore?
Not currently, but this is something I’m actively working on!
Can I buy a signed bookplate to go with my book?
Not currently, but this is another thing I’m working on!
Can you help with a missing/damaged/defective order of [Insert Title Here]?
Probably not. My interaction with my books as products ends with either uploading or approving the cover and interior files. Printing and shipping across all editions of all my books is handled by a third party. If you have a quality or fulfillment issue, you’ll have to go through customer support on the platform you used to purchase.
Will you send me physical or digital copies of your discontinued books?
No. They’re discontinued because I am no longer interested in distributing them. See this post.
Will you ever release more in the universe of The Sword of Kaigen?
Maybe.
My Availability
Are you available for an interview?
Sometimes but please don’t count on a response! I try to limit myself to one written interview every year to avoid repeating myself across a bunch of different blogs. I will not do in-person or video interviews because a) they really hit me in the social anxiety, b) following from a, I’m pretty bad at them, and c) I’m trying to get my face off of the internet for privacy reasons. If you email me about an interview and I either decline or don’t respond, 99% of the time, it’s not any problem I have with you, the request, or your platform. It’s because I’m at capacity for the foreseeable future.
Will you write and/or record a personal message for me / my friend / my book club?
While these requests are always flattering, there are two reasons I can’t do them. First, where it concerns video messages, recording video is pulling teeth for me. Since I don’t record myself in the normal course of my life (I didn’t even know how to take a selfie until I had a bird doing cute things on my shoulder) I’m not set up for it. I’m also in the process of trying to get my face off the internet as much as I can for privacy reasons, so sending new videos out to strangers is the last thing I want to do.
Second, concerning both video and written messages, this genre(?) of writing (generalized affirmation?) is not the kind of writing I’m good at. Consequently, even short messages of this type take up a disproportionate amount of my time relative to my fiction projects. If I said yes to one of them, I would have to say yes to all of them, and if I did that, I would never get any actual writing done.
Will you blurb my book?
Unfortunately, I’ve found that I’m terrible at providing blurbs because my schedule and focus problems make me an incredibly slow reader. The last few times I wanted to provide a blurb for another author, I wasn’t even close to meeting the deadline, so I stopped accepting ARCs a long time ago. That said, I still like to boost other authors and direct my readers to other sci-fi/fantasy stories they might enjoy. So, if you have a book you think would be a good fit for my readership, please do get in touch and I may still be able to help with promo via my newsletter.
Why haven’t you responded to my email?
I’m usually extremely behind on all emails that aren’t time-sensitive messages from my pre-existing business contacts (but sometimes those too). Especially when I’m on deadline, I’ll often neglect emails for months at a time. I’m very sorry if I miss yours in the process, but that’s how the books get written.
Writing & Publishing
Do you have advice on self-publishing?
UMM… while I love talking indie strategies, I always worry that running my mouth will do more harm than good because the landscape is always shifting. Strategies that worked really well three, four, five years ago don’t anymore. Strategies that have worked really well for people I know don’t for me and vice versa. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to self-publishing. If you have a really specific question you think I might be able to answer, you can hit me up and I’ll either do my best to advise or more likely try to direct you to a better resource than myself.
Do you have advice on writing action sequences?
In my opinion, the key to writing strong action scenes is to treat action like dialogue. Each line of dialogue justifies its place on the page by revealing something about the world or characters, adding flavor, advancing the plot, or escalating tension, etc. If you apply that same criteria to each beat of an action sequence, you should be able to create an engaging action scene that doesn’t feel like filler.
Do you have advice on writing characters?
I always build my characters from the inside out. This means I start with a foundation of their psychology—their motivations, relevant backstory, defining flaws, etc.—before I settle on external characteristics like their appearance and mannerisms. If you feel like you struggle to pin down a character’s psychology going into a first draft cold, I recommend the writing prompts I outline in the third question of this interview from 2020. These three “test-run” scenes—the Day at Work, the Detractor, and the Dragon—are exercises I often use before starting a project with a new main character.
Do you have advice on [insert other writing topic here]?
I really don’t. The internet is full of talented writers who feel comfortable advising others on every part of the creative process. I am not one of them. If you email me with a list of writing questions, I probably won’t respond—not because they’re bad questions but because I’m bad at answering them for anyone other than myself. You can find someone better.