They say the cover is what makes someone pick up a book, the blurb on the back makes them buy it.
Writing a blurb well is very tricky. I’m glad I had some practice at the at JD’s marketing cohort last fall. Here’s the latest Weun Academy blurb!
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Sixteen-year-old Eisah Tanner lives by one rule: blend in.
As an Earther on the fringes of a Martian colony, he keeps to the shadows, evading Redborn bullies who hunt his kind for sport. But when their cruelty erupts into a tactical assault, a dangerous power ignites within himone that can’t be hiddendrawing unwanted, extraterrestrial attention.
Whisked to New Eden, a sprawling space station in the heart of the galaxy, Eisah enters Weun Academy, a school for gifted outcasts. With a fresh start, he aims to master his superhuman abilities and finally belong. However, this alien world proves as treacherous as the power he carriesand some enemies hide behind friendly faces.
When a brutal strike rocks Weun’s community, shifting loyalties and hidden agendas drive Eisah and his friends to uncover answers and forge a path forward. Learning who to trust becomes the hardest lesson. As enemies close in, he must unravel a web of lies, betrayal, and something far darkerbefore shadow consumes them all.
Step into Weun Academy, where mettle is tested, chosen families are defended, and the fight to find your place in the universe begins.
The original wasn’t bad. However, this version works hard to quickly introduce Eisah, provide some background, his aspirations, and introduce the big threat.
I like how it suggests Eisah used to seek shadow for protection. However, it transforms into something deadly. It’s an interesting juxtaposition that unifies and completes the concepts within the blurb.
“Learning who to trust becomes the hardest lesson” is a newly added phrase that hints at core struggles and plays off the location being an academy.
It’s hard to believe, but my book series is now 13 years old with seven released works! Though it’s been a while since I’ve released a new book, I have two new ones coming out yet this year. With the new editions comes a branding update. I wanted to share with you the journey and how things evolved over time.
Zummo Books, LLC
This is my “parent company” responsible for all production, publishing, manufacturing, advertising, and distribution. To be honest the original left-ide version started as a very basic legal entity. I wasn’t thinking about brand. Even the name wasn’t very inspired (but very functional).
My original logo played off what my friend Tara began calling me (“Z”). while I wasn’t very focused on the look and feel, the simple letter and books label got things started.
As we approached the two new books in 2025 Matt redesigned the logo. Using two books he reconstructed the “Z.” I really like his font update for “Zummo Books.”
D’mok Revival
This was my debut series! I spent a ton of time on the cover and crafting something intense, interesting, and feeling very space opera-ey… I wanted the wordmark to feel very classic ala Dune, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc. I heavily modified a futuristic font and added the golden bars on either side. The top version lasted in all books, media materials, and the Web site until September 2025!
Matt’s updated design (lower version) is coming out this month. It feels more robust and modernized but still retains the original overall style. It’s interesting how just the shape of an apostrophe can make all the difference too, but it does!
D’mok Revival Emblem
It wasn’t until Weun Academy that emblems came into the picture. Before that it was all wordmarks! Sometime around 2016 Matt made the first emblem… Years later I would craft one for D’mok Revival… Intending to look like a Northstar beaming brightly on the horizon (or Rhysus up in the atmosphere blazing in light)… Matt still needs to do an updated version of this. Seeing I don’t fully need this until D’mok Revival book 5 comes out (likely a few years), he has time.
D’mok Universe
We needed a concept to put on the back covers of my first two spin-off series from D’mok Revival. It had to show it was in the same literary universe without confusing people that it was an edition of the D’mok Revival series! In the end, Matt and I feel it holds true to the original while clearly spelling out what the labeled book is offering: a piece of the D’mok Revival expanded literary universe.
Weun Academy
My first spin-off series!! Originally the hands of Segie Weun (originally spelling) with her famous green crystal floating in the air, the Weun Academy Symbol intended would become the emblem worn on all students and faculty (and double as a communicator / AI assistant source). There was a etched stone motif for the outer hands and a 3d rendered crystal as pictured on the left. The updated version, which will appear on the cover and within the Weun Academy book content is now flattened with versions provided for use based on color vs B&W, and background.
It’s simple, elegant, and I love it.
Weun Academy Wordmark
While we had an emblem, we still developed a wordmark. As you can see we “attempted” to look like a real university(-ish). We also attempted to play off the D’mok Revival wordmark. They were all pretty rough (to be nice).
The above version is taken directly off the cover. We have a more “academic looking” font with some flourishes. The emblem is on the spine and inside the book content.
Toriko Tales
My second spin-off series! The very first placeholder emblem started as Toriko’s outline, then a cat’s paw, and finally transformed to a kitty head with a Dragonball Z eye glass device.
Once we started working on “real emblems” Midjourney came into the picture. As a springboard for ideas (not final renders) a range of cat/robot/cinematic emblems were generated.
Then came the updated “let’s represent the virtual and real worlds including robotics/AI” approach.
A rough version based off my original placeholder led the approach followed by a collaboration with Matt.
Finally we landed on the versions above that Matt and I both really love. It even creates some unease with the viewer when looking at the “digital side.”
Evolution over timeand the future
What a ride! I’m so proud of how far branding has come–and impressed with Matt’s amazing skills and contributions! I’m very thankful to have such a creative and invested partner in something so fundamental to my life!!
Can’t wait to see where the third spin-off series, Wayfinder, goes. If you want a little preview… He’s an emblem I did years ago (yes, I’ve known about this spin-off for a long time). Clearly Matt did not work on this. But it’s what I have for now. 😀
Amazing visuals are required to make even the best story get noticed. I’m very thankful for all the time, effort, and creativity Matt continues to put into the D’mok universe.
Weun Academy’s book one softcover edition will release this month (August)! These days softcovers are considered soft launches where publishers and authors share upcoming projects to drive interest and get early reviews. The strategy is by the time the main ebook launches there’s plenty of “social proof” reviews to get new eyeballs and readers! The ebook will be going on Book Sirens within two weeks or so to get early eyeballs and posts.
It seems strange to say the softcover is a soft launch, but ebooks are the majority of sales these days! That said, we will also offer a hardcover edition for those that want a truly special edition for their shelves.
Matt and I are putting together a presentation around the Weun Academy softcover design. Holding a “cover reveal” event is a must-do these days. We’d love to share what process we went through to land on such a phenomenal design! As soon as we have a date for the event I’ll post it. We’re going to record the session just in case you can’t make it.
The ebook launch of Weun Academy: The Shadow Maker is still planned for late October!
How about Toriko Tales, you ask? The content for the softcover edition is completely done. It follows a similar formatting used by Weun Academy’s softcover, which helped. Though, we have a completely new series logo design that took numerous iterations to get right.
The front cover design is complete! It’s VERY different than any book within the D’mok Revival series and completely contrasts with Weun Academy’s design. Matt really dug deep to create an interesting, high tech, cat-gal, contemporary cover… Don’t worry about the use of “contemporary” here! Many of you have seen Kindle Direct Publishing, Amazon, Audible, and store shelves littered with books with covers of mostly a few HUGE WORDS and some semblance of “an image” behind them or integrated into or around the words.
I get the strategy for “those types of covers.” Digital consumers mostly see thumbnails on one Amazon platform or another. The big words stand out to get attention and quickly convey a vibe. But … that’s not us. People always judge a book by its cover. So, we want to give them a bit more of a show. Expect a cover reveal for Toriko Tales in early October (date to be announced). The launch of the book for Toriko Tales is planned for mid-December 2025… So still this year (technically)!
The dmokrevival.com Web site design is slowly getting upgraded. Content revisions for the original D’mok Revival series books are in. Weun Academy information has been added. The top content of the homepage has been revised to spotlight the two books, along with the ability for people to subscribe for updates! A complete design overhaul is needed but likely not going to happen until the two books are launched.
I am going to enhance the site so the homepage can transform into more of a landing page when a code is passed in the URL. This way I can do targeted landing pages for Weun Academy and Toriko Tales without spawning other HTML, etc. That’s the plan for the moment at least… I do plan on performing some competitive research on landing page best practices just to see if I need to revise that plan to be more effective with my marketing.
There’s a new offering as a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association that I’m going to take advantage of. Apparently there’s a whole promotion apparatus there! I’ll post about details as it moves forward. But I’m glad to have the help of such an amazing organization and peer group!
Feels like it’s been a long (very long) time coming, but 2025 is the year. I’ve now worked with all three professionals (JD, Courtney, and Johnathan). The finalized Weun Academy and Toriko Manuscripts are ready, Matt has been working hard on both covers, manuscript reviews from Readers’ Favorite and Reader Views are underway.
I’m taking the amazing marketing work done with JD and enhancing it with a more complete launch plan starting April 1st. My goal is to launch in October.
I still need to work out if I’m doing a parallel launch with Toriko Tales at the same time as Weun Academy, or if Toriko Tales will come 3-6 months later. Technically I shouldn’t flood the market with all my available books. Contemporary strategies suggest I would get all I could from the market with Weun Academy and then keep the market fed by releasing Toriko Tales. Using up all my available stories at one time would put more pressure on me not only to sell what I released, but also fast track my next works. Dual wielding like that could be difficult!
Anyway, good news is: you’ll see a lot more of me and the D’mok literary universe! Stay tuned!
First, exciting progress on the Weun Academy: The Shadow Maker cover. This is a very rough first draft done by my husband Matt Zummo. We already have professional feedback to make the author name and book title larger. Regardless, I wanted to show the latest direction.
Again, not done, but very exciting!
I have secured Jonathan Oliver to do the final editing of the reworked Weun Academy 1 manuscript.
He is a well-known editor and author in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. Jonathan Oliver served as the Editor-in-Chief at both Solaris and Abaddon Books, where he oversaw the publication of numerous critically acclaimed anthologies and novels. He also wrote two novels for Abaddon Books, titled The Call of Kerberos and The Wrath of Kerberos​.
Among his credits is proofreading Brandon Sanderson’s “The Way of Kings” and “Rhythm of War” books. Work is scheduled for February 2025. Well worth the wait.
I will also be working with JD Barker for Weun Academy marketing starting in October 2024.
J.D. Barker, a renowned New York Times bestselling author and a highly respected book coach. Barker is well-known for his expertise in writing, marketing, and self-publishing, and he has guided numerous authors, including those who have achieved New York Times bestseller status. His coaching style is celebrated for being personalized, approachable, and highly effective, particularly in helping authors navigate the complexities of book promotion and marketing. Barker also offers various services, such as manuscript critiques, marketing strategy consultations, and detailed editorial guidance, all aimed at helping writers succeed in the publishing industry​.
I’m hoping to take what I learn for Weun Academy and apply it both to Toriko Tales and to the original D’mok Revival books.
Speak of Toriko Tales, Courtney Andersson, who has experience in IPs like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly, will be doing the final editing and proofing passes on Toriko Tales: Toriko vs the Crowned Paw! This work will begin in January 2025.
Cortney Andersson is an experienced editor who works primarily with the Mandala Publishing and Earth Aware Editions imprints, both subsidiaries of Insight Editions. In her role, she manages the entire editorial process for about 10-12 titles per year, collaborating closely with authors, designers, and other key stakeholders. Her portfolio includes several award-winning projects, and she has played a significant role in the publication of New York Times Best Sellers. She is known for her ability to guide complex projects from acquisition through to publication, ensuring high-quality outcomes.
Both titles will be released in 2025, with exact timeframes to be determined.
I just checked and saw how long it had been since I wrote a blog post. Where does the time go?
Our first board game based on the D’mok Revival series: HoverDome: Red Canyon Run was delivered to all Kickstarter Backers. We even had some board game stores pick it up. Having completed that herculean task, I’ve been able to focus back on my next novels.
Weun Academy: The Shadow Maker has been totally overhauled and swelled from 120,000 words to 147,000! I realize the recommended size for a science fiction work written by an unknown like me is between 80-120,000 words. Once I decided this will likely be another self-published work, it freed me to expand key sections. This included the last two chapters that were thrown away and rewritten free of word constraints. I’m very happy with the result.
I’m seeking new eyes to do one final editing pass, in addition to publicity and marketing professionals. I’m happy with what I did back in 2013 with D’mok Revival’s original launch. My goals now are very different. In a perfect world, hungry fans would demand a constant stream of stories the D’mok Revival literary universe. I won’t get there doing everything myself. That’s what the professionals are for.
That said, Matt and I are working on the updated cover design for Weun Academy: The Shadow Maker. We’ve decided to focus on Weun Academy’s iconic crystal gate and campus. This process has evolved how I see it, leading to changes in the manuscript! We have quite a bit of work on the Silver Tower and other structures appearing in the shot. We both know it’s right direction to pull people in.
Hot on the heels of Weun Academy is Toriko Tales: Toriko vs The Crowned Paw. The manuscript is completed and edited. We have rough cover concepts. I want to take all the learnings and interactions with professionals from Weun Academy and roll it forward into the future release of Toriko Tales. So, it’s a ways off yet.
In between working on the cover and securing professional resources, I’m constantly expanding the source materials for Weun Academy 2: The Shadow Touched. I have fifty pages of short stories and character interviews, and thirty pages of notes so far. It’s wonderful to see the movie trailer for this book playing clearly in my mind.
Because my mind loves to work on too many things at one time, I’ve also jotted down scenes and notes for D’mok Revival 5 and the third spin-off, Wayfinder.
Needless to say, you can expect a great deal more from me. I can’t wait to see what happens in this literary universe. I hope someday soon you’ll be able to experience it too!
It’s been some time since my last update. Sometimes even thinking about doing a post gets lost among my job, family, side projects, and other social media posts. But so much has happened.
First, HoverDome: Red Canyon Run made it’s Kickstarter goals, was manufactured, shipped, and delivered! There’s even two sites for it: 1) the marketing site, 2) the ecommerce site others can still purchase the game with (while supplies last). Matt, Derek, and I (“Frozen Soul Games”) are so proud of what we accomplished. I’m also thrilled that a little part of my D’mok literary universe has been brought into our real world too, since HoverDome was the hoverbike racing arena in books 3 and 4.
My first book in the Toriko Tales series is completely done and edited! I have a placeholder site for this as well. It won’t further develop until it’s published (formally or self-published). Matt’s going to help me with the cover design (assuming it goes forward as self-published). I do need to get Weun Academy 1 out first since Toriko Tales mentions places and characters from that series.
Speaking of Weun Academy: The Shadow Maker, after finishing Toriko Tales I discovered my writing style had elevated once again. In fact, going back and re-reading Weun Academy opened my eyes to the many ways it could be improved. Thankfully, WA had yet to be released. So, I went back end edited it. I added over 13,000 words, edited the vast majority of every page, improved dialog, enhanced character depth, and more. I’m very happy with the way the story evolved. Currently my friend Dan is reviewing it. I hope to have one other as well, before I send it back to Arlene for editing. Then, it too will be ready for release. Matt is also helping me with this cover. It’s been so long since he and I talked about it–before we formally worked on the Kickstarter for HoverDome. Matt loves his projects, and I can happily provide them! Lucky for me!
As a result of editing Weun Academy, I’ve reconnected with those characters and that place. It’s actually what I was hoping to accomplish. Going off and writing the locations, situations, and new characters of Toriko Tales really pulled me away from WA. The editing undid that. In my last blog post I mentioned I had started WA2. Outside of occasional backstories, not much had happened with it since. I felt it calling to me again. More characters appeared in little snippets in my mind talking or doing things. I went back and reread what I wrote as the intro so long ago. While it wasn’t bad, something wasn’t clicking. I needed to go back and understand what exactly happened between books 1 and 2 to get the start and ultimate tone of book 2 right.
So, I sat down and worked on some short stories. I know exactly what happens the day after WA1 ends. I won’t give details since only a handful (by Beta readers) know why that’s important. But that exposed the next thing I needed to understand, and the next thing after that. I found a chain of things that had to be addressed before attempting to write WA2.
I’m still in throws of those mid-steps. I can clearly see them, and have even done outlines on the “movie trailer” snippets of the short stories. I really love what’s coming together. Best of all, it’s so natural. The words just flow, mostly because I’m documenting the movie playing in my head. I’m thankful to have that so clearly back again. There was a time during Toriko Tales where it had evaporated on me.
I don’t know how long it will take me to write WA2. On average a full novel (especially ones the size of Weun Academy) can take two years. That said, I wrote D’mok Revival book 4 in months, and it was nearly the size of WA1. So, we shall see. It’s really up to life.
As always I can see the clear tied between happenings in my life, Matt’s life, Derek’s life, and the world that integrate directly into my stories. I felt like COVID’s isolation would manifest in a major way in WA2, perhaps lots of virtual learning like my son had to do. But that’s not what I see anymore. Certainly there is isolation. But for a much smaller subset of students, and all due to the shadow from WA1. Again, I shouldn’t say too much more due to spoilers.
Regardless, I can’t wait to see how this goes and how everything turns out. It might be possible to go from WA2 directly to D’mok Revival 5. Originally I intended on writing Wayfinder 1 after WA2, then DR5… But I see a path to holding off Wayfinder 1.
I mentioned a while back that the angst building inside of me from COVID 19 living wanted an outlet. A few months back, despite my attempts to ignore it, Weun Academy 2 made itself known. In fact, after waking up at 3am one morning, it demanded I write some things down before being able to go back to sleep.
While there were scenes and glimpses into WA2, I was able to stay focused on completing Toriko Tales. As many of you saw, when the final push came, Toriko Tales wrapped up 10,000 words in a week. But I believe there was a reason for that happening.
Ever since, my mind has been flooded with scenes and still pictures from Weun Academy 2. I couldn’t help but wake up (at 2 or 3 AM) to write down musings.
I already love how the continued COVID angst, on going adaptations in US politics, and even my every day life continues to weave together to form the foundation of this new story!
For those Beta readers who reviewed WA1: The Shadow Maker, Eisah threatened “something” at the end… Well, he made good on that something. While book 2 doesn’t start off explaining the event, it certainly set things in motion leading to the dynamics which follow. I actually wrote the short story tonight detailing what that event was (so that I know the details).
But what if you were not a beta reader for Weun Academy 1? Good question! I tried with 25 or so agents and received nothing but rejections (obviously). The few that explained said they wouldn’t know how to market the book, etc. I’m considering moving forward with self-publishing again. I really do believe in the book and feel it could earn an agent, but I also want to share it with people beyond my amazing Beta readers! I finished writing it back in 2018! I want it in the hands of the public!
It will be difficult to release WA2 if WA1 isn’t already on shelves or kindle. We shall see.
Another quick update, I’m now co-owner of Frozen Soul Games. It’s first product will be HoverDome: Red Canyon Run, modeled after the mobile space arena of the same name as presented in books three and four of D’mok Revival! I’m very excited. The Kickstarter for this effort is planned for May 1, 2021.
One final item, I’m updating the dmokrevival.com Web site. The design has been out there since I released my third book. It’s time for a refresh. The preview can be found at http://www.dmokrevival.com/_dev_index.html. Let me know what you think if you have a moment.
So, between reviewing Weun Academy 1 and determining the way forward, getting feedback from beta readers on Toriko Tales, getting ready to launch the HoverDome Kickstarter, reworking my series Web site, and working the start-up process for Weun Academy 2, there’s just a few things going on!
I’m happy to report the first draft of Toriko Tales is complete! It took so much longer than anticipated. Of course, a global pandemic, change of job, and occasional writers-block will cause delays!
As the title suggests, Toriko from the main D’mok Revival series is the main protagonist. The great part of the book takes place on her homeworld of Tericn, and centers on the topic on artificial intelligence. More specifically the ethics and varied cultural responses to this advanced technology. As always, there’s plenty of interpersonal conflict, including the trauma of her parents demise when she was a child, and her ongoing relationship struggles with her older sister. Also, an entire set of new characters join the D’mok Revival literary universe.
Readers can expect plenty of references and cameos to characters from the D’mok Revival and Weun Academy series. Even though the Murai Dome and Tericn was visited in the first book of the D’mok Revival series, only a few areas were explored at that time. This required me to do extensive construction of the 11 versions (“levels”) of the Murai Dome itself and explain how the some of the older technologies are still leveraged to create the living environment currently inhabited by Terconians.
I wrote over forth-three pages (16,800 words) of backstory so I could authentically represent the new characters, circumstances, and locations feature in Toriko Tales. Some of these written explorations were used to break through the few instances of writer’s block suffered. I found the reason I could not move forward was because I didn’t understand the history of the characters or location in the scene. This technique became my “go to method” to get that “movie playing in my head” again.
I’ve reached out to my amazing author Arlene Robinson, and we’re working out the details to have her edit my latest work. I’m thrilled to be teaming up with Arlene again!
My immediate next steps are
Incorporate feedback my Matt Zummo (my first line of review)
Get the manuscript out to my Beta Readers and incorporate their feedback
Get the manuscript in the hands of Arlene Robinson
Determine if I’ll self-publish or go for an agent
So, what’s it like? Toriko Tales is forty chapters strong, with a prologue and epilogue. The final product will include details about Tericn’s capital city the Murai Dome, and the translations of conversations between Toriko and Spark (which appear in binary in the main book).
The current manuscript comes in at 81,597 words. My original goal, the lower-bound for science fiction novels, was 80,000. I truly feel it was the right size to tell this Toriko focused story. It certainly sets up many dynamics in the D’mok literary universe, many of which will begin to be seen in Weun Academy 2 and D’mok Revival book 5.
Here’s a little preview of the (working) chapter names:
Invictus
Spilled Milk
The EEE
Phrenicide
The Ardent Syndrome
The Prodigal Kitten
The Catadel
Punitive Cogitation
Mini-T v2
Creature Comforts
The Mind Hack
Team Purg
Murai Dome v9
Cat fight
The Evidence Vault
Army of the Broken
Wound Licking
The Catress’ Lair
Level One
Sirra AI
The First Lie
The Past Is Present
Old Wounds
PvE
The Alternative
The Closer
Clara Mortem
The Crowned Paw
The “Do Different”
Uncrating
Bansa
Edrell Lab
Sins of the Parents
Eudorian Sanctuary
Hacker Royale
The First Meridian
Destination Known
T-Town
The Manufactory
Fallout
I’ll keep you posted as editing is done and next steps are taken.
In the meantime, I’m going back and reviewing Weun Academy 1’s manuscript. It never did find an agent. I may move forward with self-publishing that title at this point.
ALSO, as many of you know, Weun Academy 2: The Sabereth Incident is already a few pages in! I know, I can’t help it. I think I’m addicted to writing. I’m taking a moment to retread and run my formal process of understanding the character, location, and plot in order to advanced WA2’s manuscript. More on that in a future post!
I just had “a moment.” You know those scenes in a movie where a writer is furiously writing and crying at the same time–in the zone–emotion erupting. I always thought that was so cheesy. Not anymore.
I’m working on Toriko Tales in chapter 23 titled “old wounds.” It’s central to explaining a lot of Toriko’s formative past and impacted present. But going back and touching Toriko’s memories, things she had long buried (and perhaps had professionally blocked) trauma was–painful.
It’s fascinating, embarrassing, and enheartening to cry over something that happened to “your character.”
Anyone who knows me understands “my characters” are far from words on a page. They’ve always been people–friends–that I get to visit and know better when I write. That sounds like a desperate plea for help, but it’s not. It’s just how writers work.
“Write what you know.” Well, I know them.
With every word that I typed, my own eyes awash, I kept
thinking “I’m so sorry, Toriko. I
am so sorry.” As if her pain was “real.”
Now, obviously this is coming from somewhere. Childhood
trauma. Disconnection from parents and context. Everything being turned upside
down. I have plenty of things from my own life that’s clearly inspiring this
grander version of things. Perhaps that’s what was releasing. Certainly, the way she comes back from it is
the mantra I use concerning acknowledging past loss and pain, then focusing on
what I have today.
But shesh! Intense!
I hope it translates to future readers and feels authentic
as it had for me.
