Brandon Sanderson (@BrandSanderson) is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Stormlight Archive series and the Mistborn saga; the middle-grade series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians; and the young-adult novels The Rithmatist, the Reckoners trilogy, and the Skyward series. He has sold more than 40 million books in 35 languages, and he is a four-time nominee for the Hugo Awards, winning in 2013 for his novella The Emperor’s Soul. That same year, he was chosen to complete Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series, culminating in A Memory of Light.
Brandon cohosts (with fellow author Dan Wells) the popular Intentionally Blank podcast and teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University.
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#794: Brandon Sanderson on Building a Fiction Empire, Creating $40M+ Kickstarter Campaigns, Unbreakable Habits, The Art of World-Building, and The Science of Magic Systems
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DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:
Note from Tim’s team: The below will be updated with the final list of links and timestamps shortly.
Books
- Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly: A middle-aged woman and her husband go on a quest to kill a dragon and save the kingdom.
- The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson: A fantasy novel with a hard magic system where characters can use metal to enhance their abilities.
- Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien: An epic fantasy novel centered around the One Ring and a magic system based on the powers of Gandalf.
- The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss: A fantasy novel that Brandon Sanderson considers a brilliant first novel.
- On Writing by Stephen King: A book about the craft of writing that emphasizes the importance of finding your own way as a writer.
- How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by Orson Scott Card: A guide to writing fantasy and science fiction that emphasizes the importance of world-building.
- Writing to Sell by Scott Meredith: A guide to writing that focuses on the business side of publishing.
- Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need by Blake Snyder: A book about screenwriting that provides a structured approach to storytelling.
- Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies by Blake Snyder: A book about screenwriting that examines different genres within the field.
- Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson: A fantasy novel with a hard magic system where characters can use metal to enhance their abilities.
- The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson: A series of epic fantasy novels with a complex magic system and a focus on character development.
- The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch: A fantasy heist novel that is more focused on the heist genre than Sanderson’s Mistborn series.
- The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan: An epic fantasy series that was finished by Brandon Sanderson after Robert Jordan’s death.
- Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay: A standalone fantasy novel that is slower-paced than modern fantasy but digs deep into one world.
- Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay: A standalone fantasy novel that is slower-paced than modern fantasy but digs deep into one world.
- The Princess Bride by William Goldman: A fantasy novel that is fun and whimsical, but doesn’t take itself too seriously.
- Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson: A standalone fantasy novel that is a good starting point for readers new to Sanderson’s work.
Movies
- Avatar: A science fiction film that features a conlang created specifically for the movie.
- Sneakers: A heist film that Brandon Sanderson cites as one of his favorites.
- The Sting: A heist film that Brandon Sanderson cites as one of his favorites.
- Ocean’s Eleven: A heist film that Brandon Sanderson cites as one of his favorites.
- The Italian Job: A heist film that Brandon Sanderson cites as one of his favorites.
- The Princess Bride: A fantasy film that is fun and whimsical, but doesn’t take itself too seriously.
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: A classic film written by William Goldman, the author of The Princess Bride.
Shows
- Writing Excuses (Podcast): A podcast about the craft of writing, featuring Brandon Sanderson and other authors.
- Whose Line Is It Anyway?: An improv comedy show that Brandon Sanderson uses as inspiration for his writing exercises.
- Game of Thrones: A fantasy TV series based on the books by George R.R. Martin, known for its complex characters and unpredictable plot.
- Arcane: A fantasy TV series that features a magepunk aesthetic, where magic is combined with technology.
- The Colbert Report: A satirical news show that once featured Brandon Sanderson’s picture in a segment about Zeppelins.
- The History Channel: A TV channel that Brandon Sanderson’s former editor, Moshe, used to watch as a form of self-medication.
Institutions
- Brigham Young University: The university where Brandon Sanderson currently teaches a creative writing class.
- UC Irvine: The university where Brandon Sanderson’s 8th-grade English teacher, Ms. Reader, wanted to be a professor.
- The Hugo Awards: The Academy Awards of science fiction and fantasy, where Brandon Sanderson once received a pin from Cory Doctorow.
Concepts
- Conlang: A constructed language, such as Klingon or Elvish, that is created specifically for a fictional world.
- World Builder’s Disease: The tendency for fantasy writers to get bogged down in world-building at the expense of the story.
- The Hero’s Journey: A common narrative structure in fantasy, where a hero goes on a quest, faces challenges, and ultimately triumphs over evil.
- Three Act Play: A common narrative structure in plays and films, where the story is divided into three acts: setup, confrontation, and resolution.
- Magepunk: A subgenre of fantasy where magic is combined with technology, such as in the TV series Arcane.
- Sanderson’s Laws of Magic: Three rules that Brandon Sanderson follows when creating magic systems for his fantasy novels.
Companies
- Dragonsteel: Brandon Sanderson’s company, which handles the production and distribution of his books and merchandise.
- Random House Audio: The audiobook publisher that Brandon Sanderson works with.
- Tor: Brandon Sanderson’s primary publisher for his fantasy novels.
- Macmillan: The parent company of Tor, which was involved in a dispute with Amazon over ebook pricing.
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: The religious organization that Brandon Sanderson is a member of, which influenced his decision to go on a mission to Korea.
- Celsius: A science fiction and fantasy convention in Spain that Brandon Sanderson has attended.
- USA Today: A national newspaper that once featured a story about Zeppelins, which led to Brandon Sanderson’s picture appearing on The Colbert Report.
- Discord: A social media platform that Brandon Sanderson uses to communicate with his beta readers.
- Book Talk: A book review website that has helped drive sales of Brandon Sanderson’s book, Tress of the Emerald Sea.
- Steam: A digital distribution platform for video games, which Brandon Sanderson uses to play games in his free time.
- Kickstarter: A crowdfunding platform that Brandon Sanderson has used to successfully fund the publication of his books.
Additional helpful items:
- “Brandon Sanderson’s BYU Lectures on Writing Fantasy”: This YouTube playlist contains Brandon Sanderson’s lectures on writing fantasy, which cover topics such as worldbuilding, magic systems, and character development.
- “King Sejong the Great“: This Wikipedia article provides information on King Sejong the Great, the Korean king who created the Korean writing system.
- “Hangul“: This Wikipedia article provides information on the Korean writing system, including its history and structure.
- “How to Read Korean in 15 Minutes“: This webcomic provides a basic introduction to the Korean writing system.
- “Esperanto“: This Wikipedia article provides information on Esperanto, a constructed language that is intended to be easy to learn and use as a universal second language.
- “Writing Excuses“: This website provides information on the Writing Excuses podcast, which features Brandon Sanderson and other authors discussing the craft of writing.
- “Brandon Sanderson’s First Law of Magic“: This blog post explains Brandon Sanderson’s First Law of Magic, which states that an author’s ability to solve conflict with magic is directly proportional to how well the reader1 understands said magic.
- “The Death Spiral in Publishing“: This article explains the concept of the death spiral in publishing, where a book’s sales decline with each subsequent printing, leading to fewer copies being ordered and less visibility in bookstores.
- “The Cosmere“: This Coppermind page provides information on the Cosmere, the shared universe that connects many of Brandon Sanderson’s fantasy novels.
- “Sanderson’s Three Laws of Magic“: This blog post explains Brandon Sanderson’s Three Laws of Magic, which are guidelines that he follows when creating magic systems for his fantasy novels.
Timestamps:
00:00 Meet Brandon Sanderson
07:10 Soundcheck Fun and Memory Skills
11:21 Brandon’s Writing Journey and Creative Process
25:35 Teaching Creative Writing and Publishing Insights
38:08 Brandon’s Early Reading Experience
44:18 Discovering the Magic of Storytelling
45:32 A Journey from C Student to A Student
47:02 The Influence of a Great Teacher
48:51 Understanding Narrative and Plot
56:42 The Art of Character Development
01:09:42 Balancing Writing and Personal Life
01:24:04 Meeting Editors and Early Struggles
01:24:30 First Book Sale and Financial Realities
01:25:28 The Danger of the Second Book
01:25:49 Hitting the Bestseller List
01:26:34 Amazon and the Changing Market
01:29:03 Entrepreneurial Shift and Direct Sales
01:36:45 Building a Team and Crowdfunding
01:42:50 Kickstarter Success and Lessons Learned
01:52:22 COVID and Creative Freedom
02:02:53 Brandon Sanderson’s Colbert Report Cameo
02:03:48 Kickstarter Success and Subscription Boxes
02:09:01 Test Readers and Feedback Process
02:14:16 Warbreaker and Creative Commons Experiment
02:22:50 Navigating Publishing Deals and Platforms
02:33:26 The Wheel of Time Opportunity
02:42:36 The Call to Finish The Wheel of Time
02:43:10 Negotiating the Deal
02:43:56 The Struggles of Mistborn
02:45:02 The Cosmere and Building an Audience
02:48:25 The Death Spiral in Publishing
02:52:29 Magic Systems and Their Importance
03:00:39 Sanderson’s Three Laws of Magic
03:14:35 The Zero Law and Final Thoughts
Related
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