Brandon Sanderson on Building a Fiction Empire: From 13 Rejected Novels to a $45M Kickstarter and Revolutionizing Fantasy Publishing

The prolific fantasy author reveals how he transformed from a struggling writer who wrote 13 unpublished novels into the creator of fantasy's most successful crowdfunding campaign, while building a multimedia empire that challenges traditional publishing models.

Key Takeaways

• Sanderson wrote 13 novels before selling his first book, treating the first five as "weight training for the mind" without even attempting to publish them
• His company Dragon Steel Entertainment employs 400 people across seven business centers, designed entirely around maximizing his creative output while handling everything else
• The 2022 Kickstarter campaign raised $45 million for four secret novels written during COVID, becoming the highest-funded publishing project in crowdfunding history
• He maintains a rigorous 2,000-2,500 words per day writing schedule across two 4-hour blocks, producing roughly 300,000 publishable words annually
• Korean language exposure during his mission profoundly influenced his approach to creating fantasy cultures and linguistic systems in his worldbuilding
• Hard magic systems with scientific consistency became his signature branding tool, distinguishing his work in a crowded fantasy marketplace through the "three laws of magic"
• The traditional publishing industry has lost control to content creators and platform controllers, with Amazon essentially controlling authors' entire careers through market dominance
• His profit-sharing agreements with publishers produce 10-50% better returns than traditional royalty structures, while maintaining control over high-value direct sales
• Teaching writing for over a decade revealed that 90% of successful writers benefit from consistency over binge writing, with habit formation being more crucial than talent
• The "escape velocity of attention" principle explains why even successful creators struggle to reach their existing audiences in today's oversaturated media landscape

From Chemistry Dropout to Fantasy Empire: The Accidental Writer's Journey

• Sanderson never intended to become a writer, falling out of reading entirely by fourth grade after encountering too many "dog dies" books set on Nebraska farms that failed to capture his interest or imagination.
• His transformation began in eighth grade when teacher Miss Reader caught him cheating on a book report and personally recommended "Dragonsbane" by Barbara Hambly - a story about middle-aged people dealing with dragons that unexpectedly built empathy for his mother's midlife sacrifices.
• The book's impact was transformative: "I went from a C student to an A student over summer. C's in eighth grade, A's in ninth grade. Why? Because I discovered stories about wizards. I discovered there was something I wanted to do."
• His mission to South Korea (2000-2002) provided crucial distance from his chemistry major and exposure to linguistic systems that would later influence his fantasy worldbuilding, particularly understanding how language shapes thought and cultural relationships.
• Upon returning, he made the strategic decision to write six novels before attempting to publish any, recognizing that "your first five books are generally terrible" and treating the writing as skill development rather than commercial pursuit.
• The breakthrough came through Dave Farland's creative writing class at BYU, where Sanderson learned actual publishing mechanics rather than just artistic expression: "Here's how you actually construct a narrative. Here's what works, here's what doesn't work, here are tools."

The Dragon Steel Entertainment Machine: Building Around Creative Focus

• Dragon Steel Entertainment employs roughly 400 people across seven business centers, with the explicit mission of "let Brandon cook and take away from Brandon anything that he doesn't have to think about or doesn't strictly need."
• The company structure deliberately removes all non-creative decision-making from Sanderson's daily life, from having his water bottle refilled and ready each morning to handling the logistics of shipping 50,000-100,000 signed items annually.
• Emily Sanderson runs business operations (HR, accounting, logistics, manufacturing, shipping) while Brandon oversees creative development, editorial, and publicity, creating a clear division that protects his writing time.
• The evolution from bedroom startup (literally working on a sheet of MDF placed over their bed) to massive operation occurred through deliberate scaling at major career inflection points: Mistborn success, Wheel of Time opportunity, leather-bound experiments, and the COVID Kickstarter explosion.
• The company's diversification strategy provides business resilience: when film work dropped from 70% to 30-40% of revenue due to Hollywood changes, other divisions (location-based experiences, digital games, merchandising, tourism) compensated for the decline.
• Infrastructure investment enables rapid response to opportunities: maintaining 11 different divisions doing 17 different disciplines under one roof allows them to "turn on a dime" for film projects that typically have 8-week delivery windows.

The $45 Million Kickstarter: How COVID Created Publishing History

• COVID's cancellation of Sanderson's extensive travel schedule (one-third of his days in 2019) provided unexpected time that he used to write four complete novels in secret between his contractual obligations.
• The "Year of Sanderson" campaign announcement video was deliberately crafted as a fake apology/scandal reveal that would go viral: "I am a storyteller and that's a video with a story. I live for the reveal."
• The campaign ultimately reached $45 million (including backend add-ons), shattering the previous crowdfunding record of $21 million, despite only reaching an estimated 5-10% of Sanderson's total fanbase due to platform algorithm limitations.
• The most popular tier wasn't the budget option but the $500 "buy everything" package including four books plus eight months of premium swag boxes, demonstrating that engaged fans prefer comprehensive offerings over minimal entry points.
• Success created the phenomenon where "Tress of the Emerald Sea" (one of the secret novels) became his third-best-selling book through traditional retail after the Kickstarter, proving that "escape velocity of attention" breakthrough moments create lasting commercial impact.
• The campaign required massive logistical coordination: shipping 145,000 copies simultaneously rather than gradual distribution, coordinating merchandise from multiple global suppliers, and managing customer expectations across a year-long fulfillment process.

The Writing Factory: Habits, Systems, and Supernatural Productivity

• Sanderson maintains a strict schedule writing 2,000-2,500 words daily across two 4-hour blocks: afternoon session (1-5 PM) and late-night session (11 PM-3 AM), producing roughly 300,000 publishable words annually.
• His "no writing between 6:30-10:30 PM" rule creates mandatory family time that prevents the writing obsession from consuming all available mental space: "Writing will consume every moment possible and I was always anxious to get back to the story."
• The gym serves as active thinking time rather than pure exercise, allowing him to mentally work through plot problems while maintaining physical activity, followed by immediate transition to productive writing sessions.
• He employs 25-100 beta readers per book, using sophisticated spreadsheet systems (now custom software) to aggregate feedback into actionable insights without drowning in individual opinions: "I want to know what my audience is going to say about a book before I release it."
• His editorial team distills beta reader feedback into manageable summaries, placing only the most relevant 10-20% of comments directly into manuscript drafts, allowing Sanderson to maintain creative flow while benefiting from audience insight.
• The revision process consumes roughly one-third of his total writing time, with some projects requiring complete character personality overhauls (like rewriting 300,000 words of an early Stormlight Archive draft) when fundamental elements aren't working.

Magic Systems as Brand Differentiation: The Three Laws Revolution

• Sanderson deliberately positioned himself as "the magic systems guy" because traditional branding elements (interesting characters, good storytelling) are claimed by every fantasy author, making distinctive positioning crucial for market success.
• His approach combines "science fiction worldbuilding in a fantasy story" where characters apply scientific methodology to magical phenomena, creating scenarios where magic functions as "a new branch of physics that's really fun."
• The Three Laws of Magic emerged from solving specific craft problems: First Law addresses resolution satisfaction, Second Law emphasizes limitations over powers, Third Law prevents scope creep that dilutes focus.
• Hard magic systems enable "fight scenes that are puzzle boxes" where combat becomes intellectual problem-solving rather than pure action, distinguishing his work from traditional fantasy approaches that rely on mysterious or undefined magical capabilities.
• The success of this approach influenced industry trends, with many contemporary fantasy authors adopting similar scientific rigor in their magical worldbuilding, validating Sanderson's early positioning decision.
• His "Zeroth Law" - "always err on the side of what's awesome" - provides creative permission to break established rules when something genuinely cool emerges, balancing systematic approach with spontaneous inspiration.

Publishing Revolution: From Traditional Gatekeepers to Creator Control

• The 2012 Amazon-MacMillan dispute, where Amazon removed all MacMillan books (including Sanderson's) due to pricing disagreements, demonstrated that traditional publishing had ceded control to platform monopolies rather than bookstore relationships.
• This realization prompted Sanderson's diversification strategy: "Having one person be able to turn off my books was a big deal to me. I cannot be subject to that."
• His profit-sharing agreements with publishers typically produce 10-50% better returns than traditional royalty structures, achieved by "taking a sledgehammer" to standard Hollywood accounting practices in publishing contracts.
• E-book self-publishing provides superior returns (70% vs. traditional royalties), while audiobook self-publishing faces platform control challenges but still outperforms publisher deals despite Audible's complex credit system.
• The leather-bound direct sales experiment proved massive untapped market demand: where publishers sold 250 copies at $250 each, Sanderson now sells 50,000 copies at $100-250 directly to consumers.
• Traditional publishing retains advantages in print distribution and can charge higher e-book prices due to negotiated platform relationships, but creators control content and increasingly sophisticated audiences seek direct relationships with creators.

The Wheel of Time Inheritance: How an Unknown Author Got Fantasy's Biggest Gig

• Robert Jordan's widow Harriet McDougal called Sanderson in 2007 based solely on a three-paragraph blog post he'd written about Jordan's influence, leading to the most coveted assignment in fantasy literature.
• At the time of the call, Sanderson had only three published books and was still commercially unproven, with Mistborn struggling in the marketplace due to cover art and positioning issues.
• The selection process came down to Sanderson versus George R.R. Martin, with Martin eliminated due to his own series commitments, leaving Sanderson as the candidate who balanced writing skill with deep series knowledge.
• Jordan had written approximately 50 pages of the final book plus extensive notes, requiring Sanderson to complete the story across three volumes while maintaining consistency with 11 previous books and millions of devoted fans' expectations.
• The assignment transformed Sanderson's career trajectory, providing credibility and exposure that accelerated his independent projects, though he emphasizes the collaborative nature of the entire production team's contribution.
• The experience taught valuable lessons about managing fan expectations, working within established creative constraints, and the responsibility that comes with inheriting beloved fictional worlds.

Teaching the Craft: Insights from a Decade in the Classroom

• Sanderson's BYU creative writing course begins with the premise "we're going to pretend you want to be a professional writer earning a full-time living in the next 10 years" to focus instruction on practical career building rather than artistic expression alone.
• The second crucial principle: "you're going to have to learn when to ignore me" because survivorship bias makes it impossible to determine which specific advice contributed to any author's success.
• His diagnostic approach provides targeted exercises only when students demonstrate specific problems (dialogue issues, revision loops, etc.) rather than generic assignments, recognizing that different writers need different tools from the available toolkit.
• The course emphasizes habit formation over technique: consistent daily writing (35,000 words over a semester leading to 100,000+ annually) with goal tracking and environmental cues that support sustained creative practice.
• His experience reveals that roughly 90% of successful writers benefit from consistency over binge writing, though he acknowledges the 10% who thrive on intensive cabin retreats followed by extended breaks.
• The contradiction between Stephen King (no outlines, discovery writing) and Orson Scott Card (outlines essential) illustrates why students must experiment with opposing approaches to find their personal optimal method.

The Future of Media: Platform Control and Attention Economics

• The "escape velocity of attention" principle explains why even successful creators struggle to reach their existing audiences in today's algorithm-controlled social media landscape, where follower counts no longer guarantee message delivery.
• Traditional social media platforms shifted from chronological feeds to algorithmic curation in the 2010s, requiring creators to achieve viral momentum just to communicate with their own audiences.
• Sanderson's success stems partly from understanding that personal websites matter less than aggregate platforms (like Tor's Reactor site) where readers expect to find curated content, similar to how readers prefer platform-native e-book purchases over direct sales.
• The power dynamic has simplified to "content creators and platform controllers" with traditional publishing middlemen losing relevance, though they retain value in specific distribution channels and can provide superior deal terms through scale.
• Future success requires creators to "learn how to manipulate all the different platforms" rather than relying on any single distribution method, building diversified audience relationships that aren't dependent on any platform's continued cooperation.
• The subscription box model's failure point (eventually running out of quality items to justify continued subscription) influenced Sanderson's limited eight-box approach that prioritizes quality over retention, applying lessons about sustainable fan relationships.

The conversation reveals how a systematic approach to creativity, combined with entrepreneurial instincts and deep understanding of changing media dynamics, can transform individual artistic practice into a sustainable creative enterprise that challenges industry assumptions about author-audience relationships.