Brandon Sanderson's Blog, page 41

Wisconsin This Weekend + Updates

I’m heading to Wisconsin tomorrow to attend Odyssey Con (registration required). I will be a Guest of Honor alongside Margaret Weis and Marjorie Liu. You can see my event schedule below or on the upcoming events page on my website. I hope to see many of you there!

Saturday, April 9

Interview with Brandon Sanderson

Time: 2:30–4:00 p.m.

Location: Oakbrook 1

Signing

Time: 1:00–2:30 p.m.

Location: Lobby

MTG with Brandon Sanderson

Time: 9:00–11:30 p.m.

Location: Lobby

Sunday, April 10

World-building Upgrades

Time: 11:30–1:00 p.m.

Location: Oakbrook 3

Magical Ethics

Time: 1:00-2:30 p.m.

Location: Oakbrook 1

In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, The Element of Adventure, we begin April’s topic on the Element of Adventure. Our exploration begins with a description and definition of this element, and how it is discreet from other elemental genres.

Last week, in Tor.com’s continuing reread posts for Words of Radiance, we reviewed the letter comprising the epigraphs of Part Four, with one old friend urging another to stop interfering in things above his pay grade. This week, in Interludes 12 and 13, we examine scenes taking place in Kholinar and Narak respectively.

My assistant Adam has updated the Twitter post archive for March.

Alcatraz is Back!

I’ve been touring around so much lately, I haven’t had a chance to do write about something very important to me. My middle grade fantasy series, Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, is finally back in print. Huzzah!

These goofy books have quite the devoted following, and over the years one of the number one questions I got was when the series would return. We had a problem with the previous publisher—well, multiple problems. In the end we parted ways, and the intrepid publisher of my epic fantasy books (and The Rithmatist), Tor Books, came to the rescue, offering to do quality reissues.

It took us a long time, because I wanted to do these books right this time. When I first published the books, I didn’t have the experience in the industry that I do now. And a lot went wrong, both on my part and on the publisher’s part, in bringing them to the world.

The first two reissued books are already out in stores right now. The next two are coming soon, with the brand-new, previously unreleased fifth book in September! I’d appreciate you giving them a look. You’ll most likely find them in the young readers section of your bookstore. (These are ostensibly targeted a little younger than The Rithmatist, which you should find in the YA section.)

If you’ve never given the books a shot, I’ll provide a pitch for you below. If you already enjoy the Alcatraz books, you can skip that and go right to the What’s New in These Editions section below that.

The Pitch:

These books are ridiculous in an awesome way.

I started the first one because I needed a break from the Mistborn series. You see, my intent was to write Mistborn straight through as a trilogy. I wanted the final one completed before the first one had to be done with editing.

This was super ambitious of me to try, and while I pulled it off, I did need a distraction between books. A palate cleanser. (This was the first place where I realized I’m much more effective as a writer if I take periodic breaks to try something new, refreshing myself for the writing process.)

In this case, I needed something freeform, loose, and fun. I started with a brainstorming session, trying to pull together the best—but most screwy—ideas that I could. Things that I thought were very fun, but which would never work in a more traditional fantasy novel.

What I did in brainstorming reminds me a lot of how an improv comedy troupe comes up with jokes—toss a bunch of props in a bag, shake them up, and then start pulling them out and see what you can do with them. The first novel was a pure joy of discovery writing, with me juggling multiple elements in an attempt to hit all the points I’d set up for myself. It was so much fun, I did another one between the next two epic fantasy books I wrote.

Because of this, these books are very different from my other books. They’re comedies, for one thing, with a sarcastic narrator who makes fun of the writing process. You get a lot of (hopefully entertaining) commentary from the narrator on what makes books work, along with a lot of the hallmarks of my writing—done in a new way.

For example, everyone in Alcatraz’s family has talents—being able to arrive late to appointments, or being really, really bad at dancing. Both of these become super powers, in a Sanderson-esque magic system, but with a strange twist. When I’m asked who the books are for, I really feel that the perfect target is 10–14-year-old kids who are too smart for their own good, and who like a healthy dose of sarcasm. But if you’ve got an inner child with that kind of sensibility, you might like them too.

Either way, have a look at the samples, and see if it’s something that would appeal to you.

The Reissues

I’ve never, ever been satisfied with the covers of the Alcatraz books.

The original American covers were misfires. Though I like the illustrator, the direction the publisher had him take for the books just never worked. They were a busy CG and photography mashup that ended up looking like a collage.

However, I understand their difficulty in trying to figure out how to capture these books. Publishers around the world have tried all kinds of tactics, and none have ever really clicked. The problem is that the books are an epic adventure comedy mix, and that’s hard to convey without looking silly. Many countries take one of two approaches. Either they just put abstract symbols on the cover, kind of avoiding the issue, or they try to make them look like Brandon Sanderson epic fantasy novels—which I think is unfair. Readers need to know going into these books that they’re intended to be lighthearted.

That’s why I like Tor’s take on these so much, painted by Scott Brundage. The following images are, for the first time, covers that capture the feel of the books. Explosive, fun, but also decidedly strange. After we got the first few sketches, I knew we were heading somewhere incredible.

Getting good covers was a primary goal for these reissues, but there was more we wanted to do. These books practically scream for interior illustrations. So we contacted Hailey Lazo, an illustrator who had done some Alcatraz fanart we liked online. She sent us some sketches and we fell in love with them, immediately hiring her for the project.

Each of these books is packed with drawings of characters, places, scenes. Many of them are little inserts rather than full page spreads—and they match the tone of the books perfectly. If you have the old editions, you might want to consider an upgrade.

We needed one last piece to make these editions special. In the first book, Alcatraz comes across a map of the world—one that stuns him, as it contains new continents he’d never heard of. Nothing evokes just how bizarre all this is more than seeing it laid out in visual form as a world map, and so it was time to call in Isaac (cartographer for Mistborn and the Stormlight books, among others) to give us his best Alcatraz map.

It has been printed in full color on the inside of the jackets. That’s right—your hardcover book jacket doubles as a poster map of the world. I love this idea, and I would like to try it out for future books like in the Stormlight series. It seems pretty handy to be able to pull off the jacket, set it out, and use the map for reference while reading.

This is only on the print edition, and only on the hardcovers, so give them a look! Many of the stores where I went on tour (listed below) had copies in stock, and they might even have some signed ones left!

Anyway, thank you so much for supporting this quirky little series over the years. It’s back because of your enthusiasm. You wouldn’t let it die, and these beautiful new editions are your (and my) reward.

Brandon

Writing Excuses Patreon + Updates

Writing Excuses, my podcast, now has a Patreon.

Patreon is a different kind of crowdfunding vehicle. Here, instead of giving money to fund some product, you give a little money each month to support an ongoing artistic endeavor. In turn, based on how much you are pledging each month, you get rewards.

I have no intent to start a Patreon for my own writing. I feel you already support me in that more than well enough. I have the freedom to write the books I love, and the best thing you can do for me there is just to read them. (And maybe suggest them to your friends.)

Writing Excuses is a different beast. It’s meant as a public service, primarily for writers, but really for anyone who is interested in the process of telling a story. If you haven’t ever listened to it, I suggest starting with the first episode of Season Ten, last year’s run.

Writing Excuses has a lot of costs associated with it. We feel it’s important to do in person, because of the chemistry of the hosts, so we spend a lot on plane tickets. We also hire audio engineers, buy expensive equipment, and (perhaps most expensively) request the time of the various hosts and guests. Up until now, we’ve used advertisements from Audible to support the podcast—and they’ve been truly awesome to work with.

However, this is exactly the sort of thing Patreon is for—letting the fans support, and have ownership, over their podcast. So if you listen, or are curious, take a look.

Rewards

We’re basically doing two reward levels. (There’s also $1 tip donation, and a few higher donations for those who want to give to a scholarship or really support us. But the two main donations levels are the middle ones.)

$5 a month gets you early access to the podcast, a standard thing for Patreons like this. You’ll get to listen to them a few days before everyone else.

$10 a month is the sweet spot. This is where we’ll be providing bonus content. We promise one cool item a month, though it’s my goal to give more than that. We’ll see how it plays out.

This month, I sent in the first chapter of a novella I worked on while flying to the Middle East last month. It’s about 3k words, along with some commentary on a revision issue I’m trying to figure out for the story. I hope to be dropping things like this in often—little previews of what I’m working on, or deleted scenes, or commentary on snags I’ve had while writing.

I hope that the podcast, and the tidbits we’re adding as a thank you, are helpful to all of you out there! Many thanks for the support over the years.

Brandon

In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, Elemental Idea Q&A, Shannon Hale joined us at LTUE 2016 to field questions about the Idea elemental genre. Here are the questions:

How do you keep an elemental idea story from feeling like you’re just waiting for the idea to “unlock”?
How do you tie your character motivations to the idea?
How do you know when you’ve satisfactorily explored the idea?
Are there elemental idea stories that you just need to give up on?
Is there such a thing as “idea clutter”?

Last week, in Tor.com’s continuing reread posts for Words of Radiance, we finished off Part Four, when Kaladin and Shallan returned with their contributions for the upcoming expedition. This week, in Part Four Epigraphs, we’ll take a step back and examine the letter comprising the epigraphs of Part Four.

My assistant Adam has updated the Twitter post archive for March.

FanX Tomorrow + Hugo Nomination Deadline

Hey, everyone. This is a reminder that I’ll be at FanX this weekend, for Saturday only. This is basically Salt Lake City’s spring Comic Con, so it’s bound to be a lively experience. Here is my schedule, which you can also find on my events page:

Salt Lake Comic Con FanX

Date: Saturday, March 26

Address: Salt Palace Convention Center

100 West Temple

Salt Lake City, UT 84101

Phone: (385) 468-2222

Spotlight on Brandon Sanderson

Time: 1:00–2:00 p.m.

Location: 250A

Signing

Time: 3:00–4:30 p.m.

Location: Shadow Mountain Booth 1341

Writing Excuses: The Podcast

Time: 6:00–7:00 p.m.

Location: 250A

The Brandon and Dan Show:

Time: 7:00–8:00 p.m.

Location: 151A

My solo panel is probably going to be mostly reading and Q&A. At these, I usually try to read something unpublished to give you a sneak peek, and this one will probably be from Stormlight Three. I haven’t decided if it will be one of the sections I read while on tour, or if I can find a new one that will work for a reading.

The next panel will be Writing Excuses-focused. We won’t be recording actual episodes though. I believe this is going to be more of a free-form writing help panel, with us taking questions.

The highlight will probably be the Brandon and Dan show—depending on your definition of highlight. This will just be me and Dan telling stories, primarily about role playing sessions we’ve been in, and interviewing one another about random (and probably goofy) topics. So if you want something more lighthearted yet personal, this is the one for you.

If you can’t make the panels, I have a signing as well. This will be at the Shadow Mountain booth, where they should have most of my books on sale.

Hugo Awards

Finally, if you’re a member of the upcoming Worldcon (or were a member of last year’s Worldcon), you should know that the deadline to nominate works for the Hugo Awards is coming up soon. (In about a week. Nominations need to be in by the 31st.) I wrote an earlier blog post about this, listing the works of mine that are eligible.

It is my tradition to highlight one work I think is worthy of consideration, and offer a free copy of it in the spirit of the Hugo Packet to anyone eligible to nominate for the Hugo Awards. This year, that piece is Perfect State. If you are interested, and are eligible to nominate, feel free to request an electronic copy through the contact form on my website.

As always, I strongly request that readers only nominate works (by me or anyone else) they have both read and feel exemplify the best that science fiction and fantasy have to offer.

Graphic Audio of The Stormlight Archive + Updates

Most of my novels are available as unabridged audiobooks, and some are also available from Graphic Audio as dramatized editions. So far they’ve put out Elantris, Warbreaker, and the Mistborn trilogy, with The Alloy of Law coming in May. Well, this week also marks the release of their production of the first part of The Way of Kings, and they will follow that up with the rest of the book and Words of Radiance. Graphic Audio’s slogan is “A Movie in Your Mind,” and it’s a very different listening experience from traditional unabridged audiobooks. If you have never experienced a dramatized novel, check out the link or scroll to the bottom of this post to listen a sample.

There are two conventions in April that I will be attending:

April 8–10: Odyssey Con in Madison, WI.

April 22–24: JordanCon in Atlanta, GA.

Preregistration is closed for Odyssey Con, but you can register at the door. There’s less than a week remaining to preregister for JordanCon; the last day is March 27th. (You can register at the door, but it’s a bit more expensive.) See my full list of events here.

For those who didn’t know I was out of the country, I just got back from an incredible trip to the UAE. I met some wonderful people and made extraordinary memories. I may do a more thorough post on this later, but for now here’s a photo from my trip. For those who have always wondered what I would look like holding a falcon, here you go!

In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, Idea as Subgenre, With Nancy Fulda, Nancy Fulda joins us again for a second episode on the Idea elemental genre. We cover some tools for exploring an idea, and then drill down a bit on how to use that exploration, or even multiple explorations as “seasoning” elements for a larger work.

Last week, in Tor.com’s continuing reread posts for Words of Radiance, we sat out a highstorm while Shallan and Kaladin exchanged backstories. This week, in Chapter 75, they finally return with a vital contribution to the upcoming expedition.

My assistant Adam has updated the Twitter post archive for March.

Tweets March 2016

BrandSanderson Thu Mar 03
Introducing my next series, The Apocalypse Guard

link pic

BrandSanderson Thu Mar 03
Long shot, but does anyone have a contact at the Washington DC Passport office? Trying to get something fixed for an upcoming trip.

VisaHQ Thu Mar 03
@BrandSanderson we work with them a fair bit, whats up?

BrandSanderson Thu Mar 03
@VisaHQ I need someone who can actually talk to a person at the offices in DC, and get them to tell me the status of a passport.

BrandSanderson Thu Mar 03
@VisaHQ They have all these protocols to keep us from speaking to a person at the actual office. So we’re very in the dark.

VisaHQ Thu Mar 03
@BrandSanderson its worth giving their 1-800 number a shot, but things are fairly bureaucratic and the information is sensitive

BrandSanderson Thu Mar 03
@VisaHQ Already exhausted those options, I’m afraid.

CPAhopeful91 Thu Mar 03
@BrandSanderson Got more thanks to a sale at @booksamillion ! Hope you are up for signing all of them in Atlanta! pic

BrandSanderson Thu Mar 03
@CPAhopeful91 @booksamillion Happy to do it! That looks like quite the haul.

KyleLowther Fri Mar 04
@BrandSanderson any chance you’ll be going through LAX soon?

BrandSanderson Fri Mar 04
@KyleLowther I did just pass through…but LAX doesn’t have easily-reachable bookstores from the place Delta flies to.

KarlSorrells Fri Mar 04
@KyleLowther @BrandSanderson how bout DTW?

BrandSanderson Fri Mar 04
@KarlSorrells @KyleLowther Afraid not. Flew through Chicago instead of Detroit.

SamSykesSwears Fri Mar 04
Holy shit, guys. The Chinese cover to @BrandSanderson’s Mistborn is amazing: link

TokuDeka Fri Mar 04
@SamSykesSwears @BrandSanderson Holy shit! 0_0 Looks like.. those glass things from churches

BrandSanderson Fri Mar 04
@TokuDeka @SamSykesSwears You should see his middle earth fanart: There’s pages of it, and it’s awesome: link

FourofFiveWits Fri Mar 04
@BrandSanderson In feet, how tall is Elantris’s walls about?

BrandSanderson Fri Mar 04
@FourofFiveWits I believe that @PeterAhlstrom knows this. We worked it out for the new maps.

Jonny__Nilsson Fri Mar 04
@BrandSanderson Will it be possible to order the Alcatraz books (hardcover) signed at your webstore?

BrandSanderson Fri Mar 04
@Jonny__Nilsson Yes, but only after they’ve been out for a while.

BrandSanderson Mon Mar 07
On my way to Dubai! See you all after a very, very long flight.

dsharp524 Mon Mar 07
@BrandSanderson Oh man, are you doing a signing there? I should have my parents go visit you XD

BrandSanderson Mon Mar 07
@dsharp524 Details should go up on my website later tonight!

Ahmedroid Mon Mar 07
@BrandSanderson Not much details about your schedule there in the website, can you update it please?

BrandSanderson Mon Mar 07
@Ahmedroid sorry about that! Told my assistant, and he will get details up by Tues morning your time.

5aleesi Mon Mar 07
ITS HAPPENING OMG ITS HAPPENING OMMMMGGGGG link

5aleesi Mon Mar 07
@BrandSanderson sorry, caps lock got stuck. Welcome Mr. Sanderson, cannot wait to have you here.

BrandSanderson Mon Mar 07
@5aleesi

BrandSanderson Mon Mar 07
Flying through Salt Lake Airport? I signed in TERMINAL ONE this time. Weller books just past security between A and B gates. Prizes inside!

BrandSanderson Mon Mar 07
I passed through SeaTac airport on my way to Dubai. Find signed books at the @hudsonbooks by gate C2. Prizes inside!

MrsCruz1999 Mon Mar 07
@BrandSanderson @HudsonBooks They would be gone by the time I can get there from Portland – please fly back through PDX the #1 USA airport

BrandSanderson Mon Mar 07
@MrsCruz1999 I signed at the PDX airport Powells last time I flew through, but that was months ago.

Ste_Clarkson90 Mon Mar 07
@BrandSanderson are you by chance doing a world trip signing books?!?!??

Emirates Literature Festival + Updates

I am currently in the air, on my way to the Emirates Literature Festival in Dubai, and I have been getting questions about the schedule for the festival. My assistant Adam has updated it on my website, so if you want to see full details, take a look at my Upcoming Events page. Here is a brief summary:

Friday, March 11

Words of Radiance: Brandon Sanderson’s Fantastic Cosmere

Time: 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Location: Al Rimal

Signing

Time: 12:30–1:00 p.m.

Location: Book Signing Area

Sanderson’s Laws of Fantasy Writing

Time: 1:30–3:00 p.m.

Location: Al Wihaw

Signing

Time: 3:30–4:00 p.m.

Location: Book Signing Area

Saturday, March 12

Questions from Other Worlds: Fantasy in Arabic and English Fiction

Time: 10:00–11:00 a.m.

Location: Al Ras

Signing

Time: 11:00–11:30 a.m.

Location: Book Signing Area

In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, Idea, as Genre, with Nancy Fulda, Nancy Fulda joined us in the dark dungeons of Dragonsteel Entertainment to discuss the elemental genre of Idea. It’s tricky, because “Idea” in the elemental genres model isn’t quite the same as “Idea” in the M.I.C.E. quotient. There’s a lot of overlap, of course, but the differences are significant.

We talk about stories in which the driving force is “Ooh, let’s think about this for a while,” and how we might go about instilling this sense of fascination in our readers.

Last week, in Tor.com’s continuing reread posts for Words of Radiance, we left Kaladin hanging as the highstorm struck. This week, in Chapter 73, we still leave him hanging, as we return to the Davar estate, one year ago, for Shallan’s final flashback chapter.

The Apocalypse Guard

All,

I’m back from tour, and slowly recuperating (and getting ready for my trip to Dubai). Calamity, I’m proud to say, did fantastically. Thank you all for your support! I didn’t think we had much of a chance on the bestseller lists this time, as—because of quirks in the system—we were up against some very difficult competition. We took #1 anyway. Huzzah!

A lot of people have been asking if this is the end of the Reckoners. It is. The trilogy is finished, and came together wonderfully. However, as you all know, I’m unlikely to leave an ending without some hints of where the characters would go in the future.

I don’t currently have plans to do a direct sequel series, but the next project I’m planning is in the same universe. This is a new trilogy in the works with Delacorte (the publisher of the Reckoners), and it’s the unnamed project I talked about in my State of the Sanderson post in December. It’s scheduled tentatively for a 2018 release, and it’s called The Apocalypse Guard.

Here’s the pitch:

Over a decade ago, people started manifesting strange, incredible powers. One side effect of this was an awareness of alternate dimensions—some of these powers could reach into other realities, other versions of Earth. Though infinite dimensions are present, most of these are unstable, existing only as vague possibilities.

A few of these worlds, however, are stable. These real, alternate versions of Earth are sometimes very, very different from the one we know. And a bizarrely large number of them, it turns out, are doomed. And so the Apocalypse Guard was founded: an organization of thousands of scientists, engineers, and extraordinary individuals who save planets.

They comb the dimensions searching for stable worlds to contact. When they find one that is facing some kind of cataclysm, the Guard either finds a way to save the planet, or evacuates it. The process can take years, but so far the Guard has saved some dozen planets—though it has lost half as many to utter destruction.

Emma is the Guard’s coffee girl. On summer internship at mission control, she gets to witness—from a safe distance—their activities. During the events surrounding the rescue of a planet, however, a shadowy group attacks the Guard and throws it into chaos. Emma finds herself cast through dimensions to be stranded on a doomed planet the Guard had been planning to save. Cut off from mission control, woefully inexperienced, Emma has to try to meet up with the Guard or find another way off the planet before cataclysm befalls it.

In the tradition of the Reckoners, The Apocalypse Guard is a fast-paced, action-oriented story with roots in comic book traditions. This one is a little more science fiction and fantasy than it is superhero, and it will dig deeper into the mythology begun in the Reckoners. It is not a sequel to the Reckoners, in that it has new characters and a new story, but it might help answer some questions left by the end of Calamity.

It’s going to be a little while before I write this. Stormlight 3 takes precedence currently, and after that I’m thinking I should probably write the sequel to The Rithmatist. However, I’ve been mulling over this new series a lot, and even went so far as to commission some concept art.

I’ve only done this before with the Stormlight books, having Ben McSweeney (who ended up becoming the illustrator for Shallan’s sketchbook pages) do concept roughs for the characters, so I could have them as kind of a quick reference for how the characters look.

This was really handy, and so I had it done for The Apocalypse Guard as well. We put the characters together in an action shot, though keep in mind that this was mostly for my internal reference (and kind of as a proof of concept). This isn’t the cover art, and isn’t intended to be a finished “movie poster” for the books. More a cool piece of concept art trying to nail down character looks and outfits.

Anyway, enjoy!

Art by Kelley Harris – Check out her website and Deviant Art Page!

Brandon’s Calamity Tour… So Far

Hey everyone! Brandon’s assistant Adam here. As you probably know, Brandon has been on tour for his latest release, Calamity, which is the final book of The Reckoners series. While on tour, he likes to take pictures of people who show up in costume, or bring in something that stands out. I thought I would share some of the pictures he’s taken so far. Before I get to that, however, I want to remind you of a the last few stops Brandon will be making for his tour this week. If you want to see a detailed schedule, I would recommend you visit the Upcoming Events page on his website.

Wednesday, February 24: Houston

Thursday, February 25: Austin

Friday, February 26: San Antonio

Saturday, February 27: San Antonio

Below is just a sampling of photos the Brandon has taken. If you know someone, or see yourself, feel free to tag yourself on Facebook so you can brag to your friends.

Barnes & Noble, Orem

How is this for a Prof?

Two Mistborn

University Bookstore, Seattle

Young Mistborn

The Tattered Cover, Denver

Allomantic Metals

Children’s Book World, Haverford

Can you identify the costumes?

Shallan

Mistborn

The Calamity Tour Continues + Updates

The Calamity tour has been going strong for about a week now, and I have been fortunate enough to visit with some awesome people so far. The rest of my brief schedule is below; check my events calendar for full details on the tour. I hope to see many of you at the signings.

Monday, February 22: Chicago

Tuesday, February 23: Milwaukee

Wednesday, February 24: Houston

Thursday, February 25: Austin

Friday, February 26: San Antonio

Saturday, February 27: San Antonio

I want to take a quick moment to thank all of you for your enthusiastic response to Calamity. Thanks to you, Calamity is the #1 bestseller on Audible. It’s all because of you that I’m able to continue this crazy career.

In this week’s new Writing Excuses episode, Wonder as a Subgenre, we discuss the Element of Wonder in science fiction and fantasy and how that same element, or “sense of wonder,” can be used to give wondrous flavor to stories whose driving force lies among the other elemental genres. If you have “wondered”: how to use wonder at smaller scales, how to create it with context, or how you might use it in support of other themes of your story, then this will be a good listen for you.

Last week, in Tor.com’s continuing reread posts for Words of Radiance, Kaladin and Shallan escaped from something and sniped at each other. This week, in Chapter 71, we glimpse Teft’s past before we return to a very gloomy Kaladin, an intent Shallan, moments of stunning openness, and the return of something dangerous.

My assistant Adam is working on updating the Twitter posts archive for February.