WHY SANDERSON'S KICKSTARTER IS BAD NEWS FOR THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY

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  • Опубликовано: 16 дек 2024

Комментарии • 151

  • @merphynapier42
    @merphynapier42 2 года назад +236

    "If he wants to put Daniel Green on the cover of his books, he can"
    😂😂😂 was not expecting that.
    Excellent video and you made great points! I've also wondered if he'll just choose to self publish the physical copies of these four secret books when he's ready for them to go to retailers, because he may not see any reason to split profits with publishers after doing all this on his own.

    • @libraryofaviking
      @libraryofaviking  2 года назад +42

      I can't believe you somehow discovered my video! I have been following your booktube for more than 2 years and I am a huge fan!
      I had to add the goblin to the cover 😅 Thank you! It will be really interesting to see what Sanderson will do next!

    • @elezraita
      @elezraita 2 года назад +3

      I’m sure those prophets can see the far distant day when none will be sacrificed in the name of shared financial interest. In that day, they shall sing praises unto the purveyors of self publishing on high.

    • @merphynapier42
      @merphynapier42 2 года назад +20

      @@libraryofaviking well I’ve subscribed and binged your videos so I’m now a fan of yours as well 😅 looking forward to more videos!

    • @libraryofaviking
      @libraryofaviking  2 года назад +17

      @@merphynapier42 Sorry for fangirling but this makes me so happy! Daniel Greene was the first booktuber I discovered and you were the second. You both inspired me to read more and helped me find so many great books! If I hadn't discovered your channels 2.5 years ago then I might not have started my bookstagram page and now booktube! You and Daniel have been incredibly influential to me. Thanks for the support and for all you do!

  • @PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy
    @PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy 2 года назад +99

    A very cogent explanation of the possible repercussions of famous authors leaving behind publishers due to the potential to market their books on their own these days with social media. Very thoughtful -- thank you!

    • @libraryofaviking
      @libraryofaviking  2 года назад +1

      Thank you very much for the kind words!

    • @tonkabeanicecream5698
      @tonkabeanicecream5698 2 года назад +2

      I don't think I could name another author who could do anything like this and deliver.

  • @Latriise
    @Latriise 2 года назад +102

    Very excellent analysis. I was hoping someone would dive into this. And, not going to lie, I wish I could see hidden cam footage of how his publishers reacted to his new Kickstarter. Also, the fact that he sold these books to his fans based on the strength of his brand alone (without people even knowing what the books are about) is another reason his publishers should maybe be worried. He's an AI that's going independent.

    • @wingracer1614
      @wingracer1614 2 года назад +3

      Tor will be fine, they have Lost Metal and Stormlight 5 coming

    • @tonkabeanicecream5698
      @tonkabeanicecream5698 2 года назад

      He told his publishers about this beforehand and he said they were fine with it.

    • @TheLillian13
      @TheLillian13 2 года назад

      This kickstarter was only for the special editions. TOR and his publishers will probably still sell the market copies

  • @JaxKordela
    @JaxKordela 2 года назад +37

    One thing to think about is that going independent means you have to pay to get the books to your fans. Which is much easy to let a publishing company do for you.
    What sanderson is doing now is exclusive content for his fans. I'm don't think he would ever release a stormlight book this way because of the amount of work it would take to make millions of copies to provide for his fans and stores. His current campain blew up but only has thousands of backers, not millions.

    • @adriangodoy4610
      @adriangodoy4610 2 года назад +1

      And the shipping cost are astronomical outside the US you almost double the price so you end up with 100$ books

  • @lost-in-lore
    @lost-in-lore 2 года назад +20

    I personally think it's a good thing, in a way. I work as an editor in the publishing industry and we often see most of the advertising/marketing funds going to big name authors who are guaranteed to sell. It makes sense from a business standpoint, but it does shift most of the marketing burden onto agents/lesser known authors, who generally get little to no help in that department. Maybe if more big names are going through Kickstarter or utilizing other platforms to better market themselves, publishers might be able to use some of their marketing monies to boost their lesser known names. It would benefit everyone to some degree.

  • @TarporLegend
    @TarporLegend 2 года назад +61

    The points you made are incredible. However, Sanderson is extremely religious and charitable. He is not greedy. He will not endanger the publishing market; he will revolutionize it

  • @rhuanv
    @rhuanv 2 года назад +41

    It kind of goes like this:
    Publishers are made to facilitate the business side and to give a resoanable level of quality to books and authors.
    They eventually get very big and monopolize the market, making it harder for new authors that don't conform.
    They then become less and less creative, which saturates the market and allows for self publishing, but it hardly makes a dent.
    Self publishing becomes better and better and starts to dominate. People create marketing plans, they play the system and generate excitement.
    People start to expect that level of novelty for everything, which makes it much more expensive and difficult to self publish. People with more money have more 'luck', as they can do the outside the box stuff.
    Eventually people gather together and fund each other and create these new plans. Weirdly similar to something, huh.
    You need to enter a group to be able to be successful, otherwise you're drowned on marketing and business and can't even write anymore.
    Boom, the market circled back to publishers, the big ones probably adapting and still on the top, with some smaller 'indie' publishers in the mix.
    Put some 'algorithm' in the mix and the creative stuff will be thrown out eventually again.
    Quite funny stuff. It's good to change the market, though. Not really a bad thing, just an observation.
    I'm a market guy, so I like competition and innovation. But corporations exist for a reason, they facilitate the boring stuff and get you places. They just eventually get bad, as everything else.

    • @djbrouwer7712
      @djbrouwer7712 2 года назад +3

      So you could say it's a beginning, but not the beginning.

  • @usagi009
    @usagi009 2 года назад +40

    Sanderson really does feel like your distant relative who plays horror games with you and gives you good advice time to time 😆

  • @andrewhallam237
    @andrewhallam237 2 года назад +65

    I don't think Sanderson will go 100% independant. He doesn't strike me as been greedy and I don't think money has ever been his main aim. Yes money is a nice result but telling stories to as many people as he can is what drives him. He might one day publish all his own books using his own publishing company but i wouldn't call that independant. He's just so successful as an author that having his own publishing company makes sense. As for the publishing industry, just like every other aspect of life, they have to adapt and evolve to the digital revolution or they will become obsolete. Adapt or die, the future waits for nobody.

    • @EnanoPancracio
      @EnanoPancracio 2 года назад +4

      Even if he was the embodiment of greed, going full independent would be a bad move, big publishing houses are struggling and they have the advantage of a scale and an infrastructure that even a guy as popular as Sanderson can't really match. Even without sharing profits with Tor, his overhead is almost certainly bigger than theirs, and probably makes less money per hardcover that with them

    • @SpectrumDT
      @SpectrumDT 2 года назад +1

      How is having your own publishing company not independent?

    • @lost-in-lore
      @lost-in-lore 2 года назад +1

      Why would going independent be a greedy move? It's not always about money. Sometimes it's about creative freedom and being able to be in control of your stories, even if that means you have to foot the bill yourself. Currently, he gets to have an opinion and a say in how his books turn out, but end of day, the publisher makes the final decisions, no matter how big a name he is. There would certainly be hurdles, but given how popular and well-known he is, I wouldn't say it's impossible for him to go his own way. And if he did go off on his own without a big 5 publisher to create his own pub, it would be considered independent. But if he simply went off on his own and created no pub, then he'd be considered self-pub at that point. As for publishing, I'm not so sure they'd adapt well. It's already widely known that they haven't adapted to industry shifts in last 20 years. They still haven't gotten on board with digital content and they're incredibly behind when it comes to communication, employment (almost zero remote jobs), author royalties/advances, and even, to some extent, reading trends. So many people have quit but I hear from friends on the inside that pubs are refusing to replace them. Their best years in the last half decade were during the pandemic, and that's quite telling, tbh. So, I'm not convinced they'd adapt since they seem to be digging their heels in & haven't changed much.

    • @lost-in-lore
      @lost-in-lore 2 года назад +2

      @@SpectrumDT Having your own publishing company IS independent. I don't think this person quite knows that.

  • @scootskute
    @scootskute 2 года назад +2

    The payment model described here is simplistic, but works well enough for some explanations. Here, I think we need to look at some details a bit differently. In general, the publishing company does not publish an author's book and keep some of the money. Rather, the publishing company will sign a contract with the author to buy the book from the author. The author often gets very little input to what the publisher does from that point forward, this includes cover art, font set, and really anything other than the actual text of the book. For many authors, and especially for new authors, the publishing company is taking a risk. They are paying for a manuscript. Add to that the cost of placing artwork on the cover, pressing the manuscript into a book, and marketing the completed work, and a host of additional expenses. They front all of that expense before seeing a penny of revenue from it. Finally, the published book is being sold and their contract with the author usually includes royalties on each copy sold. This may be $0.60 per book or $2.00 per book, or whatever figure the contract has stipulated, and this is in addition to the fronted money that was paid to the author before the book was pressed. If no copies ever sell, the author already got paid, and more books sold means even more money for the author. Because of this, the publisher needs to have some level of confidence that they can move books before they are willing to put the risk and effort into producing the books.
    Now, let's look at Brandon. Rather than owning the intelectual property rights of his creations, he has a corporation that owns it for him. Dragonsteel LLC owns the books, the art, the characters, and most anything related to his creations. When Brandon writes an epic fantasy book geared for adult readers, we usually find that they are in the Cosmere. Brandon has been publishing these through Tor. So, Tor signs a contract with Dragonsteel to buy a book or series for publication. Initially, Brandon had less control of the publishing side of things. Tor treated him well and built a positive relationship with Brandon and Dragonsteel. As his popularity grew he asked for more creative controle of the publishing and, because he had earned a lot of trust with Tor, he got it.
    Brandon and Dragonsteel also sold books to Delcorte. These have generally been his YA Fantasy books and not part of the Cosmere. He also initially contracted with Scholastic to publish the Alcatraz books. That relationship ended with what looked like burnt bridges on the part of Scholastic. Once the rights to Alcatraz expired, Brandon pulled those back and published through Tor, who continued to earn Brandon's trust.
    Brandon has stated that he does not intend to go independent. He will continue to work with his publishers. He wanted to do two things with this Kickstarter. He wanted to challenge his team at Dragonsteel with this project, and he wanted to validate that publishing this way is a viable backup plan to what he already has in place. With the records that have been broken in Kickstarter I think he can put a big checkmark next to validating the backup plan. Now, to watch his team make it happen. It will be bigger than the work they have done in the past, but they have already shown that they can do this with the leather-bound editions.
    I fully expect Brandon and his publishers to continue to support each other. But, if something goes wrong, Brandon has other avenues that he can follow.

    • @libraryofaviking
      @libraryofaviking  2 года назад +1

      Thank you for your insightful comment! You definitely made some really interesting points that are worth mentioning!

  • @jessicahiga9870
    @jessicahiga9870 2 года назад +22

    well, another point is, Brandon doesn´t quite like the fact that amazon holds the vast majority of market share in Audiobooks, and he wants an option if/when Amazon gets too frisky.

    • @HankyUSA
      @HankyUSA 2 года назад +2

      The Legion series, the Reckoners series, the Skyward series, and a bunch of short stories are only available on Audible. Did he only recently become concerned about Audible?

    • @Adanu191
      @Adanu191 2 года назад

      @@HankyUSA I love audiobooks, but I've never heard of anyone else besides audible doing them. Do they even have competition?

  • @elezraita
    @elezraita 2 года назад +27

    I suspect that he will go 100% independent at some point, but not for a while. Could he do it? Yes. However, he may already have contracts set up for books in long series, and I doubt he would try to get out of those, even if he could. He is loyal, and I expect he feels at least some moral obligation to stick with his publishers for books that are "expected", at least for a while longer.

  • @urigatt6815
    @urigatt6815 2 года назад +16

    I had these exact same thoughts when he announced. Many ppl txted me "did you see? did you hear?"
    and I was all like
    "oh..... the industry feels a DENT"
    Do you know the video of him readin somethin to Robert Jorden? He says there that he hopes to make half the dent in the industry as Jordan did.
    I bet he had this on his mind while preppin this kickstarter

    • @libraryofaviking
      @libraryofaviking  2 года назад +7

      It has definitely shocked the industry! Sanderson is definitely on his way to making a bigger dent in the industry than Jordan! I can't believe how influential he has become.

  • @mario15bok
    @mario15bok 2 года назад +24

    This was the equivalent of an atomic bomb, top trending on Twitter, most seen video on RUclips. He definitely take it to another level yesterday. By the way, I recently start following your RUclips channel, coming from instagram, and I have enjoyed it alot. Cheers!

    • @libraryofaviking
      @libraryofaviking  2 года назад +3

      Sanderson's announcement was everywhere! It is crazy how influential he is. Thank you for the support!

  • @joshuacornelissen5546
    @joshuacornelissen5546 2 года назад +14

    Great analysis of one of the biggest events in modern Fantasy history!
    In his livestream yesterday Sanderson said that Mistborn Era 3 and the back-half of Stormlight are all going to be published by Tor. But on the other hand, he did say this campaign and self-publishing these books will allow his team to "level up" and that he wanted them capable of getting books to readers if something happened to Amazon (he clarified he doesn't think it will, but just in case).
    I'm sure that printing as many books as he will sell for Mistborn, Stormlight, etc would be a huge burden on his little Dragonsteel team...so this is something of a test. Can they handle such a high volume? Given the success of the Kickstarter already (#2 Kickstarter of all time, and likely to become #1) they'll likely get a bigger test than they expected. Add on that he (1) expressed a desire to bundle different mediums together, (2) doesn't necessarily like that 85% of his sales are through Amazon, and (3) already started his own audiobook company, I think he is moving towards "self-publishing" -- that is, owning and running his own publishing house of Dragonsteel books.
    I wonder if the endpoint of this is Dragonsteel pivoting into its own publishing house, where Sanderson's students and other writing friends and partners are publishing under his label and being marketed by his team. It would come full circle to becoming something of a new publishing house, but one better set up to maneuver in the world of Patreon / Kickstarter / Substack where everyone wants to get things directly.
    Sorry for all the words - I'm processing all of this on the fly

    • @sophiel.7930
      @sophiel.7930 2 года назад +4

      Very very interesting thoughts. If indie publishes other indies... Are they iall still indie ? Hmm.

    • @selenhelyos9724
      @selenhelyos9724 2 года назад

      @@sophiel.7930 Indie editorials...?

  • @Johanna_reads
    @Johanna_reads 2 года назад +15

    This was such a fascinating and logical line of thought! I’m curious to see what will happen as a result of what Sanderson is doing. Great video!

  • @andrewhallam237
    @andrewhallam237 2 года назад +17

    But one more serious issue I have with kickstarters... is the price. They are consistantly double or even triple the price as buying from Amazon or other online retailers, and I live in the UK so postage is just criminal. I did do this kickstarter but I can not tell you how much I begrudge paying the same price in postage as it is for the actual books, something like £225 for 4 books. I'm still in two minds as to whether I cancel it because I'm struggling to justify such a high price for 4 books when the cost of living is just going up and up. If it was anyone else...

    • @almostunliketea
      @almostunliketea 2 года назад +1

      Someone on his team has mentioned that ebooks and audiobooks would be dropped through the normal channels 10 days after they are gifted to the kickstarter backers

    • @Jvdw5584
      @Jvdw5584 2 года назад

      Agree with you. That's why traditional publishing routes are cheaper for the consumer due to their network. I don't think the kickstarter prices are exorbitant, it is just what things costs these days (especially if you are a small team trying to achieve this). However it doesn't make those prices acceptable and each consumer has to judge their own expense. Sanderson mentioned that they are trying to reach agreements with central distribution companies over the world to at least bring down future shipping costs. We'll have to wait and see.

    • @andrewhallam237
      @andrewhallam237 2 года назад

      @@almostunliketea Yeah, unfortunately I'm a stickler for hardbacks. I don't even have an e-reader and I cancelled an audible trail I had once because I couldn't listen to them because they don't give them in MP3. :)

    • @andrewhallam237
      @andrewhallam237 2 года назад

      @@Jvdw5584 I don't have a problem with the price of the books, it's the postage. I went to the UPS website and checked what it cost to send a full hard back from UK to USA, the size and weight were generous and still fit into the small parcel catogary which would be £21.65 x4 books = £86.60 = $115. and you are telling me they can't negotiate a bulk price below $100 and yet Sanderson said the price of $140 is actually subsidised by them. I'm sorry, I just don't believe it. If i can get it for £115 postage for just one, why can't he for thousands?

    • @MissShembre
      @MissShembre 2 года назад +1

      @@andrewhallam237 On top of all the other expenses that go into making a book, it usually costs money to buy the packaging itself, and then time and energy to package it. But mainly, you do NOT dicker with UPS/USPS/Fed Ex/DHL for a 'bulk price'. Those companies don't do things like that. Additionally, I doubt the books will just be thrown into their packages without some sort of little extra (which costs money). I ship packages nearly every day and I cringe every time I purchase a label from USPS. I know my customers hate it. But there's nothing that can be done about it.

  • @kingoffriesthekingwillrise1701
    @kingoffriesthekingwillrise1701 2 года назад

    Sanderson is revolutionizing puplishing. He is paving the way to the future of publishing.

  • @Draugo
    @Draugo 2 года назад +4

    The man has his own publishing company that he is actively growing, I'd say the signs are all there.

  • @Mariecg2001
    @Mariecg2001 2 года назад +5

    Kickstarter or other self-publishing solutions may be viable for domestic market, but are not sustainable outside US without a real distribution system, including to local and independent book stores. For example, each of Sanderson's books in this Kickstarter would cost me US$35 for shipping in Canada. If I want to add the swag boxes, it's 12X US$35, plus the price of the product itself. At that price, only die-hard fans will buy them (which may be enough looking at the numbers...). As you said, even if publishing companies have their problems (representation of mnorities, less revenues for the authors, author's loss of control on some aspects of their books, etc.), they allow for a better distribution over the world. After all, why would I pay US$35 when I can get a book by walking or driving to the book store or getting it shipped for free or a few dollars.

    • @camilabenevenuto
      @camilabenevenuto 2 года назад

      I was thinking the same thing when it comes to the shipping cost. I'm from Brazil and it would be very expensive (plus, giving that US$ 1 = R$ 5.10 the books themselves are already an "investment"). I'll probably buy the ebooks and be happy I can do that 😆

  • @GameArts1
    @GameArts1 2 года назад +1

    Moral of the story, create a cult following of your awesome books first to be successful with these kind of campaign, more power to him.

  • @OverlyAverageBen
    @OverlyAverageBen 2 года назад +4

    Fantastic video as always mate. I have a lot of reservations and problems with Sanderson's kickstarter and personally hope we do not see this become a norm moving forward 💚

    • @libraryofaviking
      @libraryofaviking  2 года назад

      Thank you! I would love to hear more thoughts from you about it!

  • @AllTheArtsy
    @AllTheArtsy 2 года назад +2

    You don't blow up the industry you are a part of. That makes no sense. And while this is easy for his built-in audience, especially in English-speaking countries, being self-published is not as effective in other markets and territories. You also severely underestimate economies of scale. Printing, logistics and shipping are some of the most expensive costs that publishers shoulder-- they are labor and material-extensive. There's a reason why the electronic formats are already available, but not actual print copies. This strategy works for one-off books, but would most likely not pan out for his flagship series.
    More importantly, this works because he's Sanderson, and not for anything else. This will not work for most other authors. His success is built on years of work and sustained community building. So, in the end, it's still the top players earning top rewards, exactly as is the case currently in traditional publishing.

  • @aurematic
    @aurematic 2 года назад

    Very good points. The most important lesson I am taking of all of this is the huge amount of chances opened to independent writers. As Daniel Green said: «Loads of work to do» but I have to say that Literature is not dead at all and that is a huge reason to keep me writing. Not worries, I am a Spanish writer in case grammar mistakes happened.

  • @JessietheSleepyKoala
    @JessietheSleepyKoala 2 года назад +4

    You make some really good points though I don't think Brandon will move away from traditional publishing any time soon. I do actually worry for his team and publishing these books - Dragonsteel isn't a large company and they're committing to producing a *lot* of books and merch. Though I imagine they've gone through all the scenarios and if they're doing the kickstarter they've decided they can handle publishing that many books. But I do think this is going to be a one off situation.
    However, that doesn't mean that someone else in this situation wouldn't turn to independent publishing and I think it's really interesting to imagine what would happen and how traditional publishing houses might be affected if someone did do that.

  • @franciskhall
    @franciskhall 2 года назад +1

    Not content related, but what are those books behind you in the upper right that show a seamless picture on the binders, of a storm and a city? Beautiful artwork

    • @libraryofaviking
      @libraryofaviking  2 года назад +1

      The Stormlight Archive books with dustjackets from Kraken Book!

  • @shapescolours8105
    @shapescolours8105 2 года назад +1

    . I’ve worked as a bookseller for 5 years now, personally I see this being a special thing that will work when the big guys put out a special edition. The cost is far to high for people to continuously buy books like this. I wouldn’t have got them if it were another author but I also can’t afford to buy books like this. It’s a special thing that I probably won’t do again anytime soon.

  • @amandawilbur451
    @amandawilbur451 2 года назад +6

    I was bummed the kickstarter doesn't have a paperback option. Large heavy hardcovers are pretty but detract from my reading pleasure, personally, as I like to drag my book everywhere and read it anywhere. So no € from me in that kickstarter. So that makes me wonder if I will ever be able to read these books? Will they be available in a regular bookstore?
    I applaud his writing abilities, and it was so much fun to watch his video, but I just want to read the books. I'm waiting for him to finish Stormlight archives before I continue those, there are so many books I want to read that I can't afford to continually do rereads 🙈

    • @tobeornot2be117
      @tobeornot2be117 2 года назад +1

      Ebooks are ofc available, i think paperbacks/hardcover will come to stores eventually, but probably not with the extra graphic/art

    • @libraryofaviking
      @libraryofaviking  2 года назад +1

      It is quite unfortunate! Hopefully, a paperback release will come eventually! Sanderson is a master at creating hype!

    • @joshuacornelissen5546
      @joshuacornelissen5546 2 года назад

      Sanderson said in his livestream yesterday that paperbacks and more-normal hardbacks will be available in the future, and that the Ebooks / Audiobooks should be available the same month as they release via the Kickstarter

  • @ammalyrical5646
    @ammalyrical5646 2 года назад +1

    His company is called Dragonsteel Entertainment and I think I've heard somewhere that he wants to get his foot not only in different areas of publishing (he uses trad pub to know how the field operates. He did publish the leatherbound editions of his books indie as well). He was writing the screenplay for Mistborn but I'm not sure if that's still in the works.
    But I do have a feeling he will want to be heavily involved somehow when his works are adapted for the screen (movie or screen). I think I read that in one of his newsletters. He at least has just stated he plans on learning as much about publishing in specific fields and demographics (and even things like graphic novels) from the traditional field, or the specialists so he can do it by himself later.
    I have a feeling that man will go self pub at some point. I also have a feeling I'll be even less likely to buy the man's books at that point since I have some issues with where 10% of his gross income goes. And his gross income/profit will go up with self publishing. It's not as if cover design or formatting all of a sudden becomes more expensive. Neither will creating the audiobook. He will just have to invest upfront. And I really only listen to those if they're like radio plays, I don't really like the regular Sanderson audios enough to.
    Anyway. I'm done with my rambling. I hope it was somewhat coherent.

  • @rcklarue
    @rcklarue 2 года назад +5

    I think publishers are worried about the popular authors they have at this moment doing it. I think they will combat it going forward by making new authors sign new legal clauses in contracts that will combat it from happening. New authors will just be happy to have a publisher and will happily sign away their ability to do this. I think most already do it now.

  • @albertstebbins7590
    @albertstebbins7590 2 года назад +3

    Accordi bg to sanderson himself from his lectures, author gets a max of 15% of cover price and that is set in stone by 100 years of tradition. He is redrawing the map.

  • @aclark217
    @aclark217 2 года назад +3

    It will be interesting to see if/how publishers respond to this, particularly with their big-name authors. We shouldn't be terribly surprised by the success of this Kickstarter campaign. Brandon has been cultivating a relationship with his fans for years, not because he has been trying to cash in big but because he has genuinely cared about what his audience thinks and enjoys engaging with his fans. He was a fan of the genre long before he was a published author, let alone a massively successful one. So he sees his work through the eyes of one who is a fan himself.
    Other authors and publishers won't be able to replicate that overnight. Some authors will be more adept at building connections with their fans than others. Some won't want to do it at all, which is totally up to them. I would hate to see publishers forcing these kinds of author-fan connections when there isn't enthusiasm to participate in the conversation on the part of the author. That would probably just alienate fans. This is something that can grow if time, effort, and opportunity are invested into it. But it has to grow naturally. One thing for certain is that publishers should be taking notes.

    • @libraryofaviking
      @libraryofaviking  2 года назад

      Thank you for the comment! You made some really great points!

  • @ariharannatarajan2750
    @ariharannatarajan2750 2 года назад +2

    Sanderson kind of addressed some of these points in the recent live stream when someone asked if he isn't limited by the first rights of his publishers for the new Cosmere books. He said he doesn't have the same relationship with his publishers as other authors. For the cover art, I believe he said, the art head from his team has the final control not Tor or Gollancz. But they must have some say, so the Goblin on SA5 will have to wait😂

  • @DavidDecero
    @DavidDecero 2 года назад +1

    I totally agree. At this point I don't see why he would traditional publish anything anymore.

  • @evanpasero1846
    @evanpasero1846 2 года назад +1

    Excellent analysis! I think that publishing houses will certainly need to change their business model in light of Sanderson's wildly successful Kickstarter (The second most successful ever, I believe, well on its way to being the first). I can easily envision a world in which young authors use publishing houses while they are just getting started, but leave in favor of private publishing as soon as they feel their following is large enough to comfortably do so. With the internet as ubiquitous as it is, this 'critical mass' of followers might only take one or two books, meaning that publishers will only make substantial profits from an authors work once or twice.
    My biggest worry with this development will be that it makes it more challenging for new authors to 'break in' so to speak. If a publisher knows they are only going to get one or two books from a big author when they make it to the big leagues, then they'll probably increase the size of their cut in all current contracts to make up for their perceived losses, making it harder for even authors with middling popularity to support themselves financially. Obviously this is all speculation, and more than anything I am excited to get four new Sanderson books next year, but I figured I'd share my thoughts. I hope you all have a great day, and happy reading!

  • @Suetvvlogs
    @Suetvvlogs 2 года назад

    And that's why more and more authors are choosing to go the self-published route! If you have a publishing house that's barely paying attention to you, t barely promoting you, then it's better to use your fame and do your own thing! This is the reason why big publishing houses hate the self-publishing industry! Since Amazon brought out KDP, they have been losing big money to the self-publishing world, and they are pissed about it! If big names like Sanderson are making money doing their own thing, imagine what would happen if someone like Steven King decides to go independent? it's the worse nightmare that could happen for the publishing houses! and seriously, writers now a days don't need publishing houses anymore! I mean, we have all these platforms to promote our books on that the work these publishing houses do becomes irrelevant, you can do your own thing and promote your book yourself, like you have youtube, twitter and the one that many authors are using now tiktok is catapulting people to stardom and helping undiscovered authors get 6 figure book deals! whats the point in having a publishing house when you have all this to help your book become a success?

  • @AlastairReviewsIt
    @AlastairReviewsIt 2 года назад +1

    Awesome thoughts. Lots to unpack here!

  • @danielkirienko1701
    @danielkirienko1701 2 года назад +1

    I think that you're right and this is more about control than it is about money.
    The genesis of his making this choice was when he told Tor, "Look! I wrote a secret book!" and Tor said, "Great! We'll publish it in a few months!" Brandon Sanderson was NOT a fan. You can see this in some comments he's made here and there about his irritation with Tor for doing that and wiping away his team's ability to do things on their own schedule. This is what lost Tor the chance to publish these books.

  • @RainCraver
    @RainCraver 2 года назад

    Lovely video! And I agree, publishing houses are not going anywhere. Sanderson is in a very good position to experiment with self publishing, he has the love of his fans, the fame and an extensive team. It was mentioned in a video that it takes a lot of things to be able to do this, the warehouse space,the printing, the shipping...all things some authors may not even want to deal with.
    Sanderson even said he is in a more unique position with his publisher, as his opinion might weight in more compared with other authors, so maybe that is a more realistic direction for this to go in: a more flexible publisher-auhour relationship.

  • @michaelshields1861
    @michaelshields1861 2 года назад +3

    Keep in mind that he's gotten so big that he's basically said that he's repeatedly strong armed his publishers into doing things his way when they might otherwise do differently.

  • @heyou1
    @heyou1 2 года назад +2

    I like this concept. 🤔 Maybe there will be more room for smaller authors then.

  • @thomasray
    @thomasray 2 года назад

    As a lot of people are saying, he's not greedy. I think any steps he takes away from his publishers will be for greater self-reliance rather than profit.

  • @HankyUSA
    @HankyUSA 2 года назад +2

    You make this sound like a one man show. Brandon Sanderson is the star, a key ingredient, but he isn't writing, marketing, or publishing all on his own. He has Dragonsteel Books which has employees and contracts labor to handle many of the things that publishers would do for him. Haven't we seen similar things happen in the music and film industries? An artist gets so popular and wealthy that they can circumvent incumbent studios (publishers).

  • @kenward1310
    @kenward1310 2 года назад +2

    He could do this at any time - cash in his author fame chips, essentially - given his brand popularity and the amount of lead time he's given himself and his team to deliver each product, but he and his team chose to do this right now. Can't help but wonder what he and his team might be privy to behind the scenes with Amazon, with audio, or publishing in general.

  • @lemiredaniel7307
    @lemiredaniel7307 2 года назад +1

    I agree that thise event will change the publishing world, but I don't agree with Sanderson going indépendante anytime soon. 1) He is link to Tor by contract and personal relation (editor, etc.). 2) The logistic of major production and distribution is still beyond the capability of his compagnie. The discussion about the international rate in the kickstarter illustre this point. Also, I think that is staff will struggle with this influx of work in the nexte years. I agree that on the long run, he may relie more on his compagnie and (big) maybe start is own publising house. I think it will be bad for the big 4-5 publishing house, but they need to change anyway.

  • @juliehartley3652
    @juliehartley3652 2 года назад

    I am interested in what happens when the Kickstarter finishes and whether he will receive all the money that has been pledged. Imagine the admin nightmare of printing all those books, it is interesting to follow it. I hope you do more videos like this as the 'saga' continues.

  • @jeremyfee
    @jeremyfee 2 года назад

    Agreed. Also, the prices on the Kickstarter are way too expensive.

    • @wendyfarr8926
      @wendyfarr8926 2 года назад

      $40 for FOUR ebooks? How can you say that's expensive? The pricing certainly goes up but in parallel to what's the reader is interested in. I'm not interested in the leather bound but my son loves to collect them. It's all dependent on what the reader is interested in receiving.

  • @deathabillypete570
    @deathabillypete570 2 года назад

    Great video. Made me wonder how bookstores can/will adapt. Maybe they need to start making space for selected indie books, or have a means to order through them? Its a changing dynamic and they need to adapt better than record shops did to stay in the high street maybe?

  • @Rogue_VI
    @Rogue_VI 2 года назад +4

    I doubt he'll go 100% indie. There are still advantages to staying with a traditional publisher for an author like him. TOR is huge. They have the machinery in place to make things go very smoothly for Sanderson. They may not have the social media thing down, but that's just one aspect of the big picture. And even if he stays with a traditional publisher, Brandon is going to have a whole lot more creative control over his work than lesser-known authors. TOR wants him to be happy. They will do what they need to to keep him on their roster. Within reason, of course.

  • @mjwanni
    @mjwanni 2 года назад +2

    Brandon Sanderson is quickly becoming the Elon Musk of the book industry

  • @starman2995
    @starman2995 2 года назад +1

    I'm not sure that I agree with your take that Sanderson is going to go fully independent from book publishers. While using his company to publish these books in this way is profitable, it doesn't really have the reach that an already-established company has.
    I'm pretty sure he talked about his plans with big book publishers for these four new books in the live stream after his announcement, and my takeaway was that they were better for getting books out to more difficult-to-reach places and translation/other issues; the key is that I don't see that changing any time soon. I wouldn't be surprised if many people started doing a "hybrid" model, of bulk selling like with this Kickstarter and then selling to publishers after the initial wave, but I don't see anyone forgoing the big companies altogether.
    (This is a lot of speculation though and I admittedly don't have very much knowledge about this topic)

  • @safinan8008
    @safinan8008 2 года назад

    Hi interesting video!! 🎥🎬🦋 I’m excited 😊 about his books!! Happy reading to you!!! 🎥🎬

  • @AbiofPellinor
    @AbiofPellinor 2 года назад

    This has all just been... a lot 😂 loved hearing your thoughts!!!

    • @libraryofaviking
      @libraryofaviking  2 года назад +1

      Thank you and thank you for always commenting and watching my videos!

    • @AbiofPellinor
      @AbiofPellinor 2 года назад

      @@libraryofaviking of course! I love watching them

  • @gowzahr
    @gowzahr 2 года назад

    I'd like to think that he would at least continue to publish his existing series with his current publishers, if not, then it would disrupt the look of people's bookshelves. I'd like to think that that's something Brandon cares about.

  • @felipecampos3045
    @felipecampos3045 2 года назад +5

    one of the many reasons Sanderson is so famous nowadays is because his books have ZERO identity politics in it, i have been looking for days now for a new series to read and the fantasy market is flooded with woke garbage

  • @hallaloth3112
    @hallaloth3112 2 года назад

    I'm betting Dragonsteel/Brandon is using this as a stress test, just to see how well they can handle the workload. My personal guess is any of the bigger series (Stormlight, Mistborn, ect) will stay with traditional publishing through their ends. . .likely because he already contracted them. My guess is that we'll see more self-published one off novels where Sanderson can just write what he wants in his spare time not dedicated to already promised works. I imagine the biggest part of their stress test for this kickstarter is seeing if they can handle shipping that much product out and storing what's necessary.

  • @dasmis7908
    @dasmis7908 2 года назад

    I really liked this video! This situation is really exciting. I just got into sandersons books (currently reading mistborn final empire) and im really proud that i own his art.
    One thing that caught my eye are the books behind you. The stormlight archive if im not mistaken. In the top right. Would you mind telling me what releases those are? They look really pretty.

  • @TheAmyrlinSeat
    @TheAmyrlinSeat Год назад

    Excellent analysis. I do however think that Sanderson will probably stay with Tor, as he does have a certain loyalty to them because of his connections with some of Tor's higher ups. Also, big authors like Sanderson aren't treated the same way as new authors, as such he has a lot more freedom. I do agree that this definitely sets a precedent that publishing houses will not like.

  • @Isoquant
    @Isoquant 2 года назад

    Very insightful. I never subscribe to random youtubers, but in this case I make an exception.

  • @zilord3264
    @zilord3264 2 года назад

    Bad news for the publishing industry, good news for everyone else.

  • @theprincipalofficer_1
    @theprincipalofficer_1 2 года назад +1

    If you see this as wrong or a problem then you are in the wrong mind set.
    This is what is needed. To many gender studies students have gained positions keeping people out under the guise of sensitivity readers or what ever experts experts they claim to be.
    Any one complaining about him getting money thing is if you did not get money before him doing this you where never going to get money any way.

  • @nazimelmardi
    @nazimelmardi 2 года назад +1

    Not on point. First of: you are talking on YT. And that breaks your idea on all levels. Sanderson is not an old era author. He has a social media presence : YT channel, Fb, insta, even Twitch. He makes live streams, etc... As any other modern presenter - being singer or anything - does. What you are saying now happened before: it was YT. And it was false. Now we have YT music creators like KHS, with 13.5 million followers - that is more than Beyonce herself! - and he can make money oh yes! Still, where is Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande or Beyonce to mention now? Where they were. Didn't break the industry. Difference is: now an independent artist can make original!! (not cover) music and put it to Spotify and make money of it and live of it. From what? Popularity directly from his/her fan base he/she builds up on YT/insta/TikTok with POSITIVE message. Only quality creators with positive fan base can release original music. Now back to Sanderson. He now has a fan base online. At the very point when he just sent his email to us and put his YT video, in 2-3 minutes (so before the video ended first) some of his fans bought books on the kickstarter. Based on popularity. Now this is how YT positive!! creators music works too. When they put an original music on Spotify/Apple Music, the fans WILL stream it there, not on YT, to help!!! the creator to make more fun videos. It's not easy, not cheap if it's pro, he/she has to be more creative than a celeb. Feedback? They will get DMs, Twitter, whatever directly from the creator for it. One2One communication. Extra content. Demos. Live. Like in the case of Brandon Sanderson's live streams, Fb, etc... But: Sanderson NEVER intented to break contract with Tor. It's not good business. These books are expensive. Even in USA. And he knows it very well. And outside USA? 400USD only to get it. This is only a test. He always had books by himself published! Letherbound books! 100 USD for each. Made by Dragonsteel. So why didn't he made all his books by himself? Check out the price of the normal Sanderson books. That's why. BTW: there are forums for years where fantasy authors discuss this topic. What are the costs to publish books alone. And not only Brandon Sanderson started to build up only presence. Just he is much more... "here". But the others also know already that this is the way. Steven Erikson always gives interveiws about Malazan Book of the Fallen to YT channels.

  • @thedeadd.c.207
    @thedeadd.c.207 2 года назад

    The problem with this theory is, that publishing is much more complex a process than anyone who is not in the business, or even most trad published authors think.

  • @professionalthirdculturekid
    @professionalthirdculturekid 2 года назад +1

    Great analysis! Brandon Sanderson’s work ethic is truly motivational and commendable. He is an author I admire and respect and even consider a role model in the writing community.
    However, the issues I take with his announcement and Kickstarter is the timing. At a time when the world is in crisis, prolific authors have a social responsibility to address the issues and offer solidarity. Some choose not to do so such as Brandon Sanderson while others like Stephen King have and I’ve much respect for the man. Maybe I’m wrong in thinking authors have a social responsibility, I don’t know. The issue with a Kickstarter with some categories at unaffordable prices especially due to inflation and people struggling around the world and in Europe due to the crisis, is that it comes across as insensitive. Moreover, aspiring authors have increased anxiety due to this because it puts immense and unrealistic pressure of social media and online presence to market books and create a name brand in addition to writing books at breakneck speed. Brandon Sanderson has 15 years or more of name recognition and bestselling stories to back his career in addition to a company. Most authors can only aspire for such success. I acknowledge that Sanderson is never suggesting his method to be a gold standard, but a lot people may be looking at it that way.
    Additionally, I realize people read fantasy and fiction mostly for escapism and to get lost in worlds where we are not affected by reality. But it boggles my mind when fantasy authors writes about the impact of war in fantasy but they live in their bubbles and do not even offer a word of comfort to fans undergoing life or death situations. It is disappointing and hurtful to say the least.
    Sorry for the long passage. You can definitely TLDR it lol. But, just wanted to say thank you for this video because it is much needed and offers a fresh perspective when it comes to how publishing will be impacted going forward! 👍🏽

    • @averydavis1012
      @averydavis1012 2 года назад +3

      For me personally I don’t feel authors have a social responsibility to address political issues because they are authors. Their responsibility that they choose to take on is to tell stories. Some naturally address political and social issues but it is unnatural for others and would make the quality of their work suffer. At the end of the day, all a writer has to do is write and people can choose to read it or not. All too often now people in the public eye feel the need to give an opinion on every issue, even when they are uninformed or ignorant about it, and this can lead to them influencing many people negatively who look up to them simply because they are famous. I have also noticed how many people are so sick of good storytelling being pushed aside to shoehorn a social or political message in, and movies, shows and books that are doing this are not being read/viewed as much. Like you said, most of us consume this material to escape from the heaviness of life. For me Brandon is a breath of fresh air because his books examine people and how they feel about the things they experience and how it shapes them, but he doesn’t try to force his own agenda or beliefs on me. He often looks at all sides of an issue with points for and against each side fairly so you as the reader can draw your own conclusions instead of believing the way he does because he said to. He has a lot of influence and he wields it carefully, which I respect.

    • @professionalthirdculturekid
      @professionalthirdculturekid 2 года назад +2

      You bring up some great points and I agree. I believe a good fantasy story offers the possibility of escapism so people can, although momentarily, escape the burdens of life. I commend Brandon Sanderson for creating characters in his stories who face tremendous odds. Their resilience is inspiring and gives a message of hope.

  • @teadanilovic4909
    @teadanilovic4909 2 года назад +10

    The man literally took $14 million from the publishing industry in less than a day, talk about influence 😅
    This aggressive publishing schedule basically sends the message of "you can either read only my books or you can read other books and miss out on the hype" (bc let's be real, there's gonna be hype no matter how good these books are), which makes everything sooo much harder for both publishers and individual authors (especially if they're self-published).
    It seems to me that self-pub will take a really huge hit before it gets better again. Publishing a debut (or just self-pubbing in general) becomes 1000 times harder if there's constant Sanderson buzz on every single BookTube channel and Bookstagram page and you don't have the money for a super aggressive marketing campaign that you need in order to not get drowned by all the Cosmere content. That was hard even before the Kickstarter, and now it's pretty much impossible without a very huge network and a very deep wallet.
    Plus, if we just look at the fact that a lot of people are going to pay $500 for the big bundle (+$420 for shipping), the numbers get quite depressing. Someone could support at least three dozen self-pub authors with that money, but they're not gonna, because books are expensive and they already got their Sanderson swag... (Note: this isn't meant to say that people who wanna support their favorite authors and get perks are wrong in any way. My point is mainly that what Sanderson is doing with this campaign is establishing a monopoly in the industry and directly messing with the plans of smaller authors in less than 24 hours, and I find it worrying)

    • @libraryofaviking
      @libraryofaviking  2 года назад +4

      The amount of money he has been able to raise is baffling!
      That is a very interesting point that I haven't thought about. This will probably make it much more challenging for other indie authors! Hopefully, this won't affect indie authors too much but I can see that happening. Thank you for the insightful comment.

    • @joshuacornelissen5546
      @joshuacornelissen5546 2 года назад +6

      I can understand that it looks like a potential side effect of Sanderson rolling out this Kickstarter is less money for self-published / indie authors....but we honestly have no idea. This has never been done before! Was J.K. Rowling being wildly successful bad for YA indie authors, or good because it sucked even more people into the world? And Sanderson breaking up the traditional publishing model may be even more beneficial to indie authors down the line as readers become even more comfortable buying outside of traditional models

    • @teadanilovic4909
      @teadanilovic4909 2 года назад +2

      I was mainly referring to the near future. I'm currently working with several self-pub authors who're gonna find it EXTREMELY hard to publish in 2023.
      Does it have the potential to be beneficial down the line? Maybe. Probably. I'm just saying that, right now, it makes stuff way more difficult to navigate

    • @joshuacornelissen5546
      @joshuacornelissen5546 2 года назад +1

      @@teadanilovic4909 Yeah it will certainly suck up a lot of oxygen next year

    • @zhazhagab0r
      @zhazhagab0r 2 года назад +2

      Will it though? I don't think the vast majority of people who supported Sanderson's kickstarter would have otherwise used that money to support a kickstarter. I certainly wasn't planning to. I have never bought a book through kickstarter, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one. Most of that money would have been spent on traditionally published books, I suspect.

  • @mohammadhamad7128
    @mohammadhamad7128 2 года назад +1

    Colleen Hoover is an international best selling author and she self published a few novels lately that did amazingly good and sold million of copies!

    • @libraryofaviking
      @libraryofaviking  2 года назад

      That is very interesting! I didn't know she self-published some of her books!

    • @sophiel.7930
      @sophiel.7930 2 года назад +1

      Armentrout did the same thing. The blockbuster that is From Blood and Ash is also self-published.

    • @mohammadhamad7128
      @mohammadhamad7128 2 года назад +1

      @@sophiel.7930 ah I know that one but didn't know it is self published!

    • @mohammadhamad7128
      @mohammadhamad7128 2 года назад

      @@libraryofaviking her novel Verity has over half a million ratinga on GR with an average rating of 4.4! It is a great success

  • @yapdog
    @yapdog 2 года назад

    I really appreciate your view. However, how many Sandersons are out there? Truth be told, this won't affect publishers or publishing. Not all big name will want to go through the hassle or don't really want to communicate with their readers in the same way.

    • @libraryofaviking
      @libraryofaviking  2 года назад +1

      That is a really good point! Sanderson is definitely a one of a kind!

  • @leopard2690
    @leopard2690 2 года назад

    independence works for popular authors, for beginners a puplisher is just the better choice

  • @Sharpclaw2000
    @Sharpclaw2000 2 года назад

    I don't know enough about his publisher to say if he would do well without them. But, he might switch to a bigger publisher. A publisher is still important for their network, for how they might handle contracts globally, translations, libaries, archives, and connections with other cultural institutions that might interest the author. Like if Branderson wanted to lecture on something then either a good agent or a good publishing company might have the connections he lacks. I mean branderson is big in fantasy, obviously, but I doubth anyone in the nobel price academy knows who he is. Like.... yeah a well connected publishing house will still help him in a lot of ways. He COULD HIRE those people himself to do all of these things for him. But I don't know if that would be financially smart. Those millions would be gone quite fast.
    So yeah I think he might publish a few projects indie, but I don't think he will leave tradpub in total. But he might grow his network. Change whom he writes contracts with.

  • @Florfilm
    @Florfilm 2 года назад +2

    I don’t think Sanderson will abandon Tor completely. He seems to like to work with them. Plus he doesn’t have a normal author contract with them but is already a copublisher on his books. The whole artdirection including covers he does with Dragonsteel. Plus he’s a very loyal person. I think he’ll continue doing Stormlight with them.

  • @nubbinthemonkey
    @nubbinthemonkey 2 года назад

    For anyone outside the US, the hardcovers are $160 + $140 shipping. This might be do-able for his hardcore fans but $300USD for four books can't be a viable solution for the majority of the market. Authors need access to cheap printing and distribution if they intend to publish physical copies
    For eBooks and audiobooks I see no reason why authors wouldn't sell direct to customers

    • @nubbinthemonkey
      @nubbinthemonkey 2 года назад

      Also, Kickstarter takes a chunk of the profits don't they? He should have done it through his own website and payment system - he clearly has enough consumer trust for it not to be an issue.

  • @joshuastclairmusic
    @joshuastclairmusic 2 года назад +1

    Sanderson goes rogue. GG

  • @brianpeterson8908
    @brianpeterson8908 2 года назад +1

    Sanderson will not go completely independent. While Kickstarter and his own website are obviously doing very well for him, it is more for existing readers. He needs the publishers to get his stuff out where new readers can easily see it, which is Amazon or brick and mortar stores. The 63,000 buyers he has right now are not all possible buyers. And he said these books would come out from his traditional publishers in regular editions.

  • @jordanea4540
    @jordanea4540 2 года назад

    Yeah authors usually make slightly than $1 per book in traditional publishing royalties

  • @muzien87
    @muzien87 2 года назад

    People complaining he needs to donate a chunk 9f his money clearly dont understand Mormons, in the LDS church you are required to donate 10% of all earnings to the church thats how they pay for maintenance and take care off the less fortunate

  • @myribstellmesheslying
    @myribstellmesheslying 2 года назад

    He's at 20M now.

  • @Olingo375
    @Olingo375 2 года назад +3

    Thank you for this - you’ve had some really interesting thoughts! What I don’t get are the overwhelmingly positive reactions to this; like he announces he’s written a load of books in secret - so far ok, yes, he writes a lot - but then you can only get these books by paying a ridiculous amount of money for them. He couldn’t have made a more affordable version as well?? And everyone is acting like he’s some sort of genius and throwing all their money at him! It’s absolutely mind-boggling!

    • @piet0
      @piet0 2 года назад +2

      The more affordable options is the ebook option. 10 dollars for a new ebook is a reasonable price. I also think that 50 dollars for a limited edition hard cover is fine. Im not in the market for collecting those kinds of books, but this will be fine for collectors.
      The main problem is that Brandon cannot sell cheap paperbacks through kickstarter. If he were to make a paperback editions worth 10 dollars each, domestic delivery would be half the cost of the books, and international delivery would cost more than the books.

    • @averydavis1012
      @averydavis1012 2 года назад

      I’m pretty sure eventually the books will be available in a cheaper format, this is the early editions with special covers and such. I got the impression later on the books will be given a general, cheaper release. This was more for the hardcore fans because he didn’t want us to have to wait so long for them because it seems to take forever for books to be released sometimes. For a special, limited run of first editions this seems like a reasonable price. Plus, like another commenter said, the audio and ebook versions are more affordable. Overall this seemed like a nice surprise for his loyal fans who can never get enough of his stories and dread having to wait years for the next one.

    • @wendyfarr8926
      @wendyfarr8926 2 года назад

      $40 for FOUR ebooks? How on earth can you say that's expensive?

    • @Olingo375
      @Olingo375 2 года назад

      @@wendyfarr8926 It’s a lot to pay all at once. And he’s so popular he doesn’t even need to do a Kickstarter; he could have just self-published them and been done with it. Hopefully he’ll publish a more affordable physical version at some point in the future. I don’t know; the whole thing just felt very money-grabby to me. I probably just overreacted.

    • @wendyfarr8926
      @wendyfarr8926 2 года назад

      @@Olingo375 agreed. The amount of money is staggering. However, if you've been following him for any length of time, it's clear he just simply LOVES delighting his fans. And he sincerely seems blown away by the reaction. At a time in our society where undeserving people are hailed but rarely DO anything, I'm just so happy that someone who works hard, is a responsible family man, and is respectful to his fan base is being rewarded for his efforts. That alone is worthy of my support! I won't do the big packages because I'm not much of a collector (my son is) but I will definitely do the ebooks & probably audio books. I hope it's Michael Cramer!

  • @JoelAdamson
    @JoelAdamson 2 года назад

    Writers keep getting told by publishers that epic fantasy doesn't sell and there's no one to buy it. Authors know that's bullshit: either the publishers are out of touch or they don't want to believe that epic fantasy is evergreen. Most of the Big 5 publishers seem intent on publishing books that are more likely to win a Hugo Award than to be entertaining to your average Barnes and Noble shopper. We're all hoping this will help them see how out of touch they've been.

  • @gurentgc3546
    @gurentgc3546 2 года назад +1

    I really don't like audiobooks. I hope all those books get physical releases.

  • @nukritik2933
    @nukritik2933 2 года назад +1

    6:40 - 🤣🤣🤣

  • @alyssawatson9290
    @alyssawatson9290 2 года назад

    This might be bad for publishers but idk that its bad for authors.

  • @chiokjarse
    @chiokjarse 2 года назад +2

    He talks about a lot of this in his answer to a question in the live stream: ruclips.net/video/hH2PKfG8CF8/видео.html

  • @thelestrangelair
    @thelestrangelair 2 года назад

    I wondered if his publisher wanted him to go woke and he wasn't willing to write rubbish. In that case good on him. So many publishers are seeking woke. Wanna know why Fantastic Beasts isn't Harry Potter? Cause Rowling went woke. No one wants to see gay Dumbledore. We all know it's Potter and Weasley. *cackles*
    Seriously though, good on Sanderson. I hope the books are good. If fast is also excellent, he won't be human. That's how we decide. Proof is in the pages.
    Bellatrix L

  • @sibi1224
    @sibi1224 2 года назад +1

    I like some Sanderson's books but I have the feeling that he likes money too much. I would prefer him writing less books but with better quality. The kickstarter is super expensive for someone living abroad (Europe in my case) and I don't think it's ok asking his readers to buy a lot of books at the same time paying one year before. I'm sure he has enough money to have a good life while he writes and doesn't need us paying in advance and all at once. And now, knowing that he was writing a lot of books more I feel more disappointed about the inconsistencies between the last books of The Stormlight Archive.

  • @samuels.2411
    @samuels.2411 2 года назад

    i dont get your video at all. instead of hoping his publisher market him as much as he expects he does his own work thorugh youtube and co. and make himself greater than his publisher can, because instead of his publisher who has to share their resources over the author he can put the work on himself 100%. so you are mad about him doing his own PR? what?

  • @spitbleach
    @spitbleach 2 года назад +1

    I do think that Sanderson likely got more marketing dollars and attention than any other authors at that publishing house. But it just goes to show that trad pub is not the only ball game. We are going to keep seeing hybrid authors and I hope it keeps up and publishing can survive it. But if it doesn't good riddance.