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Brandon Sanderson

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Blog Entries posted by Brandon Sanderson

  1. Brandon Sanderson
    Though the official release date is still two weeks away, it appears that B&N, Amazon, and a number of indy bookstores all have copies of THE EMPEROR'S SOUL in stock. I'd like to take this chance to introduce the book to you. You can read an excerpt here on Tor.com.
    In working on the Wheel of Time last year (and with the knowledge that I'd need to move on to Stormlight 2 immediately after finishing), I knew I wouldn't be able to get out a full-length novel this year. Instead, I worked on two novellas. The first, LEGION, came out a couple months ago. The second of the two is THE EMPEROR'S SOUL.
    I'm extremely proud of this novella. I think it's my best piece of short fiction to date, and stands as one of the best complete works I've done of any length. For those who liked LEGION, I think you'll like this as much or more. For those who were skeptical of LEGION, know that this novella is not only twice as long, but is also a fantasy story with a great magic system and cool character. It reads more like a short novel than it does a long short story, and does a lot of what I do in my longer fiction.
    Unlike LEGION, this one is out in bookstores. And though it's twice as long, it's three-quarters of the price (as it is a trade paperback instead of a hardcover). Barnes & Noble took a large stock for their stores, so you should be able to find a copy or two at your local B&N. (Though you might want to call first; I'm not sure which stores are getting copies and which aren't.) Your local indy, if they carry my other fantasy novels, should hopefully have copies in as well.
    So what is THE EMPEROR'S SOUL? It takes place in the same world as ELANTRIS, though in a very different region, with only a few ties to ELANTRIS. So you definitely don't have to have read ELANTRIS to appreciate it. (Though if you have, you should be able to see some fun ties between the magic systems.) It tells the story of a woman named Shai, a thief and a Forger—a person capable of rewriting the pasts of objects in order to change their present.
    She starts off in prison, but instead of being executed, she is offered an opportunity. The emperor has been wounded in the head by assassins, and has become a vegetable. His attendants have hidden this from the empire and will trade Shai her life in exchange for creating a Forgery of the emperor's soul, hopefully making it seem like the attack on his life never happened.
    I always hate coming up with descriptions of books. I like them to stand on their own, with the text I wrote for them. So I'll leave the description there, and instead just say that I am in love with this story, and think it's among the best pieces of writing I've ever done. If you've liked my works in the past, I hope you'll give this one a try.
    As with LEGION, I will personally send a copy of the ebook to anyone who buys the print version. (We hope to have the ebook ready soon; we're working on it. It's not out quite yet.)
    I will be doing several signings for this book. The official release where I number copies will be at Weller Book Works in Salt Lake City on November 6th. (I will also be doing a signing-by-mail through Weller; details to follow.) Then there's another signing at the Orem Barnes & Noble on November 10th.
    But my first three signings will be in Canada, in Halifax and Toronto. I will be at Hal-Con in Halifax on October 26th through 28th, and I'll sign books in the exhibits hall there. Then I'll be at World Fantasy in Toronto November 2nd through 4th; convention registration is sold out, so I will also do a bookstore signing in Toronto mostly likely on the 3rd in the evening. Details to follow. For specifics on all of these conventions and signings, check out my events page. If you want to go to one of these signings but want to read the book now, please consider buying your copy ahead of time at the store hosting the signing.

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  2. Brandon Sanderson
    This week's Writing Excuses episode features Janci Patterson and talks about writing contemporary YA fiction. I mentioned Janci's book CHASING THE SKIP a couple of weeks ago. She has a lot of great insights, so give it a listen!
    I've got a rather random collection of links for you today. First up, my friend Brent Weeks' book THE BLACK PRISM is on sale as an ebook for $1.99 with all vendors—and the sale ends today. Now, I actually haven't read this book yet since I've been so busy, but my assistant Peter says it's the best book he's read in the last year aside from a certain book that's not out yet. He thinks its characters and magic system will really appeal to people who like my books, and I trust his judgment. The sequel is also out already and he says it's just as good. There is a bit of a content warning, so do keep that in mind.
    Badali, the company that makes the official Elantris, Mistborn, Wheel of Time, Kingkiller Chronicle, and Middle-earth jewelry is holding a costume contest (with costumes based on those series) until November 2nd with some cool prizes. For details, check out their page. I look forward to seeing what cool costumes you come up with. (I'm not judging but I'll be sure to look at some photos.)
    My friend Stacy Whitman who's the Editorial Director at Tu Books, which publishes fiction for kids and teens that features multicultural characters and settings, let me know that Tu is holding a writing contest. The NEW VISIONS AWARD will be given for a middle grade or young adult fantasy, science fiction, or mystery novel by a writer of color. The contest has been running since June and will finish up at the end of October. For more details, see their site.
    Also, another reminder that my friend and frequent artist Isaac Stewart has the Mistborn Feruchemical Table fine art print available at InkWing (which also does my T-shirts). Limited edition numbered prints signed by me and Isaac are not yet sold out.

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  3. Brandon Sanderson
    Shawn Speakman has put together a great anthology coming out in early 2013 that features a bunch of big names in the fantasy field (including Terry Brooks, Pat Rothfuss, Tad Williams, and others). He asked the authors to record videos to promote it, so here's
    explaining my contribution.If you're interested, you can preorder UNFETTERED here. It will also be available for Kindle and Nook once the book is released.

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  4. Brandon Sanderson
    First some housekeeping. I should mention that Subterranean Press has a handful of the leatherbound signed limited edition of LEGION leftover and available for order on their site. In completely unrelated news, my assistant has uploaded another Twitter posts archive.
    There are two Writing Excuses episodes up that I haven't talked about yet. First Maurice Broaddus joined us to talk about writing the other—writing other cultures, races, genders, etc. Then the latest episode features Dan talking about the Seven-Point Story Structure and its use in outlining.
    There are two "The Science of Allomancy in Mistborn" posts from Lee Falin at Tor.com that I neglected to link. First is Pewter, followed by Iron and Steel. The rest of Lee's posts are here. I love that people are thinking about things like this and coming up with ideas on how they might work.
    Now for the biggest announcement today. As you know, A MEMORY OF LIGHT will be released in hardcover on January 8th, 2013. I will be touring to support its release, but they're still deciding whether the first release event will be in Provo or Charleston. As soon as it's announced, I will let you know.
    I realize that not everyone can make it to one of my signings. It's unfair if you live in Germany but want a numbered copy. Therefore, I've started doing virtual booksignings with Weller Book Works (formerly known as Sam Weller's)—a wonderful independent bookseller in Salt Lake City that has been a supporter of my books since I was a nobody—alongside the standard signings I do there.
    I will be going in to Weller's sometime right before Christmas to sign, number, and personalize 700 copies of A MEMORY OF LIGHT. Weller's will then ship them out; they will try to time the shipping so the book arrives at your door on January 8th. However, they're not allowed to deliver before that date, so they can't cut things too close, and some books may arrive after the 8th. If that's the case, though, they'll try to keep the delay as short as possible. International orders will be shipped first, since those have the longest transit time. Due to the size of this book, Weller's will be shipping each book in a Priority Mail medium flat-rate box, which unfortunately drives the price up. But the book itself has a discount of 20% for preorders by December 7th, which helps offset that. Shipping will be $12.00 in-country, $34 to Mexico and Canada, and $49 to other international. If your order is shipped inside Utah, there will also be sales tax. (Note that Weller's cannot track packages internationally. They've tried.) I'm really very sorry that the shipping cost is so high, but books this big just won't fit into cheaper envelopes. On the plus side, the box can fit TWO books, so if you buy two to ship to the same address there is no increased shipping charge.
    When you call Weller's, please be certain to tell them (even if they don't ask) specifically how you want the book personalized. If you don't tell them specifically, they will have it signed but not personalized. Simply telling them your name is not enough. You have to tell them "I want it personalized to John" (for example). If you don't want it personalized, tell them "Signature Only" just in case.
    About the numbering: If you get a book from one of the two release events (Weller's or the BYU-or-Charleston midnight release), I'll number your copy. These numbers are less about being limited editions and more about getting a special add-on, an indication that you made it to one of the initial events. The numbers will trade off in blocks of 100, so books through Weller's will receive numbers 101–200, 301–400, 501–600, etc. Note that if the midnight release ends up in Charleston, I will definitely still sign books in Utah sometime during the tour, without numbering.
    Details:
    Weller Book Works A MEMORY OF LIGHT signing-by-mail
    Order by phone or by email:
    Phone: (801) 328-2586 or (800) 333-7269
    Email: [email protected]
    Preorder deadline: December 7th
    Note: You may pay by credit card (on phone orders) or PayPal only.

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  5. Brandon Sanderson
    My novella LEGION came out a month ago in hardcover and two weeks ago as an ebook. Now the audio version is available for download.
    Until the end of 2012, the Audible version of LEGION comes at a price of $0.00. (Steep, I know.) It's read by Audie Award-winning narrator Oliver Wyman, and the audiobook is unabridged at a little over two hours long.
    One nifty thing Audible has started doing now is their new Whispersync for Voice capability. If you have the Kindle version of the book, you can move seamlessly from reading the ebook to listening to the audiobook, and back, and it will keep your place for you. And if you have one of the three newest Kindle Fires, you can listen to the Audible version on your Kindle and have it highlight the text on the ebook as it reads it to you. I haven't tried this out (I have a Nook, personally), but it sounds very cool.
    One thing to note is that the Audible version is not available in UK/Commonwealth countries, but it should be available in most other territories. This may change for the UK/Commonwealth in the future, but possibly not until March or so. Sorry! Also, it SHOULD be available in Canada, but they had the wrong box checked in the backend, so you Canadians might not be able to get it immediately. They're working on that and should have it fixed soon.
    Another announcement for today. Tonight I'll be a guest on Pat Rothfuss's The Story Board along with Cherie Priest and Terry Brooks to talk about plot and structure for an hour. This is hosted by Geek & Sundry on their Google+ page, and it will be a Hangout on Air so you can watch it live. It will also be recorded, so once it's finished you'll be able to find it on their YouTube channel. Previous episodes (with different guests) are available here:
    (on urban fantasy), (on characters). The episode will air live tonight at 9:00 p.m. Utah time.
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  6. Brandon Sanderson
    I've got a special announcement today. Perhaps not as special for you as it is me, but hopefully you'll find it interesting enough to read onward. You see, one of my good friends—and former students—is releasing a book tomorrow. Her name is Janci Patterson, and the book is called CHASING THE SKIP.
    Many of you know I now teach a class at BYU that I took when I was a student there. (And the lectures from last year are online here.) This class was instrumental in getting me published, and I didn't want it to die, so I took it over when the previous teacher left.
    Janci took that class the first year I taught it. I wasn't sure what I was doing that year—and I can't even remember if my advice was any good. Janci didn't really need it. She's one of the most talented writers I know, and I've been thrilled to read her books along the way to her getting published.
    CHASING THE SKIP is not fantasy or science fiction. It's an awesome story about what it's like to live as the daughter of a real-world bounty hunter. (Not the glorious type from fiction.) It's a YA book with excellent writing and compelling characters, and I found it a lot of fun to read.
    So far as I know, this is the first of my students to actually have something come out from a major publisher. Some others have sold books, and a number have agents. (Maybe I'll blog about them someday.) I'm thrilled for Janci, who really deserves it, and if you are a fan of this style of book, I suggest you check it out. She also has a launch party here in Utah tomorrow.
    What: CHASING THE SKIP Launch Party with Janci Patterson signing
    When: Tuesday, Oct. 2, 7 p.m.
    Where: The King's English, 1511 S 1500 E, Salt Lake City

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  7. Brandon Sanderson
    I sent out a newsletter over the last couple of weeks, which you can see here. If you want to be on the mailing list (I send maybe three or four of these per year), sign up here. And if you want me to email you when I'm signing near where you live, be sure to tell me your city.
    One of the things I mentioned in the newsletter is that my young adult book THE RITHMATIST is coming out next year. You may remember that I finished the first draft of this book (formerly known as SCRIBBLER) way back in April 2007. Due to being a bit busy over the past five years I was never able to revise it to my satisfaction, but I've now had the chance, and Tor Teen will be releasing it next summer.
    It's a fantasy/steampunk/mystery about a boy who gets free tuition to a magic school because his mom is the cleaning lady—yet he has no magical talents himself. I'll post more on it as next summer approaches.
    Tor.com has posted the cover art, and my editor Susan Chang gives her thoughts about the book here. Look forward to it!
    I'm now seven percent through writing the sequel to THE WAY OF KINGS, and I've finished the first sequence. You can track my progress in the sidebar on my website, and I often talk about it on Facebook and Twitter. My goal is to finish the first draft by April 2013, and if I can pull that off, I'll try to get the book released by Christmas 2013. I should know better in April whether that is possible.
    Something else you've already seen if you follow me on the social media sites is this "
    " of THE WAY OF KINGS:Two new Writing Excuses podcast episodes have been released. First up is a live episode recorded at Gen Con Indy that features Shanna Germain talking with Mary, Howard, and me about writing love scenes. Next comes an episode on killing characters.
    The episodes that we recorded in February at Life, the Universe & Everything have already aired on the podcast, but they were also filmed by a good friend of mine, Earl Cahill. If you've wondered what our live episodes look like, you can see them
    :Finally, a summary of some recent Wheel of Time news. The book comes out January 8th, but Dragonmount's Jason Denzel has read it and has written a response to the book in the form of a letter to Robert Jordan. (There are no spoilers.) Also, as has been done in years past, the prologue has been released as an ebook. It's available from Tor in this list of countries, and the UK publisher Orbit will release it in the other countries next week.
    I'm still not a fan of charging people multiple times for the same content, but a prologue ebook has been established practice for the Wheel of Time for over a decade, and many readers feel the length of the prologue makes it worth the money. Still, this is something that's really only for the hardcore fans who just can't wait any longer. Most people will wait and that's perfectly okay. There will be free previews too; the first scene of the prologue is available here, and there are excerpts from chapter one and chapter eleven. Tor.com will release the whole first chapter sometime in the next few months, followed probably by an audiobook preview of chapter two. The wait is almost over, folks!

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  8. Brandon Sanderson
    As I write this, my novella LEGION is being uploaded to the various ebook stores. It should now be for sale everywhere at $2.99. Check out the beautiful cover of the ebook version by the talented Isaac Stewart (also known for his work on the maps and symbols for many of my books).

    Read the beginning.
    Buy it here (DRM-free):
    Kindle (US)(UK)
    Nook
    iBooks (US)(CA)(UK)(AU)(IE)
    Kobo
    Dragonmount
    Subterranean hardcover (+free ebook, see below)
    LEGION is a slightly different type of story for me. It's about a guy whose hallucinations give him useful information about the world—each one an expert in some area, they let him be a one-man army of experts. In the novella, this man—Stephen Leeds—is hired to track down a missing piece of technology: a camera that can take pictures of the past.
    When I originally had the idea, I pitched it to Dan Wells, my friend who writes psychological thrillers. It seemed more his type of story than mine. He knows abnormal psychology far better than I do. He liked the idea, and we were going to coauthor it for a while, but then life got in the way. (As it always seems to do in cases where Dan and I have a project together.)
    Eventually, I found myself on an overseas flight with an itch to write a novella. And so, LEGION started to come out. Being me, I took the psychology away from real-world diseases and created my own, a psychological "magic system" (if you will) that I could then play with as I desired.
    I'm very proud of the story, and from the beginning, it was my intention to get it out there as an affordable ebook. Clocking in at around ninety pages, it's in that difficult length that print has trouble dealing with. Once upon a time, there would be few options for LEGION. We could release it as a standalone in stores (and we did this for collectors with the hardcover from Subterranean Press), but it looks very slender in that format. This makes pricing tough, as the costs to produce and distribute such a thing in hardcover don't go down that much when the page count shrinks.
    Another option would have been the sf/f magazines. This story, however, is more techno-thriller than science fiction. Oh, it does have some science fiction to it—but that's not the theme of the novel. I suspect the magazines still would have considered it, but there are very few slots for novellas in them, and they generally can only take the shorter ones.
    For me, ebooks and novellas are a very exciting combination. You can price the novella cheaply—in this case, $2.99—to reflect the length, but can also get large distribution and reach a lot of people. I hope to be doing more of these in the future. I actually like the novella format. (You can see from the two I've posted here on my website and on Tor.com.) It's the short form of fiction I have made work for me the best. It lets me tell some stories I want to tell without always having to dig into a year-long novel process.
    I hope that you are willing to check out LEGION and give it a read. This novella (and THE EMPEROR'S SOUL, which comes out in November) are experiments for me. If you enjoy them, and want to see more like them, let me know.
    Thanks for reading.
    Brandon
    Note: If you buy or already bought the Subterranean Press hardcover and want a free copy of the ebook, email your hardcover receipt or a picture of yourself holding the hardcover to [email protected]. We'll get the ebook to you within a couple of days.

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  9. Brandon Sanderson
    The most recent Writing Excuses episode is entitled "Pantsing." In it, Howard, Mary, Dan and I talk about discovery writing (a.k.a. "seat-of-your-pants" writing). Check it out.
    I'm doing two events on Saturday at this weekend's Roundup in Park City. First at 12:00 noon, Pemberly and I will join Howard and Sandra Tayler to present a panel discussion entitled "Writing, the Family Business." We'll talk about what to do when a writer in the family becomes the family business.
    Next at 2:30 p.m. I will do a writing lecture and Q&A. I'll poll the audience at the beginning of the hour and then talk about what you most want to hear (related to the craft of writing). Howard will then be doing a class called "Writing Humor without Comedy" at 3:30 p.m.
    There are also many other presenters and panelists this weekend, plus opportunities to meet with agents and editors. If you're interested in writing, consider coming up.
    What: League of Utah Writers Roundup 2012
    When: September 14–15, 2012 (I'll only be there on Saturday)
    Where: Yarrow Hotel and Conference Center
    1800 Park Ave.
    Park City, UT
    1-435-649-7000
    Complete Schedule
    Register Here (required)

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  10. Brandon Sanderson
    In the most recent Writing Excuses podcast episode, Mary, Howard, and I help Dan brainstorm ideas for a military thriller short story. The working title is "I.E.Demon" and you can hear us hash it out.
    This past weekend, at the Parsec Awards ceremony at Dragon*Con, Writing Excuses was awarded the Parsec for Best Podcast about Speculative Fiction Content Creation. We're honored! And at Worldcon we came up short in the Hugo voting for Best Related Work for the second year in a row, losing to The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, a very worthy winner.
    Also at Dragon*Con I read a new excerpt from A MEMORY OF LIGHT. There will probably be three excerpts released after this, before the book comes out. I'm guessing they'll arrive in October/November, but I don't know for sure. As with previous volumes, the prologue will be released as an ebook. Tor.com will likely put up the full text of chapter one, and chapter two will probably go up in the audio form. The three segments that have been released so far, you can read on Tor.com now: the first scene of the prologue, a short clip from chapter one, and a scene from chapter eleven. You don't have to worry about the chapter eleven scene spoiling anything that goes before it. The hardcover book will be released on January 8th.
    Finally, my assistant also uploaded another Twitter posts archive covering the past month or so.

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  11. Brandon Sanderson
    Hey, all! This is kind of late and all, but here are the details on this year's Dragon*Con Magic draft.
    I think we'll go ahead and go with the 8:30 time on Friday. The location is the WoT track room—Roswell 1–2 in the Westin. (Same place as Are You a Darkfriend.) I'm going to pick up cards earlier in the day. I'm not sure what the price exactly will be—depends on how much the boxes are selling for—but I'm going to say $15 to be safe. I have room for fifteen players or so.
    I was toying with doing the draft at $20, having bigger prizes, and giving the proceeds to charity. We'll probably do this at JordanCon next year—but Dragon*Con has some understandably strict rules on trying to do things for charity under their roof, so I think it will just be easier to do this at cost for now.
    As always, you will keep what you draft, and the extra packs in the boxes will be used for prizes. If you want in for sure, find me today and give me the money to reserve a spot. (I'll be visiting the WoT track off and on and I have one panel, so find me before or after.) Otherwise show up at 8:30; I'm betting there will be plenty of space, as this is kind of last minute, but I can't say for certain.
    Brandon
    And a note from Assistant Peter: Brandon's novella LEGION is out now, and you can read an excerpt at Tor.com. We think we've come up with a way for everyone who buys the hardcover to get a free copy of the ebook, which will be coming in a couple of weeks (Brandon is releasing the ebook himself). And the Audible version will be released on October 2nd.

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  12. Brandon Sanderson
    This week's Writing Excuses episode was recorded live at Gen Con and features Monte Cook talking with Mary, Howard, and me about writing gaming fiction. On a related topic, this weekend we will learn the fate of the two awards Writing Excuses has been nominated for: the Hugo Award in the Best Related Work category, and the Parsec Award in the Best Podcast about Speculative Fiction Content Creation category. Mary and Howard will be at the Hugo Awards ceremony at Worldcon in Chicago, and I will attend the Parsec Awards ceremony at Dragon*Con in Atlanta.
    My complete Dragon*Con schedule is below, but the event many people are looking forward to is the A MEMORY OF LIGHT preview on Sunday, where I will read a new section from the final book. And speaking of the book, Team Jordan sent the approved copyedit changes to Tor yesterday, so it continues to be on track for its January 8th release.
    My novella LEGION from Subterranean Press should also make its debut at the convention, at a Saturday signing in the Missing Volume booth in the dealers' room. That depends on whether the books ship from the printer on time. We're crossing our fingers!
    Ta'veren Tees will also make an appearance at the convention dealers' room. Unfortunately, they won't have these Servants of All shirts:

    but you can preorder them at the con or at this link, and 10% of the preorder sales will go to support the Waygate Foundation. Ta'veren Tees' booth will be selling other Wheel of Time shirts and a MISTBORN and THE WAY OF KINGS shirt from Inkwing. They'll also have free Mistborn and WoT tattoos, bookmarks, and badge ribbons at the table as well. They're sharing the Planet Comics booth at A23–A26 in the International Ballroom.
    Brandon's complete schedule:
    FRIDAY
    Fri 04:00 p.m., 209 / 210 / 211 - Hilton (Length: 1 Hour)
    Infinity Blade: Dungeons
    Come learn the future of iPhone/iPad standout Infinity Blade, with lead designer Frazier and world-renowned fantasy author Sanderson.
    Fri probably starting at 9:30 p.m., Roswell 1–2 - Westin (Length: hours and hours)
    Magic the Gathering with Brandon
    Details are still in flux. There might be a draft buy-in, or maybe you should bring your own cards. It could even start earlier, at 8:30, or slightly later than 9:30. Watch Brandon's twitter feed for details as the time approaches.SATURDAY
    Sat 12:00 noon, Marquis Ballroom booth 614–615 against the back wall - Marriott. (Length: 1 Hour)
    Autograph Session at The Missing Volume booth
    With any luck, this will be the first signing for Brandon's novella LEGION.
    Sat 02:30 p.m., Regency V - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
    Delphic Oracle (simulcast with Worldcon)
    J. Nye, T. McCaffrey, B. Sanderson, C. Yarbro, [WC] E. Kollin, [WC] S. McGuire, [WC] D. Brin
    Marvel as our select group of guests and an equally esteemed group of panelists at Chicon 7 meld to form the prophetic Delphic Oracle.
    Sat 04:00 p.m., M301–M304 - Marriott (Length: 1 Hour)
    Autograph Session, Brandon Sanderson
    Sat 04:30 p.m., International North room, Hyatt (Length: 2 Hours)
    Parsec Awards Ceremony
    Writing Excuses is nominated in the category Best Podcast about Speculative Fiction Content Creation
    Sat 10:00 p.m., Atlanta Ballroom - Westin (Length: 2.5 Hours)
    An Evening at the Winespring Inn
    It's time to party like it's 999 NE. (Brandon will put in an appearance, but then he'll go back to his hotel room and write, because that's his idea of fun.)
    SUNDAY
    Sun 10:00 a.m., 209 / 210 / 211 - Hilton (Length: 1 Hour)
    Writing for Videogames
    D. Jolley, M. Lee, B. Sanderson, M. Capps, D. Gaider, S. Jaros
    Dozens of endings! Hours of branching dialogue! Enjoy lively discussion of world-class writers of Dragon Age, Saint's Row, Infinity Blade, and more.
    Sun 04:00 p.m., Atlanta Ballroom - Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
    A Memory of Light Preview
    A Memory of Light, the final Wheel of Time novel, will be released January 8, 2013. Brandon will read a previously unreleased excerpt.
    Sun 07:00 p.m., Roswell 1–2 - Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
    Robert Jordan's Legacy
    What impact did Jordan have on fantasy literature? Will his books still be popular 20 years from now? And what authors were influenced by his series?
    Sun 08:30 p.m., Regency V - Hyatt (Length: hours)
    Hugo Awards Viewing from the Chicon 7 Worldcon
    Ever wonder what it meant when a book has "Hugo Award Winner" on the cover? Well, here they are! The Hugo is Science Fiction's Oscar Award!
    I (assistant Peter) just found out about this simulcast yesterday and I'm not sure Brandon knows about it. Howard and Mary will be there in Chicago; Writing Excuses is nominated in the Best Related Work category.

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  13. Brandon Sanderson
    This week's Writing Excuses podcast episode is titled "How to Start the Next One." Dan, Mary, Howard, and I talk about how to move from writing one project to another, specifically something that's not a sequel or is very different in tone from your previous book.
    Tomorrow I'm flying out to Albuquerque to be Guest of Honor at Bubonicon, which is a great small convention with a large number of big-name pros. My schedule is below. I'll be at Dragon*Con next week.
    Dates: August 24–26, 2012<br/>Place: Bubonicon 44<br/>Address: Albuquerque Marriott Uptown<br/>2101 Louisiana Blvd NE (Louisiana & I-40)<br/>Albuquerque, NM 87110
    Schedule:
    FRIDAY
    6:00–6:30 p.m., Main Room—Salon E<br/>Opening Ceremonies
    7:30–8:30 p.m., Main Room—Salon E<br/>The End of the World as the Fan Knows It: Series Endings<br/>W Hammond, J Lindskold, B Sanderson, C Spector, C Vaughn
    9:30–10:30 p.m., Main Room—Salon E<br/>Pump Up the Volume: Writing Big Science Fiction
    D Abraham, M Cassutt, B Sanderson, WJ Williams, SM Stirling
    SATURDAY
    12:00 noon–1:00 p.m., Main Room—Salon E<br/>YA*SF: Sci-Fi Isn't Just for Grown-Ups Anymore
    S Gould, D Jones, J Lindskold, C Vaughn, B Sanderson
    2:00–3:20 p.m., Acoma (by Art Show)
    80 Minutes with Brandon Sanderson
    Reading, Q&A
    5:20–6:20 p.m., Main Room—Salon E<br/>Mass Autographing Session
    Bubonicon Guests Sign Their Wares
    (Brandon will personalize only three books per person per time through the line, but he can do signature only on more books if you like.)
    8:00 p.m.–past midnight, Salon G–H (H.G. Wells)
    Magic: The Gathering Tournament
    Brandon Sanderson, Dan Cooper
    Entry fee & signup required. See Dan at the Bubonicon Sales Table in the Dealers Room if you're interested.
    SUNDAY
    11:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m., Main Room—Salon E<br/>Guest of Honor Presentation
    Brandon Sanderson, introduced by Michael Cassutt, Toastmaster
    12:15–1:00 p.m., Main Room—Salon E<br/>Additional Autographing Session
    Brandon Sanderson, George RR Martin
    1:30–2:30 p.m., Con Suite
    Authors Afternoon Tea
    Authentic English tea service—Brandon is a host during this hour. Entry fee & signup required, at the Bubonicon Sales Table in the Dealers Room.
    2:30–3:30 p.m., Main Room—Salon E<br/>Writing Lecture—Worldbuilding & Magic
    Brandon Sanderson
    4:30–5:10 p.m., Main Room—Salon E<br/>Closing Ceremonies

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  14. Brandon Sanderson
    I'm heading to Indianapolis for Gen Con today, and my full schedule is below. This con runs quite a bit differently from other conventions I've been to. For one thing, each event or panel is individually ticketed (though the book signings are not ticketed). And since the panels I am on are popular ones, tickets for most of them have been sold out for weeks (not that those tickets actually cost anything). Right now, there are 29 ($0—free) tickets still available for the Passing the Torch panel, but I expect they'll sell out before the panel starts. I'm not sure if they turn people away at the doors if they don't have a ticket, or if there are a few extra seats in the room, or what.
    You don't need an individual ticket (you just need to buy your registration to the con as a whole) if you want to go to one of my signings, of which there are three. See below. There is also a special "Play the Mistborn Adventure Game with Brandon" session on Sunday that five lucky people will have their names drawn to get into. To enter the drawing, pick up specific items at the Crafty Games booth (419 in the Exhibit Hall, with Studio 2).

    Mistborn Premium Dice Set ($16.99, limited to 200 sets): Cast in a custom steel color, these beautiful 10-die sets replace each 6 face with a unique Allomantic symbol (Tin, Pewter, Iron, Steel, Copper, Bronze, Zinc, Brass, Gold, and Atium) Mistborn Elite Dice Set ($29.99, limited to 50 sets): All 10 Premium dice plus a handsome dice bag large enough to hold all but the biggest gaming hoard The Crafty Work of Ben McSweeney ($14.99, limited to 100 copies): This beautiful 64-page art book features the work of Mistborn Adventure Game and Fantasy Craft cover and interior illustrator Ben McSweeney, and includes development and behind-the-scenes pieces from many of Crafty Games' books, including the forthcoming Spellbound Ben (who also did the illustrations for the Shallan's Sketchbook pages in THE WAY OF KINGS and the broadsheet in THE ALLOY OF LAW) will be there signing as well, Friday at noon (but I'll try to get him to come to my booth signing too).
    For more details on how the drawing works, see Crafty's site.
    Gen Con Indy 2012
    Dates: August 16–19, 2012<br/>Place: Gen Con Indy 2012<br/>Address: Indiana Convention Center<br/>100 S Capitol Ave<br/>Indianapolis, IN 46225<br/>Phone: (800) 529-EXPO<br/>Schedule:
    THURSDAY
    3:00–4:00 p.m., Exhibit Hall : Authors' Avenue<br/>Brandon Sanderson Signing<br/>Brandon will sign any book you bring that he wrote. If there's a very long line, personalizations may be limited to three books per time through the line.
    FRIDAY
    11:00 a.m.–noon, Exhibit Hall : Authors' Avenue<br/>Brandon Sanderson Signing
    1:00–2:00 p.m., SEM1233549, ICC : 244 (SOLD OUT)<br/>Reading: Brandon Sanderson and Michael A. Stackpole<br/>Join us as New York Times Bestselling authors Brandon Sanderson and Michael A. Stackpole offer an unprecedented hour of entertainment as they read from their latest works.
    2:00–3:00 p.m., SEM1233555, ICC : 244 (SOLD OUT)<br/>Worldbuilding 101<br/>Elizabeth Vaughan, Brandon Sanderson, James Sutter<br/>When you create a world to set your story in, you have to do more than draw a map. Crafting a world that feels real is a tricky task. In this panel, we give you a crash course in world building.
    9:00 p.m.–3:00 a.m., TCG1237843, ICC : VIG Lounge (SOLD OUT)<br/>Magic the Gathering Draft with Author Guest of Honor Brandon Sanderson—VIG only<br/>Come play MTG Avacyn Restored with the Gen Con Author of Honor Brandon Sanderson! This event is for VIGs and VIG Companions only.
    SATURDAY
    1:00–2:00 p.m., SEM1233609, ICC : 244 (29 tickets available as of this posting)<br/>Passing the Torch<br/>Matt Forbeck, Dave Gross, John Helfers, Brandon Sanderson<br/>Every author has her own voice, but what happens when you need to write in someone else's? From ghost writing to co-authoring to inheriting an series, learn how to write with another writer's voice.
    2:00–4:00 p.m., SEM1233612, ICC : 244 (SOLD OUT)<br/>Writing Excuses Recorded Live<br/>Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler, Jordan Sanderson & Guests<br/>Join us for a live recording of Writing Excuses, the Hugo-nominated, Parsec-award-winning podcast. The hosts will take your questions and cover everything from world-building to character conflicts.
    4:30–6:00 p.m., Exhibit Hall : Crafty Games booth 419 with Studio 2<br/>Brandon Sanderson Signing
    9:00 p.m.–1:00 a.m., TCG1238412, ICC : Hall F : Green : 31–36 (SOLD OUT)<br/>Multiplayer Magic: The Gathering with Brandon Sanderson<br/>Bring your own deck. Brandon will organize the format of the games at the time the event starts, based on the number of participants. Game possibilities include Commander, Archenemy, or anything else.
    SUNDAY
    11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., RPG1233547, JW Marriott : 304 : 1<br/>Celebrity Session of the Mistborn Adventure Game<br/>Play the game with the author himself! Stop by our booth in the Exhibit Hall (419, with Studio 2) to learn how you could win a seat at this exclusive event.

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  15. Brandon Sanderson
    Isaac and Kara at InkWing have news about the Feruchemical Table prints and Szeth shirts. I'll just quote from their blog post here.


    First, and most important: The Feruchemical Fine Art Print will be available for Pre-order WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2012 AT NOON (MST). Things to be aware of and excited about:
    This is a limited run of 300 prints MINUS what was sold at Comic-Con (many of the numbers between 101 and 200). A smaller version fine art print and/or 4-color offset poster will be made available at a later date along with desktop wallpaper images. Each is numbered and signed by Brandon and Isaac. Numbers are given in the order they're sold. The first order on Wednesday will get #1, and so on. Printed with archival inks on archival Ultrasmooth fine art paper. If framed correctly, it might outlast your great-grandkids! Each print has been inspected and approved by the artist. Measurements: 24"H x 26"W paper size, 18"H x 24.5"W print size (this is larger than the Allomantic Table). Prints will be sent out mid to late September (some possibly sooner); this gives us time to prepare, package, and post each print. Cost $75 plus shipping. Prints can be ordered here.

    Second, Szeth shirts are now available! Check it out here.
    Third, August Contest details: This month we will be giving away ONE Feruchemical Fine Art Print Prototype. This one is not numbered, but it is still signed. Same paper and ink as the other prints. To be entered in the drawing just comment [at this link] with a suggestion of another art print you would like to see us produce from existing interior art in Brandon's books. We are excited to do more! The winner will be picked randomly.
    We will announce the winner a 1/2 hour before the Pre-Sale starts!!! Good Luck!
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  16. Brandon Sanderson
    This week's Writing Excuses podcast episode with Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler, Dan Wells, and me focuses on writing authentic emotion. Give it a listen.
    Since the ALCATRAZ VERSUS THE EVIL LIBRARIANS annotations are all posted now, I'm running out of bonus content to show you. If you aren't aware, my website also has chapter-by-chapter annotations of ELANTRIS, the Mistborn trilogy, WARBREAKER, and "Defending Elysium." Additionally, the Library page has lots of sample chapters, the entire text of WARBREAKER, and deleted scenes from ELANTRIS, MISTBORN 1 and 2, WARBREAKER, and ALCATRAZ VERSUS THE EVIL LIBRARIANS.
    It's this last category that I'd like to add to today. This isn't so much a deleted scene from THE WAY OF KINGS as it is two scenes from the version of the book that I wrote in 2003, which feature Szeth's introduction--before I decided to call him Szeth.
    One of the big differences between the 2003 version of THE WAY OF KINGS and the published version was a massive restructuring of timelines. With Szeth, where he began in the old version is a combination of what became the prologue and the epilogue of his storyline in the new version. This happened across the board—for instance, Taln showing up in the epilogue of the book used to happen in the prologue. What happens at the end of Kaladin's flashback sequences in the published version was right near the beginning of where his story began in the old version.
    For many reasons, I felt the book needed to be restructured so that I could dig into the character personalities in a different way. So in these scenes you will see things that are reminiscent of the ending of THE WAY OF KINGS as it's published. I suggest perhaps staying away from this until you've read the book.

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  17. Brandon Sanderson
    A reminder about the conventions I'll be attending this month. I'll be in Indianapolis for Gen Con August 16th through 19th, Albuquerque for Bubonicon the 24th through 26th, and Atlanta for Dragon*Con the 31st through September 3rd. I'll put up more details and my full schedule as each convention approaches.
    My novella LEGION comes out from Subterranean Press at the end of this month. I've talked about this before, but if you want to have one of the leatherbound limited editions when the book comes out, now's a good time to order. I will also have a sample chapter up sometime later in August.
    The final ALCATRAZ VERSUS THE EVIL LIBRARIANS annotation is up, and it covers the epilogue and everything else at the end of the book. This will be the last annotation posted for a while. I've written some for THE ALLOY OF LAW—but only for the middle chapters of the book, so my assistant can't start posting any until I get around to writing the others. It's also possible that I will write annotations for THE WAY OF KINGS as I gear up to write the second book...but that takes time, and I'm raring to just start writing the book, so I'm not sure annotations will happen soon. We'll see.
    The most recent Writing Excuses podcast episode features Eric James Stone joining Dan, Howard, Mary, and me to talk about basic astronomy for writers. There are lots of things that writers can potentially get wrong about astronomy, so give this episode a listen.
    The Galley Table Podcast from Flying Island Press did an interview with me while I was at BayCon back in May. I'm pretty sure I forgot to link to this episode before, but you can listen to it here.

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  18. Brandon Sanderson
    As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, Game Den in Provo is going to throw a release event on August 4th (tomorrow) for the Mistborn Adventure Game from Crafty Games, and I will be there signing. Hopefully you called them to preorder a copy—they will only have a handful of extras for sale at the event.
    Date: Saturday, August 4, 2012<br/>Time: 7:00–9:00 p.m.<br/>Place: Game Den<br/>2255 N. University Parkway #43<br/>Provo Utah 84604<br/>Phone: 801-852-4123
    I hope to see many of you at the release.

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  19. Brandon Sanderson
    I finished the final revision on A Memory of Light early in the morning Saturday, then sent it off to Team Jordan. And I was done. Team Jordan will handle the copyedits and proofreads; I might have a chime-in now and then on how a passage should be tweaked or how a continuity issue should be addressed, but essentially, my involvement as a writer in the Wheel of Time has come to an end.
    Now, that doesn't mean my involvement with Wheel of Time fandom is over. I'll have my appearance at Dragon*Con this year, as well as the tour in January for A Memory of Light. Beyond that, I intend to frequently attend JordanCon and be available to WoT fans for years, even decades, to come. I intend to talk a great deal about the experience of writing these books, perhaps even post some blog entries about the subject.
    But the writing is done. I'm still a little in shock about that.
    Just about five years ago, I got that fateful call from Harriet. Since that time, I have always had a Wheel of Time book that I needed to be working on. Occasionally I would take breaks, as I did to write The Alloy of Law a couple years ago. However, the knowledge that I soon needed to be back to work on the Wheel of Time was always there.
    That work has been my constant companion. For reference, when I got that call, I had only released a couple of books: the second Mistborn novel had come out the month before. I had written others that were awaiting publication—including several Alcatraz books, the last Mistborn book, and Warbreaker. I also had a draft done of The Way of Kings, another done of The Rithmatist, and some preliminary work done on a book called Steelheart.
    Yes, I'd written a lot. I still had only a handful of books out in stores. It had been two years since Elantris was released. I was brand new at this.
    I still feel brand new. Yet, oddly, I also feel weathered. Finishing the Wheel of Time has been a wonderful experience, but it has also been grueling. I have always respected Robert Jordan, but now I respect him even more—and for a multitude of reasons. One of those is the fact that during most of his career, he was able to release a Wheel of Time book every year or two. That's an awesome amount of work. Doing three books has worn me out.
    For five years, whatever I've been doing—whether it be going out to dinner, sitting down to write, or checking my email—I've known that there was more to do on the Wheel of Time. I've known that I gave my word to Harriet and to the fans that I would work hard to get those books out quickly, and I carried a weight of responsibility for the book being split and people being forced to wait years beyond when they expected to get the ending. For five years, I have worked long hours because of those reasons. All the time I could find, I dedicated to the Wheel of Time in one way or another.
    And then, today, I did not have a Wheel of Time book to work on.
    I've reached the end of the journey and set down my burdens. It's wonderful, relaxing, and solemn all at once. I love the Wheel of Time. It's also great to be done.
    And so, today, I officially take a step toward a line. I step away from being pilot of this series, and toward once again being just a fan. I will never cross back over that line—whatever else happens, I will have written three books in this series. I will continue to support and engage with Wheel of Time fandom. However, an ending has arrived for me, and it is time for my attention to be turned elsewhere.
    Now I stroll back into my workshop and find that a little bit of dust has gathered. Out of necessity, the Stormlight Archive has been neglected. I am pleased I made the choice to work on A Memory of Light instead of Stormlight 2. However, it is time to pick up that story again and make this series all of the awesome things I've dreamed of it being for some twenty years.
    The stories of Mat, Rand, Egwene, and Perrin are now done. Returning to the stories of Kaladin, Shallan, Jasnah, and Dalinar will be my next major project. You'll also see me doing revisions on both The Rithmatist and Steelheart this fall—as I've made arrangements for both to be published next year or the year after. You'll probably hear more about them in the days to come. And yes, I WILL be doing a sequel to The Alloy of Law.
    It has been an incredible experience finishing the Wheel of Time. I hope that some of you who were with me on that journey will join me for the Stormlight books, but I want to note that I don't automatically assume that if someone reads the Wheel of Time they will read my other work. I occasionally have someone come through one of my signing lines who feels guilty for "only" having a Wheel of Time book. There is no need to feel guilty for this; I love the Wheel of Time as you do, and we share that. I'm glad you've enjoyed some of my writing, and I feel as close to those books as I do to any I've written. Yes, the Wheel of Time is not mine. But those three books are mine. I love them just as much as any I've worked on.
    I look forward to continuing to meet many of you at conventions and signings as the years move forward. Thank you, Wheel of Time fandom, for accepting me in and putting up with my mistakes. (There have been many.) Thank you, Brandon Sanderson fandom, for putting up with my deviations in the Wheel of Time universe. I know it has slowed down you getting your books, but this was something very important for me to do.
    Robert Jordan was a great man, and was the single greatest influence on my development as a writer. What I have done these last five years has been an attempt—a sometimes flawed but always earnest attempt—to show my appreciation. This entire genre owes him an enormous debt. My debt to him, and to Harriet, is greatest of all.
    Mr. Jordan, may you rest in the Light. Everyone else, take a breath and get ready for the end. May you find his final words as satisfying to read as I did when I first picked them up five years ago. The very last scene is his, touched very little by me, as are significant chunks of the ending at large. I have achieved my goal in writing the books so that they pointed toward this ending he wrote, allowing us to include his words with as little alteration as possible.
    Once again, thank you. May you always find water and shade.
    Brandon Sanderson<br/>Written July 30th, 2012<br/>Posted August 1st, 2012

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  20. Brandon Sanderson
    Somehow I missed announcing that Writing Excuses Season Six was nominated for a Hugo Award in the Best Related Work category. The voting deadline is tomorrow (Tuesday the 31st), and you can vote if you are a supporting or attending member of this year's World Science Fiction convention in Chicago. Other nominations from the Writing Excuses crew in the various categories are Mary Robinette Kowal's novella "Kiss Me Twice" and Howard Tayler's Schlock Mercenary graphic story volume Force Multiplication.
    Last week the Writing Excuses podcast had a microcasting episode touching on these topics:
    How do you deal with bad reviews? How do you apply Brandon's magic system rules to science fiction? Dan, will you do the marshmallow voice for us again? How do you keep tension high without exhausting the reader? You've made your manuscript as good as you know how to. Now you need to make it even better, based on feedback. What do you do? Any tips on creating suspension of disbelief? How do you deal with annoying fans?
    This week's episode is another one of our "project in depth" episodes; this time we cover Dan Wells's latest novel, The Hollow City. (Earlier we did the same thing with my novel The Way of Kings, Mary's novel Glamour in Glass, and Howard's graphic novel volume Force Multiplication.) Please note that all of these in-depth episodes necessarily contain SPOILERS, so it's best if you read the work in question ahead of time!
    The most recent ALCATRAZ VERSUS THE EVIL LIBRARIANS annotation covers the final chapter. Just one annotation left to go.
    Inside Mac Games has an interview with me on the subject of the upcoming Mistborn: Birthright video game. I also did a phone interview for the Chattanooga Times Free Press a couple weeks ago while my assistant was driving me to the airport for my flight to LibertyCon (which was a blast, and it was great seeing so many of you!). The transcript of that interview is here.
    My assistant also uploaded another Twitter posts archive. If you haven't been paying attention to my Twitter or Facebook feeds, you may have missed the announcement that I've turned in the final draft of A MEMORY OF LIGHT to Harriet. Copyedits and the rest of the production process remain to be done after this. I'll have more of my thoughts in a longer post sometime this week, maybe tomorrow.

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  21. Brandon Sanderson
    Today I'm flying out to Chattanooga to be Literary Guest of Honor for LibertyCon this weekend. Below is my schedule. See you there! And remember that I'll be at Gen Con, Bubonicon, and Dragon*Con in August.
    Date: July 20–22, 2012<br/>Place: LibertyCon 25<br/>Address: The Chattanooga Choo-Choo<br/>1400 Market Street<br/>Chattanooga, TN 37402<br/>Phone: (800) 872-2529
    FRIDAY
    3:00–4:00 p.m., Dealer's Room<br/>Autograph Session, Brandon Sanderson
    5:00–6:00 p.m., Centennial Theater<br/>Opening Ceremonies<br/>Eric Flint, Les Johnson, Don Maitz, Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Brandon Sanderson, Janny Wurts, Tim Zahn
    6:00–7:00 p.m., Centennial Theater<br/>Meet our LC25 Literary Guest, Brandon Sanderson<br/>Q&A with our LibertyCon 25 Literary Guest
    SATURDAY
    11:00 a.m.–noon, Norfolk Room<br/>Kaffeklatsch: Brandon Sanderson<br/>This is the first year LibertyCon will have these with the Guests of Honor—each klatch will have 15 slots to sit and talk with the Guest of your choice. We are limiting attendance to one klatch per person, on a first come, first serve basis, so choose wisely. The sign-up sheets will be at registration, so sign up when you pick up your badge. If you sign up for more than one—you will lose all your slots—so pay attention.
    12:00 noon–1:00 p.m., Finley Room<br/>Plot/Characterization with Brandon Sanderson<br/>The Professor expounds on literary technique—learn from the Master!
    2:00–3:00 p.m., Dealer's Room<br/>Autograph Session, Brandon Sanderson
    4:00–6:00 p.m., Centennial Theater<br/>Guest of Honor Speeches<br/>Tim Bolgeo, Eric Flint, Les Johnson, Don Maitz, Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Brandon Sanderson, Janny Wurts, Tim Zahn
    SUNDAY
    11:00 a.m.–noon, Dealer's Room<br/>Autograph Session, Brandon Sanderson
    12:00 noon–1:00 p.m., Centennial Theater<br/>Wheel of Time—A Memory of Light<br/>Brandon Sanderson and Jennifer Liang on the next installment of the series.
    2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m., Gallery A&B<br/>Reading, Brandon Sanderson

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  22. Brandon Sanderson
    The printed version of the Mistborn Adventure Game from Crafty Games has finally shipped, and everyone who preordered should have received their copy by now or should receive it very soon.
    Gam Den in Provo is going to throw a release event on August 4th for the book, and I will be there signing copies. If you didn't already order the hardcover, this is your last chance to order one, because only the trade paperback will be available in gaming stores. PREORDERS REQUIRED! See below for details.
    Date: Saturday, August 4, 2012<br/>Time: 7:00–9:00 p.m.<br/>Place: Game Den<br/>2255 N. University Ave. #43<br/>Provo Utah 84604<br/>Phone: 801-852-4123
    Price:<br/>Softcover: $34.99<br/>Hardcover: $44.99<br/>Preorder Deadline: July 21st (this Saturday!)
    For everyone who preorders a hardcover from Game Den for this event, we will also throw in a Table of Allomantic Metals poster, normally $10 in our store:
    Again, Game Den is basing how many copies of the Adventure Game they order for this event on how many of you call in with preorders, so it's very important to get your order in now if you want a copy! I hope to see many of you at the release.

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  23. Brandon Sanderson
    The most recent ALCATRAZ VERSUS THE EVIL LIBRARIANS annotation covers the penultimate chapter, including the meaning of the name "Rashid" as in the Sands of Rashid.
    This week's Writing Excuses podcast episode with Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, Howard Tayler, and me talks about the villain problem. By that we mean when the hero is less active than the villain and spends most of the book reacting to the cool things the villain does. We discuss what a writer can do about this issue.
    There have been a number of interviews posted recently. First off, Suvudu put up a video where Christopher Paolini and I interviewed each other this past weekend at Comic-Con International in San Diego. (With a cameo by Robin Hobb.)
    The Fictorian Era has a short interview where I talk mostly about the modern ebook market.
    A Feast of Fantasy has another interview with me here, mostly about THE ALLOY OF LAW.
    Invisible Vanguard has an interview where I discuss a few aspects of the writing process, such as the desire for each book to be better than the last.
    Dark Matter has a 45-minute audio interview with me that I did with them when I was in Australia. The printed version is on page 49 of issue 9, which you can download here.

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  24. Brandon Sanderson
    (NOTE: Scroll all the way down for my booth schedule.)
    This is the first year I've been a Special Guest at SDCC. On top of that, Gen Con has me as their Author Guest of Honor and Dragon*Con is bringing me in (for the third time) as an invited guest. With this conflux of awesome conventions happening, I wanted to do some special things. For years, I've wanted to do con exclusives—something to make it worth the effort for people to go out of their way to come see me. And so, this year, we have some awesome things going on. Read below for an expanded list of my SDCC activities.
    I do realize that not everyone can make conventions like this, and I'll do my best to make some of these items available to those of you who can't come. However, I'd like to make the con experience a great one for all involved. In addition to simply attending SDCC this year, I have a booth (for the first time) provided for me in Artist's Alley (#II-10). Isaac, who does much of my artwork, and his wife have decided to come and run the booth. I'm hoping this will prove lucrative enough for them that we can do things like this in the future. So please, do come stop by and see us. We will have freebies every day and awesome merchandise. If you know someone who is going to SDCC, send them by to pick something up for you!
    EXCLUSIVE ONE: Feruchemical Table Fine Art Print
    Price: $75
    As a complement to the Allomantic Table we offered a few years back, we are bringing 100 signed, numbered copies of the matching Feruchemical Table. This wonderful artwork by Isaac Stewart is printed using archival ink and paper. There will be a limited edition of 300 fine art prints, all signed by both me and Isaac. They're absolutely gorgeous. We'll be selling numbers 101–200 at SDCC. The other two hundred are going to be for different cons and, most likely, for a small internet sale after the cons are over. Once these are gone, they're gone—though Isaac may do a smaller, unsigned poster-style print afterward. (Like we did with the Allomantic Table.)
    EXCLUSIVE TWO: Infinity Blade: Awakening Hardcover
    Price: $20
    This novella, which I wrote for the Infinity Blade iOS game, never had an official print release. We've done a limited edition hardcover, signed and numbered, of 200 copies. These are signed by myself, Donald Mustard, and Geremy Mustard. (The founders of ChAIR Entertainment, developers of Infinity Blade.) Working on this story was a blast—it was something I did with friends, as opposed to something done for a buck. The response to it has been stellar. If you're a fan of the game, or you enjoyed the novella, this is a very unique item. Once these are gone, they're gone. We will be bringing numbers 1-100 to sell at SDCC. (Others will go to Gen Con and Dragon*Con.)
    EXCLUSIVE THREE: The Way of Kings Taiwanese Notebooks
    Price: Free at my solo panel!
    During my trip to Taiwan earlier this year, I was blown away by the awesomeness of my publisher there (Fantasy Foundation). They released The Way of Kings in a cool boxed set with the novel in two parts and one of these nifty notebooks as a promo. They're mostly blank inside, with some planner-like notations on some of the pages. I was so in love with these, I asked if I could have a few to give away on my website. They gave me a whole box! So I flew them back as one of my pieces of luggage, and I've saved them for SDCC. As these were given to me for free, I'm going to pass them on to you for free. I'll be giving them away at my solo panel at SDCC to the people who arrive first.
    My plan is to arrive a little early and distribute them to the people in line. If I am late (as I sometime am) I'll give them out to the first rows of people seated at the panel, starting at the person in the left front seat (if you're facing the stage) and working my way right. Then I'll move to row two, and keep giving them away until I run out.
    I believe I have around fifty of these, but Isaac has the box and is driving to San Diego as we speak. So I can't guarantee numbers. I suggest that if you want one of these guys, you come get in line for my panel early. (This panel will include me doing a Q&A and a reading. Including, hopefully, a short reading from A Memory of Light!)
    EXCLUSIVE FOUR: Wheel of Time and Mistborn Temporary Tattoos
    Price: Free at my booth!
    Each day on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday Isaac and Kara have a promotional temporary tattoo to give away. (A different one each day, while supplies last.) Two are Allomantic symbols, and one is the Snake Wheel logo from the Wheel of Time. (They also have the dragon symbol from the Wheel of Time, but that one misprinted to be tiny. They'll give those away too, but they look a little silly printed as small as they are. Be sure to ask for one anyway—and I believe they'll give those away on any day.)
    Isaac and Kara paid for these themselves as promotion, so I'm hoping that when you guys stop by the booth, you have a look at the T-shirts they've brought. (A Wheel of Time shirt and a brand new Way of Kings shirt that I'll talk about next.) Isaac is an awesome artist, and he's put a lot of work into the Feruchemical posters and the shirts.
    EXCLUSIVE FIVE: Szeth Shirt (from The Way of Kings)
    Price: $20
    Launching at SDCC will be the new Szeth shirt from The Way of Kings. Wear the Assassin in White proudly on your torso. This shirt is based off of the concept art Ben (Inkthinker) McSweeney did for Szeth when I pitched the series to Tor. I loved his rendition of Szeth so much, we ended up using Ben's image for the Szeth chapter icon in the books.
    These will be for sale eventually on InkWing's website. But for now, the place to get them is SDCC!
    OTHER THINGS FOR SALE
    We will have copies of almost all of my books for sale at the booth, along with another T-shirt (the Matrim Cauthon by Seamas shirt from Ta'veren Tees). Prices for those will be the same as online. In addition, we've packed up a few foreign language editions. There are only a few of these, but I believe there is at least one book each in French, Japanese, Chinese (complex), and Spanish. So if you've been wanting an edition of my books in a different language, come early and snatch your copy up! There's also one set of the GraphicAudio version of Elantris.
    WHERE TO FIND BRANDON<br/>I will be at my booth (#II-10) from 1:00 to 3:00 Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In addition, I will do an extra hour some of the days.
    Thursday: 1–3, and back from 4–5.
    Friday: 1–3, no extra hours. (I have a two panels after this, then a signing in the signing area.)
    Saturday: 1–4
    Sunday: 1–3. No extra hours at the booth, but I might be playing magic in the evening at my hotel. Watch my twitter and facebook for confirmation.
    It's possible that I will be hanging around the booth at other times, such as Wednesday Preview Night. (I will tweet to say when I am.) When I'm not there, Isaac and Kara WILL be, so if you want the exclusive items, show up earlier in the day. (I will leave signed books behind when I leave.) Also, feel free to tweet me to get something signed.
    Once again, we're hoping this will be a successful experiment. I've avoided bringing merchandise to conventions like this because of the hassle. If people enjoy these exclusives, and the booth makes enough money to compensate Isaac and Kara for their time, there's a good chance we'll continue doing this in the future.
    Thanks!
    Brandon
    Complete Schedule
    WEDNESDAY, JULY 11
    6:00–9:00 p.m., Artist's Alley Booth #II-10
    I may go to my booth sometime during these hours; Isaac and Kara will be there. Follow me on Twitter and Facebook to see if I will make it.
    THURSDAY, JULY 12
    1:00–3:00 p.m., Artist's Alley Booth #II-10
    3:00–4:00 p.m., Tor Booth #2707
    Tor says I'll be signing copies of The Way of Kings, but I'll also sign anything else I've written.
    4:00–5:00 p.m., Artist's Alley Booth #II-10
    FRIDAY, JULY 13
    12:00–1:00 p.m., Room 25ABC
    Spotlight on Brandon Sanderson
    Author, educator, and Comic-Con Special Guest BRANDON SANDERSON talks about his growth from a nonreader in his youth to becoming one of the most popular fantasy writers working today. Sanderson's books include his own Mistborn trilogy and his continuation of the late Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, which wraps up this year.
    That's the official description; I will most likely read from a forthcoming book and take some audience questions.
    1:00–3:00 p.m., Artist's Alley Booth #II-10
    3:30–4:30 p.m., Room 6A
    Epic Fantasy War
    We've all seen the signs: war is coming; and this winter, hobbits will learn that one should never laugh at live dragons. Join the top names in fantasy fiction as they discuss how the key to writing a real epic fantasy novel lies in the word "epic"—which doesn't just mean ambitious in scale, scope, and size. Epic fantasy helps us decipher the bigger mysteries of life. Even though there might be dragons (and magicians; horselords and warlords), every word, and every detail of the world, must resonate on a fully human plane. Legendary editor Betsy Mitchell gets epic with panelists Brandon Sanderson (The Alloy of Law); Raymond E. Feist (A Crown Imperiled); Robin Hobb (City of Dragons); N.K. Jemisin (The Inheritance Trilogy); Christopher Paolini (The Inheritance Cycle); Rachel Hartman (Seraphina); Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicle); Heather Brewer (The Legacy of Tril) and Lynn Flewelling (Casket of Souls).5:00–6:00 p.m., Sails Pavilion AA09
    Signing with all of the Epic Fantasy War panelists
    SATURDAY, JULY 14
    1:00–4:00 p.m., Artist's Alley Booth #II-10
    4:30–5:30 p.m., Sails Pavilion AA18
    Brandon Sanderson Signing
    SUNDAY, JULY 15
    1:00–3:00 p.m., Artist's Alley Booth #II-10
    Evening: Maybe a Magic draft in my hotel somewhere, if this is possible. Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for details.

    Source
  25. Brandon Sanderson
    There's a new ALCATRAZ VERSUS THE EVIL LIBRARIANS annotation on the site. There are only three left after this one, which mentions that the end of a book is the best and worst part, among other things. My assistant has also uploaded another Twitter posts archive.
    Two more Writing Excuses podcast episodes are up. The first covers what we call the problem of originality: Is it possible to be too original? Do we overvalue originality? Then the second episode is another one of our "project in depth" episodes; this time we cover Mary Robinette Kowal's latest novel, Glamour in Glass. (Earlier we did the same thing with my novel The Way of Kings and Howard's graphic novel volume Force Multiplication.)
    Scott Ashton uploaded my final creative writing class lecture of this year. This one mostly covers revision, plus touching on a few other topics.

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