I'm cracking up over the writing community's responses to Sanderson's record-breaking kickstarter.
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> Started out self-published.
> Became a bestselling traditionally published author.
> Signed with a rival publisher to Brandon's.
> Tweets out congrats.
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> Clings to his traditionally published series as a sign of validation.
> Sold less than 1% his entire career of what Brandon sold in less than 24 hours.
> Published with the same publishing group as Brandon.
> Couldn't pack any more bitterness into his acknowledgement tweet if he tried.
His crowd of woke, unmarketable authors want so much to hate Brandon.
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"I wish I didn't have to sound supportive."
"I mean, he's a straight white conservative author, not even a true victim."
"This is really self-publishing anyway."
"
Pretty nice."
@Boston Brand I'd love your insight on how Tor is taking this. They must be wetting the bed over their headlining author becoming a self-pubbed multimillionaire overnight and leaving them with authors like Fatrick.
Of course Larry Correia is happy for Brandon. They've been friends for years, tabletop game together, and what I've heard chatting with Baen editors is accurate, they're even neighbors.
Probably doesn't hurt Larry is himself a multimillionare author several times over. Plus, both he and Brandon are among the boom in names from the Utah spec fiction scene... honestly you folks looking for new authors to read could mine that list for days, from Dave Butler to Brad Torgersen.
As for what Tor's thinking? If there was ANY pretending Sanderson wasn't keeping the bills paid there, that is gone now. They're thanking thier lucky stars Brandon wants to finish his Cosmere books and they hold the rights, because they absolutely need Sanderson way more than he needs Tor.
And he's known that for years. They're damned lucky he's also probably one of the nicest people in the industry, because he could kill Tor in an afternoon.
You know, on top of how Tor is killing itself.
If you want a yuk, go read Scalzi's cope post where he actually thinks he or NK Jemison could pull off a Kickstarter that big.
Motherfucker, I've seen your sales numbers. And Jemison's. And Brandons. His last Stormlight book outsold everything you and Nora have ever written COMBINED.
Between this and rumors of something Correia is planning later this month, March has gotta be hitting Scalzi like a ton of bricks.
Yeah, does this mean that he's dipping out of Tor completely now? Because I gotta admit that would be good in a lot of ways, I don't particularly dislike Tor or traditional publishing in general but indie authors who self publish already have to deal with a lot of shitheads and stupid crap, any amount of legitimacy Mr. Sanderson can provide would be welcome I would think
I doubt it, as much as myself and a TON of people who loathe the Tor/SFWA crowd would love to see it.
Brandon, if this Kickstarter is any proof, has all the money he will ever need. He has the fanbase, the connections across multiple industries, and the talent and drive to do whatever he wants.
What he wants is creative freedom and the ability to make Cosmere the grand fantasy epic he wants... and unless he buys back the rights from Tor, he walks away he loses that.
What it DOES mean is behind the scenes, Tor is probably having a come to Jesus meeting... there are exactly three authors at Tor who have books that sold over a million copies in the past five years, not counting longtime legacy authors like Orson Scott Card, Robert Jordan or Glen Cook, who they're forcing out as part of editorial change there.
Those three? Sanderson, Christopher Paolini (who they had to offer a kings ransom to sign) and VE Schwab.
All the tokenism and wokies are subsidized by the success of those three, especially since in a breathtaking act of hubris, they're showing the old white guys the door - Orson Scott Card is writing short fiction for Baen and novels for smaller publishers now, for example, after his last Alvin Maker book, he's done with Tor.
Tor can't keep solvent without Sanderson, and they both know that. Hell, the whole industry knows that.
Which is why they're going to give him all the creative control he wants, anything and everything else he asks for, and importantly, keep a choke chain on thier gang of lefties and wokies.
Seriously see how much it pains some of these idiots to compliment him. Its great... because Tor knows damn well they can't keep the lights on publishing Mary Three Names, Cat Rambo, Scalzi ans whatever diversity hire they're buying a Hugo for before ditching them for next year's gayer model.
I hope I'm wrong about him not wanting to leave Tor though. The Macmillion offices would look like a stockbrokers firm on Black Tuesday if he walked.
He’s conservative? Or is he just not playing woke games, which automatically makes him “conservative” in their eyes?
Pat is fat.
Let me put it this way: the only difference between Larry Correia's politics and Brandon Sanderson's politics is that Larry talks about them, and is a bit of a dick about it.
Sanderson is untouchable because he sells more books than damn near any other author Tor has signed in the past 20 years, and because he's fundamentally one of the nicest guys in the buisiness. He wants to be everyone's friend, and attacking him would be like attacking Mister Rogers, and go about as poorly.
