Brandon Sanderson Announces Four New Books In 2023, Including New Cosmere

Prolific author Brandon Sanderson, best known for his series of books and graphic novels set within his Cosmere universe as well as his work on the Wheel of Time series, has made a shocking announcement that could have huge ramifications for the shape of the industry’s world of science fiction. Sanderson has announced not one, not two, not even three, but a whopping four brand new novels, each roughly 400-pages long, that are set to be released throughout the year 2023. Three out of four of these novels are promised to take place within the Cosmere universe, while one is set to be “something completely different.“

For those unfamiliar with the Cosmere universe, it is Sanderson’s ambitious attempt at crafting a series of novels that may not all be directly related story-wise, but all hold a space within the same universe. Consider it something of a novelized version of how the Marvel Cinematic Universe has unfolded. The Cosmere universe is shaped by critically acclaimed works of Sanderson’s like White Sand, Mistborn, The Stormlight Archive and The Emperor’s Soul.

Sanderson broke the news as part of his Kickstarter campaign. In it, he reveals he’s secretly used his past two years worth of free time from travel in lieu of the novel coronavirus pandemic to write four full-length novels. The only ones who have known about these projects were family (these initially started out as one book being written as a secret present for his wife, but the experience ignited something in Sanderson to create more) and those working within his business and editing teams. Sanderson did not go into specifics regarding who else he is working with, or even specifics regarding the names of these novels themselves, let alone a synopsis for any of them. However, artists Steve Argyle, Howard Lyon, and Geoff Shupe produced mock-up designs for each novel showcased on Kickstarter. None of these designs are final.

Sanderson promised on his Kickstarter page to reveal both a title and the first chapter for each novel during each week of March on his YouTube channel. While those following his work will be most excited about the prospect of getting new material from Brandon Sanderson, perhaps the most shocking news here that’s easy to overlook is how all of these books will be released independently, not working with any other publisher. It’s Sanderson directly releasing these books to his fans.

While working with publishers is considered the norm for any kind of publication, the success of Sanderson’s independent works could send a shockwave through the industry big enough to inspire other major artists and writers to do the same. Sanderson’s Kickstarter campaign has already been immensely successful. As of this writing, his Kickstarter has barely been up for a full 24 hours before reaching $15,000,000 (and counting) pledges from more than 57,000 backers. The original goal was simply $1,000,000.

Besides the fact that this bit of news could change the industry in a big way, Cosmere fans have plenty to look forward to come 2023, and those same fans should stay tuned to Brandon Sanderson‘s YouTube channel for more details throughout the month.

Source: Kickstarter

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