Mistborn

Mistborn Minifigs Sale, Updates

2009-11-11T00:34:15Z

Brandon's assistant Peter here again. Brandon is still out on the road; at this moment he's at the Joseph-Beth bookstore in Lexington KY, hopefully with a fully recovered voice. Tomorrow he'll be in my old stomping grounds at Books&Co. near Dayton OH. (I used to ride my bike 12 miles to their original store location almost every Saturday, though I still haven't been to their new location. Some of my family members may show up to bother Brandon tomorrow. If you see them, say hi for me.)

A note about the Atlanta signings on Friday: There are actually two separate signings, one in Clarkston at 3:30 p.m. and one in Norcross at 7:00 p.m. Right now we only have details for the Norcross signing here on the site, but you can see the details for the Clarkston signing at Macmillan's tour page.

The folks at Garden Ninja Studios have announced a sale on their Mistborn miniatures/figurines (and also on their Goblin Quest miniatures). All are 30% off until the end of January. They also have a new Sergeant Schlock miniature (from Schlock Mercenary by Howard Tayler, who you should be familiar with if you listen to the Writing Excuses podcast regularly).

Speaking of Writing Excuses, in this week's episode comics writer Jake Black fills in for Brandon to talk with Dan and Howard about writing comics. Check it out.

Finally, in the most recent MISTBORN 3 annotations, Brandon mentions talking scenes and the number sixteen, the loss of half the sieging Koloss, and everyone's favorite Koloss, Human.

#1

2009-11-07T23:57:10Z

If you didn't hear the news, we got a call on Wednesday informing us that THE GATHERING STORM had hit the number one spot on the New York Times hardcover Best Seller list. This was accompanied by hitting number one on the independent bookseller's list and being the bestselling hardcover fiction book at Barnes & Noble and at Borders. (And at the last one, I believe, we were the overall #1 book regardless of genre, which is impressive.) We did, in fact, knock Dan Brown out of the #1 spot—by a wide margin.

How do I feel? Relieved. When I first began this project, my largest fear by far was that I would disappoint the fans. As I have stated before, I consider this your book and not mine. That doesn't mean I'm writing it to please the fans specifically—I'm writing these novels to be the best blasted books that they can be, narratively, structurally, and characterizationally. (Is that a word?) My goal is not to produce fan moments, per se, but to produce the best story possible, if that distinction makes any sense.

Either way, the last four Wheel of Time books had all hit #1, and I worried a lot that it would be on my watch where we failed to do so. It is a testament to the beloved nature of the series, mixed with the ardor of the readers, that we have weathered a change in authors without a dip. We actually outsold KNIFE OF DREAMS' first week, which is amazing.

The thing is, I don't feel I can take much—if any—credit for this. The reason this book turned out as well as it did (and thank you all for your kind emails, posts, and reviews) was because of the work Robert Jordan did before he passed away. He literally lay on his deathbead dictating scenes for you, too weak to write. He loved his readers dearly, and those of you lucky enough to meet him know that he was a truly kind and generous man.

Beyond that, the strength of this book is directly tied to the excellent storytelling that came before it. It doesn't take much experience with construction to realize that the foundation of a building is far more important—structurally—than the roof. Robert Jordan's skill with worldbuilding, characterization, and plotting was amazing. Working on these books has only increased my respect for his abilities.

None of you ran out to get the book because of me. My job was, and continues to be, to stay out of the way and let you enjoy the story that Robert Jordan wanted you to have. I am honored and humbled that so many of you have enjoyed the book. Thank you for what you have done in giving me a chance to prove myself to you.

Somewhere, Robert Jordan is smiling.

Updates, Signed Hardbacks

2009-11-04T00:15:43Z

Today I did twelve phone interviews with radio shows, which was quite an experience. I thought I'd only be doing four or so, but radioland had other ideas. The interview I enjoyed most was the one for the Louie b. Free show—I'd post a link, but their archives seem to be down. If they ever come back up I'll let you know.

Tomorrow I head to Washington D.C. for the next stop in my book tour for THE GATHERING STORM. If you're in the area, please drop by! For an idea of what my signings are like, check out the Storm Leader reports posted over at Dragonmount. There are also recordings of some of the live streams that have been set up at a few of the signings; you can check those out here. (Quality varies but at least you'll get the general idea.)

If I'm not coming anywhere near you or you've missed me at my previous stops, but you still want a signed copy of THE GATHERING STORM, WARBREAKER, or ALCATRAZ 3, I've put up a page explaining what booksellers you can get them from. Once the books have been out a year and it gets hard to find the hardbacks in stores, I'll be offering them here on the site alongside my older titles. Until then, please support your local bookseller.

You also may have noticed that I've put up a new item in the store—a holiday bundle of all three Mistborn hardbacks (signed) at a special price with the popular Steel Alphabet Medallion thrown in. And a note on shipping for the holiday season: to make sure a package arrives by December 24th, December 7th is the last day my assistant Becky can take orders with standard shipping. Orders upgraded to Priority shipping can be made as late as December 12th (the Mistborn bundle gets a free upgrade).

In the most recent Writing Excuses podcast, Dan, Howard, and I talk about how to write without plot twists. Give it a listen to see what I mean by that.

A Few More Words about Denver

2009-11-01T17:26:49Z

Brandon here. If you've been watching, you'll know that I've been having Peter update for me. This will probably continue in following weeks as the tour stretches onward.

I was able to find a few moments, however, and thought I'd say a few extra things about today's signing. As Peter pointed out, this is an important signing for us. It's the first 'ticketed' signing I've done--where a bookseller has actually been forced by my arrival to rent out an auditorium space in order to hold those who (presumably) are going to come.

Before I got into this business, I would sometimes feel annoyed at signings where I was required to buy the book from that particular store (or buy a ticket) in order to get things signed. I didn't realize the cost involved for a bookstore in extra staff and (in some cases) auditorium space. It gets frustrating for booksellers to do that, then have everyone bring books they bought on Amazon. (I had one signing recently where 150 people came to get books signed, but the store only sold 25. That was okay, as they hadn't rented an auditorium, but they probably didn't make any money, considering the extra staff and time spent preparing and promoting.)

Regardless, my big worry is that we'll do this signing, and only 50 people will show up, making the Tattered Cover lose a ton of money on the event space. So if you live near Denver and know some sf/f fans, please pass along the news. I will be doing a reading and a Q&A, and we'll have bumper-stickers as well as other cool things. (We'll probably be giving away a big poster print of the cover, for instance, which I will sign.)

I hope to see many of you there. The Tattered is a great store, and deserves your support. As a note, I think that I WILL be able to sign multiple copies of the book (and my other books) so long as you buy one book from Tattered. In fact, I've heard that they'll let others come in and get books signed even if they didn't buy one or buy a ticket, once everyone else is done. (I'm not sure how this works, never having done it before.) Also, I think that buying Warbreaker from them will get you in too. (I'll check with them before.)

There's one other thing I want to mention. If you're not religious, you will probably find this amusing, but I wanted to speak out to those who might be uncomfortable coming to this event as it is on a Sunday. It's actually my first signing on a Sunday, as I usually ask for this day of the week off so I can have some time to rest and go to church.

Tor has been very accommodating toward me in this area, and I have several of the Sundays on this tour off. They felt it important that we do this event on this day, however, and I agreed to their request in the spirit of meeting them half-way. It had already been scheduled when I reminded them of my Sunday request, and canceling it didn’t seem right.

I believe that how people spend their Sundays (or Saturdays, depending on your religion) is a personal decision, one that shouldn't involve finger-pointing. It's between you and your God, and I'm not going to judge what is good for your family and your own well being. If you don't want to come, I understand and will leave signed books behind that you can pick up next week. If you feel that listening to me read is a good activity for this day (I’ll try to make it so) then I’m happy to see you there.

Personally, my biggest regret is that by doing this, I require bookstore staff to work who might otherwise wish to be home with their families. But I do love the Tattered Cover, and think that it is important to support independent booksellers. Sometimes, one must do as the job requires, and right now my duty is to make this a wonderful, successful signing for all involved.

Either way, thanks for reading.

Tattered Cover Denver Signing Tickets

2009-10-31T20:34:11Z

Peter again. Brandon asked me to give a shout out about the Denver signing on Sunday, November 1st. (Today's early afternoon signing in Las Vegas is about to start, so if you're in the area, head on down!)

The Tattered Cover is one of the best independent bookstores in the nation, and they've taken good care of Brandon in the past—even before he was picked to finish the Wheel of Time. For big events the Tattered Cover rents an adjacent auditorium for the author to speak in, and tomorrow's appearance is no exception. For that reason—to cover the costs of renting the hall—this is a ticketed event; the first 275 people to buy a copy of THE GATHERING STORM from any of the Tattered Cover's three locations will get a ticket to the auditorium to see Brandon speak. (He'll most likely be doing a reading, a short presentation, and/or a Q&A session.) Then everyone in the auditorium gets their books signed.

If you've already bought your copy of the book elsewhere, or if the 275 hall tickets have run out, you can get a free ticket to the overflow section starting Sunday at 1:00 p.m. (the store employee I talked to estimated there would be 200 of these available). Everyone in the overflow will be able to hear Brandon talk but must wait to see him until the actual signing line starts filing past.

Brandon wants to make sure that at least the event hall gets filled up to make this worth the Tattered Cover's while. Strong independents like this sticking their necks out for authors are still a huge portion of the lifeblood of the book market. For event details please see the Tattered Cover's website.

Housekeeping, Sam Weller's shipping

2009-10-30T23:29:47Z

Peter, Assistant to Mr. Sanderson, here again with an update. I'll probably be doing this a bit in the next few weeks while Brandon is on tour, since he's spending every decent stretch of time not signing books either sleeping or working on TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT. I hope he'll be able to chime in from time to time, but if not, he's at least posting quick status updates on Twitter and Facebook (many of them about where to find signed books—he's not just signing books in the official tour stores, but in any bookstore he happens to pass along the way, including airport bookstores).

Quick update on the Sam Weller's signed and numbered copies that 493 of you ordered. They started shipping them out last Thursday and the books started being delivered on Tuesday. But unfortunately after five days of shipping books and getting over 80% of them out the door, the US Post Office suddenly balked at the way the books are packaged (even though they didn't say a word the previous five days or every other time Sam Weller's has done virtual signings for Brandon). So a bit fewer than 20% of them had to be repackaged (Sam Weller's is picking up the tab for the difference in shipping cost) and didn't make it out the door until yesterday or today. If you're still waiting for your book to arrive, Sam Weller's apologizes profusely and we all hope you get your book soon.

The most recent Writing Excuses podcast is about how to turn an idea into a story. And the most recent MISTBORN 3 annotations cover Elend's conversation with Yomen and Vin's identity acceptance, TenSoon's escape and Kandra Blessings, Marsh and the Inquisitors' metal triangles, and how Hemalurgy works.

Release party NOW (and live feed)

2009-10-27T03:52:40Z

Hi, Brandon's assistant Peter here with a quick update. Brandon is currently ensconced deep within the BYU Bookstore signing and numbering all their copies of THE GATHERING STORM in preparation for the release in a little over two hours. If you're anywhere near Utah Valley right now, consider heading over there to take part in the fun. The Storm Leaders headed up by Tamyrlin of WoT fansite Theoryland are working the crowd and handing out freebies. They've also set up several ways you can follow the release party from afar: they're tweeting at @MidnightRelease and they'll have a live webcam feed starting around 10:00. (If you're nowhere near the BYU Bookstore right now but still want to see Brandon and get your book signed, check out the full tour schedule.) The wait is finally over!

Update from MileHi Con

2009-10-25T05:21:34Z

I met with some wonderful people from a small independent bookstore here in Denver (where I'm attending MileHi Con) who have copies of THE GATHERING STORM in stock, ready to be shipped out on Tuesday. I thought it might be good to give them a little bit of a shout-out here on the blog, as I'll be doing a signing at the con tomorrow very near to their booth. Now, they're not going to be selling The Gathering Storm early (obviously.) But they WILL be able to carry a book over to me and get it personalized for you, then ship it to you next week. In fact, if you buy a book, they might be willing to walk over during the signing itself and hand the phone over to me, so you can tell me what you want me to write in the book yourself.

This is very much like the Sam Weller's thing we've already done, I realize, and many of you already have your book ordered. But if you missed that opportunity, or perhaps live in the Denver area and want a store where you can pick up the book in person rather than have it shipped, this is a great chance to support an independent bookseller.

If you want to contact them, use the following info. The first phone number is the bookseller's cell phone, and the second is the bookstore itself.

Nina's cell phone 7203208722

Broadway Book Mall 303-744-BOOK

info@BroadwayBookMall.com

I'll be doing the signing from 3-4 Mountain Time, but if you call too late, they can get the book personalized for you when I'm back in Denver next week. (You will have to wait a little while to get the book that way.) They're selling the book at cover price, with US shipping being $4.

Sam Weller's signing and my MileHiCon schedule

2009-10-20T20:40:12Z

Yesterday evening I went up to Sam Weller's and signed and numbered 500 copies of THE GATHERING STORM for their virtual release day signing. (My hand hurts. Now I'm really looking forward to signing 1,000 books within 24 hours next week.) Anyway, a grand total of seven of those books were not already spoken for through preorders. If you call Sam Weller's this instant you might be able to snag one of the remaining copies (assuming they haven't already been claimed since yesterday). Now, I will be signing there again on November 2nd as a regular stop on the book tour, so if you can't make any of the tour dates and want a signed book, calling Sam Weller's is still a good option—anything signed there after yesterday just won't have a number and won't get shipped out until a week after the book is released. Which is just seven days away, folks.

This weekend I'm going to be the Toastmaster at MileHiCon in Denver. Pre-registration is already closed, but you can register at the door. My convention schedule is below.

(Also, don't forget that I'll be appearing at the Koelbel Library on Thursday, before the convention starts. And I'll be back in Denver on November 1st during the tour.)

Friday October 23

4:00 p.m.–4:50 p.m.
Panel: Bringing Characters to Life
(with C. Felice, N. Kress, R. Owens, and J. Skillingstead)

5:00 p.m.–5:50 p.m.
An Hour with Brandon Sanderson
(includes a reading)

7:00 p.m.–7:45 p.m.
Opening Ceremonies

8:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.
Signing in Autograph Alley

Saturday October 24

10:00 a.m.–10:50 a.m.
Gaming with Brandon Sanderson
(Playing Magic: The Gathering. Bring your cards. Small group, signup required.)

3:00 p.m.–3:50 p.m.
Panel: The Craft of Writing
(with B. Hambly, N. Kress, and J. Van Pelt)

7:30 p.m.–9:50 p.m.
Masquerade/Literary Auction

Sunday October 25

11:00 a.m.–12:50 p.m.
Guest of Honor Speeches/Awards
(with M. Gunn, B. Hambly, N. Kress, and J. Picacio)

2:00 p.m.–2:50 p.m.
Panel: Understanding Point of View
(with H. Bell, G. Gillette, A. Lickiss, and J. Stith)

3:00 p.m.–3:50 p.m.
Signing

5:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.
Closing Ceremonies

Contest, Prints Sold Out, Updates

2009-10-19T20:38:06Z

Over at Pat's Fantasy Hotlist, Pat is running a contest where one person will win one autographed copy of THE GATHERING STORM. The contest has no geographical restrictions, so check it out. (And if Pat isn't already on your blogroll, stick around and see what else he has to say about what's new in the genre.)

The Mistborn Table of Allomantic Metals sold out its limited edition print run within about the first 30 hours. I did not expect that to happen, but I'm pleased at its reception! I'll let you know when we get the cheap poster versions ready for ordering, and we'll certainly be doing more things like this in the future. (Though I do hope the next one will take much less than a year from initial design to availability.)

In the most recent MISTBORN 3 annotations I discuss the Urteau cache (including a spoiler) and more about the first ball scene in Fadrex.

In this week's Writing Excuses podcast Dan, Howard, and I talk again with Larry Correia, "that guy who did everything wrong and still got published." This time we discuss self-publishing and the pitfalls inherent in it. Give it a listen!

Time running out! Also, World English release of Mistborn

2009-10-16T21:39:14Z

It appears that I completely underestimated you wonderful (read: crazy) people. I had thought, foolishly, that 100 Allomantic Table prints would last a few months at least. Well, after 24 hours, we've sold 85 of the 100 prints.

So what am I saying? If you want one, you probably only have a few hours left. So might I suggest some expediency?

And, in the same vein, if you want a signed, numbered copy of THE GATHERING STORM, your time is running out there as well. Sam Weller's has a few of those left of their 500 limit, but I'll be going in to sign and personalize them on Monday. So this is just a gentle reminder. I think they're going to be able to ship them in a way that gets you the book on the release day. It would be very nice for them to have sold through their 500 when I go in to sign on Monday, so if you were thinking of getting one of those copies, your time is quickly running out.

Finally, the UK. It has been a long and surprisingly difficult path getting my books released in the World English market. As it stands, I've sold rights to my novels in some twenty markets so far, but for the longest time the only way to get the Mistborn books in the UK, Ireland, Australia, or New Zealand has been to either import them or (in the UK) go through the UK science fiction book club.

I've wondered why this is. Part of me thinks that these areas, already having a stable of strong fantasy and science fiction writers locally, didn't need to bring over some uppity Yank's books. Still, the large numbers of import sales indicated that there was a strong desire to read the books, and I think the release of THE GATHERING STORM in a few weeks will drive more eyes toward MISTBORN. My agent thinks that the World English markets were hesitant because they originally passed on the books, and now worry that enough people have imported them to dull the market for them.

Either way, we finally—at long last—have found a World English market publisher who is willing to take a chance on the books. Gollancz (a fine publisher) is releasing the books in these markets one at a time, a few months apart. (Book two is in December, I believe, and book three to follow around February.)

I've had a lot of complaints from people in these countries that they can't find my books. Well, with how difficult it was to get a publisher to take a chance on us, I'd certainly like to make a good showing now that the books are out. So, if you live in the UK, Ireland, Australia, or New Zealand, now would be the time to go and give the books a look. (Or maybe nudge your friends into doing so.)

Table of Allomantic Metals limited edition available immediately

2009-10-15T20:31:52Z

I know it's been about a year now since I first mentioned its impending release on the blog, but at long last the Mistborn Table of Allomantic Metals is now available in the store. To begin with they're available only in a $50 24"x18" numbered limited edition of 100, signed by me and by the artist, Isaac Stewart. This is an archival art print intended for framing and display. There will be cheap (and bit smaller) poster and desktop wallpaper versions available at a later date.

I mentioned earlier that number one wouldn't be available, but I've changed my mind: numbers one through ten (and all but a couple numbers between 11 and 100) are available, and you can get them on a first-come first-served basis. So for example, if you're the third person to submit an order, you get print #3/100.

We're guessing that these will last through the holidays, but they could go very quickly. If you want one, it's a good idea to order now.

I've been thinking of offering more collector's items like this in the future. What do you think? Do you like that I'm offering this Allomantic Table print? Should I get Isaac to make Feruchemy and Hemalurgy tables? What other items are you itching for? I'm considering having a swordsmith make Nightblood replicas, but they would run about $250 and that doesn't even include a sheath. Do I have fans who would go for something like that? (And how much would a sheath be worth to you?) You can let me know on LiveJournal, Facebook, or my forum.

MileHiCon, Signing Deadline, Allomantic Table, Updates

2009-10-12T23:53:57Z

I haven't really mentioned it on the blog here, but I am going to be the toastmaster at MileHiCon in Denver next weekend, October 23rd through 25th. I'll post a specific schedule next week of where you'll find me at the con. I'll also be doing a signing on the 22nd at the Koelbel Library in Centennial that's open to all (convention registration not required). This is all before the release of THE GATHERING STORM, though, so Denver residents should also keep in mind that I'll be back in town on November 1st during the book tour. For details please see my Events page.

I'm going to be signing and personalizing Sam Weller's Bookstore's copies of THE GATHERING STORM on October 19th starting at 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time, so if you want to order a copy from them, that is the last moment you can request a personalization. They'll still accept orders after that for the remainder of the signed stock, but you'll be limited to a signature and a number unless you call them before 5:00 on the 19th. For details please see Item #4 on the Release Events page.

The limited-edition Mistborn Table of Allomantic Metals art prints have been delivered here to Dragonsteel Entertainment headquarters, and artist Isaac Stewart and I will be signing them tonight. We'll start taking orders probably tomorrow; expect a big announcement here on the blog.

In this week's Writing Excuses podcast, Dan, Howard, and I talk with Larry Correia, author of Monster Hunter International, about plot-driven vs. character-driven fiction. Go check it out!

The most recent MISTBORN 3 annotations involve the trilogy's first ball scene in quite a while. Chapter 30 was a lot of fun for me to write; I hope it gave many readers fond memories of MISTBORN 1. Part 1, Part 2.

Alcatraz 3, Maze Runner, Names

2009-10-08T22:42:49Z

Here are a few items I thought I'd let you guys know about. First off, remember that there's a signing this Saturday at 2:00. It's the release party for ALCATRAZ VERSUS THE KNIGHTS OF CRYSTALLIA. The book is pretty much sold out across Utah, so if you want one, this is the best place to get it. I'll be numbering the copies there (though I won't be starting at #1, as a few people have already gotten to me for signatures—I think we're on #4.). The bookstore will have plenty of copies, which are pretty much (as far as I've seen) the last available copies in the state. So, come get some books! As always, I'll be signing all my other books too.

I think this is my last Utah signing before the tour for THE GATHERING STORM. So it's your last chance to chat with me and get books signed in a more relaxed atmosphere.

Secondly, James Dashner—a good friend of mine and an excellent writer—just released what is hands-down the finest book of his career so far. It's called THE MAZE RUNNER, and I absolutely loved it. I've read a number of James's books, but this one is on a different level entirely.

It's in the YA postapocalyptic genre—so, like THE HUNGER GAMES. It's about a group of boys who wake up without memories trapped inside an enormous maze filled with deadly traps. It's getting a big push from the publisher, so if you follow YA, you'll probably hear a lot about it in the near future. Really, it's an excellent novel. If you're a fan of fast-paced thriller-style writing, I think you'll enjoy it.

Finally, progress on TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT is continuing at a fair pace. As always, there are sections that turn out beautifully and sections that don't. (The latter get thrown away and rewritten, the former get kept and rewritten. That's just how this goes.) I'm feeling very good about my deadlines on this one. It's going to be tight, but I think you'll get it next year as planned.

One of the things I felt could be improved on from THE GATHERING STORM is my use of names. Robert Jordan had a distinctive way of using names, and I think that some of my names for the book didn't quite hit the right mark. We're talking about very minor things—people who are named and don't appear, or maybe who speak one line or another. Anyone more major than that generally had a name already (or if they didn't, I pulled a name from one of Mr. Jordan's unused names files).

The thing is, a good epic fantasy like this uses dozens and dozens of new names in a book. I wanted to take a stab at approaching the naming in the way Mr. Jordan did. During my very first ride with Harriet, coming back from the airport two years ago to her home in Charleston, I remember her talking about some of Mr. Jordan's names. One came from a street we passed, another from a person he knew, and another from a word he saw on a sign. His goal was to hint at our world far in the future—or perhaps far in the past—by giving occasional hints to our world through legend, story, song, and name. Hence we get names like Thom or Artur, which are direct adaptations of names from our world.

Therefore, for TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT I've been using a list of names from our world as inspiration. I chose the list of donors for the charity event that Tar Valon.net did last spring, and I've been posting the names on Twitter and Facebook as I choose them. So if you're curious about this, you can watch and see who gets chosen. I'm certain someone out there is keeping a list of them all as well. (I've got one here, and may post it eventually.)

I don't want to make it seem like I'm playing favorites or soliciting praise in order to get people into the Wheel of Time, and so for now I'm using this list ONLY. If we decide to do another charity event, I'll let you know. If you don't want to find out about the names, I won't post them here on the blog, but those who do wish to know can follow along. Remember, these are very small characters, often just mentioned by name but not seen. I'm adapting all the names, so the name I post is not what will appear in the book—it's just the inspiration for what will appear.

Still, I think it will make some people very happy and will allow me to try a method that Robert Jordan used in making these books. Perhaps it wasn't so conscious for him as it is for me, but one of my duties in writing these novels is to try—to the best of my abilites—to maintain the proper feel of the Wheel of Time. I think this will help. We'll see; I've got Harriet and Team Jordan backing me up, and so if any of the names stand out to them, they'll vanish and get replaced with something more appropriate.

(And, as I've said before, remember that the Wheel of Time turns, and people are constantly spun in and out of the Pattern. Those who are alive today could very well live again during the Third Age, and so it's not so odd at all for people who loved these books during our time to get pulled into Rand's ta'veren web and spun out again during the events of the Last Battle. . . .)

Also, note that the Mistborn Posters are almost ready. We'll be doing a big announcement about them next week.

Release Parties, Giveaways, Annotations, and John Brown

2009-10-05T20:29:00Z

On Friday I talked about this coming Saturday's release party for ALCATRAZ VERSUS THE KNIGHTS OF CRYSTALLIA. Be sure to read the entry if you missed it. Now, some of you are more interested in the release of THE GATHERING STORM that's coming up at the end of this month (though if you haven't read any ALCATRAZ, you're missing out). I recently found out about an alternative to the event I'll be doing at the BYU bookstore. If all you want is to get the book right away, standing in line for hours isn't your idea of fun, and you don't care about meeting me or getting my signature in the book (I understand, who cares about that Brandon Sanderson guy? You just want to know what happens to [insert character name here] ASAP!), the Provo Waldenbooks is also going to be open at midnight with plenty of copies on hand. They've put details up on Facebook. I'm going to be on the other side of town, of course, but the Provo Waldenbooks has hosted a couple of my release parties in the past, and it's a great place to buy books. (I won't make it to that store on this tour but am sure to stop by there sometime after I get back.) I imagine it will be a more relaxed way to get your hands on the book than the official release party—at which I still hope to see as many of you as possible. (By the way, the Dragonmount folks have put up Facebook calendar items for every stop of my tour, including the official release party. You can go add yourself to the events you're attending, if you like to do that sort of thing.) I haven't heard about any other special events or midnight openings at non-tour sites coinciding with the book's release, but if I do find out about any others I'll let you know.

I mentioned this on Twitter and Facebook earlier, but Tor.com is sponsoring a giveaway of EYE OF THE WORLD and MISTBORN 1 over at SF Signal. If you already have both books (and I assume a large percentage of you do), they at least make great gifts. Check it out. The deadline is Monday the 12th at midnight.

In the most recent annotations for MISTBORN 3, I discuss guns in fantasy and other perceived anachronisms. I also talk about Breeze and Sazed's relationship in the period since the end of MISTBORN 2. On many occasions I have details worked out that just don't end up in the book. Some of them go into the deleted scenes section of the Library, but many others end up in the annotations. If you're the type of fan who is always wondering what happens between the lines of my books, the annotations are for you.

John Brown joins the Writing Excuses team once again for this week's podcast, which deals with how to get over writing depression and how to evoke emotions in your readers. John's first book, SERVANT OF A DARK GOD, comes out from Tor next week. I enjoyed the book and gave it a quote, which seems to have been chopped down to a single word. Anyway, you can read the first seven chapters on his website.

Time for some Alcatraz News

2009-10-02T21:58:23Z

For those of you interested in my children's books, the third Alcatraz book came out yesterday. Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia. I'm honestly not sure how the distribution is on the book—we've had a few problems (as always) and I don't know which stores have copies and which ones don't. However, it's started to show up in a lot of markets, so chances are you can find it now. (And, if you go to a bookstore and it's not there, might I ask that you have them order it in? Our Alcatraz coverage is still spotty, and a lot of stores aren't getting copies. However, if you order one, they'll have on their records that they sold a copy—and might order in a copy of book four when it is released.) Right now, as chains go, it looks like Barnes and Noble is more likely to have copies than Borders is. And, of course, there's a good chance that your local independent children's bookseller will have copies.

I WILL be doing a release party for the book, though not until next Saturday. But I will be numbering the copies. The details are on the events page.

If you haven't tried out Alcatraz, I think you'll be surprised at how much you enjoy it. It's a lighthearted look at my style of fantasy novel, with a focus on humor and quick pacing. If you know a younger person (around ten to fourteen) who is too clever for their own good, these books are meant for them. Or, if you have a heart that enjoys a nice batch of silliness mixed with sarcasm and some crazy fantasy moments, you'll enjoy the books no matter what your age.

Now, I do have to warn you that the books have very invasive narrator, and the humor wears on some readers. But they are also a great deal of fun, are quick reads, and (I like to think) have their share of clever moments. If you were a fan of Lightsong in Warbreaker, then Alcatraz will probably be your thing.

We have copies of book one for sale—signed and personalized—in the store. You can find the paperback at your local bookseller. (Or, at least, sometimes you can . . . )

Updates, THE GATHERING STORM chapter two audio

2009-09-28T22:33:42Z

Following up on Tor's release of the ebook of THE GATHERING STORM's prologue and their free preview of chapter one, this past Thursday Tor.com put up the audio version of the second chapter (registration required). As is standard for Egwene chapters in Wheel of Time audiobooks, it's performed by the talented Kate Reading. Give it a listen!

In this week's Writing Excuses podcast, John Brown rejoins Howard, Dan, and me for a discussion of how to avoid repeating yourself as a writer. And the most recent MISTBORN 3 annotation covers wide-ranging topics from nostalgia to Tolkien and Hoid.

And if you've been following me on Twitter or Facebook you know that copies of THE GATHERING STORM arrived here at Dragonsteel headquarters today. (My assistant posted pictures.) Wow, it's actually real.

Storm Leaders application deadline tonight

2009-09-27T21:49:05Z

Just a quick reminder that midnight Pacific time tonight is the deadline to apply at Dragonmount to be a Storm Leader and get to hang out with me and possibly Harriet before your local event during the upcoming tour in exchange for helping at the event. Don't miss out!

WARBREAKER Audio, Weekly Updates

2009-09-22T17:58:05Z

The first two parts (of three) of the GraphicAudio dramatic presentation of WARBREAKER are now available. As with their other releases (such as ELANTRIS) it's a full cast recording of all the text of the book except for the removal of most dialogue tags (he said, she said) and the replacement of some description with sound effects. I think this is a great way to experience the story, and I recommend it to any fan of audiobooks and radio dramas. You can get it over at the GraphicAudio website in CD or mp3 form. (The first part CD set is also available on Amazon with the next two parts coming soon. And there is a standard unabridged reading coming from Recorded Books on October 4 that I believe will also be showing up on Audible eventually.)

In the most recent MISTBORN 3 annotations I discuss how well TenSoon's wolfhound body fits him, assassination and the inspiration for Fadrex, and Spook's belief in Kelsier and the mental effects of Allomancy.

Finally, the most recent Writing Excuses podcast episode is the last one we recorded at the World Science Fiction Convention with the illustrious Mary Robinette Kowal. In this episode we answer more audience questions about characters and worldbuilding. Give it a listen—and if you haven't had a chance to hear our episodes featuring Mary, I highly recommend checking them out, especially the first one, which Howard, Dan, and I agree is one of our best episodes of all time.

Storm Leaders, Book 13 Title, THE GATHERING STORM Prologue

2009-09-18T23:48:53Z

There are a few things I've been meaning to mention here. First off, Jason asked me to do another plug for the Storm Leaders program. The application is live, and time is running out for you to apply.

Secondly, you may have noticed that the WoT Book 13 progress bar has started inching forward again. Yes, I'm back to work on it, though I'm working on a section other than what I was planning. (Still waiting for some research from Charleston.) So I haven't started my re-read of KOD yet; instead, during my evenings, I did a revision of ALCATRAZ 4 so that I could send that off to my editor and have it out of the way completely. That is now done.

As for that book . . . well, it's time for it to have a title. We've been calling it Shifting Winds up until this point, but that was never intended to be the final title. After a long round of conversations with Tor and Harriet, we settled on TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT as the title. There are various reasons for this, which I'll go into more once the book is out next year. I'm pleased, however, as this was the title I suggested. It's actually appropriate in an interesting way. Harriet was the one who came up with the name for the first of the three, and the second one gets the title I proposed. And so, we will (as I've been saying for a while) use Mr. Jordan's title for the final of the three, A MEMORY OF LIGHT.

I thought for a while on that last choice. If you've been following along these last couple of years, you know that my original intention was for this to be one book. When it was split, I still wanted it to be one book in name, in an attempt to honor Mr. Jordan's wishes that it be one book. (I still plan to suggest an omnibus edition at a later point, but the three books together will probably be too long for that to be an option.) Anyway, I was going to have A MEMORY OF LIGHT be the title (along with a subtitle) for each of the three books. When that fell through, I was left thinking on my next step.

Mr. Jordan named the final book A MEMORY OF LIGHT. It's one of the things we have from him, and I wanted very badly to use it. But at the same time, he named the three books AMOL, and I wondered if it wouldn't be better to let fans think of them as AMOL together, never using the title itself in case we managed to get that omnibus done. In the end, however, I decided that the title was simply too good not to use. I can't count on that omnibus, and I feel that using the title on the last third of the book is the best way to honor Mr. Jordan's wishes. It wasn't an easy decision, and some will disagree with it. But it is what we're going to do. So, the three books are:

THE GATHERING STORM
TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT
A MEMORY OF LIGHT

Also, if you haven't noticed, Tor released the prologue for sale this week. I've gotten complaints about DRM, or about it only being in one format. Realize that a lot of different stores are selling the book, and they each have different policies (none of which are set by Tor or Harriet.) Some of them are, I believe, DRM-free. But you'll have to look and see what the status is on each store. I know one is selling a PDF. Look on Dragonmount for more information.

I've been wanting for a while to talk about the prologue, the first chapter, and various items relating to them. This seems like as good a place as any, though this post is getting long. (Nothing new for me, I guess.)

I was a little surprised when I heard that Tor was going to release the first chapter before the prologue. Not surprised in a "don't do that" way—I'd just never considered that people might read the first chapter before the prologue. In the Wheel of Time novels, the prologue often focuses on a variety of different viewpoints aside from the main narrative, showing spots of what's happening around the world. The first chapter, then, focuses attention back on the main storyline. (It's not how Mr. Jordan always did it, but it was often the case.) And so the first chapter isn't intended to be filled with new revelations, but instead is a focus chapter, bringing attention away from all of those scattered viewpoints (often where revelations are made or plots are set up or resolved). I wouldn't say the first chapter is boring—I hope not to write boring chapters—but it's also not the most dynamic chapter, as it's fulfilling other purposes.

Therefore, if I were to read one of the two early, I'd much rather read the prologue, which involves a lot more variety and (in some places) some dynamic events. Of course, the prologue costs money, while the first chapter is free. (To be honest, I'm not sure what I think of selling the prologue ahead of time. I'm not a fan of charging people multiple times for the same content. But it's been established practice for the WoT for a while now, and the length of the prologue makes it worth the money. (Though in the editing process I moved about 7,000 words to the next book's prologue, leaving this one at about 13,000 words, which is shorter than some previous WoT prologues.) In the end, I didn't say anything about it, since I got enough email from readers saying they liked the practice and wanted a chance to read ahead of time—and were willing to pay for it. I figure, if you're one of those who doesn't like the idea of paying for the same thing twice, you can just wait for the full book. You don't really lose anything by the fact that the prologue is up for sale.)

People have asked me how much of the first chapter is me and how much is Mr. Jordan. I'm going to avoid saying anything specific until all three books are out, at which time I'll ask Harriet for permission to go into more depth on some of the sections and talk about why I did what I did. I can say this, however. The prologue is one of the sections with the most "Robert Jordan" in it. Large chunks of it were inserted with very little intrusion on my part. When I could preserve Mr. Jordan's writing while maintaining flow and continuity, I did so.

THE GATHERING STORM signed books by mail; Storm Leader application now available

2009-09-14T18:39:12Z

I mentioned these first two points in my big update on Thursday, but because of a couple emails I've gotten since then I thought I should make them a bit more obvious.

One of the events planned in conjunction with THE GATHERING STORM's release on October 27 is a virtual signing. If you're not able to attend one of my other upcoming signings you can still order a signed copy of the book—even internationally. Please see item #4 in the update.

If you can make it to one of the signings and want to sit down in a small group and talk informally with me (and possibly Harriet, for the select cities where she'll also be attending) ahead of time, Dragonmount has put together a Storm Leader application for you to fill out. If you do get picked, Dragonmount also has some tasks for you to do during the signing. For details, check out the application. Note: We're expecting very high attendance at the signings in this tour, so the focus will be on getting everyone's books signed—if there are large crowds, there won't be time for readings or a Q&A. It's likely that only Storm Leaders will get the opportunity to talk to me at any length, so if you're a huge fan, this is for you.

In this week's Writing Excuses podcast, debut author John Brown (whose book SERVANT OF A DARK GOD comes out from Tor two weeks before THE GATHERING STORM—need an epic fantasy to tide you over?) joins us to discuss how to avoid making your characters sound just like you. We also put up an acceptance speech for the Parsec Award we won at Dragon*Con, but it's probably better to pretend I didn't just link it. . . .

Finally, in the most recent MISTBORN 3 annotation, I discuss Clubs' backstory. Give it a look.

THE GATHERING STORM Tour, Release Events

2009-09-10T22:49:35Z

Details about the release events for THE GATHERING STORM, including the BYU Bookstore midnight release party, have gone up on the site. I also talk more about the upcoming tour. This is a long one, though, and it will be updated as new information comes in, so I've put it on its own page instead of here in the blog. Go check it out!

Tour, The Gathering Storm Chapter 1 + More, Parsec Award, Geekarati

2009-09-09T00:32:18Z

I'll be discussing some of these things in more detail later, but since I'm a couple days behind on announcing recent developments, first I'm just posting a quick catch-up entry for today.

My excellent webmaster and brother, Jordan, has added an Events page to the site. I know, people have been asking for a page like that for a while--well, it's finally here! Right now it's got all the dates and locations for my THE GATHERING STORM tour, as well as an appearance at the Book Academy writing conference later this month and a couple more signings in December (effectively though not technically part of the tour). This page will automatically update itself to remove events that are already past, so it's a good way to keep yourself updated on where I'm going to be.

At Dragon*Con this past weekend there were a slew of THE GATHERING STORM-related announcemnts from Tor Books and Tor.com, the first of which is that chapter one of the book is now available for free over at Tor.com (free registration required). The prologue to the book (which is much longer than the first chapter, at somewhere around 25,000 words) will be released on September 17 as an ebook, as were the prologues of other recent volumes. Tor also announced the availability of all the books in the Wheel of Time as ebooks, starting with THE EYE OF THE WORLD on October 27, and a subsequent volume following each month after that--and each ebook will feature new cover art. And finally Tor announced the organization of fan volunteer Storm Leaders for each city of my upcoming tour. For more information on all of these topics, please check out Dragonmount's writeup on the announcements.

Also at Dragon*Con, my Writing Excuses podcast with Howard Tayler and Dan Wells was presented with a Parsec Award for excellence in Speculative Fiction Podcasting--Best Writing-related Podcast. We're quite honored and now I really wish I could have been there. (I am already confirmed for Dragon*Con 2010.) I guess people have really responded to our 15-minute format and our acknowledgement that we're not that smart! (But if you want to hear someone who really is that smart, this week's episode again features Mary Robinette Kowal as we answer writing proces questions from the audience at the recent World Science Fiction Convention. Go give it a listen! And it's also available on iTunes as usual.)

In the most recent MISTBORN 3 Annotations I discuss Demoux, Elend's white uniform, and happy obligators, Elend's leadership and the number sixteen (includes major spoilers, though they are hidden by default), and the disappearance of Feruchemists. If you find the annotations interesting, you can discuss them over in my forums.

Finally, this past weekend I appeared on the Geekarati podcast talking about all my books, including the Wheel of Time books and the online release of WARBREAKER. Give that a listen too! (Even though my voice sounds like it's pitched a lot higher than usual.)

Summer Is Over

2009-09-03T05:59:35Z

September first has come (well, and passed, by now) and I'm pleased to say that I met my goals. If you were reading the blog a few months back, you might remember when I explained that I needed to divert a lot of attention this summer achieving a couple of goals. The rewrite of THE WAY OF KINGS and the first draft of the fourth Alcatraz book. I not only had contracts to fulfill, but I needed a break.

Well, ALCATRAZ VERSUS THE SHATTERED LENS is finished as of August 31st. There's some revising to do, but that can happen on the back-burner as focus shifts back to The Wheel of Time. The break has been good for me; doing something different, as I've often said, refreshes me and helps me get work done. Just like the first Alcatraz book was something I needed to do to distract me between Mistborn books, work on this one has helped me take a breath and step back from the Wheel of Time (which had been dominating my life for fifteen or sixteen months.)

It's time to move onward, however. I'm still waiting for a few bits of material from Charleston that I asked for, but that's all right since I think the thing I need to do now is re-read all of KNIFE OF DREAMS, and maybe spots of some previous books. I don't have the three months to dedicate to re-reading the entire series again, though I'm going to take the audiobooks on tour for plane rides.

Anyway, I like to be very up-front with readers about what is going on. Waiting for novels can get frustrating because of how long the process takes, and because...well, it's an artistic endeavor that relies on the creative output of (usually) a single person. We artists can be flakey. \

Or, put more appropriately, the artistic and creative process can be erratic. I don't think George R. R. Martin is flakey, for instance. An artist has to know their process, and work within its bounds. It takes him years to write a book; that's just how it goes. That's pretty good, considering the genius of his prose. If he wants quality, he has to have the freedom to work as he needs to. Writing books is not like building widgets. Forcing it doesn't work.

Coaxing it, however, can be effective. For me, taking a break to do something different--like the Alcatraz books--has proven essential. I don't think it slows down my other books; in fact, it speeds them up, as it keeps my creative process working. Other writers call me prolific. That's only because my diversions (Like Warbreaker or Alcatraz) have so far been successful as publishable projects, where taking four months off to go golfing wouldn't be. But, that's a tangent.

Anyway, I don't think forcing the process can work. However, I think being open about what is happening with readers--giving them transparency and a concrete view on what I'm doing--can be very helpful. When I take a diversion, you'll know what I'm doing, and the progress bars (hopefully) will show you exactly what I'm doing an when.

For now, AMOL 2 (we'll see what it ends up being named; I've chosen what I like for the title, but the final decision isn't mine) stands at having about two hundred thousand words written. There is about 100k left to go. (A little over that.) My goal is to have that done by January 1st, to put us in the same place next year as we were this year for having a book ready by the fall.

The caveat for all of this, however, is what I mentioned above. It can't be forced, only coaxed. I won't release a WoT book just to be releasing a WoT book. This is the end of the greatest epic fantasy series of my generation. It needs to be treated very carefully. If I have to take more time on it, I will--regardless of the screaming from publisher or readers. But I don't anticipate that happening. It looks good so far.

A few points of news. The Gathering Storm tour is up on Dragonmount; I'll have it up here on my website soon. I didn't choose the cities, but I'm trying hard to get to places I haven't been before. I do plan to do a Canadian tour next year sometime, though I'm not certain about Europe. (I really want to get to Germany and the UK, at least, but my own books don't launch in the UK until this fall.)

Also, if you're waiting for news about THE WAY OF KINGS, you'll have to sit tight for a little while. I'll start posting and talking about that more come January. Right now, I think the focus needs to be on The Gathering Storm, and not on my own projects.

And now, back to doing a little editing.

Writing Lessons from a Puppeteer and Final Alcatraz 3 Sample Chapter

2009-09-01T00:19:03Z

Today over at Writing Excuses we posted our first podcast episode recorded at this year's Worldcon in Montreal, where we were joined by special guest Mary Robinette Kowal, last year's John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer winner and this year's Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America secretary. She's also been a professional puppeteer for two decades, and in this episode Mary expounds upon the four principles of puppetry and how they apply to writing. Completely because of her, it's one of our best episodes ever. Give it a listen.

ALCATRAZ VERSUS THE KNIGHTS OF CRYSTALLIA is coming out any day now (the previous books have consistently showed up weeks before the announced date), and I've put up the second and final sample chapter today. Also available are the foreword and chapter one, as well as sample chapters from book one for those who haven't read the first two books. If you're planning on buying it, it's a good idea to preorder a copy at your local bookstore to show them that there are people who want this book. So far, they haven't been quite as convinced as they should be.

In the most recent MISTBORN 3 annotations I discuss who Spook sees in the burning building and a little more about the kandra. Especially the first one is an extremely spoilerific annotation that will ruin a big surprise if you haven't read THE HERO OF AGES, so as always, read the book first before checking the annotations!