Recent entries

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7352 Copy

    blaze1616

    When did Besk first meet Kai? Two different passages within the story imply two different times in Kai's life, so I'd love some confirmation.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Man, I tweaked this in writing, and now I wonder if I created a consistency error. He met Besk during his adventuring days, but later in them.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7355 Copy

    SandersonLover1

    There is some confusion on the Coppermind on whether Sixthface is the name of the world (I seem to recall it was named ‘the cube’) or just one of the Faces of the world?

    Furthermore, can you tell us something we don’t know about any of the Faces?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Ha. Not often I get questions about that particular story.

    It's so unfinished that I haven't established, even for myself, all of the terminology.

    SandersonLover1

    So, do you have any plans to finish it one day?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It depends on a lot of factors. One is if there is interest for something a tad more ridiculous from readers. While it's not as off the wall as Alcatraz, that story is quite weird with a particularly specific kind of humor. If the Alcatraz re-releases do well, then perhaps there is room for something akin to them.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7357 Copy

    Mnim3

    What would be your recommended reading order for the Cosmere?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Publication order, if you're already certain you're going to read them all. If you're uncertain, I'd try to find out which book will best match your interests and get you to read that one first.

    Right now, order doesn't matter much, though. One thing to remember, however, is that I'm not releasing the books in a haphazard order. Other than Elantris, I've specifically chosen which books to do in which order, as I like the progression.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7361 Copy

    thecountofchocula

    My question is was the change to the use of modern English phrases in The Stormlight Archives deliberate or am I reading too much into it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    In regards to my books, I use Tolkien's own explanation, which was to pretend that the book you're reading is in translation--everything has been taken by myself from native dialects, and translated it to English. When I make a pun, they probably didn't say those exact words--they said something in Alethi that made a pun, and I put an appropriate one in the same place. Likewise, some of their idioms just don't translate, so I use a modern idiom that means something similar for effect.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7364 Copy

    VindicationKnight

    If you cloned someone using real life technology (so not magic) would they have a normal Cognitive and Spiritual make up or be something like a Drab?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Cloning would most likely work like creating a twin--the body would pull Investiture for a soul, and you probably wouldn't have a Drab. Though it would be possible to do it in such a way that you did create one, if you're simply working from our current cloning technology, you'd get a fully invested human being.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7365 Copy

    Dancingedge

    What is Obliteration's usual M.O.? Does he destroy every town he goes to or does he usually just kill a couple people, melt a small neighborhood, maybe go and hold a sermon and then goes shopping?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He does not destroy every town. More in book 3.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7366 Copy

    Dancingedge

    We have seen that Epics have a compulsion to pick a name for themselves (and have been told that some apparently have very bad taste) but is there also some kind of compulsion for them to be at least somewhat appropriate or for example could Nightwielder also have called himself Sunshine Shimmer (if he were such inclined)? And on a similar note, about when does this need start to manifest itself.

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is possible for him to have named himself that.

    General Reddit 2015 ()
    #7368 Copy

    Ayende87

    Doesn't Zahel mention that he has 'Lost a Friend' maybe in a worldhop he dropped it, or nightblood has grown in power since landing on roshar and was able to move enough on his own that Zahel didn't notice til it was too late and he had already been identifed by Nalan.

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7369 Copy

    BartholomeusDiaz

    I'm reading the preview chapter of Shadows of Self and I'm really curious. Where does the gasoline for the cars in the Wax and Wayne books come? If Harmony remade the world, did he make crude oil too? Does that then mean he can see that far into the future?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There are clues about this in the upcoming text itself.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7370 Copy

    WeiryWriter

    So I just recently read the Allomancer Jak short story in the MAG Alloy of Law supplement. I have to ask was the dynamic between Jak and Handerwym at all inspired by your relationship with Peter? I can very easily picture you blazing some sort of fantastic literary trail and Peter following behind explaining why it isn't possible (Kind of like how you initially intended the time bubbles to do red/blue shift and Peter was like "No you'll microwave people")

    Brandon Sanderson

    Peter is not nearly as biting toward me, but always having an editor looking over my shoulder and saying, "Uh...is that actually RATIONAL Brandon?" is probably a big part of my inspiration here.

    Peter Ahlstrom

    I hadn't made the connection... >_>

    General Reddit 2015 ()
    #7371 Copy

    MisterEight

    I really wish there was a book sales equivalent to box office mojo. Would be super interesting to compare the numbers more in depth between super popular authors like yourself and less known/new authors.

    Brandon Sanderson

    There is, actually. It's called bookscan, and is generally only available to insiders. (But if you can find someone with access, you can track books back for two decades of sales info.)

    Problem is, it doesn't track ebooks. (Because Amazon doesn't release them.) I wish this info were more public too, personally. But I can try to guess a kind of rough estimate, based on what I've seen. (This is for first year ebook/hardcover combined, and only applies to fiction books, and not those by a celebrity.)

    On the chopping block: 5k (This is a book that did modestly well, but is probably overall losing money for the publisher. Some would keep publishing an author at this level, depending on expectations of growth, award recognition, or niche interest.)

    Solid seller: 5k-10k (This is a book most publishers will always be pleased with, and will continue to pay a decent advance for. This author may not make a healthy living on their book unless they can do more than one a year, but will probably always have a writing career.)

    High midlister: 10k-20k (This is an author who is well known in their genre, is a dependable seller, and has a dedicated--but small-fanbase. If you can find a writer with a number of books on the shelf, but they don't chart often on the NYT list with new books, they are probably in this category.)

    Genre Bestseller: 20k-50k (This is a book that charts on the bestseller lists without hitting the #1 spot. Authors who hit this consistently set trends in the industry, are well known in their genres, and are pulling low six figure advances. Breaking out of this level and into the next takes serious luck, even in a field which already requires a lot of luck.)

    Dominant Genre Bestseller: 50k-300k (These are the books that hit #1 on the bestseller list. Authors who do this consistently with each new book are generally at the top of their field, and are probably what you consider "super popular" in your post. But they--we, as this is where I am--are small potatoes compared to the next levels.)

    Breakout Bestseller: 300k-1mil (These are books that "break out" of their genre, or are the top of larger genres, like thrillers. Teen books with a lot of momentum can hit here too. Books in this category sell in airports or walmarts to the general public for months, as opposed to those in the category below, which sell really, really well for one week--but only because fans buy their books week one, rather than waiting. I've outsold Dan Brown and John Grisham...for one week. The next week, they trounced me.)

    Movie Books: 1-5mil (These are books from one of the other categories that have a film come out recently. Also, the tail end of the breakout bestsellers and the beginnings of phenomenon books. It gets really blurry in here as we're dealing with such large swaths of numbers. Game of Thrones books are in here, I believe. Note that they basically jumped over the category between, which often happens in sf/f when you get a film or tv show.)

    Phenomenon books: 5-20+mil (These are books that somehow SUPER break the mold, for reasons nobody really understands. DaVinci Code. Harry Potter. Twilight.)

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7372 Copy

    Amerikoni

    I only yesterday found out you changed the ending for [Words of Radiance]. So here is my question. I've only read the first version where Kaladin kills Szeth. When Szeth gets killed now, it's by the storm. What is it that specifically kills him since he can normally just evade the storm or even be healed by stormlight?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Good question! So, the idea here is that Szeth has given up, and wants to die. I wanted the storm to kill him, then, as opposed to Kaladin. What kills him is losing control in the storm, and being slammed into the ground.

    The bigger change here was actually my desire to leave it at least partially clear that he's not dead, in order to avoid the 'fake out' ending. Having him be dead and reborn was important, but I felt in the first stab I erred on the side of pulling a fast one on the reader.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7373 Copy

    Dancingedge

    Could Obliteration (or an Epic with similar powers), in theory, actively suppress his danger sense, so he doesn't teleport, even if someone would score a lethal hit on him? Also, do active Epic powers like throwing energy beams or flying drain stamina?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Obliteration hasn't learned to do this. Perhaps it's possible, but difficult. As for how draining the abilities are, it varies based on the Epic.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7374 Copy

    senigmatic1

    I've got a more hypothethical question.

    Iron stores weight. Pewter stores strength.

    What if you both make yourself very light and very strong***? Maybe even throw in burning pewter as well; how does it all work together?

    Maybe I should throw this over to askscience..

    Brandon Sanderson

    I have some ideas, and have done some research, but I'm not ready to comment on this yet. I plan to use it in a future book.

    But if you do come up with some info from askscience, I'd love to see it.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7375 Copy

    Thadamin

    How many Cutting edges does Nightblood have? I'm just trying to find out what Nightblood looks like exactly, Warbreaker is a little sparse on an exact description.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Nightblood is a long, straight sword, edged on both sides.

    morsk

    If Nightblood was a Dark Souls weapon, which class would it be? Straight Sword, Greatsword, Ultra Greatsword? I think of it like the Claymore.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Claymore might be close. Though the dark souls ones might be a tad bigger than he is.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7377 Copy

    Botanica

    Will Shallan undergo more apprenticeships in future SA books?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I think you'd find that she considers herself beyond that. Not because she's full of herself (though she is a little) but because she has started to resist boundaries placed on her by others.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7378 Copy

    Dancingedge

    Is gifting/power transference to normal people with Epics an all or nothing deal or could there be an Epic that can gift one ability but has another power he can't gift? And while on topic of quirks in Epic powers, how much do emotions play into them? We have some examples like Steelheart were strong emotions can cause the power to run amok, is there more of a guideline to this or just a quirk of some powers?

    Brandon Sanderson

    All powers can be gifted if any can. Gifting is a power that modifies other powers. Controlling the powers during times of great emotion is generally more difficult, but this has more to do with human nature than the powers.

    Phantine

    So Gifters can gift gifting?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, I'm afraid. That's a separate power.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7379 Copy

    focoma

    I may be pushing my luck a bit but I have another question, this time about the symbol of the Ghostbloods. In Way of Kings it was described as three overlapping diamonds, while in Words of Radiance it was described as "triangular". I also heard that recently a fan showed you what he thought the symbol looked like and you told him he was correct, but the picture he showed wasn't triangular in any sense.

    Was the triangular description a mistake? Do the Ghostbloods have more than one symbol? I personally imagined it to be something like this, which sorta looks triagular since it has three parts sticking out from the center.

    Brandon Sanderson

    We'll release this eventually. Yours is not as I imagined it, I'm afraid.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7380 Copy

    Smye07

    My question for you is this - I got the heeby-jeebies when Shallan heard about Amaram's collection of flutes within just a few pages of Wit bringing up the flute Kaladin lost?

    All I can think of is that either: A) Wit's flute will end up among Amaram's collection to resurface later or B) In his work with the Sons of Honor, Amaram or his fellows have stumbled across some flute-related magic or splinterization and his flutes are the brethren and sistren of Wit's flute.

    Is either of these the case? Or is there some other significance to Amaram's collection of nigh forbidden flutes?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is significant. It is not a huge deal, but it is significant.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7381 Copy

    trevorade

    To what extent can virtual objects be forced into Stephen's subconscious? Stephen says that "those who work closely with [him] know to just pantomime letting [his] mind fill in the details." Does there have to be a physical object present in order for it to interact with his aspects? JC conjures a virtual phone that clearly had no physical counterpart. Could someone lie to Stephen that they have a bazooka in a box, then pretend to pull it out and proceed to virtually blow holes in the room?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The object does not have to be present, but his subconscious has to see an idea as part of his psychosis for it to appear.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7382 Copy

    ccstat

    You confirmed at the Atlanta signing that 9-point constructions could be applied to ellipses to generate valid Rithmatic defenses. Could the same be done using open conics such as hyperbolas and parabolas? (Or do open conics become lines of Forbiddance instead of lines of Warding?) Also, the disparity in strength between the sides and points of an ellipse is attributed to their difference in curvature. Does this mean that a large circle is inherently weaker than a small circle since its local curvature is less?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes to all questions, though with a circle, there is an innate structural strength that does weaken with larger sizes, but it isn't as fast as the curvature would indicate.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7383 Copy

    winter_cloud

    Is there any more lyrics to the listener songs? If so, can you share some, please?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'm afraid I went to a poet and had them rewrite my versions for me, as my poetry chops are pretty weak. So I don't have any more than the ones in the book.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7384 Copy

    King_of_the_Kobolds

    With the second draft of Calamity done and awaiting editor revisions, I thought I'd take this opportunity to re-approach a very common fan question. Do we learn Regalia's weakness in this novel, and if not, would you mind telling us what it is here?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Boy, I do get this one a lot. I'm wary of saying anything until Calamity is out, not because Regalia's weakness is specifically relevant, but because I've found that even the most innocent of things I say can sometimes lead to spoilers. The nature of the weaknesses is a big part of the three book arc of the Reckoners, so I don't want to hurt anything.

    That said, as I mentioned, Regalia's weakness is not actually relevant. I've just been avoiding the question for reasons stated above.

    Regalia's weakness was being proven wrong. If you could figure out something she'd done incorrectly, and prove it to her so she couldn't avoid the truth, she'd briefly lose local control of her powers. But I didn't want that book to be about figuring out/using her weakness, in order to distinguish it from books one and three, which use that as the major plot. So I avoided bringing up the idea, or really even using it in the story at all.

    Dancingedge

    How hard would it be to trigger exactly? For example when David called Regalia to his location in the Reckoner hideout she figured out that she was searching for it in the wrong location. Is that why she took a while to appear or was there something specific about that situation that made it not count?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. That is a time that would trigger her weakess.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7385 Copy

    Phantine

    Silly Shardblade question: Dick Cheney's artificial heart was a continuous flow model, which meant he had no pulse. If you gave him a Shardblade, how would summoning it work?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You know, I've actually had to think about this. (Not because of Cheney, but because of cosmere applications.) Just as blind people dream differently from people without visuals, I feel a Shardbearer without a pulse would end up having another method of representing the way their soul reaches toward a dead Shardblade and summons it. But it would vary based on the individual.

    General Reddit 2015 ()
    #7386 Copy

    Brandon Sanderson

    Current Mistborn Eras:

    Era One: Vin and Elend Era Two: Wax and Wayne Era Three: 1980's Era Four: Science Fiction

    We'll see if this changes. I wasn't planning on what is now Era Two, so I could see another Era between Three and Four.

    fbstj

    have you decided to not do the 1940(?)'s story? or is it just that that won't count towards a separate era designation?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Haven't decided 100%, but I'm leaning against it. We'll see.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7387 Copy

    Dancingedge

    In Steelheart you mentioned mind control Epics. Just how extensive are some of the mind control powers and are they likely to diffentiate between normal people and other Epics?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Mind control powers among Epics are more subtle than you might find in something like the Marvel universe. (Making someone think they want a sandwich, so they wander away from their post, instead of directly controlling them.) But stronger manifestations do exist. They're more rare.

    Generally, mind control powers will have more trouble with Epics.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7388 Copy

    Mailliw73

    How many Epics have "unique" powers like Firefight or Mitosis?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Less than 10% are both unique and useful.

    Mailliw73

    What about unique and useless? ;)

    Brandon Sanderson

    Happens fairly often.

    Mailliw73

    So, a power to, say, conjure Big Macs out of their pocket wouldn't be too crazy?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No. That's actually well within reason.

    And actually quite powerful if you don't put a limit on concurrent mass created or speed of creation.

    Voidus

    What about an Epic whose only ability is to accurately tell the time?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Sure.

    Mailliw73

    Can an Epic be given powers that are permanently countered by their weakness? Ex: Being able to breathe underwater, but whose weakness is water?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'm going to say no on this one, unless the weakness is something more specific. (I.E, you can breathe under water, but your weakness is water with food coloring in it.) The weakness can relate somehow to the powers, but not in a way that if every time you use the abilities, they're automatically negated.

    winter_cloud

    What are some of the more common powers, then?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I based this off of comic books, so I assumed classic comic book superhero powers--various forms of flight, invulnerability, control over various types of matter, energy blasts--are common enough to have "standard powersets" for research purposes. Basically, this means that people like David and the lorists can make references that readers with a familiarity with comics can understand.

    King_of_the_Kobolds

    Is there any chance we could see the lorist categorization system published someday? As a sort of Reckonerverse Ars Arcanum?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This is possible, but likely only if I come back to the world for more books beyond the original trilogy.

    Voidus

    How common would teleporting be?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Rare.

    Mailliw73

    Are powers such as being able to negate others' powers or being immune to Epic powers possible?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7389 Copy

    luke_c

    Will you be posting what you change in the Elantris 10th year anniversary re-release like with how you changed the Words of Radiance ending? Also thanks for writing amazing books!

    Brandon Sanderson

    We'll try. The changes are, on one hand, way more pervasive--but on the other hand, far less substantial. There is a lot of cleaning up language, and a little of moving about the locations of buildings and the like for the sake of continuity.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7392 Copy

    TwiLyghtSansSparkles

    At the time of Steelheart, are there any regions (besides those mentioned in Firefight) that are uninhabitable?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. Not many in the states, but nukes WERE used fighting the Epics. There are some irradiated areas around the world.

    And, another poster just reminded me that people are doing a Role Play for the Reckoners, which is the source of these questions. So for that context, I might be able to dig up some more info for you on your questions.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7393 Copy

    TwiLyghtSansSparkles

    What are the extent of Snowfall's powers and territory?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I have notes on this, but if I come back to the Reckoners world in the future, I don't want to be locked into things I say here. Part of the point of mentioning Epics like this is to foreshadow for future books, but not leave myself too locked in, so I can construct the story I need to.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7394 Copy

    King_of_the_Kobolds

    In Steelheart you mention the Coven, a group of Epics that I've found immensely intriguing ever since hearing their name. Is there anything you can say about their group or one of their members?

    Brandon Sanderson

    A member of the Coven will appear in Calamity, and others will be referenced.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7395 Copy

    Moosehead11

    How do you pronounce Sazed in your mind? Is it Saysd, Say-Zid, or Say-Zed?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I say Say-zed, as does Kelsier. But he has a different accent from Sazed himself, who might say it differently among his people.

    Moosehead11

    I'm actually surprised it wasn't Saysd. Now it's going to take me a little longer to get through book 3 with that extra syllable in my head!

    Brandon Sanderson

    If it helps, I feel that's pretty close to the way the Terris would say his name.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7396 Copy

    rockeh

    Was White Sands inspired by that one episode of Writing Excuses, where you guys brainstorm sea travel on a tidally locked planet?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Good question! White Sand was actually my first novel, written starting in 1994. It wasn't very good, but I took another stab at it in 1998, and that version was far better. (It's the version I'm adapting to the graphic novel.) It was tidally locked from the get-go, as I found the idea of a planet with a "Dayside" and a "Darkside" very interesting as a fantasy world.

    General Reddit 2015 ()
    #7397 Copy

    Brandon Sanderson

    Some statistics/fun facts on [Calamity]:

    • The Book Guide (my planning file) was started in late December, but that was mostly made of me grabbing the notes for this specific book out of the general outline file for the trilogy, and pasting them in here.
    • Chapter One was started January first.
    • Chapter Fifty was finished May 5th.
    • Includes the shortest prologue I've ever done, at 61 words.
    • I wrote 13,200 (somewhere around 12-13% of the book) words yesterday across around thirteen hours. (With a break to go watch Ultron in the middle.)
    • This series is unique in that I wrote the first chunk of it years ago, around 2008, but then didn't have time to return to the project until a few years back. Unlike many of my series, I didn't plan out the entire trilogy before the first book--I wrote the first book, sold it, then put together an outline for all three books.
    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7398 Copy

    sterlingarcher1942

    Love you work, spent way to many late nights reading your series. any chance the latest Mistborn books you wrote will be much longer? The series has so much potential that I feel like you weren't able to fully draw out in the shorter length of Alloy of Law.

    Brandon Sanderson

    The new Mistborn novels will be Alloy-length, but since I plotted the three of them as a trilogy, they should have a little more weight to them across books--adding some of that depth you're wanting.

    When I get to Era Three (the 1980s spy mistborn books) they will return to the length of the original trilogy.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7399 Copy

    WhatWasThatHowl

    Hail Brandon Sanderson, Master Worldsmith

    That's the nature of my question, I'm not quite sure how to make it broad enough, but just how did you birth Roshar? Let alone the entire Cosmere? I find it too easy to view the worlds I've built in my own writing as silly or contrived. Do you see yours in dreams or did you construct yours? Please, I would be personally grateful for the backstory on how these places were forged.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Building these worlds was a long, long process. Most of that process, however, was in building myself--creating a practiced writer who had build enough worlds that he got an instinct for what created good conflicts and settings, and what did not. So the best thing you can do is keep practicing and writing.

    In more specifics, Roshar's origin was in studying the great storm of Jupiter. I went with the idea of a constant, traveling storm, then tried to build the ecology off of that idea. From there, I asked myself how this affected sapient beings, and how I could use the storms to shape culture, and how the characters I was planning to use could interact with it.

    Most of this comes down to instinct now, though. Keep writing, and don't stress too much about whether you are silly or contrived. We all feel that way at some point. Put characters into the worlds we care about, and let the rest sort itself out.