The Thursday! Newsletter 2-19: The Sanderson (and A Little Bit You) Kaboom
Volume 2, Issue 19
I've been thinking quite a bit about Brandon Sanderson's Kickstarter campaign this week.
Sanderson is, perhaps, the most successful fantasy author working today who recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to distribute four brand new books. He wrote the books over the past two years and decided to to go through an established publisher (for a few good reasons, but those are grist for another mill). He initially set a goal of a cool million dollars but, as of the hour I'm writing this, he's gathered more than $28 million.
Now, Sanderson has put a lot more on offer than four books, which is part of what has intrigued me, and a big reason his campaign is doing as well as it is. Not only can yo u get the books in e-book, nifty hardback, and audiobook forms, but you can also get boxes of swag that pertain to his various fictional worlds (and even one that pertains just to him). If you go the full swag route, it'll cost you a fair bit up front, but you'll get Sanderson every month of 2023. And, as best I can tell, the swag tier is comparable to a lot of other "fan box" company offerings.
There are a lot of different things to say about what he's doing and I won't even touch half of what we could discuss. I've read four or five articles on the subject, every one with its own point of emphasis and different takeaway. I'm afraid I won't add anything new that you won't find explored in greater detail and with far more certainty elsewhere. I will, however, give you what I think you and I can use right away, which strikes me as more useful than an impassioned "hot take". First off, though what Sanderson is doing is unprecedented, it wasn't unpredictable. Some author who had spent years building an immense and passionate group of fans, giving to them more than he or she ever took, was going to figure out how to make an absolutely killer offer to them on Kickstarter. What wasn't predictable was how that author would build up a small stack of books they wouldn't give over to their publisher nor could you predict that the author would have their own distribution company in place to handle the business end of the Kickstarter. Somebody, though, was going to do this. If you had asked me a year or so ago, I'd have thought it would be J.K. Rowling or Stephanie Meyer. Other authors are in a similar position and it wouldn't shock me if a couple or more of them launched their own campaigns in the near future.
Here's the thing, though. What Sanderson has done with his campaign is exceptional not because of its size but because he did the thing that authors aren't really supposed to do. Despite the manifold successes of independent creators, we creative folks still think the preferred (and even natural) career progression moves from independent creation and distribution to some sort of established publisher -- a book company, an art gallery, Broadway, etc. Now, Sanderson does have a reliable publisher, which has helped, but I think he also saw a couple of facts very clearly. First, the trajectory of publishing companies is not heading in a good direction for authors; and second, the top priority of a publishing company is not the financial success of its authors.
Let me deal with the second one first. Companies exist for their own financial health. A company that puts anything else first is going to collapse. That is just how business works (and authors who launch their own businesses learn that awfully quickly, so let's not be quick to blame "big business" for a reality of economics). If you, dear writer, have a book contract, you can be sure the contact exists so that the company makes more money from your work than you do. Often that works out for you. They do well and you do well and everyone's happy. Sometimes, though, it doesn't -- when your book doesn't do as well as expected and you don't get a contract for the next book. What Sanderson saw, or so I think, was that if he ever wants to really knock it out of the park, financially, he was going to have to try things on his own. You may have to come to the same conclusion or not, depending on your goals and desires.
Keep in mind, though, that the publishing industry is not in great health, for a bunch of reasons. We can argue about what those reasons are, but they don't change the current reality. Publishers aren't taking the sort of risks with books they used to, they aren't as willing to take on multi-book projects they way they used to, nor do they pay what they used to pay. Where does that leave you?
Well, it leaves you with the same realities as Brandon Sanderson faced. His stakes and yours are different, but you can make the same plays he did. You can build your own passionate fans, who'll put their money on the counter for you. You may have to show more patience and be more innovative than you imagine, but you can do it. How? Generosity.
Brandon Sanderson has a reputation for being one of the most generous authors in the business. He's given away valuable writing advice for years on the "Writing Excuses" podcast. He spend time on his fans not because he has to but because he wants to and because it's important to him that they love the work he does. He is, by all reputable account, a genuinely good guy. That matters, If you want to build your own crazy-eager crew of fans, you can't be a jerk. You're going to have to lean into them and show them time and attention, not because it's good marketing, but because that's what you'd want from the author or singer or artist whose work you love. I'm not saying it'll get you a $28 million Kickstarter, but you're a heck of a lot more likely to be successful in your creative endeavors.
I'm going to finish with a little cool water on the Kickstarter fire, though. You don't have to do this. I know you feel a bit of pressure, a bit of "Oh great! Here's some other thing I need to do, along with e-books and Amazon Whatever and a newsletter and social media." Except you don't. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. If Kickstarter or newsletters confuse you and you don't have the spare time to sort them out, don't worry about them. Keep on making your stuff. Keep on creating and sharing it however you share it. Spend your time and energy on making and being better at sharing. Make and learn and make more and learn more. If you find that Kickstarter might work better for what you need, then dig into it.
Until then, look at that Sanderson campaign and smile. He's made it a lot easier for you to do well there when it's your turn. Or for me when it's mine.
Which may come sooner than later.
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