Brandon Sanderson gets $2.5 million deal for next four books

Werthead

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Seems to be a lucrative week for SF&F writers :)

Sanderson has signed a new deal with Tor Books for the first four novels in The Way of Kings series, a planned ten-book saga. Sanderson wrote the first novel some time ago and is moving back and forth between revising this and writing The Wheel of Time Book 13, and will then swap over (writing Way of Kings 2 and revising WoT 13).

The deal includes a six-figure advance for each of the four novels, plus additional bonuses if he hits certain deadlines or sales figures. The money value of the deal could exceed $2.5 million.

This deal is for The Way of Kings by itself and does not include the re-negotiated Wheel of Time contract (Sanderson and Tor set up a new deal last week after the final book was split in three due to extreme length).

Impressive. Even off his own back, Sanderson seems to be a rising star and his work on the Wheel of Time books will likely cause his profile to increase much more markedly.
 
That is good news. Sanderson is, IMO, one of the brightest new players of the game. I have read Elantris and the Mistborn series with Warbreaker sitting on my shelf at home waiting to be read. This just ensures that he will be around writing good books for years to come.
 
Whoa, that's some serious $$. Good on him.

That said, no way will I ever consider a 10-book series. Far too many good reads out there to spent a few years of my life reading that.

I toyed with reading Mistborn, but given that I hadn't finished Hobb's Farseer trilogy or Abercrombie's First Law trilogy at the time, I didn't feel up to starting a new series. I also wasn't terribly impressed with Elantris (though I hear Mistborn is better) and hear that this one again makes faith and religion a huge focus of the work, which doesn't much interest me.
 
Good luck to him, it's a great deal, and (hopefully) will send all the other SF&F publishers looking for more authors, so they can get carried on the coat tails of good news - you gotta stay positive.

But no matter what, I won't be dipping into WOT, unless Patrick Rothfuss was chosen to write it... could turn out to be a poisoned chalice: the afficionados of the originals may hate it, and new readers will have to wade through the mountains of IMHO turgid prose that the WOT became, and say "Sanderson? Nah, didn't like him". But he'll laugh all the way to the bank... except we have to find a new saying now, considering how precarious banks are...!
 
I can't really comment at this point, not having read any of Sanderson's work. Is he that good, or is it the association with the Wheel of Time that is doing it?

I do have one of his novel's tucked away and I'm sure I'll read it sooner or later, and I'll certainly read the concluding books the the WoT, but I have one small niggle.

Like many others I followed the publication of the last few WoT books alongside Jordan's heroic fight against the disease that finally killed him; his determination to finish his series was brave and it was tragic that he never got to finish what he started.

However, he always insisted that Book 12 would be the last WoT book... It might have been 2000 pages long, but it would be the last book.

And now we find that there are going to be 14...

Is Sanderson's epic deal on the strength of his own work, or on completeing the WoT?

(To be honest I'm pretty sure it's the publishers milking the golden cow here, splitting the conclusion into three because it's too big! I'm pretty sure no matter what the size it could be published as one massive Hardback and split into volumes as paperback as has been done in the past for other series)
 
Wow, that really is allot of money. I haven't read any of his books yet but I have had the first Mistborn book on my shelf for quite awhile. I'll read that series and of course the WoT books as well. I'll probably check out his new series too when it comes out. Warbreaker sounds pretty interesting also. I hope he really is a good author since it will give me quite a bit to read by him then.

It does seem like he's getting the popularity now because of his writing the WoT novels though.
 
I wonder if Tor wants another endless epic fantasy series once the Wheel of Time is over. It seems like a large gamble considering the series is still untested.

Maybe Brandon Sanderson will become another Christopher Paolini, or David Eddings, or the next...what was the quote on the Wheel of Time books? Oh yes,
"With the Way of Kings, Sanderson has come to dominate the world Tolkien and Jordan began to reveal."

But thats still good for Sanderson. Maybe I ought to read some of his stuff sometime before The Gathering Storm is released.

However, he always insisted that Book 12 would be the last WoT book... It might have been 2000 pages long, but it would be the last book.

And now we find that there are going to be 14...

Is Sanderson's epic deal on the strength of his own work, or on completeing the WoT?

(To be honest I'm pretty sure it's the publishers milking the golden cow here, splitting the conclusion into three because it's too big! I'm pretty sure no matter what the size it could be published as one massive Hardback and split into volumes as paperback as has been done in the past for other series)

Publishers managed to compress the Lord of the Rings trilogy into one volume in one edition. Unabridged of course. If they can do that with Lord of the Rings, they ought to be able to do it with the Wheel of Time - or simply cut the useless parts out of the final sequence and concentrate on the core plot line.

It does seem like he's getting the popularity now because of his writing the WoT novels though.

I'd never even heard of him until he was contracted to complete the series.
 
Publishers managed to compress the Lord of the Rings trilogy into one volume in one edition. Unabridged of course. If they can do that with Lord of the Rings, they ought to be able to do it with the Wheel of Time - or simply cut the useless parts out of the final sequence and concentrate on the core plot line.
QUOTE]

This is something along the lines of what I was thinking - and my memory is really fuzzy here, but I think when they published the last book of Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams - T Green Angel Tower, there was a lot of talk of it being 'too big' but it was published in hardcover as one volume, because nothing is too big in hardcover, it's only when you get to paperback that the problem starts with spines splitting etc, so GAT was released as two paperbacks.

Couldn't they do the same with this?

Of course playing the devil's advocate, it'd be a pain in the arse reading a hardback that was 2000+ pages long, the weight alone would mean some interesting reading positions. Or is that just me :rolleyes:
 
the weight alone would mean some interesting reading positions. Or is that just me :rolleyes:

LOL. There'll be no more walking places with your nose in the book. Not that I do that anyway, but I'm sure some people do.

No doubt you could use it for weight lifting even. :D
 
Publishers managed to compress the Lord of the Rings trilogy into one volume in one edition. Unabridged of course. If they can do that with Lord of the Rings, they ought to be able to do it with the Wheel of Time - or simply cut the useless parts out of the final sequence and concentrate on the core plot line.

The problem is that The Gathering Storm, by itself, is about 75% the length of The Lord of the Rings. Putting the three books together in one volume is beyond the limits of modern binding technology.

As for the cutting, I don't see how it's possible. Sanderson is obliged to tie off the plot threads that Jordan left dangling, and whilst Jordan did close down a few in KoD (Suroth, the Seanchan's communications back home, Elayne's struggle for the crown, the Shaido), there's A LOT left. Even cutting out the baths, arms-folding and relationship angst, I can't see it being possible to complete the story in just one 300,000-word book.

You've got the split in the White Tower, the Seanchan invasion, the Borderland armies, Lan trying to refound Malkier, Rand uniting the nations, the conspiracy within the Aes Sedai to expose the Black Ajah and the Black Ajah's counter-plots, the other 'mystery conspiracy' within the Ajahs, Shaidar Haran and what he's up to, who killed Asmodean, the rescue of Moiraine, what happened when Rand and Ishamael crossed the streams, Rand and his mental struggle with Lews Therin, Semirhage in captivity, the Prophet of the Dragon's machinations, Galad and the Children of the Light, Rodel Ituralde's war against the Seanchan, the struggle between Mazrim Taim and Logain for control of the Asha'man, whatever the Ogier are up to with their meetings and the Book of Translation and a lot more besides.

Dropping some of those plots would feel a bit weak at this point.

I'd never even heard of him until he was contracted to complete the series.

Really? He was a big up-and-comer, mentioned in the same breath as Scott Lynch, Joe Abercrombie and Pat Rothfuss, and Mistborn was getting great reviews even before the news about the Jordan connection came out.
 
Please tell me that by the end (I didn't get past book 5) Jordan didn't become so lost in his work that he had to steal from the Ghostbusters!

Not quite. It's in Book 7 and Rand and Ishamaeal are trying to kill Sammael in Shadar Logoth. They both use balefire and at one point their balefire beams hit one another, which has resulted in some pretty bizarre things happening.
 
I have never heard of Brandon Sanderson. I feel dumb and awkward today. I aint heard of Rothfuss either, though I just googled him and he has an awesome beard. I never care much for review or hype. Tell me, which of their books is greater than The Mysterious Cities of Gold tv series??
 
I have never heard of Brandon Sanderson. I feel dumb and awkward today. I aint heard of Rothfuss either, though I just googled him and he has an awesome beard. I never care much for review or hype. Tell me, which of their books is greater than The Mysterious Cities of Gold tv series??

I've never heard of that tv series, but the Rothfuss book was far better than the one Sanderson book I read. Name of the Wind is one of my favorite debuts ever. I didn't care for Elantris.
 
I've never heard of that tv series, but the Rothfuss book was far better than the one Sanderson book I read. Name of the Wind is one of my favorite debuts ever. I didn't care for Elantris.

I shall pick it up on my next payday. Might even see if I can find some threads here discussing the bearded lovely.

PS You should watch the Mysterious Cities of Gold.
 
I'll support soulsinging on the Rothfuss book. The Name of the Wind is a superb debut, loved every page of it, and the only downside is having to await the next one!

I Have yet to read a Sanderson, but there is one sitting on my to read pile.
 
I'll support soulsinging on the Rothfuss book. The Name of the Wind is a superb debut, loved every page of it, and the only downside is having to await the next one!

I Have yet to read a Sanderson, but there is one sitting on my to read pile.

Confirmation for me. I will berate you both on these forums if it is cack. :)
 

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