{"id":3897,"date":"2007-06-11T16:00:04","date_gmt":"2007-06-11T21:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/?p=3897"},"modified":"2009-12-12T15:20:38","modified_gmt":"2009-12-12T20:20:38","slug":"mws-brandon-sanderson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2007\/06\/mws-brandon-sanderson\/","title":{"rendered":"MWS: Brandon Sanderson"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brandon Sanderson is the Campbell-nominated author (twice-nominated now) of the fantasy novels Elantris<\/em> and Mistborn: The Final Empire<\/em>. His novel Well of Ascension<\/em>, second in the Mistborn trilogy, will be published in a few months. Other projects (including the playfully titled Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians<\/em>) are on the horizon. Brandon also recently released another full novel in draft form, Warbreaker<\/em>, which is available for free at his website<\/a>. He blogs at BrandonSanderson.com <\/a>and posts frequently on the message board at The Official Time-Waster’s Guide<\/a>. Brandon graciously agreed to be interviewed, as part of our ongoing Mormon Writers Symposium<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[Interview questions by Kaimi Wenger]<\/em><\/p>\n

1. You’ve established a reputation as a writer of genre fiction (fantasy). Many LDS writers (Orson Scott Card; Glen Larson) have used the genre of speculative fiction, broadly speaking. Is there something uniquely LDS about speculative fiction (or perhaps something uniquely speculative about the LDS mindset)?<\/em><\/p>\n

This is, actually, a common question–one I get from LDS people as well as from New York, where they see an unusual number of fantasy authors coming from Utah. Utah readers also tend to buy more fantasy and sf books than a lot of other states. My guess is that there are many things coming together to cause these trends.<\/p>\n

First off, I think LDS culture emphasizes learning and reading in general. We grow up reading from the scriptures, and our prophet speaks often about the importance of education. Because of this, I think that there are just a lot of very literate people in our culture–and that translates to more writers and more readers.<\/p>\n

Beyond that, fantasy has a tradition of having strong values (two of the most foundational authors in the genre are C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, who both dealt a lot with good against evil and used Christian themes in their writing.) Because of this, fantasy attracts religious people, I think. Even something as generally un-religious as Harry Potter deals with the tradition of the good and the pure struggling against the corrupt and the evil.<\/p>\n

Finally, I think that the LDS religion–despite what some detractors may say–is far more open and accepting of new thoughts and ideas than other religious cultures. To an LDS reader, the concept of other populated worlds isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t threatening. <\/p>\n

2. Certain speculative fiction authors (e.g., Philip K. Dick, Harlan Ellison, Ursula LeGuin) are routinely described as having transcended the trappings of the genre. What might make a book transcend its genre? What does that label mean? <\/em><\/p>\n

That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a very astute question. Before we dig completely into what that means, I find myself wondering if it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s even something I would like to be known for doing. Do I want to transcend my genre? I love fantasy. I love the things that made it what it is–the dragons, the quests, the stories of Hobbits and rings and all of that. Those stories are what made me into what I am.<\/p>\n

Do I want to transcend those excellent authors? Could I even hope to? I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think so. And yet, if I simply do the same things that they have done, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m likely to do a poor job of it. Others have already covered a lot of those themes quite well.<\/p>\n

And so, that presents a challenge for a new author. I want to add something new to the discussion, but I still want my novels to FEEL like fantasy. For me, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve done this by trying to expand the genre in new directions when it comes to the types of magic I put in my book, as well as develop some different kinds of plots.<\/p>\n

I do want to do something new. However, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m no LeGuin. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have the literary chops, honestly, to be about transcendence. I just want to tell the best darn story I can and have people love reading it.<\/p>\n

3. You’ve confessed on your blog that you can write scores of pages in a day when you’re on a roll. Is this plotting plus writing? How do you work, in a nuts-and-bolts fashion? Do you sit and plot for weeks on end and then suddenly hammer out a bunch of text?<\/em><\/p>\n

Writing is a funny thing. In the last month, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve probably written only fifty or sixty pages. The month before that, I wrote five hundred. For me, I do spend a lot of time planning, thinking, and working things out.<\/p>\n

However, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not always a rushing river of words for me. Most of the time, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ten pages a day, day after day. There are periods of two or three pages a day. There are periods of forty or fifty pages a day. It all depends on the project. Right now, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m working on the first of what will be a lengthy series, and so it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s slow going for me because of the weight of thought that has to go into foreshadowing and worldbuilding.<\/p>\n

4. You’ve been critical of, um, certain-other-authors for their negative interactions with fans. What is the proper relationship or interactions between an author and readers?<\/em><\/p>\n

Ha! You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve done your homework, I see.<\/p>\n

My own philosophy is to look at the author as beholden to the people who pay him\/her–and that is the public! In the old days, an artist would be supported by a wealthy benefactor. Nowadays, it hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t actually changed all that much. That wealthy benefactor is now a group made up of the public who buy books.<\/p>\n

I LOVE writing. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the most amazing job I think I could imagine. The fact that the people who pay for my books support me in this addiction of mine is very humbling. I can do this, day by day, because of the generosity and encouragement of my readers. I feel, then, that I owe them something. Great books, first off. But, beyond that, I think I owe them respect. That means not calling them names or getting angry at them, even if they didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like a particular book of mine. They paid for it, they pay for my family to eat, they have a right to tell me what they think of the job I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m doing.<\/p>\n

5. Along the same lines, what sorts of experiences have you had, positive or negative, with online communities? In particular, what are the benefits of maintaining an online presence (at your blog, or at the Official Time-Waster’s Guide forums)? Are there drawbacks?<\/em><\/p>\n

There are a lot of positives. Most of the time, it comes in the way of encouragement and suggestions. Knowing that people support you as a writer is very motivating. Beyond that, I think it helps the readers and aspiring writers to be able to interact with someone who is making a living at writing. It offers a more inclusive experience for them, and they can see the process more.<\/p>\n

The negatives. . .well, mostly these come from me sticking my foot in my mouth. To be honest, having a blog is a little bit like walking around with a gun pointed at your own head. In books, I can get across the emotions, thoughts, and themes that I want because I can take the time and space I need. On the internet, most communication is much more brief, and without intonation and context, a lot of things can come out sounding a lot different from the way you intended them to!<\/p>\n

I wrote one essay called \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How Tolkien Ruined Fantasy<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d which was supposed to be a silly title, as the essay itself was about how great Tolkien\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s writing was, and how difficult it is to live up to his legacy. People read the title of the essay, however, and suddenly I was known on message boards as the guy who hated Tolkien!<\/p>\n

In another essay, I talked about the mechanics and costs of hardbacks, and why publishers publish them<\/a>. (You ask about this essay below, I see.) It came across, even though I tried very hard to avoid this, as me begging people to buy my hardbacks instead of my paperbacks. Suddenly, I was known as the guy who hated people who bought paperbacks! (Not my intention at all. I even give a free book away on my website. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hate people who read my books; I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m honored, even if they get them for free!)<\/p>\n

You just have to watch yourself and realize that, despite your best intentions, some things just aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t going to work like you hope they will.<\/p>\n

5a. You just released Warbreaker on the Internet.<\/a> Some other speculative fiction authors (such as Cory Doctorow and John Scalzi) have had some success with net-released material. What are you hoping to accomplish with Warbreaker online? (And how does the intellectual property work with that, anyway?)<\/em><\/p>\n

Well, before I gave this a try, I spoke with Cory and with my editor at Tor. I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to do anything that would jeopardize the book being published. However, the people at Tor felt that it would be good exposure, and a good way to interact with the fans. So, we went ahead with the project.<\/p>\n

I had (have) several goals with this project. First off, I wanted to give something as a free preview of my work on my website. I figure that the people who support an author\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s writing addiction are usually the hardcore fans who read everything the put out. The more people I can convince to TRY my work, the more long-term readers I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll pick up. So, if I give one book away for free, maybe those who read it will end up buying and reading my other books.<\/p>\n

Secondly, I really did want to offer something as a \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcthank you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 to those who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve already read my works. If I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d just wanted a freebie on my site, I would have simply posted the finished Warbreaker about the same time that I released it in hardback. (This is what Cory does.) However, I get so much email from people asking about my writing process that I figured the best way to help out in this manner was to simply SHOW how I do it. So, I began posting early drafts of Warbreaker, followed by later ones, and so forth. My goal is to post each draft, then finally post the notes program I worked from, allowing people to see the process of how I develop a book.<\/p>\n

As for rights, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m really not worried. Tor is fine publishing the book anyway (they agree that right now, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s better to give a novel away for free and hook more readers.) I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve indicated that people aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t allowed to sell Warbreaker copies, or to make money off of the setting. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all that really matters, as far as I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m concerned.<\/p>\n

5b. You’re currently annotating <\/a><\/em>Mistborn on your blog, providing “deleted scenes” and commentary on each chapter of the book. What are the advantages of this approach? How much time does it take? Why did you decide to start annotating?<\/em><\/p>\n

Well, I do these things kind of for the same reasons I mentioned above. First and foremost, I want people to feel like they get their money\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worth from my novels. When they buy one–particularly in hardback–they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re investing quite a chunk of change to be entertained. I want to give them as much as I can, kind of like the bonus material on a DVD.<\/p>\n

It takes between a half-hour and an hour a day, four days a week, to keep my blog updated and to provide this bonus material. A fairly big investment, but worth it, I think. I go a year between publishing novels. If I can keep people coming back to my website to read new and good material, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be that much more likely to know when my next book comes out, then buy it!<\/p>\n

The annotations came from my desire to do something like a DVD director\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s commentary. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d never seen anything like that done on a book website before, so I went for it. I hope people enjoy them!<\/p>\n

6. How has your experience been, trying to Make A Living as a writer? Are you officially a Full-Time Author at this point? Is that in the future? What are the realities of trying to write for a living?<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been interesting! Officially, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m a full time writer as of last year. For several years now, actually, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been writing \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcfull time,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 though I also teach at BYU occasionally. Last year was the first year, however, that my writing managed to provide what one might call a livable income. Obviously, I consider it the future!<\/p>\n

The realities are that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hard. Paying self-employment tax, mixed with having no insurance or retirement benefits, plus paying 15% off the top to an agent really changes things. Beyond that, you have to deal with the fact that you DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T have a steady paycheck, and don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know how much money you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll make in a given year. One year, you can make 50k–the next, 15k.<\/p>\n

However, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll bet that anyone doing any job can come up with a list of grievances like that. The truth is that I love what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m doing, and feel very, very fortunate to be able to make money at it. Hopefully, that will continue!<\/p>\n

7. Who are your favorite LDS authors? Why? What new things have you seen in LDS fiction in the last (30?) years that you’ve liked?<\/em><\/p>\n

Hum. . . . I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d list Robison Wells and Dean Hughes as two that I like who are publishing in the LDS market. If you talk LDS authors, but not necessarily LDS fiction, then I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d add Shannon Hale, David Farland, Orson Scott Card, and Brandon Mull to that list as well. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll answer the second half of the question along with the next one. [Ed. note: Shannon Hale was interviewed a few weeks back<\/a> for this series.]<\/em><\/p>\n

8. Where do the unexplored countries lie, as far as LDS writing? What could we be doing better, as a people?<\/em><\/p>\n

Whew! That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a can of worms waiting to be opened. My biggest complaint with LDS fiction is when a moral is forced into a story simply because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s being published by an LDS publisher. They can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t simply publish good works about LDS people struggling and living life, it seems–they have to learn a Sunday school lesson as well. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s changing, I think, and is one of the trends that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve liked about the market.<\/p>\n

However, a larger problem isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t with the writing at all, but with the way the publishing industry works in Utah. I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a huge conflict of interest to have the retailer ALSO be the publisher of most of the fiction, and beyond that to have the Church directing both. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think that method serves the authors or the public very well. The monopoly doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t thrill me either. (Though, to give a thumbs up the same direction, I think the Shadow Mountain imprint of Deseret Book has been handled wonderfully.)<\/p>\n

But, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all business. You asked more about the writing. So, in that case, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d come back to forced morals trumping good writing. However, I hesitate to point fingers. The truth is, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t write in this genre–so what business do I have trying to tell LDS fiction writers what to do? Plus, you can point at ANY genre and find works that don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seem to focus on good storytelling. (At least in a given person\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s perspective.)<\/p>\n

So, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll leave it at that, and say that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m curious to see where both LDS fiction and cinema go in the next few decades.<\/p>\n

9. How does your religion affect how you are perceived as a writer? Do people in the industry think of you as “an LDS writer”? Do Mormons adopt you as one of our own and support you as a co-religionist? Is it a non-issue? Is it ever a negative issue?<\/em><\/p>\n

This is a tough one to answer because the honest truth is, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know. Without seeing into the minds of others, I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really decide how I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m perceived. From what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen on blogs, and from what people have said
\nto me, I THINK it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s seen as a non-issue to most outside of LDS culture. Inside the culture, I think I pick up a few sales because people are curious what a fellow LDS guy is doing.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not ashamed of it at all. My books DO tend to deal with religious topics, and my BYU connection is made in the bio on the flap of every book. However, my books aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t LDS except that my own background shapes my views on ethics and the nature of the universe.<\/p>\n

10. You’ve got some pretty dark characters — evil priests of a fanatical hierarchical religion; nobles who engage in human sacrifice to draw on dark powers; callous nobles in another book who rape and kill without a second thought; a repressive regime enforced by torture. Even your heroes aren’t all sunshine and butterflies. Do you ever get negative reactions on this from members? How do you navigate that?<\/em><\/p>\n

Heh. Now THAT one I can answer. The biggest complaint I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had from readers is not about the aforementioned sacrifice scene (don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t worry, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not that graphic), it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not the noble society in Mistborn, nor is
\nthe dark edge Kelsier has. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the fact that my characters occasionally curse. This has really bothered some readers, which I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll admit, kind of dumbfounds me. I use only the most tame of curses (the Biblical swear words, you might call them.) The other things you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve mentioned above are far more worrisome to me. It bothers me that people email me with outcries when a character says \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcdamn,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 yet don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t bat an eye at the fact that that same character just murdered someone in cold blood.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve never had any comments on any of the things you mention, though that doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean that people haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t noticed them. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m honestly not sure what people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s perspective is. And, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to give the impression here that my books are incredibly dark. They are, however, sometimes a little violent. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve thought a lot about this issue. What do I want to do, how much do I want to show? Can I have a brutal oppressive empire without acknowledging the kinds of things that empire would do?<\/p>\n

My books are about hope, in my opinion. Hope, struggle, and victory. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve tried very hard to keep graphic descriptions out of my books where I can, but I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t always do so without undermining the story. And, the story comes first, for me.<\/p>\n

A wise friend (an LDS writer) once explained that in his opinion, glorifying violence or sexuality comes when consequences are removed. The scriptures themselves don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t shy away from graphic content or descriptions (scalps on swords, anyone?) The important issue, however, is that the scriptures show the destructive effect that these things can have, even on the good people who are forced to engage in them.<\/p>\n

So, I consider that my charge. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sugar-coat my stories. However, I show cause and effect. A person cannot kill, in my opinion, even for good reasons without it leave them scarred.<\/p>\n

11. What are the limits of LDS fiction? Is there anything LDS fiction never do? Is this a good thing?<\/em><\/p>\n

Limits of LDS fiction, or limits of LDS fiction, as published by the church? The church does and should have limits on what it will publish. (Which is why I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a conflict of interest for them to own the retail stores as well.) A book published by a Deseret Book imprint should maintain a certain standard of content. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think the church should have published Mistborn (though Elantris would have been just fine.) That doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think LDS people should read it; it just means that I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s right for that publisher.<\/p>\n

I think other, smaller publishers can and are exploring other aspects of what it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like to live life as an LDS person. They will continue to do so. They may never hit the mainstream, but maybe–with time–we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll see
\nmainstream LDS fiction expand beyond preaching. As I said above, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m curious to see what happens.<\/p>\n

12. You’re up for the Campbell, again. (Congratulations, by the way.) What can you tell our readers about the Campbell award? What does the field look like? (Um, are you allowed to discuss this?) What are the mechanics of the award — how it’s given, who decides it? Does it pay a million dollars, like the Nobel?<\/em><\/p>\n

The Campbell pays only in prestige. You don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even get a cool little statue, like you do with the Hugo (the big award that is presented in the same ceremony as the Campbell.) You just get a plaque and, in recent years, a tiara. (Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ask.)<\/p>\n

The Campbell is the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcrookie of the year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 award for science fiction and fantasy. A person is eligible their first two years after they publish, and I was lucky enough to get nominated both years of my eligibility. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s voted on by fans who attend the World Science Fiction convention that year. (This year it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in Japan.)<\/p>\n

The field looks. . .well, rough. To be honest, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have a shot at this one. Naomi Novik, a nice lady who got a HUGE publishing deal and released three books in the same year, hit the scene last year. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nominated for the Hugo for best novel, Peter Jackson bought the movie rights to her books, and she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s had amazing exposure. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s really no question who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to win. (Even if she weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t there, there are three of us that I would say are neck-and-neck for the award.)<\/p>\n

It sounds like a clich\u00c3\u00a9, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an honor to be nominated. Honestly. Plus, Naomi\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s books are good. (She got Steven King, Ann McCaffery, and Terry Brooks all to give her cover blurbs. Talk about a marketing
\nbehemoth!) I have no problem loosing gracefully to her.<\/p>\n

13. Recently, there seems to have been a resurgence in the fantasy genre. The Lord of the Rings movies were quite successful; more recently, Eragon was in theaters. Are we going to see Elantris, the movie, any time soon? Who would you cast as Raoden? How about Sarene? Hrathen? (And is it too early to start looking around for actors for Vin, Kelsier, Vasher, Vivena . . . ?)<\/em><\/p>\n

Ha! As for casting choices, I would direct curious parties to the threads on my forums about this topic. I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really say who I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d pick, since it takes so long to make a movie. And, to be honest, I have trouble imagining ANY actor in my character roles. They are who they are in my head! An actor wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be them to me.<\/p>\n

Not that I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sell movie rights. Actually, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had a few nibbles from various producers. As you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve said, fantasy is hot. However, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also very expensive to make a fantasy movie, so producers are wary about the projects they pick up. My kid\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s series, Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians<\/em>, which starts this October with Scholastic, is probably the most likely to be made in the near future.<\/p>\n

And, to end with a short one:<\/p>\n

14. Two words: Hardcover books. Why? (Okay, technically that’s three words.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Hummm. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going to assume you did your homework VERY well, and are referring to an essay I wrote on this topic on my website<\/a>. I believe I mentioned it above.<\/p>\n

A little more background for the rest of you. In a short period of time, I got a lot of emails asking me why hardback books were so expensive. So, I decided to try and tackle this concept in an essay on my website. I tried very hard to explain that I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mind if people buy my books in paperback, or check them out from the library. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s great! However you read them is fine with me. I feel honored that you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re even doing so.<\/p>\n

However, my HOPE is that in reading them, you end up hooked, and therefore buy the hardback of my next book. (Once again, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not offended if you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t! I had a LOT of trouble getting this concept across in the essay, judging by forum responses. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s very easy to misinterpret me on this fact, particularly since I wrote the essay very early in the morning, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not sure how coherent it was.)<\/p>\n

However, since you asked–as others have–hardbacks are very important to my genre. We don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sell in supermarkets very often, and even less often do we get into places like Sam\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s or Costco. That means we depend on the main bookstores, and the science fiction section sells a LOT less than other sections. (The romance section is 60% or so of the fiction market. Sf is around 6 or 7%.)<\/p>\n

So, we depend on smaller sales of more expensive books to provide our income. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s our business model. (At least, or the big thick fantasy books like mine. There are people who do sf\/f paperbacks with larger print runs and are very successful.) For me, though, hardbacks are essentially the only way I make money.<\/p>\n

So, why we publish hardbacks is simple. Now, as to why you should buy hardbacks–or not–that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s completely up to you. Some people simply prefer paperbacks because they are lighter and easier to read. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fine! Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel guilty at all.<\/p>\n

And, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll leave it at that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brandon Sanderson is the Campbell-nominated author (twice-nominated now) of the fantasy novels Elantris and Mistborn: The Final Empire. His novel Well of Ascension, second in the Mistborn trilogy, will be published in a few months. Other projects (including the playfully titled Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians) are on the horizon. Brandon also recently released another full novel in draft form, Warbreaker, which is available for free at his website. He blogs at BrandonSanderson.com and posts frequently on the message board at The Official Time-Waster’s Guide. Brandon graciously agreed to be interviewed, as part of our ongoing Mormon Writers Symposium. [Interview questions by Kaimi Wenger] 1. You’ve established a reputation as a writer of genre fiction (fantasy). Many LDS writers (Orson Scott Card; Glen Larson) have used the genre of speculative fiction, broadly speaking. Is there something uniquely LDS about speculative fiction (or perhaps something uniquely speculative about the LDS mindset)?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-12-questions","category-creative"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3897"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10548,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3897\/revisions\/10548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}