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Mistborn author Brandon Sanderson says talking to his fans is the real reason why he’s a bestseller

The author of The Stormlight Archives says he decided early on to communicate with his fans often to make sure they knew exactly when his next book was out

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Image credit: Tor Books

Brandon Sanderson has become one of the biggest names in sci-fi and fantasy books by writing an inordinate number of books over the years. He’s already written 32 novels and a large collection of novellas, short stories, and graphic novels. However, he always manages to find time to post on social media, update his website, and produce a podcast or two about his writing progress. And that is something that the Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive author credits with helping him build his impressive and passionate fanbase.

In a recent interview, Brandon Sanderson explained why he chose to spend so much time building his social media following early in his career. “I grew up in an era where I never knew when new books were coming out… and so when I broke in one of the things I wanted to do was use the internet, which was relatively new [at the time]. I realised: ‘Hey, maybe my fans, if I’m lucky enough to have them, won’t have to be in the dark like I was.’”

Not only can you follow Sanderson on social media and listen to his podcast, but you can also see regularly updated progress bars on his website that show how far along each of the four projects he is working on is. That level of communication is pretty rare for authors, but Brandon Sanderson believes it has been one of the factors that helped him attract a following.

That and the fact that he writes books at a pace that would make anyone but the late Terry Pratchett green with envy.


Just like yourself, the Popverse staff spends a whole lot of time with our respective noses in respective books. It's why we've come up with stuff like:

...and a whole lot more. Join our metaphorical library, won't you? There are no late fees and you can be as loud as you want, so long as the people you live with are OK with it.

 

Trent Cannon

Trent Cannon: Trent is a freelance writer who has been covering anime, video games, and pop culture for a decade. (He/Him)

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