#794: Brandon Sanderson on Building a Fiction Empire, Creating $40M+ Kickstarter Campaigns, Unbreakable Habits, The Art of World-Building, and The Science of Magic Systems

Brandon Sanderson is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Stormlight Archive series and the Mistborn saga; the middle-grade series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians ; and the young-adult novels The Rithmatist , the Reckoners trilogy, and the Skyward series. He has sold more than 40 million books in 35 languages, and he is a four-time nominee for the Hugo Awards, winning in 2013 for his novella The Emperor’s Soul . Sponsors: Cresset prestigious family office for CEOs, founders, and entrepreneurs: https://cressetcapital.com/tim (book a call today) Seed's DS-01® Daily Synbiotic broad spectrum 24-strain probiotic + prebiotic : https://Seed.com/Tim (Use code 25TIM for 25% off your first month's supply) Wealthfront high-yield cash account: https://Wealthfront.com/Tim New clients get 3.30% base APY from program banks + additional 0.75% boost for 3 months on your uninvested cash (max $150k balance). Terms and conditions apply. The Cash Account offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC (“WFB”) member FINRA/SIPC, not a bank. The base APY as of 1/30/26 is representative, can change, and requires no minimum. Tim Ferriss, a non-client, receives compensation from WFB for advertising and holds a non-controlling equity interest in the corporate parent of WFB, which creates a conflict of interest. Individual experiences and outcomes will differ. Instant withdrawals may be limited by your receiving firm and other factors. Investment advisory services provided by Wealthfront Advisers LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Securities investments: not bank deposits, not bank-guaranteed or FDIC-insured, and may lose value. * Timestamps: 00:00 Meet Brandon Sanderson 07:10 Soundcheck Fun and Memory Skills 11:21 Brandon's Writing Journey and Creative Process 25:35 Teaching Creative Writing and Publishing Insights 38:08 Brandon's Early Reading Experience 44:18 Discovering the Magic of Storytelling 45:32 A Journey from C Student to A Student 47:02 The Influence of a Great Teacher 48:51 Understanding Narrative and Plot 56:42 The Art of Character Development 01:09:42 Balancing Writing and Personal Life 01:24:04 Meeting Editors and Early Struggles 01:24:30 First Book Sale and Financial Realities 01:25:28 The Danger of the Second Book 01:25:49 Hitting the Bestseller List 01:26:34 Amazon and the Changing Market 01:29:03 Entrepreneurial Shift and Direct Sales 01:36:45 Building a Team and Crowdfunding 01:42:50 Kickstarter Success and Lessons Learned 01:52:22 COVID and Creative Freedom 02:02:53 Brandon Sanderson's Colbert Report Cameo 02:03:48 Kickstarter Success and Subscription Boxes 02:09:01 Test Readers and Feedback Process 02:14:16 Warbreaker and Creative Commons Experiment 02:22:50 Navigating Publishing Deals and Platforms 02:33:26 The Wheel of Time Opportunity 02:42:36 The Call to Finish The Wheel of Time 02:43:10 Negotiating the Deal 02:43:56 The Struggles of Mistborn 02:45:02 The Cosmere and Building an Audience 02:48:25 The Death Spiral in Publishing 02:52:29 Magic Systems and Their Importance 03:00:39 Sanderson's Three Laws of Magic 03:14:35 The Zero Law and Final Thoughts * For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show , please visit tim.blog/podcast . For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show , please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter ( 5-Bullet Friday ) at tim.blog/friday . For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts . Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books . Follow Tim: Twitter : twitter.com/tferriss Instagram : instagram.com/timferriss YouTube : youtube.com/timferriss Facebook : facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld , Hugh Jackman , Dr. Jane Goodall , LeBron James , Kevin Hart , Doris Kearns Goodwin , Jamie Foxx , Matthew McConaughey , Esther Perel , Elizabeth Gilbert , Terry Crews , Sia , Yuval Noah Harari , Malcolm Gladwell , Madeleine Albright , Cheryl Strayed , Jim Collins , Mary Karr, Maria Pop