The Wheel of Time co-author Brandon Sanderson recently unveiled five secret books, four of which are making their way to the market in 2023. To accompany this surprise reveal, the high fantasy novelist also launched a Kickstarter campaign to self-promote and publish these new works, and it seems the reception has left even Sanderson himself stupefied.
It’s no rarity to see film, game, or even music projects receive millions in funding on the crowdfunding platform, but who could’ve guessed that a novelist – even one as popular as The Stormlight Archive and Mistborn writer – could have this much sway with fans in geekdom?
While Sanderson had initially intended to raise a million dollars in a matter of 30 days, the campaign garnered a whopping $15 million in the first 24 hours. At the time of writing, the total sits above $22 million with more than 90,000 backers having contributed, making it not only the fastest to reach $10 million in the history of the platform, but also the most successful Kickstarter ever.
The author shared on his Twitter feed to celebrate the overwhelming community feedback, which you can see below.
If I were a betting man, much like Mat Cauthon in The Wheel of Time series, I’d say that Hollywood moguls will be lining up to secure rights to Sanderson’s Cosmere universe after this monumental development.
In this day and age, where genre adaptations are constantly on the rise in terms of popularity, it’s only a matter of time before the likes of Vin (Mistborn protagonist) and Kaladin Stormblessed (The Stormlight Archive lead) find their way to live-action.