Secret Novel Series Breaks Kickstarter Crowdfunding Record

Secret Novel Series Breaks Kickstarter Crowdfunding Record

A new Kickstarter campaign has finally eclipsed Pebble's crowdfunding record on the website. Brandon Sanderson set up a campaign to raise $1 million within 30 days to fund four secret books. The campaign didn't take 30 days — it took only 35 minutes. Currently, the campaign has amassed $20.4 million in funing; $100,000 more than what the Pebble Time e-paper smartwatch raised when it was up for funding.

Raising over $20 million was possible because Sanderson already has a solid fanbase. He's known for his novels set in the Cosmere universe, which he likens to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The author told The New York Times that one of his objectives for launching this project is to see what it would be like to challenge Amazon.

"If Amazon's grip on the industry is weakened, that's good for the publishers — they are very much under Amazon's thumb right now. I don't want to present this as 'Brandon versus Amazon.' Amazon's great. But I think that in the long run, Amazon being a monopoly is actually bad for Amazon. If they don't have competition, they will stop innovating," he said.

To get Sanderson's books, fans will have to commit $40 for ebook copies and the audiobook versions will cost $60, and a minimum of $160 for the premium hardcovers. Sanderson plans to release 4 books in 2023, starting with January, April, July and finally October.

Readers can get an excerpt from the first book on Sanderson's website or can listen to him read the first book's opening chapter on YouTube.

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Watch on YouTube

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