Brandon Sanderson shares plans for new bookstore, reads from upcoming book at FanX

In a packed ballroom filled with roughly 5,000 fans on Saturday at FanX, Brandon Sanderson split his 50-minute panel into three parts: announcements, Q&A and a reading from his upcoming book.

Sanderson started his panel with a slideshow presentation sharing the art process for his books and book bundles coming soon that fans can buy.

As a part of the updates Sanderson also shared that his LLC, Dragonsteel Entertainment, has purchased the land next to what was Evermore Park in Pleasant Grove, Utah.

“We’re going to theoretically build a bookstore,” Sanderson said. He added the area will be called Dragonsteel Plaza.

The reading Sanderson did at the end of the panel was an excerpt from the upcoming fifth book in “The Stormlight Archive” series, “Wind and Truth.” The book releases on Dec. 6.

The fans asking questions were well versed in the characters and lore of Sanderson’s books, asking him in-depth and specific questions.

One question led to an in-depth explanation of the dragons in his fictional universe the Cosmere.

When asked if his characters ever surprised him while writing, he shared that Adolin Kholin in “The Stormlight Archive” series is his character who has surprised him the most.

Sanderson shared that as his characters develop he sometimes has to change the decisions he originally outlined them making; he said this happens to a character in “Wind and Truth.”

To a couple of the questions about his books Sanderson responded with “RAFO,” which he explained means “read and find out.”

Sanderson talked about his study of mental health for his book characters. He said he uses this knowledge to try to help and understand those around him, like his child who has depression, though he is not a licensed therapist.

“I want to understand people,” Sanderson said. “That’s one of the main reasons I became a writer, because I want to understand what it is to be outside of my head. And that’s the real sort of challenge for me, is understanding, and I hope it helps them.”

Sanderson was also asked if he’s ever doubted himself as a writer and he responded with an enthusiastic yes saying he thinks every writer does.

“Every time a book comes out, there is a part of you that says, well, this is the one that’s going to end your career, no one’s gonna like this one,” Sanderson said.

He told the audience at the beginning of his career he had written 12 novels and no one was buying them, so he began questioning why he was doing it and people around him also started questioning his choice to be a writer.

“But the thing that really changed my mindset then was realizing I wasn’t writing the books necessarily because I wanted to be a famous author,” Sanderson said.

“I was writing the books because I had stories I needed to tell,” he continued. “I realized that if I reached my deathbed and I had finished writing 100 novels, and I loved doing it, then that was a success, and that’s the bigger bar of success.”