Escape Into Books
Your home for book news, reviews, and bookish fun. Follow along on Facebook.
Brandon Sanderson has done it again. The fantasy powerhouse’s latest Cosmere crowdfunding campaign has rocketed past $5 million in its first day, smashing its original goal and setting the stage for a major new release in 2026.
Hoid’s Storybook Collection launched on BackerKit on March 3 with a $1 million target. Within 24 hours, it had surged to more than $5.7 million, blowing that goal out of the water and reinforcing Sanderson’s reputation as one of the most bankable authors in publishing.
A New Chapter for Hoid — and the Cosmere
The campaign centers on four illustrated editions of in-world tales told by Hoid, the immortal storyteller who threads his way through multiple Cosmere series. Each book has its own distinct style. Some lean into lavish, collector-focused artwork for Stormlight Archive fans. Others channel the feel of a classic children’s book, designed to be read aloud.
Sanderson has described the project as an outgrowth of writing “The Dog and the Dragon” for Rhythm of War, with each volume tailored to match the tone of its story. It’s a celebration of Hoid’s voice — and a chance to see the Cosmere through a more intimate, illustrated lens.
Backers can also add a Dragonsteel special edition of The Fires of December, a brand-new Cosmere novel arriving December 8, 2026. Announced during Dragonsteel Nexus in Salt Lake City, the book continues Hoid’s “travails” sequence that began with Tress of the Emerald Sea and Yumi and the Nightmare Painter. Early details reveal a standalone adventure following a protagonist named December sailing the River Violet amid a spreading plague.
Dragonsteel editions are slated to ship in summer 2026, ahead of holiday releases from Tor in the U.S. and Gollancz in the U.K. Coverage of the announcement noted the thunderous fan reaction in the room, underscoring how invested readers remain in the expanding Cosmere saga.
Sanderson’s Crowdfunding Track Record
This isn’t new territory for Sanderson. His Cosmere RPG campaign pulled in $15 million in a single month, and earlier Secret Projects famously reshaped what author-led crowdfunding could look like. Even beyond publishing, he’s juggling screen ambitions, recently sharing that the Mistborn screenplay is 10% complete as Hollywood eyes the wider universe.
At the same time, Sanderson continues to branch out creatively, most recently with a bold move into new sci‑fi territory. The scale of support for Hoid’s Storybook Collection makes one thing clear: wherever he goes next, millions of readers are ready to follow.
The campaign runs through March 27 on BackerKit, and if this opening surge is any indication, the final total could climb much higher. For fantasy fans, 2026 is already looking stacked.
