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14 things Brandon Sanderson can teach us about writing
Highlights from the fantasy author’s epic Tim Ferriss interview
Brandon Sanderson writes fantasy novels.
And he’s extremely good at it. During the pandemic, he used the lockdowns to write four extra novels that he then offered to his fans via Kickstarter, raising an astonishing $41m.
His company, Dragonsteel, now employs more than 70 people. He bought the property next door to his home in Utah and turned it into his company HQ, building this OTT “underground supervillain lair”.
And recently, he guested on The Tim Ferriss Show, giving an epic three-hour interview in which he talked in detail about how he’s achieved all this.
If you’re interested in succeeding as an author — or indeed in any kind of entrepreneurship — the full interview is well worth listening to. But here’s my overview of the key points.
1. Writing is good for you — even if you don’t monetise it.
Don’t be pressured into thinking writing is only worthwhile if it leads to a published book.
“I think writing is legitimately just good for people in the same way that working out is good for people.. The time…
