Brandon Sanderson’s path to becoming a published author was anything but overnight. It was, in his own words, a “long, frustrating, and difficult” journey. Before his sixth novel, Elantris, finally made it to publication, Sanderson had already penned thirteen novels. So, How Did this aspiring writer transform years of effort and rejection into a successful writing career? The pivotal shift, as Sanderson explains, came when he truly grasped the power of revision. While he consistently generated ideas and honed his storytelling abilities, it was mastering the art of rewriting and refining his work that ultimately paved his way to publication after eight dedicated years of writing and navigating the world of rejections.
By the time his breakthrough arrived, Sanderson had accumulated a substantial body of work – around twelve or thirteen novels – all circulating in the hopes of finding a publisher. He was still working the graveyard shift at a hotel to make ends meet. Then, unexpectedly, a manuscript he had submitted months prior yielded a positive response. The call came in the form of a voicemail from an editor who, after a considerable delay, had finally read his manuscript and was interested in acquiring it. In fact, it had been a full eighteen months since Sanderson had sent the book to this particular editor. Understandably, he had long since given up hope of hearing back, assuming the manuscript was either lost or silently rejected.
The story of how this manuscript landed in the right hands is quite serendipitous. An agent, whom Sanderson had briefly met and spoken with at a convention, played an unexpected role. This agent admitted that Sanderson’s amiable demeanor prompted him to actually consider the manuscript, rather than dismissing it outright. Apparently, this “niceness” factor bought Sanderson significant time, as the agent held onto the manuscript for those eighteen months before finally reviewing it. However, by then, Sanderson’s contact information was outdated. He had moved, discontinued his AOL email account, and acquired a cell phone, rendering his previously provided phone number obsolete. This necessitated a bit of digital detective work on the part of the editor, who would later become Sanderson’s editor. He resorted to Googling Sanderson and fortunately discovered up-to-date contact details on his BYU graduate student page. When he finally connected, the voicemail message was both tentative and exciting: “Hi, I don’t know if this is the right Brandon Sanderson, but if it is, you sent me a manuscript about eighteen months ago, and I finally started looking at it last night. I got a few hundred pages into it, and I knew I had to call you and make sure it’s still available, because I think I want to buy it.”
Sanderson promptly returned the call and then contacted the agent he had met, sensing a good fit in editorial style. The agent subsequently managed the contract negotiations, officially marking Sanderson’s transition into a professional author. This pivotal moment allowed him to leave his graveyard shift job. To bridge the financial gap while awaiting his book’s release, he took on a role teaching freshman English composition. Fortunately, since then, Sanderson has been able to sustain himself as a full-time writer, a career he once worried might be fleeting.
In conclusion, how did Brandon Sanderson get published? It was a combination of relentless dedication to his craft, a crucial understanding of the revision process, a touch of fortunate timing, and even a bit of unexpected kindness. His journey underscores the importance of persistence, continuous improvement, and a bit of luck in the often-challenging world of publishing.
