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Library/Campaign/Surprise! Four Secret Novels by Brandon Sanderson
Grade B23 sourcesHIS-00644

Surprise! Four Secret Novels by Brandon Sanderson

Campaign · 2022 · Notable

43Editable slideCertificate

A surprise book campaign drew $41.7 million in pledges and broke Kickstarter’s record.

Original · Brandon Sanderson
It's Time to Come Clean — Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson on YouTube
Official first look at Tress of the Emerald Sea, the first secret novel.
Brandon Sanderson / Dragonsteel
How Brandon Sanderson’s Kickstarter Project Broke the Bookish Internet
Kickstarter
Fantasy author’s surprise new book series sets Kickstarter record | CNN Business
CNN Business
Author Brandon Sanderson on Kickstarter campaign, new books
CBS News
Fantasy author’s record-breaking Kickstarter campaign closes at $41.7 million
CNBC
State of the Sanderson 2022
Brandon Sanderson / Dragonsteel
How Angry Should Other Writers Be About Brandon Sanderson’s $22 Million Kickstarter?
Slate
After raising $33 million on Kickstarter, Brandon Sanderson backs 316 other crowdfunding projects - Tubefilter
Tubefilter
Brandon Sanderson poses for a portrait at BYU in Provo on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Sanderson’s Kickstarter for his four new novels has raised over $33 million.
Deseret News
Brandon Sanderson - Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Brandon Sanderson's record-breaking Kickstarter campaign ends with $41.7 million - Engadget
Engadget

Spread Score

How it works
Reach35ContagionNo data yetBreadth60Velocity69Longevity1343

Numbers

Seed video only, historical lower bound; derivatives unavailable
1.2M
As of Mar 10, 2022 · YouTube · Self-reported · Kickstarter
Seed to peak
3 days
Mar 1 ’22 to Mar 4 ’22
Platforms
4
Started on YouTube
Origin
Seeded
Entertainment

Mechanics

  • Maker origin
  • Mystery & lore
  • Fandom mobilisationPrimary
  • Platform jump
  • Press loop

How it spread

Trace the origin

Sanderson revealed four novels on YouTube and launched a Kickstarter. Fans discussed the surprise, and record-breaking pledges drew mainstream coverage. The campaign closed with $41.7 million pledged; Dragonsteel reported completing the fan boxes in 2023.

Google searchesFeb ’22MarAprMayAugNovMar ’23JunSepDecPeakYouTubeOpen webPressTV
YouTubeOpen webPressTV

15 more events on this chart

Join free to see them

Timeline (18)

  1. February 2022

    Brandon Sanderson precursor · Feb 28 ’22

    Sanderson teased an announcement for the next day.[1]

  2. March 2022

    Brandon Sanderson seed · Mar 1 ’22

    Sanderson revealed four secret novels and launched their Kickstarter.[2][1][3]

    How Brandon Sanderson’s Kickstarter Project Broke the Bookish Internet

  3. Omnicrola platform jump · Mar 1 ’22

    Omnicrola shared the video on Tildes, where a commenter said they had never heard of Sanderson.[1]

Changelogupdated Oct 16 ’26
  1. 2026-10-16Added 1 source · Added 1 number · Revised 1 number
  2. 2026-10-14Added: 16 events, 20 sources · Score 43 · Fact-check passed (35 claims)
Origin
Seeded
Sector
Entertainment
Region
US
Seed video only, historical lower bound; derivatives unavailable
1.2M
As of Mar 10, 2022 · YouTube · Self-reported · Kickstarter
Evidence
Grade B

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How the next thing spread, the week it does.

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Google searchesFeb ’22MarAprMayAugNovMar ’23JunSepDecPeakYouTubeOpen webPressTV
YouTubeOpen webPressTV

15 more events on this chart

Join free to see them

  1. February 2022

    Brandon Sanderson precursor · Feb 28 ’22

    Sanderson teased an announcement for the next day.[1]

  2. March 2022

    Brandon Sanderson seed · Mar 1 ’22

    Sanderson revealed four secret novels and launched their Kickstarter.[2][1][3]

    How Brandon Sanderson’s Kickstarter Project Broke the Bookish Internet

  3. Omnicrola platform jump · Mar 1 ’22

    Omnicrola shared the video on Tildes, where a commenter said they had never heard of Sanderson.[1]

  1. backlash · Mar 1 ’22

  2. owner response · Mar 3 ’22

Join free to see the other 15 events and the full chart. Free, on every case.

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Why it worked

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