OT - New Brandon Sanderson Kickstarter

This is off topic, but I remember someone on here being kind enough to post about the last Kickstarter for Way of Kings, which I would have missed out on otherwise. So for those who are interested in Sanderson's own hardcover editions: There's a new kickstarter for 4 books, to be published in 2023 with one each quarter. The books will be a surprise, though there are some hints. They're already at over 4 million $ within hours of the Kickstarter going live.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dragonsteel/surprise-four-secret-novels-by-...

I’m excited about this, though the shipping to Canada is almost as much as the books! Did you see anywhere if the binding was sewn? I asked on the kickstarter bc I didn’t see the info anywhere.

I don't think there's any information about this. If you post this question on the Kickstarter, I would expect them to be able to answer this.

I did. Will post the reply!

A good day to be Brandon.

For those interested, I heard back that the books will have sewn bindings.

$17 million raised in 24 hours (including my $200). Incredible.

I think only Brandon Sanderson would even consider, let alone probably achieve, releasing 4 fantasy novels in one year.
Generally, I have found his stories to be very good, even with such a high output. I was thankful for his finishing off Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time, particularly as I bought and read the Eye of the World when it was first released and waited patiently over the years for each subsequent book. With no criticism of George R R Martin, he could do far worse than having Sanderson as a back up if he continues to struggle to finish his series, whether Sanderson would want to is another matter.

>8 Hamwick:

And those four novels are just additional output to what he 'had to' write as part of ongoing series / contracts. I don't know how he does it.

>6 RRCBS:

That's good news. Thanks for letting us know.

Sanderson is continuing his leather-bound series with a special offer of the next two books at 150$ instead of 200$, which they will cost later when sold separately. I only found out about this when the signed copies were already sold out - someone mentioned it in the comments to this thread's Kickstarter. So I thought I'd mention it here in case others are interested in this. The set is available at his webshop:
https://www.dragonsteelbooks.com/collections/leatherbound-books

>11 SF-72: to clarify, the two books on offer are the first two books of the second Mistborn trilogy, not two books that follow the four Kickstarter novels

>12 jsg1976:

Yes, exactly. I didn't mean this as a series of novels, but a certain type of release they've been doing for several years, originally as anniversary editions. It's their 'series' (a different term might avoid misunderstandings) of leatherbound books, which so far includes several Mistborn novels, Elantris, Warbreaker, and Way of Kings. The four new novels from the Kickstarter will also be leatherbound, but I don't know if they will look similar or different in style.

>13 SF-72: thanks, would have missed this!

Received the first kickstarter book and was very disappointed to see that the binding is glued. Confirmed with dragonsteel that the books will all be glued.

My general rule for my library is only sewn books, otherwise e books. Might return the first one and cancel the others. Very disappointed ☹️

>15 RRCBS:

That's unexpected after they replied to you that they would be sewn. I'm sorry to hear this.

I do wonder whether it's connected to the problems of finding binders and printers who are doing a good job in a timely manner at the moment. From what other publishers have been writing, it's been quite a mess.

As for me, I would have preferred sewn, but I'm otherwise happy with the first book.

>15 RRCBS: oh, too bad. I had seen a picture of the book and saw that the binding looked glued, despite of what the kickstarter said before (that it was a special edition). I didn't buy it, but now I won't feel bad for it.

>15 RRCBS: Seriously? They raised OVER $41 million!! and the books are glued... sad.
Would you mind sharing some pics?

>18 astropi: Well yes, $41m, but for how many books?

Personally, I don’t blame them, could have happened for any number of reasons. Just disappointed and sharing my feelings. Thinking I might stick with them anyway, I guess glued it still pretty durable, but it’s a generally huge sticking point for me.

>18 astropi:
>19 What_What: The books were $40 each. I don't know anything about the mass production costs of books, but how much does sewing add to the cost?

I asked chatgpt and got a No Sh*t Sherlock response +)

The cost of adding sewn pages to a book versus using glued binding can vary depending on several factors, including the size of the book, the number of pages, the materials used, and the labor involved. However, in general, sewn binding is considered to be a more labor-intensive and therefore more expensive method of binding a book compared to glued binding.

Sewn binding involves sewing the pages of a book together and then attaching the spine to the pages. This process is more time-consuming and requires specialized equipment and skilled labor, which can add to the overall cost. In contrast, glued binding involves applying glue to the spine of the pages and then pressing them together. This is a simpler and quicker process that can be done with less specialized equipment, and so it is often less expensive.

It's worth noting that while sewn binding may be more expensive in the short term, it can offer longer-lasting durability and a more professional appearance compared to glued binding. Additionally, sewn binding can be more suitable for books with a large number of pages or for books that will be subjected to heavy use, as the binding will be less likely to break or come apart over time.

>15 RRCBS: which were the titles? The Dragonsteel Books website still prominently lists "sewn binding" as a feature for most (all?) of the books in the store. I didn't check all of them, but example from Mistborn:

"Like our edition of Elantris, the Dragonsteel edition of Mistborn: The Final Empire is bound in premium bonded-leather, and the pages are smyth-sewn, not glued like most regular books. Mistborn: The Final Empire is printed in 2-color offset black and red inks on quality, acid-free paper, includes a bound-in satin-ribbon bookmark, full-color endpapers by Steve Argyle, gilded pages, and two-color foiling on the cover."

(Source)

(Actually I did just check, and all the leatherbound books in the store currently list sewn as a feature.)

>23 abysswalker: it’s just these surprise books, not the tenth anniversary editions.

Started the book tonight. It is beautiful and feels good in the hand. Obviously sewn is better, but it’s a nice book. The story is quite good so far too.

Just got my version of the first book tress of the emerald sea and I have to say I'm disappointed with the publisher's ability to make the cover correctly. The gilt lettering is already coming off and the imprint placements are off. This is as a brand new copy (the plastic wrap is still on it).

Also, for those wondering all the kickstarter books in this one are glued. The sewn copies are only for the 10th anniversary editions. Also, those editions get gold endpages, while this kickstarter only has regular endpages. Also no ribbon on the copies in this kickstarter.

>26 Luke.w: Sorry to hear that you were disappointed with this edition, but it's probably worth pointing out that this is only a $40 book (as per the KS). So the fact that it compares unfavorably with the 10th-anniversary editions shouldn't be surprising.

>27 whytewolf1: Oh, the disappointment was entirely limited to the ability to deliver the copy in the quality stated in the KS. It didn't have anything to do with comparing it to the 10th anniversary editions. I was just pointing those things out because others have had questions about the differences.

Given that it’s a $40/50 book, though, it seems suspect to me that they didn’t even use a sewn binding.

>28 Luke.w: did they not deliver the quality stated in the Kickstarter? I'm not a backer, but I just checked the campaign and this was the prospective description:

These premium hardcover books are collectible above your standard hardcover. Each one will be roughly 400 pages long, about the same depth and height as our leatherbound books (about 6-5/16" x 9-1/2"), printed on FSC-certified off-white acid-free paper, and bound in a FSC-certified environmentally friendly colored soft-touch paper material. The cover material is beautiful, giving the look and feel of real leather while, according to the manufacturer, "complying with our strict ecologically sound production methods." The material will then be foiled with the final cover illustrations. Each book will feature 1-4 color interior illustrations throughout along with designed endpapers and chapter headers, all commissioned specifically for this project. Each shipment also includes a themed sticker and a cool, sparkly bookmark.

>30 abysswalker: they did get asked about whether the binding was sewn and responded yes it would be. Later, that decision was changed and no update provided. They did admit to this and offer refunds to those who were given incorrect information.

>31 RRCBS: ah that makes sense. At least they owned the mistake and offered refunds.

>30 abysswalker: I wasn't really talking about the Issue RRCBS pointed out, although many people were upset about that.

My issues were with the gold lettering already being rubbed off (or not applied correctly to begin with) and the embossed pressing on the cover not being aligned correctly. So not really issues of the design, but more the execution of that design.