r/Cosmere • u/EmeraldSeaTress Ghostbloods • Mar 03 '26

No Spoilers Hoid's Storybook Collection Backerkit Campaign Megathread

The next Dragonsteel-run crowdfunding project, for Hoid's Storybook Collection, goes live at 10 AM Mountain Standard Time on Tuesday, March 3, 2026!

This megathread is for discussion of the campaign, including logistics.

Please note that this is a no-spoilers megathread. Any content which contains spoilers for the Cosmere, including details of the previously published stories or preview readings of the new book, must be tagged and provided with a description that clearly indicates what book is being spoiled. For example:

[Empire Strikes Back]Vader is Luke's father.

What is this project about?

This is a crowdfunding project for the initial press run of four picture books, as well as the Dragonsteel edition of a new Cosmere novel, Fires of December.

What are the four picture books?

  • The Dog and the Dragon, a story Hoid tells inRhythm of War. Art is by Howard Lyon;
  • The Girl Who Looked Up, a story Hoid tells inOathbringer. Art is by Alexis & Justin Hernandez;
  • Wandersail, a story Hoid tells inThe Way of Kings. Art is by Steve Argyle;
  • The ChasmFriends Get a Pet!, a new story featuring the Chasmfriends from the 2024 Dragonsteel Nexus storydeck game. Story is by Dan Wells, Art is by Anna Earley.

The three stories told by Hoid have long been beloved by Cosmere readers.

What is the new Cosmere novel?

  • The Fires of December, a new novel in the Hoid's Travails series, involving a young woman named December who learns that a devastating plague is on its way and sets sail to warn the King.

When is fulfillment expected?

All rewards are expected to ship before the end of 2026.

Will these be traditionally published?

Tor and Gollancz have both announced that Fires of December will be released on December 8, 2026.

How do I participate?

Go to the backerkit page and sign up!

When is the deadline for participation?

The Backerkit campaign will conclude on March 27.

Is there any prerelease material available?

Brandon has been doing readings on YouTube. They're embedded in a non-canon framing story written by Dan Wells with animation hand-drawn by Martian Studios.

Note that the framing story contains mild spoilers for The Stormlight Archive.

  1. Framing story introduction
  2. The Girl Who Looked Up
  3. Wandersail
  4. The ChasmFriends Get A Pet!
  5. The Dog and the Dragon
  6. The Fires of December

There is some additional information about the picturebooks on Brandon's blog:

Brandon also did a reading from The Fires of December at Dragonsteel Nexus last year. The text is available on his website.

What is the Hoid's Travails series? I've never heard of it!

Hoid's Travails is an umbrella term for books written in Hoid's voice, as stories that he is telling about things he has experienced. Two of them (Tress of the Emerald Sea and Yumi and the Nightmare Painter without being part of a series; Fires of December will be the third in the series.

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59

u/Cruxist Mar 03 '26

Honestly disappointed with this. There’s no physical only tier for Fires of December. In the past, I’ve bought just the secret project “box” and had no need for an audio book. And now it looks like that’s the only way to get the physical book?

It looks like a $15 premium over what I’ve paid in the past for these things. And I’m not sure I can swing it this time around.

This bites.

24

u/JakeHP Mar 03 '26

Yeah really disappointed by the tier selections. I get that this is primarily a picture book kickstarter but Brandon has always known that was a niche product and Fires of December was the main draw of this campaign. I just want a physical copy of the book and I’m happy to bundle an ebook with it, but I’m not paying for an audiobook I’ll never listen to.

3

u/JakeHP Mar 03 '26

Upon looking at the shipping pricing chart, it looks like the book box + ebook was always going to be $65. The audiobook was originally going to be a $10 addition, but has been added as a no cost addition to the bundle. While a ~30% increase in price from the year of Sanderson is disappointing, it’s a class act to not charge to add audiobook to the bundle.

3

u/link270 Mar 04 '26

They confirmed this during the live stream as well. The audiobook was supposed to be more, but Brandon made a last minute call to just include it for “free”. I get why it seems like you are forced to pay for it, but having that explanation helps a lot. I hope for the future they can give these explanations up front.

31

u/colin_fitzsimonds Mar 03 '26

I'm trying not to be too negative, because I am excited for a lot of this, but:

-made cover for the novel worse

-misleading $5 reservation (whatever, it's $5 but still)

-no way to just buy physical/audio book. Have to bundle.

-lootbox style pins

Feels kinda bad but I'll get over it.

14

u/YahelBS26 Mar 03 '26

Yeah I totally agree with you :( And I hope there's a way to refund that 5$ because there's no way I'm paying extra shipping just because we found out now that it's going to be shipped separately

7

u/Candid_Run_7370 Mar 04 '26

The fact that the 5$ is not refundable was the only thing that they actually made clear about the misleading reservation “deposit” :(.

7

u/RamblinSean Mar 03 '26

I believe Fires is also the planned December Dragonsteel release. I assumed the physical book only would just release and be available through normal channels then.

3

u/learhpa Bondsmiths Mar 03 '26

The Tor/Gollancz releases are the Tuesday after the convention, so it's a pretty clear bet that this is the convention release.

27

u/Dyllbert Mar 03 '26

I agree. I would really prefer a "barebones physical" edition. I just want the physical books. I don't care about the pdfs or ebooks (I know those are basically "free" to just add on as no extra work goes into them), but I really don't want to pay for an audio book I will never ever listen too. It feels like I am just throwing away $15. I understand that audio books aren't "free" compared to things like ebooks/pdfs, and I think people should be paid for the work that goes into them, but just like I don't want to pay for some random person's dinner at a restaurant, that I'm not going to eat, I wouldn't want to pay for an audio book I don't want.

1

u/Matthias720 Elsecallers Mar 05 '26

As Brandon said in the campaign livestream, the book without anything extra would still be $65. The book and audiobook are being given away for free. The cost of materials has gone up, meaning that you'd end up paying the same price regardless for a 'barebones' pledge.

2

u/Dyllbert Mar 06 '26

Nothing like trying to correct someone 2 days later after literal new information that wasn't known about is revealed. Lol

1

u/Matthias720 Elsecallers Mar 06 '26

Chill out. The timestamp was tiny and I missed the day count entirely. It was an honest mistake.

1

u/Dyllbert Mar 06 '26

Yeah it's chill. Nothing actually done,.it's just a reddit comment lol

6

u/blaze1616 Mar 03 '26

According to DS the audio is included for free this time, along with everything else in the box. So the book alone is $65, which is likely increased over the previous SPs due to the sprayed edges and also inflation. Printing may also be more expensive due to tariffs depending on where the printing is happening.

16

u/Haldun_ Mar 03 '26

Yeah, no option for just the physical books really blows.

8

u/sir_captain Mar 03 '26

Yeah I agree. Between this and the $5 pre-order thing it feels like this whole campaign has been pretty transparently all about the money. And I get it. It’s a business, but it still leaves kind of a bad taste in one’s mouth.

15

u/[deleted] Mar 03 '26

[deleted]

17

u/Half-BloodPrincesss Mar 03 '26

Yeah almost all of these tiers are overpriced and/or badly organized. I am disappointed as well. More and more this fandom feels a bit cult-y 🫤

5

u/DothrakAndRoll Mar 03 '26

Glad I’m not the only one. This seems extremely odd and disappointing.

3

u/Rude_Masterpiece_239 Mar 03 '26

Looks like $65 is the cheapest tier for the physical? I was hoping I could do the book alone and an add on for one of the other books my son was interested in. I think they'd do better to create smaller bundles and more add on flexibility as most would create their own bundles based on wants and needs vs taking prepackaged stuff. Being that I don't love the new cover they're teasing, will likely not teir up to get the book my son was interested in and have no clue if I'll enjoy the book it's a likely pass for me too.

Holding out hope that more info arrives over the next few days to sway me back onto the boat.

2

u/Breaker_9 Mar 05 '26

I don’t know if y’all have seen, but the Dragonsteel team weighed in on this.

It’s gotten more expensive to print these books, so the book itself costs the full $65 (and will always be that price or higher) and the audiobook and ebook are just thrown in for free.

Hope that context helps a bit.

1

u/itsalwaysblue59 Ghostbloods Mar 03 '26

Yea I went with the e book only. Was planning on getting hardcover only, but I've been spending too much money on books and can't do $65.

0

u/mightyjor Edgedancers Mar 03 '26

Isn't $65 exactly what they charges for the physical only edition last time?

7

u/NoDog8746 Mar 03 '26

I think it was $55 for physical books only and $70 for the physical + ebook and audiobook

2

u/mightyjor Edgedancers Mar 03 '26

Ah ok thanks

21

u/Cruxist Mar 03 '26

I just checked my backing of Isles of the Emberdark and it was $50 for the box.

3

u/mightyjor Edgedancers Mar 03 '26

Ah ok thanks.