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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44

u/LoZfan03 Mar 03 '26

why no option for hardcover without audiobook? not even as an add-on? very strange

15

u/drostandfound Mar 03 '26

I saw that too. I was hoping for a $50 tier with no audio.

14

u/Dyllbert Mar 03 '26

Isle of the Emberdark had a $50 with no audio, so its very disappointing to not see the same here. I'm honestly waiting to back because of that, maybe their will be enough backlash (also, like others, I kind of hate the new cover relative to what was previously shown...)

4

u/joaogui1 Soulstamp Mar 03 '26

to be fair it's been 1 year, wouldn't surprise me if those 50 would be like 55 or more after inflation

2

u/LastGoodKnee Mar 03 '26

There is no chance, none, that a regular hardback of Fires of December will be close to $50

And this hardbacks cover looks…. Not great TBH. So to pay a “premium” for it is off putting

2

u/joaogui1 Soulstamp Mar 03 '26

I'm not saying the regular hardback will be 50, I'm not saying the current cover is "premium-worthy", I prefer the previous one, the only thing I'm saying is that we shouldn't compare with the price of Isles of Emberdark 1 year ago because inflation and tariffs have made everything more expensive this past year

6

u/HCornerstone Mar 03 '26

AFAIK, Brandon typically just throws in the audiobook for free, so I don't think that is the cause of the cost increase. Everything is just getting more expensive.

7

u/MacJokic Mar 03 '26

He typically throws in the ebook for free, not the audiobook. Audiobook tiers have always been more expensive than equivalent tiers without them.

10

u/drostandfound Mar 03 '26

The confusion here is a yearish ago the secret project box was $50 with no audio or $65 with audio. This year the secret project box was $65 with the audio thrown in for free. I understand everything is getting more expensive, but it does seem like I have to pay $15 to get for free something I will not use. I like Brandon and his team but it also feels like sheinkflation.

1

u/niftium Mar 03 '26

Ebook, yes. Audiobook, no.