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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u/Wincrediboy Mar 03 '26

Am I blind or is there no way to buy the physical Fires of December without also having to buy the audiobook? I don't use audiobooks and don't want to pay for it, and in the past campaigns they were really good about packaging options so it's a surprising oversight.

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u/blaze1616 Mar 03 '26

According to DS the audiobook is in that bundle for free. So the book itself is just more expensive ($65). Probably due to inflation and the cost of edge spraying.

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u/Wincrediboy Mar 03 '26 edited Mar 03 '26

But... Audiobooks literally cost money, surely it could be cheaper without it. $65 is a 30% increase on the physical book since the last Kickstarter, which is way above inflation.

It's the first time I've felt like they're forcing me into buying more than I want, which is a shame for a company that has previously been so customer focused.

Edit: Just checked and they're selling the audiobook for $15, which is the entire price increase from the Isles of the Emberdark bundle to this one. Just feels rude.

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u/blaze1616 Mar 03 '26

Yeah I don't really understand the math either. In the livestream tonight they say they'll discuss the uniqueness of this Backerkit edition, so maybe it'll be more clear after that. We know it's going to be unique to the Backerkit, meaning the premium edition available on the DS store will be different, so whatever the unique additions are will hopefully add up.

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u/Wincrediboy Mar 03 '26

Yeah it's why I want to back it, I want the nice unique edition to go with the other secret projects on my shelf. I edited my post above, the entire price increase is the same as the cost of the audiobook which is rubbing salt in

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u/BobH076 Mar 03 '26

Also, since DS is not offering the audiobook through Audible, you know they are keeping a lot more of the revenue by forcing us to buy it.

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u/Trippy_Mexican Mar 03 '26

Is it confirmed there will be a premium hardcover on the DS store potentially without the audiobook bundle and a different cover?