Brandon Sanderson Draws a Line: Dragonsteel Won’t Replace Real Bookstores

Brandon Sanderson has his own publishing company, but he isn’t trying to turn it into a one-stop shop that replaces your neighborhood bookstore. In fact, he’s doing the opposite: keeping most of his books in traditional publishing, asking fans to support local shops, and using Dragonsteel to serve the hardcore readers who want the shiny extras.

What Dragonsteel is (and isn’t)

Sanderson, 50, says Dragonsteel Entertainment exists to complement the book industry, not bulldoze it. He still releases most of his novels through traditional houses (think Tor Books and Delacorte Press), which then sell through local bookstores. Dragonsteel focuses on the premium stuff: leatherbound editions and his more niche or surprise releases, like those secret projects he likes to spring on fans.

His basic logic: most people discover his work through a bookstore. If they stick around and become fans, that’s when Dragonsteel steps in with the upgraded versions. He also regularly boosts and partners with indie shops, by design. His words, boiled down: he wants Dragonsteel to add value, not take over.

Why he tells fans to buy local (and not from Amazon)

Sanderson’s very public about this part. On his site, he’s explained why certain signing events will require you to buy the book from the store hosting the event. It’s not a shake-down; it’s because these events cost money to run, and if everyone shows up with a cheaper Amazon copy, the store eats the loss after doing all the work.

"Support your local booksellers; it’s because of them that we can have signing events. If possible, I’d ask that you go and buy the book from the store where you’re planning to see me."

He’s seen events where people brought discounted Amazon buys and the store ended up in the red. So he’s asking for some empathy for the business side of things and, when you can, to buy his books from brick-and-mortar shops.

The Amazon dust-up that sparked Dragonsteel’s mission

This whole philosophy got supercharged after a fight with Amazon over eBook prices. Coming out of that, Sanderson says he had a blunt realization: "I work for Amazon. I don’t work for the fans any more, I don’t work for the publisher." That was his cue to build something that served readers directly, without cutting the legs out from under bookstores.

So Dragonsteel isn’t just a publishing imprint. It sells merch, runs events, and generally functions as a home base for the longtimers who want deeper engagement and fancier editions. Example: 'Mistborn: Secret History' comes through Dragonsteel, while core series titles like 'Mistborn: The Final Empire' and 'Mistborn: The Hero of Ages' are from Tor Books. Again, trade and mass market live with the bookstores; Dragonsteel handles the collector lane.

Quick stats, for the curious

• Company: Dragonsteel Entertainment, LLC
• Founder: Brandon Sanderson
• Headquarters: Pleasant Grove, Utah
• Established: 2012

The bottom line

Not many authors with their own publishing pipeline will say, out loud, that they don’t want to compete with bookstores. Sanderson does, and he backs it up: traditional publishers for the mainline books, indie shops for discovery, Dragonsteel for the fancy editions and the fan-first extras. It’s a pretty transparent look at the mechanics of book tours, pricing fights, and how you keep a healthy ecosystem while still giving fans the deluxe stuff.

Does this change how or where you buy his books? And would you stick to the host store for a signing even if Amazon is cheaper?