Unbroken anthology hits $50K
- Brandon Sanderson co-wrote the short story “Seamsters, Mummers and Zoopraxiscopes” with Peter Orullian for the Unbroken anthology. (x.com) - The anthology’s Kickstarter reached its $50,000 goal instantly after launch, according to campaign updates. (x.com) - Fans celebrated the rapid funding as evidence of strong cross-author interest and anthology demand in genre circles. (x.com)
The fantasy anthology *Unbroken* blew past its $50,000 Kickstarter goal on launch day, turning a charity book project into an immediate hit. (kickstarter.com) By April 23, the campaign had climbed to $462,679 from 2,430 backers, with 35 days left before its May 27, 2026 deadline. Kickstarter lists it as an all-or-nothing project run by Peter Orullian from Seattle. (kickstarter.com) The book is billed as *Unbroken: New Tales By Masters of Fantasy* and includes work from Brandon Sanderson and Peter Orullian, plus Christopher Paolini, Seanan McGuire, Matt Dinniman and others. Michael J. Sullivan said before launch that the anthology runs 832 pages, about 275,000 words, and features 36 authors. (kickstarter.com) (riyria.blogspot.com) The campaign is tied to Peter Orullian’s medical costs. Sullivan wrote that Orullian and his wife had both faced cancer and lacked medical insurance, while Christopher Paolini said 100% of proceeds go toward helping Orullian through major medical challenges. (michael-j-sullivan.com) (paolini.net) That setup gives the book a second draw beyond its table of contents. Brandon Sanderson said in his April 21 weekly update that the anthology follows the *Unfettered* charity anthologies and includes material connected to *Songs of the Dead*, his upcoming project with Orullian. (brandonsanderson.com) The contributor list helps explain the fast start. Sullivan’s prelaunch post said 21 of the writers are *New York Times* bestsellers, including Brandon Sanderson, Terry Brooks, Christopher Paolini, Brent Weeks, Kevin Hearne, Mark Lawrence and R.A. Salvatore. (michael-j-sullivan.com) The campaign also arrived with a built-in audience. Sullivan said more than 7,000 readers had signed up for launch notifications earlier this year, and a later prelaunch post put that figure at 8,650 ahead of the April 21 launch. (michael-j-sullivan.com) (riyria.blogspot.com) Backers can buy in at several price points, from a $15 ebook and $25 audiobook to a $50 trade hardcover, with signed and limited editions priced much higher. The audiobook is narrated by Travis Baldree, and the physical editions use artwork by Donato Giancola, Todd Lockwood and Allen Morris. (kickstarter.com) (riyria.blogspot.com) For now, the clearest fact is the simplest one: a fundraising anthology built around one author’s medical bills found its audience almost immediately. Two days after launch, *Unbroken* was already running at more than nine times its original goal. (kickstarter.com)
