Brandon Winn Sanderson, born on December 19, 1975, is a renowned American author of high fantasy, science fiction, and young adult books. He is best known for creating the Cosmere fictional universe, where most of his fantasy novels, including the notable Mistborn series and The Stormlight Archive, are set.

Outside of the Cosmere, Sanderson has penned several young adult and juvenile series, such as The Reckoners, Skyward series, and Alcatraz series. Additionally, he is recognized for completing Robert Jordan's high fantasy series, The Wheel of Time.

Sanderson has contributed to the world of graphic novels with works like White Sand and Dark One. He is also known for formulating Sanderson's Laws of Magic and popularizing the concepts of "hard magic" and "soft magic" systems.

In 2008, Sanderson co-founded a podcast, Writing Excuses, with horror writer Dan Wells and cartoonist Howard Tayler, discussing topics related to genre writing and webcomics. In mid-2022, he launched another podcast, Intentionally Blank, focusing on writing and pop culture.

In March 2022, Sanderson's Kickstarter campaign became the most successful in history, with 185,341 backers pledging a total of US$41,754,153. In 2016, DMG Entertainment licensed the film rights to Sanderson's entire Cosmere universe, though the rights have since reverted to him.