fantasy writers reddit

We’ve all been there—3 a.m., third cup of lukewarm diner coffee, deep in a 478-comment thread titled *“Is ‘Chosen One’ Tired or Just Misunderstood (Fight Me)”*, muttering “*actually*, the prophecy was *self-fulfilling*—it’s a *structural critique* of fate!” like it’s gospel. That’s the magic (and mild madness) of fantasy writers reddit: part support group, part gladiator pit, part midnight library where everyone’s got a quill, a grudge, and a half-finished grimoire. So grab your +1 mug of courage, and let’s wander the subreddits where worldbuilders weep, tropes get roasted like dragon-meat kebabs, and someone *always* asks if “sentient moss” counts as a POV character. (Spoiler: yes. *If* the moss has stakes.)

First rule of fantasy writers reddit? Don’t confuse the *readers* with the *makers*. r/fantasy (870k+ members) is the Colosseum—where fans *debate* Sanderson’s magic systems like it’s constitutional law and rate books on a scale of “meh” to “I’d die for this goblin.” Meanwhile, r/fantasywriters (42k+ members) is the forge—smoky, loud, full of folks hammering out first drafts, complaining about query letters, and sharing spreadsheets titled *“Dragon Taxonomy & Emotional Arcs (v7 FINAL NO REALLY).”* One’s for *talking about* fantasy. The other’s for *bleeding onto the page*. Wander into the wrong one with a WIP excerpt? You’ll get downvoted faster than a bard singing off-key in a dwarven tavern.

Every subreddit’s got its own weird code of honor. Here’s the unwritten law of fantasy writers reddit, whispered like a spell at solstice:

• Self-promo? Only on designated days. Post your book link on a Tuesday? Bye, karma. Thursdays = “Promo Post” in r/fantasywriters. Miss it? You’re exiled to the shadow realm (a.k.a. “modmail”).
• No “rate my magic system” without context. “It’s like electricity… but with bees” ain’t enough. Show us *how* it breaks society. Who profits? Who gets stung?
• Feedback requests = vulnerability. If someone shares a snippet, *lead with praise*. “Your prose sings!” *then* “Maybe trim the 3-paragraph description of the innkeeper’s beard?”
• Never say “just write.” We’ve all been stuck in Chapter 7, sobbing into a bag of Cool Ranch. Empathy > pep talks.

Break these? You’ll get a polite DM from a mod named *u/DragonLoreKeeper* that feels like being gently disintegrated by a polite archmage.

Some posts go supernova. Like the legendary: *“What If the Dark Lord Won… and Then Had to Run the Kingdom?”*—4.2k upvotes, 891 comments, and *three* actual novels born from it. Or the tearjerker: *“My protagonist’s anxiety isn’t a flaw—it’s her survival skill. Am I doing this right?”* (Spoiler: yes. *Yes.*) Then there’s the evergreen chaos of *“Name Your OC in 3 Words”*—where “Sorrow-Sick Sword-Singer” and “Tax Evasion Goblin” live in eternal harmony. These threads? They’re not just chatter. They’re *R&D labs* for the next generation of fantasy. One writer told us: “I scrapped my entire villain after reading a 2 a.m. rant about ‘sympathetic tyranny.’ Best pivot I ever made.”

Beyond the giants, niche corners thrive. Here’s the trifecta we keep pinned:

1. r/worldbuilding (280k+): Where geology nerds and theologians collide. Want to know how tidal magic affects coastal economies? They got charts. *Animated* charts.
2. r/KeepWriting (112k+): The emotional ER for writers. “Missed my word count. Existential dread incoming.” → “Here’s a GIF of a kitten typing. Try again tomorrow.”
3. r/selfpublish (210k+): Cold, hard, *glorious* biz talk. “How much did your cover cost?” “My KU page reads jumped 200% after I changed my blurb to *this*…” No fluff. Just receipts.

Together? They form the holy trinity of fantasy writers reddit strategy: dream big, stay sane, get paid.

Let’s cut the faerie dust: How much does an average fantasy author make? Depends *wildly*—but here’s the real talk (2024 Author Earnings Report, USD):

Key insight? The jump from $5K → $50K isn’t *better writing*—it’s *more books*, *faster*. One indie fantasy author we tracked wrote Book 1 in 18 months… then Books 2–5 in *11 months total*. Volume + velocity = visibility. And visibility = cold, hard coin.

Ask r/fantasy *“Who is considered the greatest fantasy writer?”* and strap in—this thread reopens every full moon like a cursed artifact. Tolkien loyalists vs. Le Guin scholars. GRRM stans vs. Jemisin defenders. Sanderson fans quietly building calculators to prove “system magic > vibes.” But here’s the secret: the debate *itself* is the point. As one top comment put it:

“Tolkien gave us the map. Le Guin gave us the soul. Jordan gave us the doorstop. Jemisin gave us the reckoning. Sanderson gave us the spreadsheet. We’re not picking one—we’re *standing on all their shoulders*, trying not to fall off.”

And in fantasy writers reddit? That reverence fuels us. We steal *technique*—not tropes. We honor the lineage, then torch the archive and build something new. (Preferably with better gender parity and fewer tavern wenches.)

So—who are the biggest fantasy authors right now? Based on r/fantasy engagement, BookTok crossovers, and KU page reads, the current pantheon looks like:

• T.J. Klune – *The House in the Cerulean Sea* made “cozy fantasy” a *genre*, not a mood.
• Fonda Lee – *Jade City* turned wuxia + Godfather into a masterclass in power & legacy.
• Rebecca Roanhorse – *Black Sun* re-centered Indigenous futurism—and the world leaned in.
• Shelby Mahurin – *Serpent & Dove* proved romantic fantasy can be *smart*, steamy, and subversive.
• R.F. Kuang – *Babel* made academic fantasy *hurt* (in the best way).

Notice a trend? They’re not just worldbuilders—they’re *culture-shakers*. And on fantasy writers reddit, their craft threads get dissected like sacred texts: *“How did Kuang make footnotes feel like betrayal?”* *“What’s Roanhorse’s trick for mythic weight without infodumps?”* We’re not just fans. We’re apprentices.

Can you make a living as a fantasy author? Yes—but it’s a marathon, not a teleport spell. Most full-timers didn’t quit their day jobs until Book 4 or 5. One writer (pen name: E. Vale) kept her librarian gig for *three years* after her debut—then went full-time after her *third* series hit #1 in Epic Fantasy. Her advice?

“Treat writing like a *business* from Day 1. Track word count like sales. Study algorithms like lore. And *never* compare your Chapter 1 to someone else’s published Book 10.”

Hybrid paths work too: teach workshops, edit for peers, run Patreon lore-deep dives. The goal ain’t “overnight success.” It’s *sustainable magic*. And on fantasy writers reddit? That’s the only quest worth taking.

Overwhelmed? Start here—*no guild initiation required*:

• Lurk for 2 weeks. Read the rules. Note tone. See what flies.
• Engage *before* promoting. Comment on 10 threads. Be helpful. Build goodwill.
• Ask *specific* questions. Bad: “How do I worldbuild?” Good: “How do I hint at a fallen empire *without* a prologue infodump?”
• Bookmark the wiki. r/fantasywriters’ wiki has templates for magic systems, character arcs, even query letters.
• Join a critique swap. Many threads offer “Chapter 1 for Chapter 1” trades. Gold.

Remember: Reddit ain’t the destination. It’s the *tavern*—where you gather rumors, heal your wounds, and find your party. The real adventure? Still yours to write.

For more deep-dive wisdom, head back to the hearth at Slow Studies, explore our ever-growing Writing archives, or dive into fandom’s roots with Best Fan Fiction Sites: Host Endless Stories from Beloved Universes.

References

• https://authorearnings.com/report/the-2024-q3-report
• https://www.reddit.com/r/fantasywriters/wiki/index
• https://lithub.com/the-evolution-of-fantasy-literature
• https://www.sfwa.org/2024/02/survey-results-income-for-sff-authors