Lecture #13: Publishing Part Two - Brandon Sanderson on Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy

Welcome to the thirteenth lecture of my BYU 2020 creative writing class focused on writing science fiction and fantasy.
During this class I, with the help of Jennifer Peel and Becky Monson, discuss: Indi Publishing, Publishing Contracts, and Royalties.

[@thekrillsta]

Me: damn I hate going to lectures, I can’t wait to be out of school Also me: binges 10 hours of lectures

[@alexanderwheeler3943]

It's interesting how we can want to learn things when it's on our own terms

[@The_Reductionist]

@@alexanderwheeler3943 also, things that we're actually interested in learning. I've never randomly decided to watch lectures on organic chemistry, for example.

[@AntKneeLeafEllipse]

I, too, am getting yet another BA from KZbin University.

[@TrueGritProductions]

I like being able to go to the bathroom whenever I want. In communist college, I mean community college, I actually got docked a letter grade for going to the bathroom twice during a movie. Only happened once but the guy was a hater.

[@ChBrahm]

Me: watcyhes lectures from 2012 to 2020 in a month

[@AndrewBlucher]

As a retired academic I can say this is a great set of lectures. Seeing Sanderson answer questions shows just how switched on he is. Thanks Brandon (watched in 2024)

[@dayleitaobooks]

It's so rare to see a traditionally published author supportive of indie publishing. Kudos!

[@Wafflinson]

What happened to lecture 14... the Q&A?

[@dumbledalfthewizard9486]

God Brandon's professionalism is absurd Such a good guy

[@ramonarobot]

Defintely ebook format for me when it comes to romance novels. When I’m reading in the train, it’s wayyy less awkward to read on my phone, compared to reading a physical book with a half naked man on the cover

[@mtngrl5859]

@God Reigns Here we go, being prejudiced on one of the most popular niche markets. Reading can be a lot like cuisine, sometimes its a 5 star experience, others its like eating at a food truck.

[@molliee5183]

3 years later and i think this is one of the biggest reasons romance novel covers have gone the direction of really innocent looking illustrations hahaha

[@voxhominem]

Brandon, thank you for posting this freely online. My school doesn't offer any real creative writing classes and while I don't have a story in the works right now it's fascinating to get this peak behind the curtain. You've helped develop the writing of thousands so thank you, even though I'm not going to be able to read dialogue the same way again I appreciate it.

[@ashleymcleofantasyauthor]

My POD paperback books sell for $10-15 retail (depending on the length of the book) and I receive $2-4 per copy after the royalty split and printing costs are taken out. That's at both Amazon and Ingram Spark. Brandon is right that it's not a lot (and I sell vastly more ebooks anyway), but it's a little more than $1/copy. :) Thanks for doing this Brandon. I love your classes!

[@amanda_denney_creates]

Do you recommend publishing on both IngramSpark and Amazon?

[@ashleymcleofantasyauthor]

@@amanda_denney_creates Absolutely. The one on Amazon will only be sold there, but Ingram will distribute it elsewhere. That's fabulous! I'm talking for paperback only, of course. You can also do your ebook on both (as long as it is not enrolled in Kindle Unlimited, which means you agreed to be exclusive with Amazon for your ebook for 90 days).

[@JipseeGirl]

$1 a book sounds crazy

[@joshboyd3194]

@@JipseeGirlsame, not extremely motivating to write a book.

[@garnovski]

The white board is upside down and I can't see anything else

[@dsnilyk5506]

Oh no now I i cant see or hear anything but that!!

[@pietruszkapietruszkowa9713]

Here in comments we suspect that's because of children, so they wont reach markers :)

[@mikeyfreeman5776]

Oh God I smell it

[@intricatelast-name5291]

Nah, it's just improved: apparently it's easier to raise your hand to pick up things and much easier to bring it down.

[@ryanhartmanisgreat]

Why did I read this comment RIGHT at the start of the video? Damn it. It's all I'm going to focus on.

[@leofee]

Hi Brandon(‘s team)! Maybe you could bring on your editor Moshe sometime for a Q&A or a live signing session. I just watched part 1 of the publishing videos and am super curious about his perspective on young authors trying to break into the industry.

[@benofavalon7121]

I just want to thank you, Mr. Sanderson, on this lecture-series. They have provided me with a lot of inspiration, and help. I’m in my mid-late 30s, and have finally found the courage to take my writing more seriously 😊 I completed my first work in the fall, last year, and have sent it off to the publishers. I’ve always written (or at least since my teen years), but it’s only been in this past year, that I’ve actually started to go about it in a more ‘professional’ manner. This means I took some time off from my regular work (psychologist), and decided to focus solely on writing for a year. Now, I plan to return to my regular work, but my hope is to be able to continue writing also. I wish I watched these videos before I completed my first work, since I clearly have a lot to learn. 😉 But I’m glad that I’ve at least got a set of new tools, to help me along with my next writing project! 😊 With regards, Ben

[@darrengrenfell9225]

Mr Sanderson - you are a guiding light in these dark times. I have followed your (free and very, very generous) You Tube Lectures, and can honestly say I have been educated and entertained in equal measure. Next time you are in the UK, give me a shout, and I'll buy you a pint to say thank you for this altruistic display of enthusiasm and expertise. I salute you, sir!

[@MrManlify]

he's a Mormon, so I don't think he can take you up on that

[@Tiger47962]

Sad to finally make it to the end of the playlist but also grateful for this amazing lecture series. Learned so much! I am not planning on being a writer but there are stories I have in my I want to write, so thank you!!

[@MarketResearchReading114]

I've chewed through these and its just so nice to have an insider view on whats going on in the process, so thank you. Thanks for the guest notes as well Becky Monson and Jennifer Peel I think they were very nicely done.

[@technogiridhar]

Any idea when the last lecture will come out? This one is more than three weeks old and the last one is yet to come.

[@zackpayton7421]

2023 here, and i'm gonna assume it isnt coming out.

[@xxhungover]

2024 here, your assumption is correct.

[@ianmalcolm8908]

Short stories don't sell well, but they can be used as effective reader magnets to get readers to sign up for your newsletter and introduce them to a series.

[@dbrooke3629]

Yep I've heard using one shots, deleted scenes, or alternate scenes from a book or series exclusively in your newsletter as a way to draw people to sign up

[@RedwingGreen7]

Is the last lecture still coming?

[@JipseeGirl]

Most of us are out here still working on our first books and it cracked me up when you said... oh I would write 6 books in a few years in between all my other books.. :)

[@Ochenter]

Found out this channel of yours recently, Mister, and I adore all your lessons. Thanks. 🙂👍✍

[@im_NathanSky]

I have received so many good takeaways from this series, thank you Brandon. Side note: I filled half a journal with notes from all the lectures, I just couldn't stop jotting things down. (What really helped me to do just that was the ability to pause you whenever I needed to and paraphrase further on your teachings for my own better understanding 😅). Keep on learning and writing fellow rookies!

[@nico-fq4yh]

Thank you so much for providing these lectures!

[@jeremiahdepta1635]

I watched all of your lectures and hung on every word. Thank you!

[@Michaelgnizak]

Thanks for much for all the useful information in this series of videos. I watched the entire playlist and really got a lot out of this! Now I just have to figure out how to apply it!

[@Nic0maK]

Thanks for making these lectures available and sharing so much. I'll probably watch some parts again later.

[@drewross8486]

Has the last lecture been posted?

[@pretends2know]

As of New Year's Eve 2020, no.

[@jacoboreyes3160]

Today is march 2023. I don't see it anywhere

[@benjaminmiller5649]

@@jacoboreyes3160 2024, i dont see it either unfortunately

[@wheatart4274]

So glad you emphasized getting a good cover and editing. So important!

[@brycegodwin8796]

Okay finished all of your lectures and in 1 year I’m going to have written a book that I am proud of and love

[@marianafata8169]

Thank you Brandon for doing this for us, it's a really important topic in the industry and I liked all the positive items you acknowledged.

[@jennifercooper2356]

Brandon I enjoyed watching all of your lectures in this series. Thank you for sharing so much knowledge!

[@dreamstorm947]

Thank you again for some wonderful lectures!

[@ebofthechill8008]

"We can do it $1,000 each." "No you can't." "You forget we were once college students."

[@zurb4125]

Binge watched this whole lecture series over this weekend. Still can't believe the mix of quality and price of admission. (SOOOOoooo cool these lectures are free!)

[@SrZolaf]

Massive thank you to Brandon and the whole team. I still can't believe you took the time to give us all this info FOR FREE.

[@blas_de_lezo7375]

this is such an interesting insight on the book market, thank you!

[@pauljohnson3317]

Thanks, Brandon! These were great!

[@nathanielfaerman]

I just finished watching this entire lecture series, and it is pure gold! Thank you so much for providing this for free :)

[@nicolag5254]

Another great lecture, quite mind opening, it is definitely worth watching

[@michaelcain9324]

So… where is that last lecture? Great series, and will rewatch. But I can’t find the last lecture you speak of at the end of this lecture.

[@reneesartarchive2110]

This has helped so much. Thank you!!!!

[@AtlanticRaven]

Thank you so much for these lectures. I have learned so incredibly much!

[@Exeidur]

As a contract manager for a Dutch publishing company, this is an absolute joy to watch. And a great way to gain more insight into foreign publishing companies!

[@zhoradaiyu5184]

Is the dutch industry very different? My mom is also a writer (not published) and she lives in the Netherlands.

[@Exeidur]

@@zhoradaiyu5184 It's been a while since I watched this, but the main difference is that the Netherlands is much, much smaller and the foreign markets have a lot of influence on the Dutch one. Translated thrillers and romances are popular, but fantasy and sci-fi is mostly read in the original English nowadays. As for getting published in the Netherlands, I've noticed that a lot of debut authors are either well-known for something aside from writing already, they know someone in publishing, or they won a writing competition. It seems quite difficult to me to get started in the Netherlands as an author, especially in the fantasy/sci-fi genre. YA and children's fiction seems to be a bit easier, just like romance. And self-publishing is of course a lot smaller in scale (and usually can't sustain an author as a main source of income). Hope all of that makes a bit of sense!

[@zhoradaiyu5184]

@@Exeidur thank you for your answer!

[@MS-ot9mn]

Wow Brandon gives some Amazing advice!

[@voxhominem]

In desperate need of high fantasy lawyer books now. Eternal gratitude for any leads. If there arent any, keep an eye on bookstore shelves for one in 24-30 months

[@underground868]

I know of a fantasy book written by a lawyer. Does that count? It's called the Half Made World and its by Felix Gilman

[@Inogat]

thank you for those lectures!

[@blackzabbathfan]

I haven't felt this sense of longing for a final entry to a series since I finished A Wise Man's fear and then tried to fill the void with Gentleman Bastards

[@noahcoats7543]

Thx love the books and hope to write like u some day

[@SupremeDP]

Love you Brandon.

[@rasenganchato]

Is he going to release more of this? I love them :c

[@j.t.catalano2889]

2 videos in 2 days? We are truly spoiled

[@marcusappelberg369]

Here in Sweden fantasy and sci-fi for adults has a really small market. As a published author I've sold a few hundred copies, and this is considered good. Thinking of translating my novel.

[@goveawu]

you should do it! 😌

[@marcusappelberg369]

@@goveawu I am doing it rn, with english beta readers. Is it something that would interest you?

[@viggo8650]

Aspiring fantasy author from Sweden here! Curious to know, what are your books called?

[@TheKrazyLobster]

A lifetime+ contract sounds like a really bad deal, honestly. Especially nowadays when publishers are getting weirder by the second. Edit: If anyone is wondering, Bella Forest is probably a group of authors, not a single person.

[@DeusExMachina50]

Krazy Lobster In what ways are publishers getting weirder?

[@th3teacher705]

@@DeusExMachina50 1920s Soviet Russia style censorship aka cancel culture

[@MateusAntonioBittencourt]

@@th3teacher705 My gosh... you're missing a few brain cells. Capitalist companies will do anything that makes them the most money. That is the opposite of Soviet Russia. If you don't want private companies to put profits above everything... maybe stop voting republican. You know... the party that made companies legally mandated to make the most amount of money as possible for share holders, making impossible for them to take an stance that would hurt their bottom line. But of course you won't... you'll keep voting for people responsible for all your problems... while keeping blaming the other side.

[@jonathanwienke512]

@@MateusAntonioBittencourt The Republicans aren't the ones playing the cancel culture game. They aren't trying to force Joe Rogan offline, even though Rogan isn't a Republican. Republicans didn't fire Gina Carano from the Mandalorian. Cancel culture is almost exclusively the domain of the progressive left.

[@MateusAntonioBittencourt]

@@jonathanwienke512 Who fired Gina Carano was Disney... a Capitalist company. No one is forcing Joe Rogan "offline". All they are saying is that they won't give money to Spotfy anymore because of him. Now you want to force people to subscribe to spotfy against their will? Jesus... you're a joke. And ohh... isn't Republicans who are literally burning books they don't like? How many principals were fired last year because they dare to mention slavery was bad. Isn't that cancel culture? Republicans are the biggest snowflakes in the planet. The left "I won't give money to a big corporation anymore". The right "I want that person fired from their job" Who's cancelling again?

[@gaabb2387]

you are the best, rock on!! :)

[@linksterninethousandone9085]

Thank you very much for posting these, I have always wanted to write down the stories in my head but never found the confidence to do so, but these lectures have inspired me to begin writing. Even if I never sell a single book, I still want to write!

[@Tiger47962]

Me too!

[@Mechanist]

Hello again!

[@nathanaelfeliciarebiger4697]

I really appreciate all these lectures being shared publicly on KZbin. I have learned so much. Because of that, I have to ask, will the last lecture also be shared online? (Q&A on publishing questions) Or will that just not happen? Thank you!

[@RichardStiennon]

PoD costs are lower than Brandon states. About $6 for a 440 page 6X9 soft cover. In addition to charging $6 Amazon takes 55% of the price as the retail outlet. So to make $4 on a book you have to sell it for $16.50

[@Nickzorner]

Damn that's shitty

[@mattkhourie4037]

That's still pretty trash. Nobody's buying paper backs for $17 unless it's a grandma purchase lol.

[@aboutbooks1843]

This is so helpful.

[@BillZebubproductions]

I am grateful to you for these many lectures. Currently I am on my fourth book (but my first fantasy one). You might find it funny that I have written three in the time that I have watched your lectures.

[@99Michaelthom]

His profit margin quote for print on demand is off quite a bit. Amazon prints my 108,000 word manuscript for about $6. I get anywhere from $4-$5 profit for printed books.

[@ashleymcleofantasyauthor]

Yeah, it's a little off. It really depends on how you price and the size of the MS. I make $2-$4/book from POD depending on the book in question.

[@katnewburn]

@@ashleymcleofantasyauthor what is the price point your books are selling at?

[@susanbuckminster282]

Thank you!

[@gatsuyatsu]

I feel spoiled! Thank you so much.

[@CheriseMK]

Co-op placement is a thing on Barnes and Noble's website, as well. And on the other online booksellers.

[@calin6327]

Brandon is such goals.

[@pedrogarcia9908]

For those who are asking, the first part is here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y5eTk5yEmdycnKs

[@vSimCO]

Those Jack Campbell SciFi lawyer books are amazing ... I listened to all of them in a very short period of time (some sleepless nights)

[@MateusAntonioBittencourt]

Which books are those? The Lost Fleet series? Brandon said the books flooped... but there're 10 books on the series.

[@vSimCO]

@@MateusAntonioBittencourt he was talking about JAG in space (4 book series)

[@germangarcia6118]

I don't love his underlying ideology, but they are highly addictive to read! I couldn't stop until I was done, haha. Unfortunately only the lost fleet bunch are translated to my language. The second part of the series isn't.

[@aix83]

In the UK, Starsight ebook was about 9 pounds, which is almost as much as the print edition, which is why I bought it audible. I'll buy it print but later.

[@ellismartiskainen7729]

I'm from Canada, I thought you meant it weighed 9 pounds! That would be a huge book! But no, it was the cost.

[@dream1680]

Thank you so much for the post. A few things about publishing as an indie - mailing lists, Facebook fan pages or other social media streams can help you build an audience that doesn't need advertising dollars (or much less) than Amazon. Also, depending on the genres you write in, the % you have to spend on Amazon Ads (AMS) is significantly lower than 50%. I know a lot of authors in hot genres who spend less than 10% of their monthly revenue.

[@darsynia]

Since this was live-streamed with the clear ability of non-students to view it live, can anyone say what time MST on Friday that the next class (June 5) would be streamed? I think it's the Q&A for the 2 Publishing lectures.

[@gryranfelt5473]

If the trad midlister is making 2 dollars and the indie is making a little more, but then the indie has to funnel half back into commercials, then the trad midlister is making more money.

[@swordablaze9259]

That depends on the marketing they both do. Mid-listers will probably need to do a chunk of marketing to sell their books, as will the indies. They may do paid ads or content marketing, e.g. a blog or YT channel. There are indie authors who don't pay to play (or rarely do) because they have an established platform. They may also be selling more copies than the mid-lister. Edit: there's also the difference in spending as indies will (usually) get higher royalties than trad authors so they may have more of a budget for cost per click and other ads.

[@tanyaperlina4921]

I am so happy I've found this lecture. English is not my 1st language, and though I am good at it, I write in my native tongue and then translate. But this translations means stylistic, syntax and occasional grammar issues. I was wondering how to deal with that, and now I have an answer - to find someone to copy edit my work. Thanks, Brandon!

[@gregortheoverlander4122]

It's really tough to move between languages. I personally think that translators are artists in their own right. I would suggest a copy edit and a content edit. You can specifically ask for the content editor to be on the look out for cultural assumptions that you made, that just aren't shared with an English speaking audience. I have a German friend who wrote a Christmas story that really didn't translate well culturally. See, where he is from they don't really do Christmas mornings. Everything happens on Christmas eve, so the whole story just felt wrong. They opened presents the night before in the story and all that. The story was fine, but it's impact was lost on an English audience because it played on Christmas nostalgia and our Christmas experience was just different from his own.

[@VrushaliKhadilkar]

thank you ❤️

[@ellenymueller_author]

Is the final Q & A lecture, that was supposed to follow this one, going to be on KZbin? Where do we find the nice $500 book covers for ebooks?

[@quadconjures]

holy shit 83% is not a number I was expecting. I guess I'm still behind the curve.

[@wingracer1614]

I'm just one person obviously but I haven't bought a print book in many, many years. I read a lot, live in a trailer (a nice one but it's small) and just don't have the space for them. Instead I have damn near the entire written output of human history available through a hair thin piece of glass. Though I just remembered, I did just buy Skyward before Christmas. It was a gift for a young friend of mine who is now a Brandon Sanderson fan, haha

[@akarijiang9191]

thank you

[@nicholaslewis862]

Finished Brandon Sanderson's entire creative writing course. What am I supposed to avidly consume now?

[@trollpatsch.]

A question on an old topic (outline): what to do when you get stuck in regards to logic of some key scenes or magic system rules? Keep investing in the outline or just start writing at some point and fix the problems naturally or in revision?

[@MasterTow1994]

I like Neil Gaiman's take on this: just write the first draft and then in the second draft you make it look like you know what you were doing all along

[@alexanderreed7658]

These lectures have been incredibly useful to me, but will #14 ever be posted?

[@fenrirlives2226]

Does anyone have a link to the books of the two indie authors mentioned? I'm having trouble googling the second author unfortunately

[@brennanharvey3234]

Where is Lecture 14?

[@StarBoundFables]

I wanna know what the SciFi/Law series is called 😃 I really liked the law side of StarTrek's "StarBase 47" series. PS: Oh cool, Jack Cambell, cheers! 🙏🏽Thanks for the awesome lecture series!

[@gregortheoverlander4122]

It's called Jag in space, I think. I don't think they're very good, but you can try them. His other books are much better. Also that title... sheesh, no wonder those books flopped.

[@Iwasonceanonionwithnolayers]

Anyone else wondering where #12 is? Just me? Okay, I leave.

[@Leo-ce4ri]

It was released before #8. I guess due to live streaming stuff.

[@benh6835]

It's so absurd that this has only 130k views

[@JCDeNoia]

Microphone Awareness is a valuable skill. The crinkling of the paper directly into it is really loud. A perfect time for you to use your phone for notes to read from. But don't get me wrong: very useful information. Thanks!

[@Jon1213]

Any chance the Q&A for publishing is available? It's mentioned at the beginning of this video, but I don't see it on the playlist, nor am I able to find it through Google or KZbin

[@AntKneeLeafEllipse]

What are the platforms other than Amazon where you can buy ebooks?

[@edouardpaumier9887]

Since the ebook industry is promoting shorter books, both financially (eg. capped advisable price in indie) and culturaly (eg. ease of purchase and access to the next opus), how advisable would it be to split a long book such as a Stormligth Archive book and split it into smaller chunk for ebook or self-publishing (like maybe part 1, part 2, etc...) ? Would delaying to the next ebook some of the payoff initially planned in the original longer book hurt strongly reader satisfaction, or would the ease of access to the next ebook makes up for this (especially with blitz publishing) ? How much of the usual reader expectation that you present in your earliest videos regarding structure (eg. promise/payoff) would you say is based on the medium vs the "atomicity" of a volume ?

[@MasterTow1994]

This sounds like a liberal arts master's thesis

[@gregortheoverlander4122]

Personally, I think long books do well on kindle unlimited. You also make money based on how long your book is on kindle unlimited. For a full read through of a 400,000 page book, you'd make decent money. Plus, it's essentially free, so people are more likely to try it (Free as in, you only pay for your monthly subscription to the service).

[@billyalarie929]

"larry correia is a gun nut" thank you for not shying away from this fact.

[@Mikeztarp]

Ah, so the live was #12. Gotcha.

[@Aaronautix]

Was there a lecture #14? I don't see it in the Playlist. Was it the yallstayhome keynote? That's what keeps getting recommended after this video

[@General_reader]

Brandon. “Only seven minutes late. Not bad”. Brandon. “Only three minutes left go”

[@dentanlim]

There's no video for the last lecture?

[@billyalarie929]

so much good news! 🙃🙄

[@emiltajpetersen1032]

Anyone having the link to the next video? I'm having a hard time finding it/

[@justinfury6331]

Question about copyrighting books for traditional publishing. If the publisher holds the right for life, does that extend to concepts or characters who might appear in other projects? Or just the literal contents of a single piece?

[@jonathanwienke512]

That depends on the wording of the contract. If you sign over the rights to one title in a series or universe, that doesn't give them the right to take the entire series or the world the one book is set in. But usually the publisher isn't going to overlook such details, and will word the contract to include everything, including derivative works and sequels.

[@justinfury6331]

@@jonathanwienke512 Thanks! House always wins, even in literature. Got it.

[@JoseMedina-bp8nl]

107/5000 I have a question: do I have to register and have the ISBN of the book before publishing it in, say, amazon?

[@Talonos2]

No, ebooks don't need an ISBN, and Amazon will give you a free ISBN if you opt into their print-on-demand services.

[@tsilb]

Is your Amazon Author Central profile page a reasonable website? If you aren't posting regular updates, what does a separate website offer that this doesn't?

[@claudiadimarco1]

This is very useful Brandon thank you so much. A question for everyone: maybe I am doing the maths wrong, but with the rates given, you would need to spend around 13K for a 75k-word book (editing, cover etc). I am not trying to talk down indie publishing, I am trying to understand how people can put together such an amount of money. For half of the people here in the uk this is half a yearly income! again, I am not saying indie publishing is not effective, i am asking: is it only affordable to the affluents? whoever does not have such a sum to invest - even if they wanted to - are forced to struggle with trad publishing? I am not talking about writing to make money here, I am talking about even having the money to invest in one book...imagine having a whole series ready..am i the only one thinking about this?

[@arundhatisubhedar7163]

I work as a freelance editor. 13k is higher price point. I know authors who can realistically do it in under 5k, because they've got some years of writing practice and don't need to go through all the stages of editing so consistently. Some authors will skip the content editing and just hire a few beta readers (paying $50-100 per reader) and use that feedback as a developmental edit, then hire a copy-editor for a thorough revision of style, consistency, and grammatical check. Additionally, you get a cover made and maybe a typesetter for formatting. Working out long-term relationships can also be beneficial if you're thinking of working on a series. I'm unsure of audiobook creation costs, though I'm sure those are far higher.

[@Peachu_n_Goma_Home]

If you cannot afford to pay an editor, I suggest getting beta readers. :)

[@QIElf]

I think your decimal point is in the wrong place - £0.019/word for a copy and content edit and £500 a cover comes to £2000 for a 75,000 word book. Not nothing, of course, but much more affordable

[@billyalarie929]

is brandon's decimal places right? 3/10 of a penny per word?

[@justinmeyer2382]

My dude! You're allowed to breathe when you talk. Even a firehouse needs air for pressure lmao

[@yonatanhoresh2695]

1:04:47 Columbus and the Spanish monarchs, 1492