# Dungeon Crawler Carl Fans Vote on Story Next > Readers vote to shape Matt Dinniman's unfinished fantasy series. - Title: Dungeon Crawler Carl Fans Vote on Story Next · Woman's World - Summary: Readers vote to shape Matt Dinniman's unfinished fantasy series. Dungeon Crawler Carl author Matt Dinniman lets fans vote on plot developments for his series. - Keywords: dungeon crawler carl, matt dinniman, brandon sanderson, fantasy, self publishing, litrpg, fan voting, book series, Dungeon, Crawler, Carl, Fans - Source: Woman's World — https://womansworld.com/entertainment/books/dungeon-crawler-carl-matt-dinniman-reveals-how-fans-shape-the-story - Author: Ed Gross - Published: 2026-10-05T23:30:15+00:00 - Read time: 1 min - Topics: dungeon crawler carl, matt dinniman, brandon sanderson, fantasy, self publishing, litrpg, fan voting, book series ## Fans shape Dungeon Crawler Carl Matt Dinniman reveals readers can vote on what happens next in his unfinished fantasy series. > You guys vote for how things go in my book ## Traditional publishing gatekeepers Dinniman says readers helped bypass traditional publishing gatekeepers for Dungeon Crawler Carl. > I would never in a million years be able to sell Dungeon Crawler Carl to a traditional publisher ## Brandon Sanderson's warning Sanderson admits predicting trends in fantasy is impossible. > Anytime you get sci-fi/fantasy authors together, we do like to talk about trends. But we always are, like, 'But I have no idea.' ## LitRPG growth LitRPG has exploded into mainstream success after being dismissed by traditional publishers. > We’re seeing more and more stuff like that becoming successful and people actually coming to it ## Self-publishing shift Dinniman started with self-publishing to reach readers directly. > I would never in a million years be able to sell Dungeon Crawler Carl to a traditional publisher if I hadn’t self-published at first ## Readers decide Readers now choose what happens in stories before authors finish writing them. > You guys vote for how things go in my book ## Fan voting in action Fans voted to include the Anarchist Cookbook in Dungeon Crawler Carl's story. > You voted for the Anarchist Cookbook, for example, to exist ## No chosen one Dinniman wants stories where characters aren't secretly chosen by fate. > They’re not a chosen one. They’re not secretly the king’s bastard child who was forgotten ## Mental health in fantasy More fantasy stories include realistic mental health issues. > PTSD is something that didn’t exist in a lot of fantasy and sci-fi novels for years ## Direct author-reader connection Authors now know readers' preferences better than before. > I would say that part of why my career took off is because I was one of the early authors that learned this is how things were going to be ## Fandom growth Fans connect online to discuss stories and theories. > You’re finding each other. You’re becoming fans with each other. You’re talking about theories ## BookTok influence BookTok trends affect book marketing and popularity. > They’re also asking a lot of people when they’re querying, 'How many followers do you have on TikTok?' ## Sanderson's book completion Sanderson compares book completion to a living process. > When you let go, it’s time to be done, the book goes out and then it fully comes alive ## Fan voting impact Fan votes change the course of Dungeon Crawler Carl's story. > You voted for the Anarchist Cookbook, for example, to exist. And if you’ve read my book, you know that completely changed the course of the series ## New gatekeepers BookTok may create new publishing gatekeepers. > They’re also asking a lot of people when they’re querying, 'How many followers do you have on TikTok?' ## Dungeon Crawler Carl's future Dinniman's series continues to evolve with fan input. > I have no plan whatsoever until I get that vote in because who knows if you’re going to vote for the giant two-headed dog or you’re going to vote for something else ## Key takeaway Dungeon Crawler Carl author Matt Dinniman lets fans vote on plot developments for his series.