Christopher Paolini holds the Guinness Book of World Records as the "youngest author of bestselling book series" ever.
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Meet Christopher Paolini
Meet Christopher Paolini
Christopher was born November 17, 1983 and grew up in Montana where he was homeschooled by his parents. As a child he wrote short stories and spent much of his free time at the library reading books by his favorite fantasy authors Bruce Coville, Anne McCaffrey, Jane Yolen, Brian Jacques, and Ursula K. Le Guin. The idea for Eragon began when he was a teen. His love for the magic of stories led him to write a story that he would enjoy reading. As he started outlining the story he discovered that doing some of the same things as his characters would give a better understanding of the world they lived in. To this end he forged his own knives and swords, made chain mail, spun wool, camped in the Beartooth Mountains, made his own bow, built survival shelters, learned to track game, fletched arrows, felled trees, hiked, and camped. In short, the books embody a great deal of his experience of living in Montana. He also read and researched folklore from different cultures ranging from the Brothers Grimm to Nordic Myths (think Thor) to Beowulf (it's an epic poem you'll read in high school). Then he took pen to paper and tried to recreate those images with words.
How Eragon Was Published
How Eragon Was Published
Christopher was fifteen when he wrote the first draft of Eragon. He took a second year to revise the book, and then gave it to his parents to read. The family decided to self-publish the book and spent a third year preparing the manuscript for publication: copyediting, proofreading, designing a cover, typesetting the manuscript, and creating marketing materials. The family then spent the next year promoting the book in libraries, bookstores, and schools. It wasn't until the summer of 2002 that Eragon caught the attention of a large publishing company. Author Carl Hiaasen (Hoot, Flush, Scat, Chomp, and Squirm) brought a copy of the book to his publisher after his son discovered the book while on a family vacation to Montana. Alfred A. Knopf Books For Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, quickly got the Paolini's permission to publish Eragon in 2003. It quickly became a bestseller and Christopher toured the United States and United promoting his book. The second book in the series, Eldest, was published in 2005. The movie version of Eragon was released by Fox 2000 in 2006 and the third book in what was meant to be a trilogy, Brisingr, was published in 2008. While writing Brisingr, Christopher had so much material to continue the story that he felt only three books wouldn't be enough. The fourth book, Inheritance, completed the cycle and was published in 2011.
Christopher's drawing of the dragon's eye that appears in the Knopf publication.
Book 1: Eragon
Book 1: Eragon
When fifteen-year-old Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.
Overnight his simple life is shattered, and, gifted with only an ancient sword, a loyal dragon, and sage advice from an old storyteller, Eragon is soon swept into a dangerous tapestry of magic, glory, and power. Now his choices could save—or destroy—the Empire.
Christopher Paolini reflects on writing The Inheritance Cycle.
Christopher Paolini offers 5 writing tips to help you become a better writer.
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