Eragon

I created Eragon, but its success is the result of the enthusiastic efforts of friends, family, fans, librarians, teachers, students, school administrators, distributors, booksellers, and many more. I wish I could mention by name all the people who have helped, but the list is very, very long. You know who you are, and I thank you!

Eragon was first published in early 2002 by my parents’ publishing company, Paolini International LLC. They had already released three books, so it was only natural to do the same with Eragon. We knew Eragon would appeal to a wide range of readers; our challenge was to spread the word about it.

During 2002 and the beginning of 2003, I traveled throughout the United States doing over 130 book signings and presentations in schools, bookstores, and libraries. My mother and I arranged all the events. At first I had only one or two appearances per month, but as we became more efficient at scheduling, our homemade book tour expanded to the point where I was on the road almost continuously.

I met thousands of wonderful people, many of whom became loyal fans and friends. One of those fans is Michelle Frey, now my editor at Knopf Books for Young Readers, who approached me with an offer to acquire Eragon. Needless to say, I was delighted that Knopf was interested in my book.

Thus, there are two groups of people who deserve thanks. The first assisted with the production of the Paolini International LLC edition of Eragon, while the second is responsible for the Knopf edition.

Here are the brave souls who helped bring Eragon into existence:

The original gang: my mother for her thoughtful red pen and wonderful help with commas, colons, semicolons, and other assorted beasties; my father for his smashing editing job, all the time he spent hammering my vague, wayward thoughts into line, formatting the book and designing the cover, and listening to so many presentations; Grandma Shirley for helping me create a satisfactory beginning and ending; my sister for her plot advice, her good humor at being portrayed as an herbalist in Eragon, and her long hours Photoshopping Saphira’s eye on the cover; Kathy Tyers for giving me the means to do a brutal — and much-needed — rewrite of the first three chapters; John Taliaferro for his advice and wonderful review; a fan named Tornado — Eugene Walker — who caught a number of copyediting errors; and Donna Overall for her love of the story, editing and formatting advice, and keen eye for all things concerning ellipses, em dashes, widows, orphans, kerning, and run-on sentences. If there’s a real-life Dragon Rider, she’s one — selflessly coming to the rescue of writers lost in the Swamp of Commas. And I thank my family for supporting me wholeheartedly... and for reading this saga more times than any sane person should have to.

The new gang: Michelle Frey, who not only loved the story enough to take a chance on an epic fantasy written by a teenager but also managed to streamline Eragon’s pacing through her insightful editing; my agent, Simon Lipskar, who helped find the best home for Eragon; Chip Gibson and Beverly Horowitz for the wonderful offer; Lawrence Levy for his good humor and legal advice; Judith Haut, publicity whiz of the first degree; Daisy Kline for the awe-inspiring marketing campaign; Isabel Warren-Lynch, who designed the lovely book jacket, interior, and map; John Jude Palencar, who painted the jacket art (I actually named Palancar Valley for him long before he ever worked on Eragon); Artie Bennett, the doyen of copyediting and the only man alive who understood the difference between to scry it and to scry on it; and the entire team at Knopf who have made this adventure possible.

Lastly, a very special thanks to my characters, who bravely face the dangers I force them to confront, and without whom I wouldn’t have a story.

May your swords stay sharp!

Christopher Paolini