Editing Eragon (section)

=== Origins and publication ===
Christopher Paolini started reading fantasy books when he was 10 years old. At the age of 14, as a hobby, he started writing a novel, endeavoring to create the sort of fantasy story that he himself would enjoy reading. However, he could not get beyond a few pages because he had "no idea" where he was going. He began reading everything he could about the "art of writing", and then plotted the whole ''[[Inheritance Cycle]]'' book series. After a month of planning out the series, he started writing the draft of ''Eragon'' by hand. It was finished a year later, and Paolini began writing the second draft of the book.<ref name="guardian" >{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/jan/25/booksforchildrenandteenagers.features|title=Elf and efficiency|last=Spring|first=Kit|date=2004-01-26|work=[[The Observer]]|access-date=2009-01-31|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130827215125/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/jan/25/booksforchildrenandteenagers.features|archive-date=2013-08-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bookbrowse.com/author_interviews/full/index.cfm/author_number/934/christopher-paolini|title=An Interview with Christopher Paolini|website=BookBrowse.com|access-date=2023-10-24}}</ref> After another year of editing, Paolini's parents saw the final manuscript. They immediately saw its potential and decided to publish the book through their small, home-based publishing company, Paolini International.<ref name="teenreads"/> Paolini created the cover art for this edition of ''Eragon'', which featured [[Characters in the Inheritance cycle#Saphira|Saphira]]'s eye on the cover. He also drew the maps inside the book.<ref>{{cite book|last=Paolini|first=Christopher|title=Eragon|publisher=Paolini International LLC|year=2002|isbn=0-9666213-3-6|oclc=49993776}}</ref>

Paolini and his family toured across the United States promoting the book. He gave over 135 talks at bookshops, libraries, and schools, many with Paolini dressed up in a medieval costume; but the book did not receive much attention. Paolini said he "would stand behind a table in (his) costume talking all day without a break&nbsp;– and would sell maybe forty books in eight hours if (he) did really well. [...] It was a very stressful experience. (He) couldn't have gone on for very much longer."<ref name="guardian"/><ref>{{Cite web|last=Paolini|first=Christopher|date=November 5, 2015|title=Self-Promotional Tour and the Ring|url=https://www.paolini.net/2015/11/05/self-promotional-tour-ring/|access-date=2021-12-27|website=Paolini|language=en-US}}</ref> In the summer of 2002, American novelist [[Carl Hiaasen]] was on vacation in one of the cities that Paolini gave a talk in. While there, Hiaasen's stepson bought a copy of ''Eragon'' that he "immediately loved".<ref name="guardian"/> He showed it to Hiaasen, who brought the book to the attention of the publishing house [[Alfred A. Knopf]]. Michelle Frey, executive editor at Knopf, contacted Paolini and his family to ask if they were interested in having Knopf publish ''Eragon''. The answer was yes, and after another round of editing, Knopf published ''Eragon'' in August 2003, with a new cover, drawn by [[John Jude Palencar]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alagaesia.com/christopherpaolini.htm|title=The Author|publisher=Alagaesia.com|access-date=2009-01-31|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215044938/http://www.alagaesia.com/christopherpaolini.htm|archive-date=2009-02-15}}</ref>