What made Paolini successful?

It would help if your parents published the book for you. And isn't there already fourteen hundred threads on this somewhere?

Like the song says, musta been the right place but at the wrong time.

BenPanced said:

Like the song says, musta been the right place but at the wrong time.

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There have been times when I've been in the right place, but it was the wrong time. And then I've been in the wrong place but at the right time. If only I could work out a way to get this sorted out and I'll be laughing all the way to the bank.

Oh, as the song says; it's not what you know, it's who you know.

The short version, recapped from all of those other threads:

He was 15. Mom and dad owned their own press. They had distribution into a real store. He dressed up in a silly costume on the day a real publisher happened to be there with his kid and the kid liked the book. Up to that point he wanted to quit because they couldn't sell the books, he was tired of the hassle, and they almost went bankrupt from the cost of it.

Who is that? Never heard of him (or her). There are billions of people on this earth. All you need is a few million to like your stuff. I've never heard of this person, and if all he writes are dragon books, he's a one hit wonder and will be gone when his audience decides to go after something new.

I repete, never heard of him.

Cyia said:

The short version, recapped from all of those other threads:

He was 15. Mom and dad owned their own press. They had distribution into a real store. He dressed up in a silly costume on the day a real publisher happened to be there with his kid and the kid liked the book. Up to that point he wanted to quit because they couldn't sell the books, he was tired of the hassle, and they almost went bankrupt from the cost of it.

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While this is true, it doesn't explain why it became so enormously successful. Its one of the top-selling young adult fantasy series, and one of very few YA fantasies that has been turned into a movie. Sure, the movie tanked, but it still happened, which is a real testament to the popularity of the series.

Cyia said:

The short version, recapped from all of those other threads:

He was 15. Mom and dad owned their own press. They had distribution into a real store. He dressed up in a silly costume on the day a real publisher happened to be there with his kid and the kid liked the book.

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Addendum: The publisher also recognized the novelty value of putting out a book written by a fifteen-year-old, which was a HUGE marketing ploy. And it worked. If Paolini had been even five years older, that grabber would not have been there, and the story likely would have been very different.

caw

Wavy_Blue said:

which is a real testament to the popularity of the series.

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It's a testament to the hype-machine that went into overdrive when he was published.

I read Eragon, and personally I loved it. I know, in the minority. Was the writing great? Not particularly. Impressive from a fifteen year old, though. It was a fun story with fun characters, however. From what I've been told, it appeals mostly to people like me who haven't read a ton of fantasy. Now, there's a reason for that. Most of the fantasy I've picked up has been very, very badly written. I can put up with poor writing to an extent, but I get frustrated with it when there isn't anything else to pull it up. So by comparison, his writing didn't really strike me as terrible, just about average for what I'd seen in the genre.

Also, as someone who wasn't extensively read in fantasy (mostly because of said writing issue, which makes me much pickier about who I read), I wasn't aware of all the different places he was picking the plot up from. I imagine most of us out there who read it weren't. I have friends who hate it and consider it a hack job, but from my perspective it was a clever and original story because I hadn't read everything else that made it look formulaic. I still like it, btw. Yeah, it started a bit slow, but once I got into it I couldn't put it down.

The writing on the sequel was much better, btw, and really shows how far he had come as a writer, which is also fascinating to see. I do sort of wish he'd waited to publish it, though. If he had written the first one even as well as he did the second (which isn't perfect, but much, much improved), I imagine he wouldn't be getting quite the same level of flak. I haven't read the third yet, btw. It's on my stack of to-read books.

Anyway, that's just my take on why I enjoyed it, and I'm sure there are others who would probably feel the same way. I knew nothing about the marketing ploy when I picked it up. In fact, I'd never really heard of it. I just saw what looked like a cool fantasy story with dragons and decided to give it a try and, by my standards anyway, I lucked out. I understand the criticism, but it doesn't take away from my enjoyment of the book.

I also imagine, and hope even, that he has a successful career and continues to improve his skill. I think he's someone who can become a really leader in his genre if he continues to improve. There's an awful lot of promise there. That's just my take, anyway.

Marketing and hype combined with his age.

Haven't heard anything about him since the second book.

Read the non-fiction book The Black Swan. It explains everything.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_swan_theory

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Swan_(Taleb_book)

kuwisdelu said:

Marketing and hype combined with his age.

Haven't heard anything about him since the second book.

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From what I heard they took the third back to self publishing because they wanted more control. I'll be nice and won't guess beyond that. I do wish he would have had to slog like everyone else because I think it really hurt him as a writer in the long run. Not to mention his ego and referring to himself as "the savior of young adult" really put me in the extreme dislike catagory.

icerose said:

From what I heard they took the third back to self publishing because they wanted more control. I'll be nice and won't guess beyond that. I do wish he would have had to slog like everyone else because I think it really hurt him as a writer in the long run. Not to mention his ego and referring to himself as "the savior of young adult" really put me in the extreme dislike catagory.

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Brisingr was released through Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers.

icerose said:

From what I heard they took the third back to self publishing because they wanted more control. I'll be nice and won't guess beyond that. I do wish he would have had to slog like everyone else because I think it really hurt him as a writer in the long run. Not to mention his ego and referring to himself as "the savior of young adult" really put me in the extreme dislike catagory.

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Tell me he didn't.

BenPanced said:

Brisingr was released through Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers.

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Yeah, that's what I was gonna say. I know that the hardcover was published by the same company that released the other two. Do you have a source on the quote, Icerose? I'm just curious because if it comes from the same source with the self-publishing thing I'd take it with a grain of salt. I know I've seen interviews with him when he was younger and he always seemed like a totally nice guy. That isn't to say it hasn't gone to his head, though, I just would rather see the source and be certain it's valid. Goodness knows there are lots of rumors out there.

A) The book appeals to many readers because its plot keeps them turning the page, eager to find out what happens next.

B) His entire family spent a year and a big chunk of their savings marketing the self-published book all over the place--that hard work got it in the hands of somebody who made the trade publishing deal happen.

B') The self-published book was professional-looking because the parents were in the printing business, and it got into stores because the parents had professional connections with distributors, being in an allied field.

So it's easy, right? You just have to write a book with a plot that appeals to readers, invest tens of thousands of dollars, spend a year on the road doing booksignings in costume, and get lucky. (Note sarcasm: it's not easy. If you don't have tens of thousands of dollars, a year to spend doing costumed booksignings, and parents in the printing business, I recommend writing the best book you can and sending it to agents. For every Paolini, there are hundreds of new authors who broke in that way.)

IceCreamEmpress said:

So it's easy, right? You just have to write a book with a plot that appeals to readers, invest tens of thousands of dollars, spend a year on the road doing booksignings in costume, and get lucky.

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The costume is where I'm screwing up! I'm glad I read this. Thanks!

Capes are sized like suit coats, right? I'll need a 44 Long.

scarletpeaches said:

Tell me he didn't.

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It was in an interview with him about three or four years ago. I can't find it now so I can't quantify it.

And with the self publishing that's what a book store owner told me and it's why I qualified it with "I heard". It's good to hear he didn't go back to the self publishing route.

He attracted the attention of Knopf because Carl Hiassen's step son picked up a copy while on holiday. Hiassen was intrigued by the boy's enjoyment of the book and decided to read it too. Hiassen then passed it to his editor at Knopf, who then passed it to Paolini's now editor.

I enjoyed all three books and looked forward to the fourth. Lets face it, there are worse books out there that got past an agent too

What made Paolini successful?

Money. Specifically, a smart marketing campaign and the funds to carry it out.

You, however, can find success -- even at a young age -- by writing a damn good work. You can earn the marketing money from a publishing house by being brilliant. You don't need to be the child of a mom and pop with a mom-and-pop press to get it. Just write a good book. Please make it better than Paolini's.*


*The preceding statement is only Libbie's opinion of one writer's abilities.

scarletpeaches said:

Tell me he didn't.

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He's done more than that. If you ever want to poke your own eyes out with rage, look up some of the interviews he's given. Clueless doesn't even begin to go there.

His was a "coattail" book, which means it came at exatly the right time to grab the coattails of LOTR and be pulled along for the ride. The "coattail effect" happens pretty often in publishing. If you can write fast enough and well enough, there's a chance of having this happen intentionally, but it's most often a fortunate bit of luck.

The title was also a fortunate bit of luck. I saw a poll that said an amazing number of readers picked up the book thinking it was some sort of spinoff from LOTR.

This was a book with just teh right story that came at just the right time, and I have no doubt it would have been a huge success with or without his parents.

Jamesaritchie said:

This was a book with just teh right story that came at just the right time, and I have no doubt it would have been a huge success with or without his parents.

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You mean if he had sent it to an agent? Probably, because yeah, he was in the right place at the right time and the plot is compelling (perhaps because it's a mashup of other more original books, but that's another issue).

The thing is that Paolini's success is often touted as an example of Why Self-Publishing Is An Easy Route To Success. My post above points out why most people can't replicate Paolini's route, and why it wasn't "easy" at all.

I tried Eragon, but having been a fantasy buff most of my life, I saw through its "originality" right off. I know a number of nonfantasy readers who have liked it, so the genre-neophyte factor does seem to be at work here. If they go on reading fantasy, they may conclude that Tolkien and McCaffrey ripped off Paolini.

Did I see Paolini on one of the morning shows talking about how he wrote the third book with quill and ink? Or was I dreaming it? He seems personable on air, which is helpful to the marketers, as is his unusual backstory. Though there seem to be a lot of young authors these days, so that tack may lose some impact.