Christopher Paolini

When best-selling author Carl Hiaasen purchased Eragon at a Montana grocery store, the book had already sold more than 10,000 copies-a remarkable achievement for a self-published novel and its author, Christopher Paolini, who was just a teenager at the time. After earning his high school diploma through a correspondence program, 15-year-old Paolini spent a year writing Eragon and another year revising it. The project became a family enterprise-his sister and his parents edited the book, and his father's company published it. Since earning a major book contract with Hiaasen's publisher, Paolini has become a best-selling author in his own right, with Eragon and the sequels that followed attracting fans of all ages around the globe. Read about this remarkable success story of a teenager who found international publishing success. Book jacket.

John Bankston is the author of numerous biographies for young adults. He has had more than 200 articles published in magazines and newspapers across the country. He lives in Newport Beach, California.