Book Expo America went out with a bang: Christopher Paolini was honored with a Guinness World Record during the final day of BEA 2011! Shur’tugal and Lytherus staffers were on hand to cover the event, which included brief speeches from both the Guinness World Records’ presenter. We also returned with pictures from the presentation and Christopher receiving the award. Keep reading for all of this and more!
The event took place on the Book Expo America show floor at the Guinness Book of World Records booth. Dozens of fans crowded around the booth as on-lookers shortly after the sign was erected announcing the award event for the author. Christopher himself was lingering in the corner speaking with Guinness World Records employees waiting for the event to begin.
Once the event kicked off at 11am here in NYC, the Guinness Book of World Records representative stepped up with a copy of the 2012 edition and began a speech discussing the importance of GBoWR at BEA – they’ve been a staple of the show floor for many years. They have made a tradition of presenting one book-related award to an author or book-related person or event each year they’ve attended. This year’s recipient would be none other than Christopher Paolini.
Christopher’s award was presented for his accomplishments and success with the Inheritance Cycle. The first three books in the Cycle – Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr – have sold a staggering 25 million plus books since their initial debut with Random House in 2003. This figure doesn’t include Inheritance (Book 4), which is set to launch with a first print of 2.5 million books in North America alone.
The record Christopher had set was the record for the youngest author to have sold the most books (best-selling author) in the world – ever.
Christopher was presented the award and received serious applause from his impressed audience of fans and followers. Christopher followed the presentation with a speech, thanking all of those in attendance and those who weren’t – his fans – who have made it all possible over the past decade. Christopher also thanked his family and those he works with in the industry who have assisted him along the way.
The newly-minted Guinness World Records holder (what a cool title!) also shared two interesting stories with the audience during his acceptance speech. He first told onlookers that the World Records book was a staple in the Paolini household growing up, with a new edition being added each year and devoured by the author upon its arrival.
His second story touched a funnier note: he shared the story of jokingly bragging to his sister Angela so much about receiving the award before leaving for New York City that she eventually told him to quit talking about it! Christopher noted that he’s simply proud of the accomplishment, thus the desire to share the news, because he had always grown up admiring record holders and never thought he’d be one himself.
Christopher lingered in the booth following the event, taking photos and signing autographs for all of his fans in attendance. The event was a fun, unique, and exciting end to an incredible Book Expo America 2011!
Don’t forget to check out our extensive coverage of all of Christopher’s events at Book Expo America!
LOL, he should have gotten the award for taking the longest to finish a book!!!! RIDICULOUS!
Congratulations, Christopher Paolini! You’re an amazing author and I’ve been following your books since the year Eragon came out, when I was just 12. You’ve done an amazing job at evolving with your audience, but remaining open to new fans, just like the legendary J.K. Rowling. Great job! 😀
I read somewhere that Kialandi was elf this can’t be true otherwise she would have told Galbatorix how to get to Ellesmera and an elf would never serve Galbatorix and as powerful and clever as he was I don’t think he would have learned an elfs’s true name
Christopher Paolini, you are awesome. Enough said.
Book four is REALLY good! I loved the siege of Dras-Leona, and the end (eggs!) is great!!!
That’s pretty sweet haha I just need a fast forward button so I can get the last book! Haha
congrats dude, you rock!
How amazing. This is simply fantastic. I’m so happy for him. He must be very honored.
Congrats!! this is so cool, i love that its become so popular
yay!! thats awsome for our favourite author!!
Merecido CP com certeza dedicou – se ao máximo com o Ciclo!!
Congrats CP! I actually live where the idea for Guiness World Records was first conceived! I live in Castlebridge, Wexford, Ireland, in case anyone is wondering 🙂 What a co-inky-dink!
Also Mr. Macauley was looking through the loose ends for book 4 and (correct me if im wrong!) couldn’t find anything with regards to what the Menoa tree took from Eragon…. Though its a very comprehensive list, dont get me wrong 😉
We were bound to miss something. Perhaps I’ll throw a post together for everyone to give feedback on what we had missed so that we can update it as a community — that way we’re a lot less likely to miss something.
I actually leave tomorrow morning for a much-needed vacation, so that won’t get done for a week or so, but I’ll look into it as soon as I get home.
Sounds good 🙂
Have a nice vacation.
haha YEA! go cp! you totally deserve it, and what a title to have!
Congrats Christopher! You deserve it!
The record Christopher had set was the record for the youngest author to
have sold the most books (best-selling author) in the world – ever.
What does that mean??? IT’s extremely unclear. Paolini certainly hasn’t sold more books than any other author. No way he’s sold more than, say, J.K. Rowling. Is he the youngest author to have sold 25 million books, then, or something else that I’ve completely missed?
It’s a very hard award to sum up, but the essential gist of it is that he’s the youngest author to have ever sold 25,000,000 books.
there should be a bea in Seattle!!!!
BEA used to rotate between Washington DC, NYC, and Los Angeles. Only recently did they make its permanent home NYC, which is likely due to the fact that a vast majority of the publishing houses are located in NYC. I was lucky enough to attend BEA the last time it was ever in LA — though I never got to go when it was in DC.
My faith in humanity drops ever lower.
Why is it that when I decide to stop checking everyday for updates on Shurtugal that so many things happen. -.- SO grateful that I decided to check! Those were like 6 posts that I had to read. Thank you Shurtugal for being awesome.
Go CP!
The secret robot that powers Shur’tugal sent me a secret robot email saying, “Dragons94 hasn’t visited daily in a while! Quick, post six updates in a week!” And so I did.
Good for you, CP! I am proud to say that I am responsible for a couple of those sales, not to mention I already have purchesed my copy of inheritanc!
The key to breaking a world is not to beat someone that already holds a world record, but to come up with one never thought of before. The former brings greater acknowledgement! Good job
Congratulations!
Go CP! You deserved that! Ofc IC is the bestselling book atm, shouldn’t it? 😛
firstly congrats to chris on this its well deserved 🙂
secondly i just had a thought … does anyone else think that galbatorix would have made thorn disgorge his eldunari as a safety measure or a way to gain greater control over murtagh?????????
Congrats to Christopher!!
I too grew up reading the Guinness World Records. I thought it would be amazing to be in it but I could never find anyway of getting in there.
Now I can say I’ve met someone who is in book!!!
Well, I hope that Shurtugal has some activities and Q&A’s with CP soon, to hold the place for Book 4, just like they said in March when B4 was announced. I’m looking forward to 2011 as the year the Inheritance Cycle ended and the year one of the world’s most anticipated books came out. Sé onr sverdar sitja hvass!
This was a really cool event to attend. Like Christopher, I envied Guinness World Records while growing up. I know I’ll never hold my own record but it sure is cool to say that someone I know and work with is a record holder… and for something so huge as best-selling youngest author ever. Awesome!
Join the club.
he started the club ;]
You will make it!
you’ll get one for the best fan website ever!!!!
Yea!
true that big time! this is the only websitet hat i visit with regularity. we should start trying to break the world record for having the most votes for mike to get a world record for having the best website.
you’ll get one for the best fan website ever!!!!
Um Mike… Don’t ever say never. Why? Because who knows what the future might hold out for even you!
He deserves it. 😉 Amazing author.
Congrats!!