How This 2003 Fantasy Novel Paved the Way for Dungeon Crawler Carl
These days, self-published books get picked up by traditional publishers more often than you think, but that wasn’t always the case. Subscription-based platforms like Kindle Unlimited and crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Patreon make it much easier to get your book in front of readers, particularly when it comes to genre fiction. In fact, Dungeon Crawler Carl is one glowing example of this self-published-to-traditional best-seller pipeline
But it might not have happened if other stories hadn’t paved the way. Back in 2003, another fantasy story that would captivate readers as a traditionally published title got its start as a self-published work. Before it made its way to most bookstore shelves, Eragon was a self-published book.
Eragon was hardly the earliest book to go this route, as many great works of literature were initially overlooked by publishers until the authors proved what their stories were worth. However, in the modern fantasy genre, Christopher Paolini’s Eragon is an early example of traditional success that followed self-published beginnings. As such, it laid a foundation that would go on to bring us Dungeon Crawler Carl, and many other fantastic fantasy series.
Eragon‘s Journey From Self-Publication to Commercial Success
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If you read Eragon back in 2003 when it first released, you may not have known its origin story. Those were early internet days, and finding books organically still often involved browsing the shelves in a local bookstore, not perusing social media. But Christopher Paolini himself tells the story of how his book came to be in a 2014 post on his website.
Paolini wrote Eragon over the course of about three years. After years of edits, his family helped him to self-publish the book with a print-on-demand company called Lightning Source, a process that involved a lot of work on their end. From there, Paolini and his family promoted his book using posters, flyers, and probably most crucially in the pre-social media era, live events.
Eventually, after over 135 presentations, the book drew the attention of Carl Hiassen. He brought it before his editor at Random House, and the rest is history. Said editor enjoyed the book and reached out to Paolini about publishing it, leading to the version of Eragon and The Inheritance Cycle most readers know today.
This may have been over 20 years ago, but Lightning Source, which is owned by Ingram, still offers its print-on-demand service. However, the landscape for self-publishing looks a lot different in 2026 than it did back then. Crowdfunding sites and digital self-publishing options make the self-published route slightly more financially viable than it was back then. As a result, we’re seeing more stories begin as Eragon did, with self-publication that slowly builds word-of-mouth.
How Dungeon Crawler Carl Got Its Start
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Dungeon Crawler Carl has absolutely taken over the book world over the last year or so. But what some readers might not realize is that the series began in the world of self-publishing. Matt Dinniman initially started releasing the story as a web series, with the first book self-published in 2020. Initially available in paperback and Kindle, the audiobook arrived in 2021. Believe it or not, Jeff Hays’ iconic performance was also initially a self-published venture via Soundbooth Studio.
Soon, the story began to gain traction on social media. Already well-loved by the LitRPG community, the audiobook drew a new level of attention that quickly built momentum on BookTok and BookTube. This led to a successful Kickstarter campaign for a hardcover special edition of the first Dungeon Crawler Carl book, and then a traditional book deal with Ace Books.
Now, the series is available in bookstores everywhere, with its iconic colorful covers. The audio remains an Audible exclusive, narrated by Jeff Hays. Dungeon Crawler Carl is proof that books don’t need to start as traditionally published ventures to gain fans, something that Eragon also showed back in the early 2000s. The landscape is quite different now, but early fantasy novels like Eragon no doubt provided proof of concept that picking up a self-published book could be a pathway to success for publishers.
After all, Eragon wasn’t just a bestselling fantasy book. It went on to get a film adaptation in 2006, and will once again come to screens with a new live-action TV series from Disney Plus. And Dungeon Crawler Carl is poised to follow suit and then some. An animated Dungeon Crawler Carl TV series is already in the works, with Jeff Hays set to voice the iconic Princess Donut. Though its popularity has already well outpaced Eragon thanks to social media virality, Dungeon Crawler Carl is nevertheless following in the fantasy series’ footsteps in some ways. And it’s far from the only example.
Crowdfunding Is Changing the Fantasy Publishing Landscape
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If you head to a crowdfunding site like Kickstarter, you’ll no doubt see plenty of book projects in progress. Indeed, genre fiction is especially popular on the platform, because it can be overlooked by traditional publishers. Some authors, including Brandon Sanderson, continue to crowdfund and self-publish some of their books even after being traditionally published. If you’ve got the fanbase to do it, this can afford more creative control over a project, as well as a bigger share of any eventual profits. But Lit RPGs like Dungeon Crawler Carl in particular are popular on sites like Kickstarter, and for good reason.
Kickstarter and similar sites like Backerkit are well known in the gaming community. Many tabletop games and indie video games get their start via Kickstarter. As such, there’s a built-in audience of Kickstarter members for the LitRPG genre. These books are, after all, a blend of sci-fi/fantasy storytelling and video-game mechanics. That’s exactly the kind of niche concept that might initially make traditional publishers wary. But as Dungeon Crawler Carl has proved, there’s an audience for it.
Thanks in part to the series’ runaway success, Lit RPGs are becoming more well-known as a subgenre. But long before they gained mainstream attention, these books often started as web serials or self-published ventures. Indeed, other beloved series like The Wandering Inn or He Who Fights with Monsters gained their audiences online long before traditional publishers got involved.
In fact, Dungeon Crawler Carl may be partly responsible for an incoming surge of Lit RPGs making their way to shelves. The Wandering Inn, for instance, has been picked up by HarperCollins in the wake of the Dungeon Crawler Carl craze. Even books and series that pre-dated Dinniman’s original web serial now lean into the “for fans of Dungeon Crawler Carl” recommendation. Yet for now, many Lit RPGs still start with Kickstarter and other platforms to find their audience. So if you’re looking for a great read that blends video game mechanics with fantasy and sci-fi storytelling, that might not be a bad place to start.
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