 Paolini and his family toured across the United States to promote the book . Over 135 talks were given 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 my costume talking all day without a break – and would sell maybe forty books in eight hours if I did really well . [ ... ] It was a very stressful experience . I couldn 't have gone on for very much longer . " 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 , his stepson bought a copy of Eragon that he " immediately loved " . He showed it to his stepfather , 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 . It also led to a new cover , drawn by John Jude Palencar . 
