The Epic Journey of Frank Herbert’s Dune: From Rejection to Literary Triumph
The novel originated when Herbert was assigned to write a magazine article about the sand dunes in the Oregon Dunes near Florence, Oregon. He ended up with more material than he needed for the article. The article was never written, but it is the foundation that led to Dune.
Six Years of Research
Herbert began researching the novel in 1959. Dune took six years of research and writing to complete.
Rejection
Dune was initially rejected by more than twenty different publishers.
Car Repair Manual Publisher
The novel was finally published in August 1965 by Chilton Books, a printing company known mainly for publishing auto repair manuals. The book was priced at $5.95, equivalent to $57.94 in 2024, and did not sell well.
Science Fiction Collectable
The first edition of Dune, published by Chilton, is one of the most valuable in science fiction book collecting. Copies have sold for more than $20,000.
Awards and Sales
Dune won the Nebula Award for best novel in 1965 and shared the Hugo Award in 1966, tied with Roger Zelazny’s This Immortal. The novel has sold almost 20 million copies and has been translated into a dozen different languages.
Dune is considered by some critics to be the best science fiction book ever written and is should definitely be on your reading list or listening list if you prefer audio books.
Listen to Dune for free with an Audible trial.
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