The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
| Company type | Book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | April 12, 2011 |
| Founder | Stephenie Meyer |
| Products | Encyclopedia companion to the Twilight Saga |
The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (initially titled The Official Guide) serves as a comprehensive encyclopedia companion to the Twilight Saga, written by Stephenie Meyer and published on April 12, 2011. This guide enriches the world of Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, and The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner with exclusive materials. It contains close to 100 vibrant full-color illustrations created by Young Kim, the artist behind the #1 New York Times Best Seller Twilight: The Graphic Novel, along with artwork contributed by other illustrators.
Development
During a fan gathering hosted by Twifans.com on September 11, 2010, Meyer disclosed that work on the guide had been underway since 2008. Her objective was to establish an official reference that would address inaccuracies found in unauthorized companion books.
Meyer revealed at the press event for The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner that the novella was conceived while she was editing Eclipse. Initially meant to be part of The Guide, its substantial length of 192 pages prompted the publisher to issue it as a separate publication.
The Guide compiles detailed character biographies, deleted scenes, interviews with Meyer herself, family trees, maps, thorough cross-referencing, and nearly 100 pieces of artwork and photographs contributed by several artists including Young Kim.
Publication date delays
Although planned for release on December 30, 2008, the publication of The Guide was indefinitely delayed because of Meyer’s involvement with the film adaptations of The Twilight Saga. Speculations about launches in 2009 and 2010 were proven inaccurate. Eventually, Little, Brown announced within the press release for The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner that the official release date would be confirmed later in 2010.
Promotion
On January 12, 2011, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers revealed an International Fan Event where ten fans were chosen through a sweepstakes to meet Meyer and receive advance copies of The Guide. Following the event’s conclusion, details and photographs were published.
To support the launch of The Guide, on March 31, 2011, USA Today previewed an article discussing Meyer’s forthcoming projects and her role as producer on Breaking Dawn. The complete article was published on April 1 and covered the Vancouver fan event while featuring Meyer’s remarks about new vampire lore and important character histories included in the guide.
On April 7, Entertainment Weekly unveiled exclusive images from The Guide, showcasing Bella as a vampire with golden eyes as well as in her wedding attire. The following day, Little, Brown released a scanned character profile of James.