Matt Dinniman

Matt Dinniman

Matt Dinniman was born in Gig Harbor, WA, USA.

Matt Dinniman is known for writing in the Horror, Science Fiction, and LitRPG genres.

Matt Dinniman is the author of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series which currently consists of 8 novels. The Dungeon Crawler Carl series started in 2020 with the novel Dungeon Crawler Carl. The most recently released novel in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series was A Parade of Horribles which was released in 2026. There are no upcoming novels for the Dungeon Crawler Carl series.

Matt Dinniman has also written The Shivered Sky series which has 3 books including Every Grain of Sand and In the City of Demons.

The bestselling author Matt Dinniman actually started writing when he was still a kid, and penned his first novel while he was in high school. Although this was not published, it became The Shivered Sky trilogy, which were his first books, released in 2003.

While working as a writer, Matt would also work as an artist at pet shows, drawing pictures of people's pets for them. This work was an experience which helped inspire the Princess Donut character.

When he was a kid, Matts favourite book was Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh. In a reddit 'ask me anything', he stated that this two favourite books were Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay and Boy's Life. by Robert R. McCammon. He has stated that they are his two most influential and favourite authors.

The Dungeon Crawler Carl which Matt is famous for, was initially published on the website "Royal Road" as a web serial, prior to his self-publishing it on Amazon.

Matt runs his own Patreon. Along with exclusive previews and behind-the-scenes looks, members, depending on the tier, can actually vote on aspects of the story of upcoming books. He has run Kickstarter campaigns in the past for limited-edition hardcovers.

Matt has been a gamer his entire life, which is why LitRPG as a genre appeals to him. Other than Carl and Donut, his favourite character is Samantha, although in a reddit ama, he updated that to state that Quasar and Samantha are his two favourite to write.

In an interview with Variety, Matt discussed how things have changed due to the success of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, which he initially thought of the concept of in 2007. How there is a lot more pressure, as early on he would only have 500-1000 people reading it and now over a million people read his new novels. He discussed how conventions and signing events will see people come up to him and talk about how his books changed their life, or how they were suicidal but have actually put it off as they are waiting for his next book. While this may affect some authors negatively with the pressure, Matt thrives on it and he can't wait to sit down and write.

He mentioned how things are so much different now he works with Penguin Random House, as when he self-published, he would do his own editing, etc. Now there is an editorial department, a marketing department setting up book tours for him, and also the audience is now so much more different due to the mainstream appeal and popularity of the books. He stated that initially it was about 90% male readers, but now it is more women than men that are reading his books.

What's noteworthy about the series is the growth and popularity of the audiobooks. The adaptations, narrated by Jeff Hays of Soundbooth Theatre, have helped propel the series to greater heights with audiobook sales surpassing both physical and e-book copies combined. Dinniman has credited Jeff Hays performance as instrumental in building such a fanbase, and stated "I write for audio, I always have". Many people discovered the series via Audible.

Dungeon Crawler Carl expanded into a webcomic published via Webtoon, and graphic novels are being made for the series which are part of the canon. Various DCC merchandise has been released, with a tabletop RPG game planned.

Matt Dinniman: Awards & Accolades

Dinniman's book, This Inevitable Ruin won the Dragon Award, Best Science Fiction Novel, in 2025.

Dinniman's book, Dungeon Crawler Carl was nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, Best Science Fiction Novel, in 2026.

Matt Dinniman: Lists & Other Mentions

• Dungeon Crawler Carl: Audible: The Top 100 Book Series of All Time Selection in 2024.

The entire Dungeon Crawler Carl Series was listed on Audible's The Top 100 Book Series of All Time list in 2024. In 2025, the website Books-A-Million announced it's inaugural 'Book of the Year', and the winner was Dungeon Crawler Carl Their VP of marketing, Olivia McDaniel, who has never played video games before, said it is "the most fun I've ever had reading".

Matt Dinniman: TV/Movies Based on Books

In August 2024, it was reported that Universal International Studios and Seth MacFarlane's Fuzzy Door were developing a TV adaptation of Dungeon Crawler Carl.

Fans hoped and expected that it would be an animated show, however Matt confirmed in March 2026 that it would be a live-action show. The script is being written by Chris Yost, who also wrote Thor: Ragnorak and The Mandalorian.

Related Authors

Fans of Matt Dinniman also enjoy these authors:

1. Eric Ugland, author of The Good Guys Series.
2. James A. Hunter, author of the Discount Dan's Backroom Bargains Series.
3. Michael Chatfield, author of the Ten Realms Series.
4. Shirtaloon, author of the He Who Fights With Monsters Series.
5. Dakota Krout, author of The Completionist Chronicles Series.
6. Shemer Kuznits, author of the New Era Online Series.
7. Apollos Thorne, author of the Underworld Series.
8. Ernest Cline, author of the Ready Player One Series.
9. Zogarth, author of The Primal Hunter Series.
10. Tao Wong, author of The System Apocalypse Series.

Matt Dinniman: F.A.Q