Diary of a Wimpy Kid is an American fiction book series and media franchise created by author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney. The series follows Greg Heffley, who illustrates his daily life in a diary.
In May 2004, FunBrain and Kinney released an online version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The website made daily entries until June 2005.Kinney worked on his book for almost eight years, before showing it to a publisher in New York. In February 2006, during the New York Comic Con, Kinney signed a multi-book deal with publisher Abrams Books to turn Diary of a Wimpy Kid into a print series. The first installment was released in April 2007 to immediate success, and the online version received almost 20 million views as of 2009. Nonetheless, many online readers requested a printed version; Kinney agreed, and in April 2007, Diary of a Wimpy Kid was published. In April 2009, TIME named Kinney one of The World's Most Influential People.
Fifteen books in the series have been released, with a sixteenth installment scheduled for October 2021; an activity book has also been released. A spin-off series, centering on the character Rowley Jefferson, has three installments as of 2021.The first, second, fourth and ninth installments have been adapted into films by 20th Century Fox; two books have been released chronicling the production of the films.
