Ernest Cline
Ernest Christy Cline (born March 29, 1972) is an American science fiction novelist, slam poet and screenwriter. He wrote the novels Ready Player One, Armada, and Ready Player Two, and co-wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of Ready Player One, directed by Steven Spielberg.
Also recorded as Ernest Christy Cline
Ernest Cline

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- Name
- Ernest Cline
- Birth Name
- Ernest Christy Cline
- Born
- 29 March 1972
- Birthplace
- Ashland, Ohio, U.S.
- Occupation
- * Novelist
- Nationality
- United States
- Fields
- science fiction
- Education
- Ashland High School
- Known for
- Ready Player One
- Languages
- English
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Documentary summary
Ernest Christy Cline (born March 29, 1972) is an American science fiction novelist, slam poet and screenwriter. He wrote the novels Ready Player One, Armada, and Ready Player Two, and co-wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of Ready Player One, directed by Steven Spielberg.
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Note VALÉORINE
Ernest Cline (born 1972) is an American blogger, comedian and journalist, among other activities. The blogger was born in Ashland.
Ernest Cline studied at Ashland High School. The blogger is a member of Writers Guild of America West.
Works include Ready Player One. Genres include science fiction. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
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wikidata · Q3732112 · wikipedia · Ernest Cline
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Ernest Cline • Birth Name — Ernest Christy Cline • Born — 29 March 1972 • Birthplace — Ashland, Ohio, U.S. • Occupation — * Novelist • screenwriter • artist • poet
Life and career
Life and career
Cline was born and raised in Ashland, Ohio, the son of Ernest Cline and Faye Imogene Cline. As a youth in the 1970s and 1980s, Cline was "addicted to video games and movies," especially Star Wars, the movies of John Hughes, and the tabletop roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons. He worked in information technology in his twenties and worked on screenwriting during his spare time.
Fanboys
Fanboys
Cline co-wrote the screenplay for Fanboys, based on a story he had developed in the late 1990s while his mother was dying of cancer. Cline shot some low-budget scenes himself and shared his screenplay draft with Harry Knowles, whose connections in the film industry helped Cline get the film produced. The final film was co-written by Adam F. Goldberg and directed by Kyle Newman. It was finally released in 2009 after reshoots, re-edits, and delays. Cline later recalled that the film "changed my whole life. Fanboys is my first real original screenplay, and it got made."
Spoken word
Spoken word
From 1997 to 2001, Cline performed his original work at Austin Poetry Slam venues. He was the Austin Poetry Slam Champ in 1998 and 2001. Cline also competed on the Austin Poetry Slam Teams at the 1998 Austin National Poetry Slam and the 2001 Seattle National Poetry Slam. His most popular spoken-word pieces include "Dance, Monkeys, Dance," "Nerd Porn Auteur," and "When I Was a Kid." Cline subsequently reworked "Dance, Monkeys, Dance" into a faux educational filmstrip, which became a popular viral video that has now been translated into 29 different languages. In 2001, Cline self-published a chapbook collection of his spoken-word writing, The Importance of Being Ernest, and released an album, The Geek Wants Out. In the fall of 2013, Write Bloody Publishing published a new edition of The Importance of Being Ernest with new cover art by Gary Musgrave and new interior illustrations by Len Peralta.
Readyverse
Readyverse
In January 2024, it was announced that Cline has partnered with tech company Futureverse Studios to launch the Readyverse, “a multi-world, multi-IP, interoperable open metaverse experience for mass consumers.” Readyverse will feature licensed digital props and other intellectual property from director Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One through a deal with distributor Warner Bros. Readyverse also holds the rights to Cline’s other novels (including Ready Player Two) as well as his future works.
Personal life
Personal life
From 2003 to 2013, Cline was married to author Susan Somers-Willett, with whom he has one daughter. In 2016, he married writer Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz, whom he met at the 1998 National Poetry Slam and began dating in 2013. They have one daughter. Cline's all-time favorite video game is Black Tiger, which features prominently in the plot of Ready Player One.
Novels
Novels
Ready Player One series: • Ready Player One (2011) • Ready Player Two (2020) Standalone: • Armada (2015) • Bridge to Bat City (2024)
Short stories
Short stories
• "The Omnibot Incident" (2014), short story in Robot Uprisings, anthology edited by Daniel H. Wilson and John Joseph Adams.
Poetry
Poetry
• The Importance of Being Ernest (2013)
Adaptations
Adaptations
• Ready Player One (2018), film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on novel Ready Player One

Author Ernest Cline at the 2011 Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas, United States.
Larry D. Moore

Ernie Cline Please attribute to Dominic "Count3D" Dobrzensky.
Count3D from Vancouver, Canada · Ernie Cline
Books
In June 2010, Cline sold his first novel, Ready Player One, a book that takes place in a dystopian 2040s. The book was sold in a bidding war to the Crown Publishing Group (a division of Random House). The film rights to the novel were sold the following day, to Warner Bros., with Cline co-writing the screenplay. Ten months later, with the hardcover release coinciding with the paperback release, Cline revealed on his blog that both the paperback and hardcover editions of Ready Player One contain an elaborately hidden Easter egg. This clue formed the first part of a series of staged video gaming tests, similar to the plot of the novel. Cline also revealed that the competition's grand prize would be a 1981 DeLorean. The prize was awarded in 2012. The paperback is currently in its 17th printing. Cline's second novel, Armada, was released on July 14, 2015, by Crown Publishing Group. In December 2015 the film rights to Armada were sold to Universal Pictures for a seven-figure sum. His third novel, Ready Player Two was announced in August 2015 and released on November 24, 2020 as a sequel to Ready Player One. As of 2020, a film adaptation of the novel was in early development. His fourth novel, Bridge to Bat City was announced in June 2023 and release by Little, Brown and Company on April 9, 2024. It is Cline's first children’s novel, described as a “'mostly true tall tale' about a recently orphaned young girl named Opal B Flats, who forms an unexpected friendship with a music-loving colony of bats and helps them find a new home against all odds."
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.John R. Alden. "Ernest Cline's smart 'Ready Player One' makes cybernerds fun", Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 22, 2011.
- 2.Hamburger, Ellis. Ernest Cline is the luckiest geek alive. The Verge. 11 March 2014.
- 3.Hoffman, Jordan. The Oral History of 'Fanboys,' a Love Letter to 'Star Wars' Obliterated By the Dark Side of Hollywood. Thrillist. 2018-03-26.
- 4.Smith, Clay. Postscripts: Bloomin' Poets – Books. The Austin Chronicle. June 5, 1998.
- 5.Smith, Clay. Postscripts: Upcoming. The Austin Chronicle. July 13, 2001.
- 6.Wheaton, Wil. You want to accept Anorak's Invitation. Trust me. Wilwheaton.net. August 15, 2011.
- 7.Fallon, Claire. Before You Buy 'Ready Player One' Tickets, Read Ernest Cline's Horrifying Porn Poetry. Huffington Post. 17 March 2018.
- 8.Cline, Ernest. The Importance of Being Ernest. Write Bloody. Introduction. 2013. 9781938912306.
- 9.Coll, Kevin. Cool Novel Ready Player One Gets Publishing Rights and Movie Deal FusedFilm.com. Fused Film. 2010-11-21.
- 10.Fleming, Mike. Deadline Hollywood – Warner Bros and De Line Pictures Win Book Auction For Ready Player One. Deadline Hollywood. June 18, 2010.
- 11.Frauenfelder, Mark. Ready Player One DeLorean prize awarded. Boing Boing. August 31, 2012.
- 12.Cline, Ernest. A Long Overdue Update. Ernie's Blog. 2015-02-11.
- 13.McNary, Dave. Universal sets sail with 'Armada'. Variety. December 6, 2012.
- 14.Busch, Anita. 'Ready Player One' Author Ernest Cline Seals Monster Deal For Next Book; All Eyes On Film Rights. August 10, 2015.
- 15.Couch, Aaron. 'Ready Player One' Book Sequel Sets November Publishing Date. The Hollywood Reporter. July 8, 2020.
- 16.Spry, Jeff. Ready Player Two movie is in "early stages," Ernest Cline reveals. Inverse. December 19, 2020.
- 17.Grobar, Matt. 'Ready Player One' Author Ernest Cline Unveils Debut Children's Novel 'Bridge To Bat City'. June 13, 2023.
- 18.Cline, Ernest. Bridge to Bat City. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 2024-04-09. 978-0-316-46080-4.
- 19.Bloom, David. 'Ready Player One' Comes To The Metaverse With Readyverse Studios Launch. Forbes.
- 20.Weprin, Alex. A Real-Life 'Ready Player One'? Author Inks Deal to Bring IP to the Metaverse. The Hollywood Reporter. 2024-01-04.
- 21.Marriage/Divorce Indexes. Texas Health and Human Services.
- 22.Milson, Katherine. Interview with Dr. Somers-Willett.
- 23.VOWS: "Cristin Aptowicz, Ernest Cline". The New York Times. June 19, 2016.
- 24.O'Dowd, Peter. In 'Ready Player Two,' Author Ernest Cline Goes Further Into The Virtual World. WBUR. 24 November 2020.
- 25.Bilton, Nick. One on One: Ernest Cline, Author of 'Ready Player One'. Bits Blog. 2012-08-22.
- 26.Evans, Greg. 'Ready Player Two' Sequel Novel Set for November Publication Date. Deadline. July 8, 2020.
- 27.Canfield, David. Ernest Cline confirms he's writing a 'Ready Player One' sequel. Entertainment Weekly. 11 December 2017.
- 28.Adams, John Joseph. Author Interview: Ernest Cline. March 31, 2014.
- 29.The Importance of Being Ernest page at publisher Write Bloody Publishing's Website.
References
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 21 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
38,991 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
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- Ernest DowsonAuthor
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