The Witcher Books are a series of 8 books written by Andrzej Sapkowski, a Polish fantasy writer. His first short story "Wiedźmin" (The Witcher) was written on a whim so he could enter a contest held by Fantastyka, a Polish Science Fiction and Fantasy magazine. Being a businessman, Sapkowski knew how to sell a product, and that he did winning 3rd place in the contest. The story was published in 1986 and was successful with both critics and readers. The rest is history. The books were later translated into English, and along with the game series, helped make The Witcher a more well known name, and a successful franchise.