Prior to becoming a novelist, John Flanagan did advertising and television commercials. He co-created the television series Hey Dad! He originally wrote the books for his son, to encourage him to read. He started the series over 10 years ago and is still at work on them today. John Flanagan's book Rangers Apprentice will be turned into a film in 2010. There are currently 9 books published, and the first 8 have been released in the United States of America.

In 2008, he won the Australian Publishers Association's Book of the Year for Older Children and the International Success Award for Erak's Ransom.

Ranger's Apprentice series

1. The Ruins of Gorlan (2004)
2. The Burning Bridge (2005)
3. The Icebound Land (2005)
4. Oakleaf Bearers (2006)
5. The Sorcerer in the North (2006)
6. The Siege of Macindaw (2007)
7. Erak's Ransom (2007)
8. The Kings of Clonmel (2008)
9. Halt's Peril (2009)
10. The Emperor of Nihon-Jin (November 2010)