Enligt en artikel från Verge :
Herbert began work on what he envisioned as a trilogy of novels, but eventually packaged the three together into one massive tome that was eventually serialized in Analog Science Fact and Fiction in the first half of 1965. Dozens of publishers passed on publishing the novel until Chilton (a publisher of thick automotive repair manuals) bought the rights and released the first edition in December 1965. Ace Books produced a cheaper paperback edition in 1966.
Even as Dune gained considerable popularity in the 1960s, the effort of writing and publishing the novel had worn its creator out. It wasn’t until 1968 that Herbert began to write a sequel called Dune Messiah, that continued the story of protagonist Paul Atreides, and his new role as a messiah and emperor.
Han planerade inte de första tre romanen ( Dune , Messiah och Barn ) från början. Han planerade för materialet som omfattas av den första romanen, Dune , för att vara en trilogi. Istället inkluderade han allt i en roman. Det verkar inte att han ursprungligen planerade en historia som sträckte sig över Messias och Barn .