Author Profile- Dan Brown

Dan Brown has penned four novels to date, including The Da Vinci Code, one of the best selling books of all time. In its first week, The Da Vinci Code achieved unprecedented success by landing at #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list.

The book, now being made into a film by Columbia Pictures, went on to top every best seller list throughout the country before moving on to the lists of other nations. Not bad for an author who was virtually unheard of several years ago.

So, how did Dan Brown become a publishing phenomenon? Clever marketing strategy helped. Brown's publisher, distributed 10,000 advance copies of The DaVinci Code to booksellers and reviewers, a large amount for a little-known writer, resulting in orders for 230,000 copies.

The New York Times assisted the sales when they ran a rave review on their front page the day before before the novel's publication.

Brown's writing career began in 1994. While vacationing in Tahiti, he read Doomsday Conspiracy by Sydney Sheldon. After finishing the book, he found himself saying, "Hey, I could do that."

As it turns out, he was right. Brown quit his teaching job at Phillips Exeter Academy and began to write full time. His first novel, Digital Fortress, was published to mild acclaim and moderate commercial success in 1996.

A similar techno-thriller, entitled Deception Point, followed a couple of years later. His career gained momentum with his third novel, Angels and Demons.

A science vs. religion type thriller, Angels and Demons was the first book to feature Brown's popular protagonist, Robert Langdon. Langdon also appears in The Da Vinci Code, which adheres to the same science vs. religion theme. The theme has stirred so much controversy that it has actually sparked other books attempting to defame Brown's works. However, the variance of opinion doesn't bother the author.

"Controversy and dialogue are healthy for religion as a whole," he says on his website. "Religion has only one true enemy - apathy - and passionate debate is a superb antidote."

That perspective is undoubtedly a product of Brown's upbringing. As the son of a Presidential Award winning math professor and a professional sacred musician, he grew up surrounded by the paradoxical philosophies of science and religion.

Brown was born in Exeter, New Hampshire and still works nearby. His workspace is kept separate from his waterfront home where he lives with his wife, Blythe, an art historian and painter. Blythe also helps with the intensive research that her husband's books require.

In addition to starting early, Brown keeps an antique hour glass on his desk and takes breaks every hour to do pushups, sit-ups, and quick stretches. He finds the activity helps to keep both the blood and the ideas flowing. Also a fan of gravity boots, he hangs upside down as a way of shifting perspective and solving plot challenges.

He is currently working on his next novel, The Solomon Key. Continuing where The DaVinci Code left off, the book finds Langdon in the U.S. exploring the history of the the nation's capitol. Slated for a 2005 release, the book promises to follow the same fact and fiction combination that has made Brown an undeniable success.