A profile of Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, from The New York Times:
Since its release on March 18, 2003, “The Da Vinci Code,” Mr. Brown’s fourth novel, has sold roughly 25 million copies in 44 languages around the world, including nearly 10 million hardcover copies in the North America. That is 10 times the average sales of industry titans like John Grisham and Nora Roberts, making the book one of the fastest-selling adult novels of all time. While most books move into paperback within a year of their original publication in hardcover, Mr. Brown’s publisher, Doubleday, still has not scheduled a paperback release of “The Da Vinci Code.” …
“In some ways, my life has changed dramatically,” Mr. Brown said, as when he arrived at the airport in Boston to catch the shuttle to La Guardia Airport – only to realize that he had left his driver’s license at his home in New Hampshire. “Fortunately, the guy behind me in line had a copy of ‘Da Vinci Code,’ ” he said. “I borrowed it, showed security the author photo and made my flight.”
In other ways, Mr. Brown said, life has not changed. “My writing process, for example, remains unchanged,” he said. “I still get up at 4 a.m. every morning and face a blank computer screen. My current characters really don’t care how many books I’ve sold, and they still require my same effort and cajoling to persuade them to do what I want.”
Thanks for the link — it’s interesting to see how Brown’s life has changed. I read the book about a year ago and loved it, and I’ve been interested in its staying power. Instead of releasing a paperback version, they actually put out a more expensive hardcover which also appeared on the best seller list. Crazy. And with a movie in the pipeline, it’s sure to get only crazier.