Биография
Arguably one of the greatest adventure novelists of our era, his breakthrough came in 1976 when Viking Publishing purchased his novel "Raise the Titanic" for $840,000, after 11 years of persistent effort. Prior to this success, he wrote "Pacific Vortex," which was published only after his hits "The Mediterranean Caper" and "Iceberg." Initially, he worked in advertising, first as an award-winning copywriter and then as a creative director at two of the nation's largest agencies. His writing career began when his wife, Barbara, took a night job as a clerk at the local police station. With little to do after putting his children to bed, he turned to writing to fill the solitude. After several nights of brainstorming, he decided to create a small paperback series, never imagining it would become a bestseller.
Leveraging his marketing expertise, he studied various series heroes, starting with Edgar Allan Poe's Inspector Dumas, followed by Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, and other fictional detectives and spies like Bulldog Drummond, Sam Spade, Philip Marlowe, Mike Hammer, Matt Helm, and James Bond. Drawing on his creative advertising experience, he sought to develop a character that was completely unique. He avoided writing about detectives, secret agents, or murder mysteries, instead focusing on underwater adventures. This led to the creation of Dirk Pitt, a marine engineer with the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA).
Noticing that pure, classic adventure novels were rare, he took an English refresher course and launched his first book, introducing Pitt and key characters in "Pacific Vortex." Influenced by Alistair MacLean in his first two books, he was flattered by critics comparing their styles. By his third book, "Iceberg," he developed his own narrative style with multiple subplots, making it a personal favorite because of its complex storyline.
After completing "Pacific Vortex," he nearly began a second book but accepted a position at a major advertising agency. His wife encouraged him to work at a local dive shop instead, which he did in 1968, becoming a certified diver in weeks. He wrote at the dive shop during slow afternoons and finished his second novel, "Mediterranean Caper," a little over a year later. He then returned to advertising.
Facing constant rejection for "Pacific Vortex," he sought a literary agent and met Peter Lampack of the William Morris Agency, who liked "Mediterranean Caper." With a contract secured, he began his third novel, "Iceberg," and left advertising to write full-time. Wanting a lifestyle change, he sold his boat, house, and car, bought a sedan and tent trailer, and moved his family to Estes Park, Colorado. After finishing "Iceberg," he struggled to find a publisher for his novels and, with savings running low, returned to advertising. He eventually moved his family to Arvada, near Denver, but was laid off again. Having transformed a small agency into a multimillion-dollar firm, he vowed never to return to advertising.
This turning point led him to write "Raise The Titanic!" in his basement. Meanwhile, his agent found a small publisher for "Mediterranean Caper," which sold 32,000 copies, earning him $5,000. "Iceberg" sold similarly after being purchased by Dodd Mead Publishing. Although "Raise The Titanic" was initially rejected by Dodd Mead and Putnam, Viking Press bought it with minimal changes for $7,500. This sparked a bidding war in England, with Macmillan ultimately acquiring the rights for $22,000. He regained the rights to "Mediterranean Caper" and sold the paperback rights to "Iceberg" to Playboy Publications. With growing interest, Viking Press won the American paperback rights to "Raise The Titanic" for $840,000 and also purchased the previous Dirk Pitt novels for $40,000 each.
"Raise The Titanic" marked his first novel with multiple converging plots. Since then, he has sold over 100 million copies of his Dirk Pitt series. Living a life mirroring his hero's adventures, he enjoys discovering and collecting historical artifacts. Through NUMA, a nonprofit he founded, he has located over 60 shipwrecks, including the Confederate submarine Hunley and the Carpathia, famed for rescuing Titanic survivors. An avid classic car collector, his collection boasts over 80 custom coachwork vehicles. He serves as Chairman of NUMA and is a fellow of the Explorers Club, the Royal Geographical Society, and the American Society of Oceanographers. The Explorers Club honored him with the Lowell Thomas Award for exceptional underwater exploration. Married to Barbara Knight for 40 years, with three children and two grandchildren, he divides his time between Colorado's mountains and Arizona's deserts. He is represented by the Bartholomeaux Agency.
