Editing Dean Koontz (section)

== Career ==
In his spare time, Koontz wrote his first novel, ''[[Star Quest]]'', which was published in 1968. Koontz went on to write over a dozen [[science fiction]] novels. Seeing the Catholic faith as a contrast to the chaos in his family, Koontz converted in college because faith provided existential answers for life; he admired Catholicism's "intellectual rigor," saying it permitted a view of life that saw mystery and wonder in all things.<ref name=Drake_2007>{{cite news|access-date=2009-11-28 |last=Drake |first=Tim |title=Chatting With Koontz About Faith |work=[[National Catholic Register]] |url=http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/2013 |date=March 6, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117060951/http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/2013 |archive-date=January 17, 2010 }}</ref><ref>Rossi, Tony, [http://catholicexchange.com/2009/08/01/120925/ Best-selling Author Dean Koontz Explores Catholic Values in Novels] Catholic Exchange, August 1, 2009</ref> He says he sees Catholicism as English writer and Catholic convert [[G. K. Chesterton]] did: that it encourages a "joy about the gift of life".<ref name=Drake_2007 /> Koontz says that spirituality has always been part of his books, as are grace and our struggle as fallen souls, but he "never get[s] on a soapbox".<ref name=Drake_2007 />

In the 1970s, Koontz began writing suspense and [[horror fiction]], both under his own name and several [[pseudonym]]s, sometimes publishing up to eight books a year. Koontz has stated that he began using pen names after several [[copy editing|editor]]s convinced him that authors who switched back and forth between different [[genre]]s invariably fell victim to "negative crossover" (alienating established fans and simultaneously failing to pick up any new ones). Known pseudonyms used by Koontz during his career include Deanna Dwyer, K. R. Dwyer, Aaron Wolfe, David Axton, Brian Coffey, John Hill, Leigh Nichols, Owen West, Richard Paige, and Anthony North. As Brian Coffey, he wrote the "Mike Tucker" trilogy (''Blood Risk'', ''Surrounded'', ''Wall of Masks'') in acknowledged tribute to the Parker novels of Richard Stark ([[Donald E. Westlake]]). Many of Koontz's pseudonymous novels are now available under his real name. Many others remain suppressed by Koontz, who bought back the rights to ensure they could not be republished; he has, on occasion, said that he might revise some for republication, but only three have appeared — ''Demon Seed'' and ''Invasion'' were both heavily rewritten before they were republished, and ''Prison of Ice'' had certain sections [[Expurgation|bowdlerised]].

After writing full-time for more than 10 years, Koontz had his acknowledged breakthrough novel with ''[[Whispers (Koontz novel)|Whispers]]'', published in 1980. The two books before that, ''[[The Key to Midnight]]'' and ''[[The Funhouse (novel)|The Funhouse]]'', also sold over a million copies, but were written under pen names. His first bestseller was ''[[Demon Seed (novel)|Demon Seed]]'', the sales of which picked up after the release of the [[Demon Seed|film of the same name]] in 1977, and sold over two million copies in one year.<ref>{{cite web|title=demon seed from the author|url=http://www.deankoontz.com/demon-seed-from-the-author/|website=Deankoontz.com|access-date=2011-01-01}}</ref> His first hardcover bestseller, which finally promised some financial stability and lifted him out of the midlist hit-and-miss range, was his book ''[[Strangers (Koontz novel)|Strangers]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=strangers from the author|url=http://www.deankoontz.com/strangers-from-the-author/|website=Deankoontz.com|access-date=2010-06-27}}</ref>
Since then, 12 hardcovers and 14 paperbacks written by Koontz have reached number one on [[The New York Times Best Seller list|''The New York Times'' Best Seller list]].<ref name="deankoontz.com" />

Bestselling science fiction writer [[Brian Herbert]] has stated, "I even went through a phase where I read everything that Dean Koontz wrote, and in the process I learned a lot about characterization and building suspense."<ref>{{cite web|publisher=www.frankherbert.net |title=Interview with Brian Herbert |url=http://www.frankherbert.net/news/BrianHerbertInterview.pdf/ |access-date=2011-05-03 }}{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In 1997, psychologist [[Katherine Ramsland]] published an extensive biography of Koontz based on interviews with his family and him. This "[[psychobiography]]"  (as Ramsland called it) often showed the conception of Koontz's characters and plots from events in his own life.<ref>{{cite book |title=Dean Koontz : a writer's biography |author-link=Katherine Ramsland |first=Katherine M. |last=Ramsland |location=New York, N.Y. |publisher=[[HarperCollins|HarperPrism]] |year=1997 |isbn=0-06-105271-X |lccn=97030839 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/deankoontzwriter0000rams }}</ref>

Early author photos on the back of many of his novels show a balding Koontz with a mustache. After Koontz underwent [[hair transplantation]] surgery in the late 1990s, his subsequent books have featured a new, clean-shaven appearance with a fuller head of hair.<ref>{{cite web|title=photo gallery |url=http://deankoontz.com/about-dean/photo-gallery.php |access-date=2007-08-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629153158/http://www.deankoontz.com/about-dean/photo-gallery.php |archive-date=2007-06-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Koontz explained the change by claiming that he was tired of looking like [[G. Gordon Liddy]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Fiction: From C.S. Lewis to Left Behind|last=Tischler|first=Nancy M.|publisher=Greenwood Press|year=2009|isbn=978-0-313-34568-5|pages=187}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0hXBd-V3vncC&pg=PA187 |title=Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Fiction: From C.S. Lewis to Left Behind |first=Nancy M. |last=Tischler |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2009 |page=187  |isbn=9780313345685}}</ref>

Many of his novels are set in and around [[Orange County, California]]. As of 2006, he lives there with his wife, Gerda, in Newport Coast, California, behind the gates of Pelican Hills. In 2008, he was the world's sixth-most highly paid author, tied with [[John Grisham]], at $25&nbsp;million annually.<ref name="bbc100308">{{cite news
 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7649962.stm |title=Rowling makes £5 every second |publisher=[[BBC]]
 |date=October 3, 2008 |access-date=2009-11-29}}</ref>

In 2019, Koontz began publishing with [[Amazon Publishing]]. At the time of the announcement, Koontz was one of the company's most notable signings.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Dean Koontz's Jump to Amazon Publishing: Will Other Authors Follow?| work = Publishing Perspectives| access-date = 2020-04-25| date = 2019-07-22| url = https://publishingperspectives.com/2019/07/bestseller-dean-koontz-jumps-to-amazon-publishing-five-book-deal-plus-stories/}}</ref>