Book 1 project

Book  1 Project

Idea  1- My first idea for merchandising the book would be to make it into a video game. This game would be a Skyrim or Oblivion type game and you would be playing from the POV of one of the CIA agents involved in the book. The main storyline would follow the story line of the book but there would be side missions you can do for the sake of making the game more dynamic and give it a better replay value. Instead of condensing the story line into a span of 10 hours, it would be expanded for the same reason that there would be side missions. I believe a person who has read the book would understand this game as well as those who haven’t. Since video games don’t require you to have much knowledge of the game prior to playing it should reach out to a wide audience; the young because of the genre of game it would be and older gamers because of the storyline.

This idea comes from my opinion that playing a video game through a CIA agent’s POV would be a really interesting game and this book made it easier to put that idea into action.

Below is a picture of Skyrim. If you could imagine that guy with a handgun or rifle and instead of fighting a dragon he’d be fighting a person and the background was DC then you can imagine what my idea would be like.

Idea 2- My second idea for merchandising the book would be to create a replica 33^rd degree masonic ring. The title of the book would be engraved on there to show it’s not the real thing and show others why they are wearing or displaying it. I think it is very possible that someone who has read the book would buy this. This would especially be true if they already had or the book sparked and interest for them about Freemasonry. People who haven’t read the book may not understand it because they wouldn’t understand the background or purpose or importance behind this ring. This product would be targeting older readers, men more likely than women because Freemasonry is primarily and thought by many to be a strictly male organization. Below is a picture of a real masonic ring. Just imagine the writing on the inside saying The Lost Symbol instead of the original saying in Latin.

Idea 3- One more way The Lost Symbol could be marketed would be to create a puzzle game with a miniature map of DC and having replica monuments and a replica of the Smithsonian. There would be clues on each of the monuments that can be deciphered using the symbols shown in the book. The objective of the game would be to figure out who is playing Mal’akh and stop the player from obtaining apotheosis. The players will pick characters by randomly selecting a character card and they can’t reveal who they are so that Mal’akh remains anonymous. When a player draws a card from the clue deck, there will be one of two options. One is the option that every player besides Mal’akh has to choose and the other is the choice Mal’akh has to choose. Since the cards will remain hidden and players won’t say what clue they are reading the game should still remain challenging. The clues on the monument should help the players figure out what Mal’akh’s next move will be. However, if Mal’Akh is able to obtain apotheosis DC (the board) becomes “destroyed” all the monuments fall over or burst.

What is a book?

A book is simply a collection of paper with ink written on them and covered by thicker paper or cardboard in some cases. We don't need books in a physical sense, but we do need the literature they possess. The literature is what makes the book so valuable. The only reason we become so attached to the physique of a book is because they have the literature we hold so dear. Think of a computer; we love what's on the outside and we feel that we need to see it but it's what is on the inside that causes the computer to capture our attention. This also is the reason we have a hard time adjusting to the change "books" are going through. Many readers don't like that books are becoming electronic like the rest of the world. They feel that the book is sacred and that it is a part of human culture. This I believe is not true. I believe that the literature written on those vanilla pages is what is a part of human culture. Regardless of what form that literature comes in should not be a worry to us. All that matters is that the words written via pen and paper, on Word, or even on a typewriter, are gathered together into a masterpiece. A masterpiece of imagination, a masterpiece of intuition, a masterpiece of the human mind.

The writers in the interviews mentioned all feel that books are a need to human culture and understanding. I completely agree with this. However i believe they are wrong when they say that a physical book is any better than an eBook. With the advancement in technology, it's only a matter of time before you can write notes in the margins of a book on your Kindle or iPad; it's only a matter of time before you feel that you are actually turning pages, it's only a matter of time before you can put virtual post-its on the pages. As for the environmental impact, eBooks, if you think about it, are better for the enironment. This is because if the production of books stopped there would be more trees thus allowing those extra trees to soak up the extra carbon emissions that are required to produce an eBook. The environment would remain unchanged and if anything, it would improve because of the massive amounts of paper we use to produce books.

Dan Brown: The Legend

Dan Brown's official website
In 2005 Dan Brown was named "One of the top 100 most influential people in the world" by Time magazine for his books. He is the author of The Da Vinci Code and many other best selling novels. It has become a subject of heated debate amongst scholars and readers. His books have created huge waves of tourism in Paris and Rome because of the religious symbolism.

3 Most Interesting Things:
-In total Dan Brown has over 200 million copies of his books in print
-His interest in science and religon and how they coexist began at a very young age
-The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons have been made into very successful films