Even before its release, bestsellers predicted that Dan Brown's new novel "Inferno" will be this year's top-selling novel.

Author Dan Brown became a household name after his novel "Da Vinci Code" was released. While the book created a few controversies, it also turned many non-readers into avid readers, and the author's fans patiently awaited his new novel "Inferno". Even before the release of the novel on Tuesday, bestsellers had predicted the book to be this year's biggest-selling book.

Brown's new novel sees the return of Harvard symbologist and "Da Vinci Code" protagonist Robert Langdon, and takes place in Italy. The story revolves around the literary masterpiece "Dante's Inferno", revealed Doubleday in an earlier statement.

Since the release of Harry Potter author JK Rowling's adult fiction "The Casual Vacancy" last year, Brown's latest novel has already reached the highest level of customer pre-orders at retailer Waterstones.

"We think it's going to be the fastest and biggest-selling book of the year because Dan Brown is in a league of his own," Waterstones spokesman Jon Howells told Reuters. "The early word is that it's darker, which will whet the appetite for everyone because this is the fourth appearance of Robert Langdon and I think giving it that sort of twist, freshens it up for long-term readers."

In an earlier interview with Britain's Sunday Times, the author revealed that he generally refrains from reading reviews of his book. He also told the newspaper that when he hits a "writer's block", he usually stands upside down to get his "creative juices" flowing.

"It does help. You've just got to relax and let go. The more you do it the more you let go. And then soon it's just, wow," he said.

Brown's novel "Dan Vinci Code" was an immediate hit after being published in 2003. The novel stood at the number one position on many bestselling lists for over a year. The movie adaptation of the novel starring Tom Hanks was released in 2006. His next book, "The Lost Symbol", was published in 2009.