Brandon Mull published his first book Fablehaven in the summer of 2006. His publisher, Shadow Mountain, rejected a manuscript he submitted in 2005 that was geared towards adults. But the editors liked his writing style and asked him to try and create a story for a younger audience. He already had the idea for Fablehaven and wrote the book during the next five months on nights and weekends while still working his day job writing marketing copy for a movie company.