VIGNETTE: MARK VICTOR HANSEN

Club membership: Center Club, Costa Mesa, California.

Occupation: Co-creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul books, entrepreneur, and inspirational speaker. His latest book, which is co-authored with Robert Allen, is The One Minute Millionaire: The Path to Enlightened Wealth.

Birthdate and place: Jan. 8, 1948, Waukegan, Illinois.

Family: Wife, Patty. Daughters, Melanie, 14, and Elisabeth, 17.

Academic résumé: Seven honorary doctorates.

Career highlights: In 1989, Hansen teamed with Jack Canfield to compile a book of their favorite inspirational tales and poems. After 33 rejections, their agent quit. Finally, in 1993,  after more than 100 additional rejections, a small publishing house in Florida agreed to publish 20,000 copies. They sold 1.3 million in 18 months and expect to finish 2003 with the series of 60 sequels topping 68 million copies.

Career turning point: Listening to an audiotape by Cavett Robert, a motivational speaker and founder of the National Speakers Association. Hansen listened to it 280 times. The message? “Are you the creature of circumstances or a creator of circumstances.”

Personal credo: “Success is creating a state of mind that allows you to achieve whatever it is you want.”

Book publishing philosophy: The books are based on spiritual principles, but not religious ones. “We want to give people goose bumps.”

Honors/awards: 2000 Horatio Alger Award from the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans Inc. 2000 Outstanding Business Leader of the Year from Northwood University. 1999 Humanitarian of the Year Award from the National Conference for Community and Justice.

Philanthropic philosophy: “Giving doesn’t subtract but multiplies. If you can’t give money, give your ideas.”

Best advice ever received: “Think for yourself. Listen to everybody and make your own decisions.”

I want to be remembered: “He lived greatly with love.” (An epithet designated for his urn.)

Web site: www.markvictorhansen.com