‘I wanted to write a suburban Reacher’: Richard Osman talks to Lee Child about class, success and the secret to great crime writing

The two bestselling authors who both started in TV discuss writing as a second career, natural justice – and what they really think of literary fictionIn the four years since Richard Osman published his first Thursday Murder Club novel he has consistently topped the bestseller lists, and now his quartet of retirement-age detectives will be portrayed on screen by a cast including Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan. Having grown up in Sussex, Osman started out in TV, where he created and co-hosted the gameshow Pointless. His forthcoming novel We Solve Murders – the start of a new series – features a writer billed as the world’s bestselling novelist, “if you don’t count Lee Child”. Child, the creator of former military police officer Jack Reacher, has enjoyed phenomenal popularity since he left his career – also in TV, where he worked on shows including Brideshead Revisited, The Jewel in the Crown and Cracker – and started writing, with his first novel published in 1997. Raised in Birmingham, he moved to the US in 1998 and now lives between Manhattan and rural Wyoming. He wrote 24 Reacher novels before announcing in 2020 that he would be handing the series to his brother Andrew.Lee Child I feel that writing is always a second-phase career, or at least should be. It’s that rare thing that not only can you do it when you’re older, but you should do it when you’re older. Pick your cliche: your gas tank is full, your database is compiled. You are a person. You are ready to write.... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2024-09-14 09:00:23 UTC ]
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Time Inc. Is in Talks to Buy Jane Pratt's Millennial-Focused xoJane

Time Inc. is close to acquiring Jane Pratt's xoJane and xoVain sites for an undisclosed sum as it looks to increase its content targeting millennial women, sources tell Adweek. The New York publisher is interested in buying Pratt's two sites to build up its focus on digital-only brands, which... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2015-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Unseen Aleister Crowley writings reveal 'short-story writer of the highest order'

Anthology of uncollected writings should secure a reappraisal of notorious occultist, says publisherAleister Crowley, the occultist once dubbed the “wickedest man in the world”, is due for a reassessment as a short-story writer, according to a new anthology of his uncollected writing which... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lagercrantz to write two more Millennium books

David Lagercrantz has been contracted to write two more novels in the late Stieg Larsson's Millennium series. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Great books that publishers rejected – quiz

Man Booker winner Marlon James says he was turned down 78 times before getting published, and his long search for recognition is not unique. Find out how much you know about the history of literary rebuffs with our quiz on the great rejected books1. Whose novel was rejected as “Overwhelmingly... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A manifesto for authors' marketplace success

"The gold rush is over," writes Auckland-based author Gary McLaren, seeing it as a natural market phenomenon that, "the supply of new books was eventually going to exceed demand" in digital publishing. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bouchercon 2015: Crime Fiction and Literary Awards Under the Oaks

Held in the South for the first time, crime and mystery fiction's annual convention mixed literary prizes and barbecue with programming focused on everything from traditional hardboiled crime novels to short fiction and international mysteries. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author James Patterson wants to give holiday bonuses to booksellers

Patterson says he got the idea of offering holiday bonuses from applications he receives for bookstore grants. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Thursday's child

In a week when The Bookseller reported that James Daunt was removing Kindle devices from most of Waterstones’ shelves, one wonders if the ever-pragmatic boss of the high street chain was simply making room for Super Thursday books. Last year the trade contrived to release 300 hardbacks... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Quvenzhane Wallis has a deal to write Children's books

An Oscar nominee at age 9, Quvenzhane Wallis is now getting an early start on a writing career. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2015-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Francine Rivers Reflects on a Lifetime of Writing

The 'Redeeming Love' author and recent recipient of the AFCW Lifetime Achievement Award reveals the benefits of working in the Christian fiction market. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Rich' shortlist for Warwick Prize for Writing

Karen Joy Fowler and Karl Ove Knausgaard have made the shortlist for the biennial £25,000 Warwick Prize for Writing. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Did Ben Bernanke really want to put bankers in jail? His book says no.

In an interview published in connection with Monday's release of his memoirs, former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke casts his vote--retrospectively--for the prosecution of bankers and executives responsible for the recent financial meltdown. Although this wasn't within the Fed's... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Let's talk about books

Books, books, books. The whole world is talking about books. Twitter, Facebook and even Instagram and Pinterest – my entire life is filled with people talking about books, the joy of reading and showcasing pictures of their latest purchases or publications. I socialise with publishing people and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Check It Out with Andrew Richard Albanese: How To Make the Orphan Works Problem Worse

The U.S. Copyright Office is soliciting public comments on a massive 234-page report and legislative proposal dealing with one of copyright’s central problems—orphan works. But with a week left in the comment period, librarians and archivists—groups that once supported orphan works... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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You Become the Character: On Writing Historical Fiction

"I’d be unable to distinguish between what is me and what is Lizzie in the book; Lizzie’s memories appear in my mind as vaguely and as vividly as my own." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Women’s crime fiction: There was nothing sentimental about it

Sarah Weinman, the editor of new Library of America anthology, spotlights the no-nonsense work of female crime writers. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nuzzel, With a New Batch of News-Savvy Investors, Wants to Bring Social Curation to Publishers

If you live in certain media and technology circles, there’s a very good chance you’re already using Nuzzel. It’s an app that combs through your Twitter or Facebook feeds, identifying the links being shared the most by y ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hearst's Programmatic Ad Man Talks Cross-Device Attribution

Experience on the buy side and sell side of media brought David Katz to where he is today, running ad solutions at Hearst's Core Audience, the programmatic ad buying division of the publishing giant. The senior director of ad solutions works with hundreds of salespeople, arming them with data... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Gannett is hungry for one thing – and it’s not great newspapers

Cutting jobs and resources is US publishing giant Gannett’s only tactic with its UK titles. Contrast that with Buzzfeed …Richard Walker, the Sunday Herald editor in Glasgow, and his Newsquest colleague Tony Carlin, editor of the Evening Times there, have both opted to take voluntary redundancy.... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW Asks: Murakami Should Write Catwoman Comics

We asked our readers which traditional book authors they'd like to see writing comics. Here are a few of their suggestions. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-09-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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