‘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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13 Great LGBTQ Comics

Here are 13 comics about the LGBTQ experience, from classics to contemporary sensations. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Blink signs Amy Childs memoir

Blink Publishing has singed a book by TV star Amy Childs, who first appeared on ITV2’s “The Only Way is Essex”. The book will recount Childs’ rise to fame and her business career. Blink’s acquisitions director Clare Tillyer bought world rights to the book from The Can Group. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: Candace Bushnell: Who Wants Reality?

Think Candace Bushnell, and you think of actress Sarah Jessica Parker and her swirling pink tutu dress getting splattered with mud by a passing bus. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: Put ’Em Up! Powerhouse Mystery Writers Reveal Secrets on the ‘Pencil Panel’

Don’t tell anyone,” confides bestselling author Brad Meltzer about today’s panel “Inside the Mystery Writer’s Studio,” in which he is participating with fellow superstars James Patterson and Nelson DeMille. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2015: Straight Talk On Digital Branding

Fauzia Burke and Kristen Frantz offered an hour of genial and common sense advice about using social media to build your brand online. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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ACE puts £1.2m into creative writing in schools

Arts Council England (ACE) has launched a £1.2m fund to support creative writing in schools. Meanwhile, ACE's recently appointed chief executive Darren Henley has urged the government to cease cuts to art funding. Between October 2015 and October 2018, ACE will invest in three funding awards... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2015: Building a Successful Publishing Strategy in China

In The Art of War, Sun Tzu tells us, “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.” Approaching the publishing market in China, it can be hard to distinguish the opportunities from the chaos. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2015: Books by Franzen, Hallberg Among Most Talked About

This year, as always, we walked the aisles to ask our favorite folks in the know what upcoming books they are excited about. The two novels we heard about the most were Jonathan Franzen's 'Purity' (FSG, Sept.) and Garth Risk Hallberg's 'City on Fire' (Knopf, Oct.). Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2015: The More Crime the Merrier

What could be a more positive sign of a healthy book industry than the launch of a new publishing venture? Crooked Lane Books, a new crime fiction imprint, debuts at BEA with its fall titles. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Phyllis Tickle, Founding Religion Editor of Publishers Weekly, Is Writing Her Final Chapter

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2015: Franzen says 'It gets harder to write novels, not easier.'

A capacity crowd of approximately 1,000 people turned out to watch BEA's curtain-raising event, a highly anticipated conversation between bestselling novelist Jonathan Franzen and Laura Miller of Salon.com. The discussion centered on 'Purity,' Franzen's fifth novel and his first since 2010's... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tanith Lee dies

British science fiction, horror and fantasy writer Tanith Lee has died at the age of 67. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jeremy Hutchinson’s Case Histories review – from Lady Chatterley to Christine Keeler and the Great Train Robbery

Police perjury, political manipulation and judicial failings … Thomas Grant’s pungent, amusing study details the heroic achievements of a supreme criminal barristerThe doyen of the English criminal bar, Jeremy Hutchinson, turned 100 on 28 March. Still a spry and self-sufficient figure, his... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wainwright to write Bronte drama

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[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers stress authenticity is key to social media success

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[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Will Author Solutions Case Go Class Action?

With legal briefs now filed, attorneys for the author plaintiffs argue that a common question merits class action status: “Did [Author Solutions] engage in a fraudulent scheme to sell authors worthless marketing services?” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Does writing a memoir help an author to heal?

Three writers share their thoughts and concerns about sharing deeply personal secrets in a memoir. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Child scores Personal best with third Number One

Lee Child achieves a personal best this week as his latest thriller tops the Official UK Top 50 for a third consecutive week. The paperback edition of Personal (Bantam) sold 22,680 copies in the seven days ending 9th May and marks the first time a Jack Reacher thriller has spent more than a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Selfie-stick aerobics classes and Kindle hacks: what to see at Photo London

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[ The Guardian | 2015-05-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Surprised by a Calling: PW Talks with Jeff Goins

Bestselling author Jeff Goins believes we don't so much find the work we were born to do; we just begin moving so it can find us. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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