‘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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Inside the Mind of Moses: PW Talks with Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg

Biblical scholar Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg trains her trademark lens on the Book of Numbers, using psychoanalytic concepts to understand the story of the people of Israel wandering in the wilderness. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Blinkbox in talks to shift readers to Kobo

Blinkbox Books is in talks to shift its readers to the Kobo platform when it closes next month. The Bookseller revealed yesterday (26th January) that Tesco will close its ebooks platform at the end of February after exclusive talks with Waterstones to buy it failed at the last minute. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #exclusive talks #blinkbox books #kobo platform #ebooks platform


blinkbox Books to close after Waterstones talks fail

Tesco will close its ebooks service blinkbox Books at the end of February after talks with Waterstones to buy the platform broke down. All 60 core staff who work on the blinkbox Books platform are now expected to enter a consultation period over their jobs and are likely to be made... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #exclusive talks #blinkbox books #consultation period #made redundant #ebook platform #bookseller understands


So You Want to Be a Famous Self-Published Author?

Veteran author Warren Adler offers a reality check for would-be authors who believe fame and fortune is just a book away. The post So You Want to Be a Famous Self-Published Author? appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #reality check


Comics Legend Stan Lee Is First Person To Upload Video To LiveJournal

Native video support is here, true believers!From being a comic book innovator to the only person to appear onscreen in every Marvel Universe movie, Stan Lee has had a lot of firsts in his life. This week he added another to the list—becoming the first person to upload a video to the blogging... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2015-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #true believers #stan lee


Proving Grace: Lee Strobel

Bestselling author Lee Strobel adds a new book to his popular apologetics series, making 'The Case for...' a God who offers grace to everyone. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Marvel Merges Its Universes With 'Secret Wars'

In a huge shakeup for their publishing program, Marvel is combining its fictional universes and rebooting most of its titles starting with the May event 'Secret Wars.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #secret wars #publishing program


Lib Dems pledge to end child illiteracy by 2025

The Liberal Democrat 2015 election manifesto will include a commitment to end child illiteracy by 2025, Nick Clegg announced yesterday (18th January). The party leader said the Lib Dems was the only party which could ensure all children who leave primary school in 2025 will be able to read and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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DBW: Amazon's Grandinetti talks subscription, innovation

In a predictably careful interview at New York's Digital Book World conference between DBW’s Mike Shatzkin and Michael Cader, and Amazon Kindle senior vice-president Russ Grandinetti, earlier today (Wednesday 14th January), the most important moment may have come when Shatzkin suggested that, in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mike shatzkin #important moment #digital disruption


Waterstones in talks to buy Blinkbox books

Waterstones is in exclusive talks to buy Blinkbox books, The Bookseller understands. Tesco is in exclusive talks with one buyer, thought to be Waterstones, with a deal expected to be finalised by the end of this week. The bookseller urgently needs a digital app-based proposition to rival... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #deal expected #exclusive talks #bookseller understands #blinkbox books #raises questions #kindle e-readers


'More than just books': Simon & Schuster launches video classes

Authors including 'The End of Illness' David B. Agus will be offering video classes through Simon & Schuster. Topics include health, self-help, and finance. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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We love the Gruffalo, what other books are great for our bilingual family?

The Book Doctor seeks out books for a German-English couple who want children’s books that reflect their duel heritage I’m German and my wife is English. We are bringing their children up bilingually. I especially like the Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s picture books because they bring... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-01-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #julia donaldson #axel scheffler #hear stories


Haruki Murakami wants you to send him a question

The bestselling author is reportedly soliciting questions from readers about anything from problems in their own lives to queries about his novels. Murakami will publish his answers on his website over the coming months. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #haruki murakami #bestselling author #coming months


Penguin to publish Paris Lees memoir

Penguin has acquired the memoir of young transgender activist Paris Lees. The book, which is as yet untitled, is “an original literary endeavour throwing light on feminism, sexuality, upbringing and class”, said the publisher. Helen Conford, publishing director at Penguin Press, acquired the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #penguin press #helen conford #united agents #long time #release date


Richard McGuire Finds the Past and Future in ‘Here’

A cartoonist, musician, designer and filmmaker, Richard McGuire talks with PW about the making of his acclaimed new graphic novel 'Here,' just published by Pantheon. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Buzzfeed's New Publisher Says Data Shows Emotional Content, Shareability Key to Viral Success

  Photo: Alfred Maskeroni Specs Who Dao Nguyen New gig Publisher, BuzzFeed Old gig Vp of growth and data, BuzzFeed Age 41 Twitter @daozers What do you do as publisher? Publishing is literally the act of making information available to the public. For a purely digital operation like... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2015-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #shed light #paid media #ve found #brand affinity #pop culture #buddhist nun


Behold! Someone Made An Employee Manual You'll Actually Want To Read

EF Labs takes a colorful page from children's book illustrations for its employee manual.The company employee manual: Just saying those words is enough to lull you into a boredom-induced coma. And the idea of actually reading the content within—likely drier than the paper it's printed on—is... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2015-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer rides his replacement's success to $3 billion windfall

Microsoft's history books will undoubtedly remember 2014 as the year of Satya Nadella. But Steve Ballmer, his predecessor, is the one reaping the majority of the benefits of the new CEO's popularity. Sure, Nadella hit a $90 million jackpot when we took the top job at the world's second most... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2015-01-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #history books #satya nadella #top job


To Risk Being Known: PW Talks with Donald Miller

Donald Miller broke out eleven years ago with his bestselling memoir 'Blue Like Jazz.' Now he's back to write about what it means to get 'Scary Close' to another human being. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bestselling memoir


Richard and Judy choose debuts for spring

Debut authors make up half of the latest WH Smith Richard and Judy Book Club titles, released this week. Four of the eight Spring Book Club picks are first-time novels, and include Waterstones Book of the Year The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton (Pan Macmillan), Miss Carter’s War by actress Sheila... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #miss carter #missing penguin #emma healey