‘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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January Religion Bestsellers: 'Jesus (Still) Calling'; No One Leaves 'The Shack'

Popular pastors' inspirational advice, devotionals, and novels packed with romance, suspense -- or both -- lead January's bestseller lists. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books trend for 2018

By all accounts, the Hulu series “The Handmaid’s Tale” was a huge success in 2017. Counterintuitively, the Margaret Atwood novel it was based on has been a constant on bestseller lists. Hadn’t people gotten the story from watching the show? Apparently not. In fact, this was the case for a number... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-01-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams's Bad Dad beats Jamie Oliver to Christmas No 1

Children’s novel about a boy trying to break his father out of prison sells more than 60,000 copies in a week to secure top slot in festive book chartsDavid Walliams’s tale of a boy trying to break his father out of prison, Bad Dad, has beaten Jamie Oliver’s latest recipe collection to the top... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Women are better writers than men': novelist John Boyne sets the record straight

Male authors are always pronouncing their own brilliance – or boasting about not reading books by women. So, after a lifetime of writing and attending literary festivals, John Boyne would like to get something off his chest …Do you know what the literary tea towel is? It’s an Irish phenomenon... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In China: Bookselling Trends and OpenBook’s Bestseller Lists for October

China bestsellers: As publisher-owned bookstores are on the rise, so are "shared bookstores" where customers are allowed to borrow books. The post In China: Bookselling Trends and OpenBook’s Bestseller Lists for October appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Does Anybody Know What a Bestseller Is?

There are more bestseller lists than ever—and the consequences for publishing remain unclear. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-11-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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OpenBook’s China Bestseller Lists for August 2017: Delivery Races

As we roll out this month's bestseller lists from China, the country's second-largest e-retailer, JD.com, is holding a competition to engineer book delivery by drones. The post OpenBook’s China Bestseller Lists for August 2017: Delivery Races appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Claiming Liberal Bias, Pub Drops Association with 'NYT' Bestseller Lists

Marji Ross, president of the conservative press Regnery Publishing, sent a letter to her authors saying the paper "prioritizes liberal-themed books over conservative books." For this reason, the bonus structure in her house's contracts will now rely on a different list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-09-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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On Bestseller Lists in India: ‘Which One Should You Trust?’

From Scroll.in: Consumers in India are presented, as in other countries with sometimes conflicting bestselling book lists. The post On Bestseller Lists in India: ‘Which One Should You Trust?’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-08-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Philip Pullman leads writers condemning 'pernicious' book discounts

His Dark Materials novelist says today’s steep price cuts devalue authors’ work and cheapen the experience of readingWith more than two months to go before Philip Pullman’s long-awaited new novel from the world of His Dark Materials is published, pre-orders have sent La Belle Sauvage flying up... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Publishing Books Faring Better on Amazon's New Bestseller Lists

Four Amazon Publishing titles, which drew poor BookScan print sales numbers, are among the top 20 fiction bestsellers on the latest iteration of the e-tailer's new weekly bestseller list, bolstered by sales in non-print formats. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Charts ranks books by what people are actually reading

Bestseller lists like the one at the New York Times measure a book's success by how many copies its sold. What it doesn't do is tell you how many of those books are being read, nor how fast. Amazon Charts aims to fix this problem with a new, weekly b... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2017-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Why Brit crime fiction is paying international dividends

After the Scandi noir boom, dark tales from British authors are making waves abroad. Publishers, agents and authors take up the caseWhen ex-paramedic Daniel Cole signed with agent Sue Armstrong, he was “delighted”. When Armstrong bagged him a six-figure, three-book deal from a British publisher... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Danish Mysteries Ruled March

Author Jussi Adler-Olsen was on a roll abroad last month, placing books in the top ten of bestseller lists in France, the Netherlands, and Germany. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers Respond to Losing Some 'New York Times' Bestseller Lists

Publishers expressed dismay, confusion and surprise at the 'New York Times' decision to eliminate some bestseller lists. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'New York Times' Cuts a Range of Bestseller Lists

As part of its effort to revamp its coverage of publishing, the 'New York Times' has eliminated a number of bestsellers lists, among them graphic novels/manga and mass market paperback lists. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'All the Light We Cannot See': Why it's still on the bestseller lists

The 2014 Pulitzer Prize winning novel about a French woman and a German man living during World War II with poetic and moral themes around music and science continues its streak on the bestseller list. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2016-11-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Could there really be only one new black male novelist in Britain? | Arifa Akbar

There’s plenty of talent among minority ethnic writers in the UK, but their books rarely make it to the shelves – and that’s shamefulUntil this week, I thought that at least we could be consoled by fiction. That we still had the borderless joys of stories to fend off the dark forces of... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This Week's Bestsellers: October 31, 2016

HGTV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines have the #1 book in the country with ‘The Magnolia Story.’ Plus new books turn up the brightness on the Twin Peaks and Outlander TV series, the holiday season comes early to our bestseller lists, and much more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Behind the Swedish Bestseller, 'Quicksand'

The crime novel, about a shooting in a Stockholm school, has been dominating the bestseller lists in its home country all summer and has sold in 23 territories to date. Its editor thinks it has benefited from critical praise and unusually strong publisher support. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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