‘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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What We're Reading – April 2019

Her Body and Other Parties, by Carmen Maria Machado I've absolutely loved this collection of short stories, which floats between the weird and the queer, passing horror, black comedy and feminism along the way. Doubles and others are especially important: a wife enters her wife’s dream when they... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2019-04-11 08:49:28 UTC ]
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Scholastic to publish Wonky Donkey sequel

Scholastic will this autumn publish a new picture book by the creators of The Wonky Donkey, which hit the bestseller lists after a video of a Scottish grandmother reading the book went viral. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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China Bestsellers for February: ‘Paid-For Content’ in the Chinese Market

Movie-driven science fiction tops China's bestseller lists in February, and we have news on the fast rise of 'paid-for content' in China. The post China Bestsellers for February: ‘Paid-For Content’ in the Chinese Market appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New Thrillers Crown European Charts

New thrillers from well-known authors topped the bestseller lists across Europe in late October. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After his death, John McCain's last book climbs bestseller lists

John McCain's book “The Restless Wave” appeared on bestseller lists following the Arizona senator's death on Saturday. The book, which was released in May by Simon & Schuster, was ranked No. 2 on Amazon's list of bestselling books, and No. 3 on the Barnes & Noble website as of Monday... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-08-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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China’s Book Market in the First Half of 2018: Slower Growth, Rising Prices

As book prices rise and children's books show new energy, the number of new titles on China's bestseller lists has decreased, with older hits lingering on sales charts. The post China’s Book Market in the First Half of 2018: Slower Growth, Rising Prices appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-08-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How the ‘brainy’ book became a publishing phenomenon

These uncertain times have seen a renewed interest in serious nonfiction, as people try to make sense of an unstable world• The best ‘brainy’ books of the last 10 yearsThis is a story about a book that just kept selling, catching publishers, booksellers and even its author off guard. In seeking... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fiction sales lead Ireland’s domestic market to recovery

Ireland’s Nielsen-measured market has enjoyed strong, UK-beating growth this year to date, with a grass-roots author campaign propelling the late Emma Hannigan to the top of the bestseller lists. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Industry Notes: Politics Power Print, Says NPD: Category Soars 32 Percent

Teaser text Image By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson subhed f you’ve spent any time lately thinking that the political nightmares of the day surely have been good for some book sales–you take your silver linings where you can find them, right?–a new report from the NPD... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This Week's Bestsellers: June 18, 2018

Bill Clinton and James Patterson have the #1 book in the country with 'The President Is Missing' and more in our analysis of this week's bestseller lists. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Telegraph Media Group reveals 35% gender pay gap

Pay gap is the biggest of any UK media organisation to have reported official figures to dateWomen working at Telegraph Media Group (TMG) get paid 35% less than men on average, the biggest gender pay gap of any UK newspaper publisher or broadcaster to have reported official figures to date.Nick... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Domestic Fiction Leads Slovakia’s Book Market Growth and Bestseller Lists

In its latest market report, Slovakia's publishers' association says the overall book market was worth up to €110 million (US$135.3 million) in 2016. Fiction rose to 27 percent of those sales. The post Domestic Fiction Leads Slovakia’s Book Market Growth and Bestseller Lists appeared first on... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-03-06 00:00:00 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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