‘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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Myers wants joined-up thinking over book events

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Wed, 18/05/2011 - 09:33 Dominic Myers has called on the book industry to collaborate in creating more nation-wide events like World Book Night in order to enhance the dialogue around books. The Waterstone's m.d told the Book Industry Conference forum... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HMV in 'advanced' talks over Waterstone's sale

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Fri, 13/05/2011 - 18:25 HMV has confirmed that it is in "advanced discussions regarding a potential sale of Waterstone's". The announcement, made late on Friday, follows a day of increased speculation with reports that Russian investor Alexander... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Child, McDermid and Hill on Theakstons longlist

Publication Date: Fri, 13/05/2011 - 08:24 Lee Child, Val McDermid and Reginald Hill have all been longlisted for the 2011 Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. The 18-strong list also includes some of the newest names in crime fiction, including Rosamund Lupton's bestselling Sister... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Richard and Judy spring titles sell £4.6m

Written By: Philip Stone and Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 12/05/2011 - 09:45 Analysis has revealed that £4.6m of books were sold under the W H Smith Spring Richard and Judy Book Club promotion, as the retailer released the celebrity couple's new summer titles. The eight Spring Book... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette leads the way in Richard and Judy WHS summer picks

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Wed, 11/05/2011 - 09:54 Hachette has the lion's share of titles featured in the W H Smith Summer Richard and Judy Book Club list. Five out of the eight books featured in the celebrity couple's high street retailer promotion are from the publishing... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Richard and Judy extend Book Club with W H Smith

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 10/05/2011 - 16:38 W H Smith has signed an exclusive deal to extend the Richard and Judy Book Club until 2015. The high street retailer has signed a contract with the celebrity couple to personally read and recommend eight fiction titles to WHS... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media Decoder: Confusion Over a Book About Harper Lee

The author of a forthcoming book about the ever-private Harper Lee, author of "To Kill a Mockingbird," insisted on Friday that she had the cooperation of Ms. Lee, two days after Ms. Lee released a statement through her lawyer denying that she had cooperated. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Helen Dunmore to write for Hammer

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 21/04/2011 - 10:29 Random House imprint Hammer has acquired the latest title by Orange-prize winner Helen Dunmore, in a special project for the Penguin author. Century and Arrow publisher Kate Elton bought UK and Commonwealth rights to The... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Spielberg to write for Palazzo retrospective

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Wed, 20/04/2011 - 15:13 Palazzo Editions will publish a "major" retrospective of the work of Steven Spielberg in August 2012, written in co-operation with the director. Steven Spielberg: A Retrospective will be written by film critic and documentary... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Finnish dystopian crime for Harvill Secker

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Wed, 13/04/2011 - 11:56 Harvill Secker has acquired a dystopian crime novel by Finnish writer Antti Tuomainen, set in a futuristic Helsinki. Publishing director Liz Foley bought UK and Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada) to The Healer through... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Quercus acquires Hull-set crime novel

Publication Date: Wed, 06/04/2011 - 14:24 Quercus has won a "keenly contested" auction to a debut literary crime novel set in Hull and East Yorkshire. Editor Jon Riley acquired UK and Commonwealth rights excluding Canada to The Dark Winter from Oliver Munson at Blake Friedmann in a two-book... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sceptre to examine secret life of Christopher Marlowe

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 25/03/2011 - 11:56 Sceptre is to publish a début novel-in-verse which promises to put an end to one of the greatest literary mysteries, that of whether playwright Christopher Marlowe wrote Shakespeare's plays. Publishing director Carole... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Forbes wins £50k Warwick Prize for Writing

Publication Date: Wed, 23/03/2011 - 07:50 Writer, journalist and editor Peter Forbes' exploration of mimicry and camouflage in nature, art and warfare has been awarded the £50,000 Warwick Prize for Writing. His Dazzled and Deceived (Yale University Press) was described by chair of judges... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Luke Johnson to write business advice for Portfolio

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 17/03/2011 - 15:57 Luke Johnson, best known in the book trade for his spell owning Borders, and fellow Financial Times journalist Mrs Moneypenny are writing business titles for Penguin's business imprint Portfolio. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wanted: buyers for Borders

Administrators are trying to sell 103 Borders and Angus & Robertson bookshops, after the parent of the book chains crumbled under its debt burden. Continue reading at The Sydney Morning Herald

[ The Sydney Morning Herald | 2011-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Secret to Digital Growth: Investing In Content?

Business Insider's Henry Blodget tells (almost) all. But can online revenue cover the costs of original content? Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins Wants Libraries to Pay (and Pay...and Pay...) for e-Books

Back in 1984, I wrote a book that sold to a lot of libraries. It stayed on the shelves for over a decade. If it had been an ebook published today by HarperCollins, there's a good chance it would have been off those shelves within a year. Or sooner. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Orion signs crime series from Bingham

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 23/02/2011 - 08:38 Orion has signed up a series of crime novels from author Harry Bingham, who? has previously written fiction and non-fiction for HarperCollins. Deputy publishing director Bill Massey made the deal for UK and Commonwealth rights... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pan Mac acquires "Vesper Lynd" secret agent biog

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 17/02/2011 - 12:05 Pan Macmillan has acquired a biography of the first woman to work as a British secret agent in the Second World War, outbidding Penguin at auction. Editorial director Georgina Morley bought UK and British Commonwealth... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #winston churchill #casino royale #ian fleming #book tells #andrew lownie #world war