Terry Pratchett

A fantasy/ sci-fi author with millions of fans across the world, who routinely produces two or more books a year, which in turn routinely make it into the bestseller lists, Terry Pratchett has written 30-plus Discworld novels and on average, sells more than 2.5 million of them annually in the UK alone. It is estimated that as of the beginning of 2005, he had sold around 40 million books worldwide. Through these novels, he has almost single-handedly defined the comic fantasy genre, spanning as they do genres of fantasy, sci-fi, humour and satire.

Born in Buckinghamshire in 1948, Terry Pratchett became a journalist, but always wrote in his spare time. A chance meeting with a local publisher proved fruitful and in 1971, his first novel, The Carpet People was published. It wasn't until 1987 however, that he was certain that his books were popular enough to allow him to give up the day job (by then a press officer for the Central Electricity Generating Board). As a result, his output increased and he has steadily maintained his two novels a year rate ever since, to the delight of fans. In fact, it is estimated by industry magazine The Bookseller that in 2005, his UK sales amounted to 3.4% of the fiction market by hardback sales and 3.8% by value, putting him in 2nd place, behind - of course - J. K. Rowling.

In this rare, exclusive and typically self-deprecating interview, Pratchett discusses his approach to writing, the pressures of popularity and the recent Sky One adaptation of one of his more recent works, Hogfather, (visit www.skyone.co.uk/hogfather for lots more details, including transmission times)…including his own cameo appearance in it…A non-traditionally festive tale, Hogfather sees the Auditors, who want people to stop believing in things that aren't real, hiring an assassin to eliminate the Hogfather (the Discworld version of Father Christmas), leaving Death - complete with scythe - to dress up in the red and white suit to cover for him and thereby save Discworld…

A must-see for all Pratchett fans, this is a rare insight into the mind of one of our most popular writers. He discusses how he got started as a writer; where he gets his ideas ("Sometimes I think my brain is on a timeshare with a guy in Australia because I'll wake up and there'll be a phrase or a plot idea or a bit of description that has somehow appeared overnight"), the impact of his enormous success and the many and varied joys of word processors…

Hogfather is priced £6.99, and is available from all good bookshops now.