John Niven Quotes

I do send out information about my books. Very few people buy the books that way, but I always feel that if they want to know more about the process, they can get the information from my books.

Before my book, 'California,' came out, I had modest hopes for it. Or, let's put it this way - I had the same hopes that every literary fiction writer in America has: I wanted the novel to be well-received, critically. As for sales? I didn't want it to disappoint, but I didn't expect it to be a best-seller, either.

'Wingnuts' is the first book bearing the imprint of Beast Books.

The 'Blacklist' duology is a project I am very passionate about, and when the St. Martin's Press team approached me, I was captivated with their presentation.

For me, I really like the human drama embedded in a crime story, and I like the way European films do that.

When a novel is based on an actual crime, it should do much more than loosely fictionalize it. The novel must stand alone as a work of art that justifies using the story for its own purposes.

It's understandably obvious, when I was making 'Company,' of the underworld genre, people would compare it to 'Satya.'

Every single day, authors read at bookstores and libraries - and coffeeshops and bars - all over the country. And these readings are amazing: you get to hear the book in the author's own voice, ask questions, and meet the writer. For free.

If you think the shifting tectonics of world history might make for a juicy crime fiction backdrop, the last decade or so has proved you right.

I developed 'Trapped' because I was fascinated with the idea of a terrible crime in a small town cut off from the rest of the world.

A few hours after the news broke about the death of crime writer Donald E. Westlake, a newspaper asked me to write a tribute. In short order I did so, calling attention to his decades-long career, both under his own name and that of his primary alter ego, Richard Stark, who introduced the unsentimental antihero-heister Parker to the literary canon.

I've always really liked murder mysteries and thrillers, and great to be able to be actually part of one.

I took six months to rehearse how I'd ask Shah Rukh Khan if he would launch my debut novel. I thought of 100 ways to ask him. Finally, three weeks before the book hit the stands I went to pop the question and forgot everything I rehearsed.

It is difficult to survive as an author in Sweden, so for commercial success, it is good idea to write crime, get yourself translated, and live happily ever after.

The book tour is a strange institution. You are wheeled about to explain your book and even to justify it.

Summer is always a tricky time to recommend new literary fiction. The big releases do not hit until fall.

Publishing a book is a very different thing than writing one.

Author tours used to have a sense of excitement and pleasure, a sense of occasion. I remember stores having a table with wine and food. It was just a real evening.

I love signing the books; it's so exciting to see my readers in person.

I'm not a massive reader, to be honest. I try and fill my time with other things. But I remember getting halfway through a book once. It was 'The Client' by John Grisham, which was quite interesting.

If I'm on the road for Random House, I'm presenting a book with the hope people will buy it.

'The Silence of the Lambs' is my favourite book, favourite film.

Anyone who has ever tried to plot a detective mystery knows that the hardest thing to come up with is motive.

Thousands of books are published every year in India, and it's becoming more difficult to stand out and get people to buy the books. The only way to get people notice the book is to create a buzz much before it's released.

Not all new books carry endorsements, and I wouldn't say that blurbs are indispensable for marketing.