16 May 2016
In the shrewdly competitive world of publishing and publicity, the story behind a novel is often as important as the story between its covers. Like superheroes, modern writers stalk through the media trailing their origin myths behind them: think of JK Rowling scribbling away in an Edinburgh café at the Harry Potter books, or EL James bashing out the Twilight fan fictions that became 50 Shades of Grey. We love these it-could-be-you stories; publishers know this and strategise accordingly. As in so many other areas, it's human interest that sinks the hook.
