Ken Follett's Secret Formula For Selling 170 Million Books

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Ken Follett is a literary giant. He has written 32 books and sold more than 170 million copies worldwide. He is also one of my writing heroes. I absolutely love his books, particularly Pillars of the Earth, which is among the best historical fiction books ever written. Ever.

Born in Wales, Follet began his writing career as a reporter at the South Wales Echo. On the side, he wrote short stories, but he kept getting rejected. Finally, he turned to a long-form novel, writing a little ditty called Eye of the Needle in 1978. The spy story thriller, set in the Second World War, became an international bestseller and led to the 1981 movie starring Donald Sutherland.

Follet continued to write thrillers up until In 1989 when he released a sweeping historical epic called The Pillars of the Earth. Although he is an atheist, Follett was fascinated in cathedrals, and Pillars is a tale of the building of a mighty Kingsbridge cathedral. It reached number one on bestseller lists around the world and was an Oprah's Book Club pick. It also spawned a hit TV series. Its sequels, World Without End and A Column of Fire have sold more than forty million copies worldwide.

 Now Follett has released a prequel to the Kingsbridge series called The Evening and the Morning

The book is set in 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages. England is facing attacks from the Welsh in the west and the Vikings in the east. Those in power bend justice according to their will, regardless of ordinary people, and often in conflict with the king. Without a clear rule of law, chaos reigns.

I had a chance to talk to Follett from his home in the UK. He was charming and wise and I had hoped. There is a video version of this interview also on the Write About Now youtube channel (see below_.

During the interview, he talks about his process in writing a novel:

  • How he spends a year researching and hires academics to help him

  • How he spends a year mapping out the story.

  • How he spends a year writing and rewriting.

  • His secret to writing suspense.

Historial fictionJonathan SmallKen Follett, The Evening and the Morning, Podcast, Write About Now, Jonathan SmallComment