Terry Pratchett
About Author
Terry Pratchett was born on 28 April 1948 in Beaconsfield, Bucks. His life changed at the age of 10 when he was given a copy of Wind in the Willows and he became a voracious reader. When he was 13, his first short story was published in his school magazine. He went on to sell it to Science Fantasy magazine for 14 and spent his winnings on a typewriter. Encouraged by this success, he left school at 17 to work in local journalism.
His first novel, The Carpet People, was published when he was 23 and he continued to write in his spare time whilst working on local newspapers. In his thirties he left journalism and spent the next eight years as a press officer for the Central Electricity Generating Board. His first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic was published in 1983 and in 1987 he gave up his job and began writing full time.
The Discworld novels are aimed primarily at adults but appeal to readers of all ages. They have been translated into 33 languages. He regularly holds the No. 1 slots in both the paperback and hardback bestseller lists and is one of very few authors to have topped both the adult and children's bestseller lists simultaneously. Since Sourcery was published in 1989, every new Discworld novel has reached the number one position in either hardback or paperback bestseller lists.
Terry's worldwide sales have topped 40 million copies. He was awarded an OBE for services to literature (1998), and has been awarded honorary Doctorates of Literature from the Universities of Warwick, Portsmouth, Bristol and Bath. In 1994 he won the Science/Fantasy Author of the Year Award at the British Book Awards and was named as the 3rd bestselling author of the decade in the UK.
Terry is also probably Britain's most fanatically followed novelist, but, despite his incredible success, still regularly undertakes signing tours in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the US. Official Discworld merchandise has included diaries, quiz books, Clarecraft character models, jigsaws, jewellery, beer and cider, computer games, candles, Unseen University scarves and t-shirts, and most recently stamps. Many of the Discworld novels have been adapted for stage and are regularly performed by amateur dramatic groups all around the world. There are two printed Terry Pratchett fanzines, Ramtop to Rimfall and The Discworld Collectors' Newsletter (produced by Clarecraft), and two online newsletters, Wossname and Discworld Monthly, as well as numerous Discworld dedicated websites.
Terry has enjoyed equally remarkable success with his children's novels, and recently began a separate 'strand' of Discworld books aimed at older children. He was awarded the 2001 Carnegie Medal for the first of these, The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, which topped the bestsellers lists simultaneously with Night Watch. The next Discworld book, The Wee Free Men won the 2004 WHSmith Teen Choice Book Award. Prior to these, he was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal twice (1994, 1997), and for The Guardian Children's Fiction Award twice (1993, 1997), and the Children's Book Award (1997).
He won the 1993 Writers' Guild Award (Children's Books) for Johnny and the Dead and in 1996 was awarded the Smarties Prize Silver Award (9-11 age group) for Johnny and the Bomb.
His children's novel Truckers was a Thames TV serial in 1992 and a four-part TV adaptation of Johnny and the Dead was shown on network ITV in 1995. The Cosgrove Hall animation of Wyrd Sisters was shown on Channel 4 in 1997, followed by Soul Music. All these have been issued on video and DVD. Almost all of Terry's novels are available on audio.
In the BBC Big Read survey of favourite books no less than five of Terry's adult titles, Guards! Guards!, Mort, Good Omens, The Colour of Magic and Night Watch, were voted into the Top 100 list (and a further ten in the next 100!). The only other author to have five titles in the Top 100 was Charles Dickens.
Terry and his wife Lyn live near Salisbury.
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