Terry Pratchett

Terence David John Pratchett OBE (known to some fans as Pterry, following the convention he used in his book Pyramids where characters were given names such as Ptraci and Pteppic) is an English fantasy author (born April 28, 1948, in Beaconsfield, Bucks), best known for his Discworld series. As of March 2005 he has sold approximately 40 million books worldwide.

Biography

Terry Pratchett was born in Beaconsfield to David and Eileen Pratchett, of Hay-on-Wye. He credits his education to High Wycombe Technical High School and Beaconsfield Public Library.

Related Topics:
Hay-on-Wye - High Wycombe

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His first published work was the short story "The Hades Business", which appeared in his school magazine when he was 13, and was subsequently reprinted in Science Fantasy magazine in 1963, for which he was paid £14. His second published work was "Night Dweller", which appeared in New Worlds magazine, issue 156 in November 1965.

Related Topics:
Science Fantasy - 1963 - New Worlds - 1965

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On leaving school in 1965, he gained employment as a local newspaper journalist on the Bucks Free Press ("I started work one morning and saw my first body three hours later, 'on-the-job training' meaning something in those days"). He subsequently moved on to a number of other regional newspapers in south-west England including the Western Daily Press and Bath Chronicle.

Related Topics:
1965 - England

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It was during his time as a journalist that he was sent to interview Peter Bander van Duren, a co-director of Colin Smythe Limited, a small publishing company in Gerrards Cross, about a new book the company was publishing and Pratchett happened to mention that he had written a novel of his own, The Carpet People. It was eventually published in 1971, with a launch party held in the carpet department of Heal's department store on Tottenham Court Road, London.

Related Topics:
Gerrards Cross - 1971 - Tottenham Court Road - London

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In 1980, he became Press Officer for the Central Electricity Generating Board in an area which covered several nuclear power stations; he later joked that he had demonstrated impeccable timing by making this career change so soon after the Three Mile Island nuclear accident in Pennsylvania, USA. Pratchett gave up his work for the CEGB in 1987 when he realised he could make a living through writing; this accounts for a significant increase in his output, and since then has managed to publish two novels a year. According to the 2005 Booksellers' Pocket Yearbook, in 2003 Pratchett's UK sales amounted to 3.4% of the fiction market by hardback sales and 3.8% by value, putting him in 2nd place behind J. K. Rowling (6% and 5.6% respectively), while in the paperback sales list Pratchett came 5th with 1.2% by sales and 1.3% by value (behind James Patterson (1.9% and 1.7%), Alexander McCall Smith, John Grisham and J. R. R. Tolkien).

Related Topics:
1980 - Central Electricity Generating Board - Three Mile Island - 1987 - 2003 - J. K. Rowling - James Patterson - Alexander McCall Smith - John Grisham - J. R. R. Tolkien

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In 1998 Terry Pratchett was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to literature. Typically, his own tongue-in-cheek comment was "I suspect the 'services to literature' consisted of refraining from trying to write any." He has been awarded honorary Doctorates of Letters, by the University of Warwick in 1999, by the University of Portsmouth in 2001 and by the University of Bristol in 2004.

Related Topics:
1998 - Order of the British Empire - University of Warwick - 1999 - University of Portsmouth - 2001 - University of Bristol - 2004

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His daughter Rhianna Pratchett (born 1976) is a fantasy author, journalist and "accidental cat collector".

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Pratchett lists his recreations as "writing, walking, computers, life." He is also well known for his penchant for wearing large, black hats, as seen on the inside back covers of most of his books.

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In July 31, 2005, Pratchett criticised media coverage of Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling, commenting that certain members of the media seemed to think that "the continued elevation of J. K. Rowling can only be achieved at the expense of other writers". His remarks were later taken out of context and interpreted by many as an attack on Rowling herself, rather than the media. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4732385.stm

Related Topics:
July 31 - 2005 - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

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