Website www.ianrankin.net Ian James Rankin, OBE, DL (born 28 April 1960) is a Scottish crime writer, best known for his Inspector Rebus novels. Read full biography of Ian Rankin →
I've always written. At the age of six or seven, I would get sheets of A4 paper and fold them in half, cut the edges to make a little eight-page... →
I think writers have to be proactive: they've got to use new technology and social media. Yes, it's hard to get noticed by traditional... →
I still think most writers are just kids who refuse to grow up. We're still playing imaginary games, with our imaginary friends.
I am, of course, a frustrated rock star - I'd much rather be a rock star than a writer. Or own a record shop. Still, it's not a bad life, is... →
I'm interested in Scotland now and then, how it's changed. I want to get the reader to think about that by thinking about something from the... →
You need a great idea, but then you've got to carry it through. If you get it right, you're going to be a critical success. But not everyone... →
At all times, think like a writer, and keep those antennae twitching - that way, you pick up new ideas.
Right from the very beginning, I knew I wanted to write palpably Scottish fiction.
A lot of writers, especially crime writers, have an image that we think we're trying to keep up with. You've got to be seen as dark and... →
I don't have many friends. It's not because I'm a misanthrope. It's because I'm reserved. I'm self-contained. I get all my... →
I don't think I have one particular favourite writer. I have many whose works I will always buy or reread - Muriel Spark, Anthony Powell, Robert... →
I took the first James Kelman novel, 'The Bus Conductor Hines', home to my dad. I thought, 'My dad will like this; it's written in... →
I used to think that: whenever I heard that someone had taken 10 years to write a novel, I'd think it must be a big, serious book. Now I think... →
Website www.ianrankin.net Ian James Rankin, OBE, DL (born 28 April 1960) is a Scottish crime writer, best known for his Inspector Rebus novels.