Ken Follett is one of the world's best-loved authors. More than 198 million copies of the thirty-eight books he has written have been sold in over eighty countries and in forty languages.

He started his career as a reporter, first with his hometown newspaper, the South Wales Echo, and then with the London Evening News.

Ken's first major success came with the publication of Eye of the Needle in 1978, which earned him the 1979 Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America.

In 1989, The Pillars of the Earth, Ken's epic novel about the building of a medieval cathedral, reached number one on bestseller lists everywhere. It was turned into a major television series produced by Ridley Scott, which aired in 2010.

Ken has been active in numerous literacy charities and was president of Dyslexia Action for ten years. He is also a past chair of the National Year of Reading, a joint initiative between government and business. He lives in Hertfordshire, England, with his wife Barbara. Between them they have five children, six grandchildren and two Labradors.