Some fantasy authors, after a while, appear to become jaded and cynical. They hate having to continue writing their famous series, only doing it for the money, and scorning their legions of adoring fans. Not Pratchett. He once said in an interview money is an unavoidable consequence, but it isnt the reason I write. Why did he write, then? Surely part of the reason was the frankly staggering fan following he found himself with as he ploughed on with the Discworld series, inspiring any number of conventions, correspondences and pieces of fan art and fiction. Pratchett's relationship with fans when a great deal further than even the most friendly of fantasy authors, the writer making sure to go to as many conventions as possible, to the point that fans joked unsigned copies of his books were going to be worth more than signed ones. Big into computers, Pratchett was also a member of early usenet groups, talking directly to fans online.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
