• First TLS Books launch tops e-book charts
• The title is Child’s non-fiction debut

Lee Child has reached the top spot in the e-book ranking with his latest title, The Hero, the first fruit of TLS’s publishing partnership with William Collins. 

Child’s first work of non-fiction, The Hero promises and delivers a behind-the-scenes explanation of the values which helped him to build Jack Reacher, a character so popular that it is estimated Child sells one book every nine seconds.

The brilliantly argued essay teaches us why heroes – who are at the centre of formative myths in every culture and persist to this day – are so central to storytelling.

It has topped the national chart, knocking the crime author’s 24th Jack Reacher title, Blue Moon, into third place. 

The book is the first from TLS Books. The partnership – between TLS and William Collins – was born out of a shared philosophy: to bring beautiful and relevant writing to as wide an audience as possible.

The imprint will publish books ranging from 10,000-word essays from a diverse range of authors to classic texts from the TLS’s own 117-year-old archive.

TLS Editor and Publisher Stig Abell has also been named in The Bookseller’s Most Influential list for 2019. 

The Bookseller said: “Since becoming editor of the TLS three and a half years ago, Abell has helped modernise the literary journal and broaden its reach. He’s revamped its website, launched a podcast, hired a social media editor, pushed for more female reviewers and added additional commentary and feature pages, resulting in increased circulation.” More details of the TLS’s new visual identity and website can be found here.

Stig Abell said: “I am beyond delighted that this page-turning nonfiction debut has topped the charts. Who couldn’t turn down the opportunity to learn about storytelling from the world’s greatest thriller writer? With so much more to come, this is just the beginning of an incredibly exciting collaboration with William Collins.”