Episode 38 - Paul O'Brien

The 738am podcast - talking to people about stuff

My guest this week is a writer of books who, by his own admission, doesn't read fiction. He writes for TV without being a dedicated television watcher, and has spent most of his life as playwright despite the fact he's only ever seen a couple of plays. His methods, in general, are what you might call unconventional. But Paul O'Brien's story is little short of remarkable. Having written novels set in the world of professional wrestling in America, he published them himself, and set about having them noticed by important people in that world. He did that, and it has opened all kinds of doors for him – including a commission to write the biography of WWW legend Jim Ross, one of the most well known characters in wrestling history. I chat to Paul about the way he works, how he went about getting the books read and publicised by some pretty famous people, what it's meant in terms of his own work and future, and loads more. It's a genuinely brilliant and inspirational story, one you need to hear. You can follow Paul on Twitter @tweetpaulobrien or visit his official website at paulobrien.info