Of the many ways to make a living, this is the daddy of them all

Former Sunday Mail columnist on his 20 years as a successful novelist and his latest book - a darkly comic tale about Scottish parenthood

- BY BRIAN MCIVER

HAVING already been a guitarist trying to reach the charts and then working for a major record label, John Niven has never been one to make a living from the everyday nine-to-five.

And when it came to writing his first book, he found himself struggling to balance his fear of failure with his fear of not trying.

Twenty years on from having that go and producing his debut, Music From Big Pink, John is one of the UK's best-loved novelists and a successful screenwriter.

His 12 books include Kill Your Friends his big breakthrough title which he also adapted into a hit film starring Nicholas Hoult as well as Scots golf comedy The Amateurs and his universally acclaimed memoir O Brother.

Now the Irvine-born writer and former Sunday Mail columnist is celebrating his 20 years between the pages with new release The Fathers, a darkly comic look at Scottish parenthood.

But the 57-year-old admitted the milestone has kind of crept up on him.

John explained: "I'd always wanted to be a writer right through my 20s.

but it just seemed like failure was guaranteed.

"Especially as I'd worked in the music industry and seen how many aspiring bands there are, and the odds are the same in writing, film and TV - there's a lot more applicants than there are jobs.

"It seemed to me to be doomed but in the end it was the not trying that was making me more unhappy than failing would ever have made me, so I just had to give it a go.

"Twenty years - it took me by surprise.