Editing Jeffrey Archer (section)

==Writing career==
Archer wrote his first book, ''[[Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less]]'', in the autumn of 1974, as a means of avoiding bankruptcy.<ref name=Kelso/> The book was picked up by the [[literary agent]] Deborah Owen and published first in the U.S., then eventually in Britain in the autumn of 1976. A radio adaptation was aired on [[BBC Radio 4]] in the early 1980s and a [[BBC Television]] adaptation of the book was broadcast in 1990.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jeffreyarcher.co.uk/site/biography|title=Jeffrey Archer: Biography|publisher=jeffreyarcher.co.uk|access-date=9 December 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131129191648/http://www.jeffreyarcher.co.uk/site/biography|archive-date=29 November 2013}}</ref>

''[[Kane and Abel (novel)|Kane and Abel]]'' (1979) proved to be his best-selling work, reaching number one on ''[[The New York Times]]'' bestsellers list. Like most of his early work, it was edited by [[Richard Cohen (fencer)|Richard Cohen]], the Olympic fencing gold-medallist.<ref name=Blackhurst/> It was made into a television [[mini-series]] by [[CBS]] in 1985, starring [[Peter Strauss]] and [[Sam Neill]]. The following year, [[Granada TV]] screened a 10-part adaptation of another Archer bestseller, ''[[First Among Equals (novel)|First Among Equals]]'', which told the story of four men and their quest to become prime minister. In the U.S. edition of the novel, the character of Andrew Fraser was eliminated, reducing the number of protagonists to three.<ref name=Books>{{cite web|title=Jeffrey Archer books: First Among Equals|url=http://jeffreyarcher.co.uk/books-and-plays/fiction/first-among-equals/|website=www.jeffreyarcher.co.uk|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223141926/http://jeffreyarcher.co.uk/books-and-plays/fiction/first-among-equals/|archive-date=23 December 2015}}</ref>

As well as novels and short stories, Archer has also written three stage plays. The first, ''Beyond Reasonable Doubt'', opened in 1987 and ran at the [[Sondheim Theatre|Queen's Theatre]] in [[London's West End]] for over a year.<ref name=Watt>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/mayor/Story/0,,194773,00.html|title=Archer's share deal under scrutiny again|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=30 October 1999|location=London|last=Watt|first=Nicholas|access-date=6 May 2010}}</ref> Archer's next play, ''Exclusive'', opened at the [[Strand Theatre, London]], in September 1989.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kingston |first1=Jeremy |title=Archer's Jaded News |work=[[The Times]] |date=20 September 1989 |location=London |page=13}}</ref> It was not well received by critics, and closed after a few weeks. His final play, ''The Accused'', opened at the Theatre Royal, Windsor on 26 September 2000, before transferring to the [[Theatre Royal Haymarket]] in the West End in December.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jeffrey Archer: plays|url=http://jeffreyarcher.co.uk/plays/|website=www.jeffreyarcher.co.uk|access-date=22 December 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223141459/http://jeffreyarcher.co.uk/plays/|archive-date=23 December 2015}}</ref>

In 1988, author Kathleen Burnett accused Archer of plagiarizing a story she had written, and including it in his short-story collection, ''[[A Twist in the Tale (book)|A Twist in the Tale]]''. Archer denied he had plagiarized the story, claiming he had simply been inspired by the idea.<ref name="Sherwin">{{cite news|last1=Sherwin|first1=Adam|title=Jeffrey Archer accuses Bollywood of stealing his bestselling storylines|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/jeffrey-archer-accuses-bollywood-of-stealing-his-bestselling-storylines-10085842.html|access-date=22 December 2015|work=The Independent|date=4 March 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223090945/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/jeffrey-archer-accuses-bollywood-of-stealing-his-bestselling-storylines-10085842.html|archive-date=23 December 2015}}</ref>

While Archer's books are commercially successful, critics have been generally unfavorable towards his writing.<ref name="BBC20010719">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1397356.stm "Lord Archer: A twist to every chapter"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040604075621/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1397356.stm |date=4 June 2004 }}, BBC News, 19 July 2001.</ref> Journalist Hugo Barnacle, writing for ''The Independent'' about ''[[The Fourth Estate (novel)|The Fourth Estate]]'' (1996), thought the novel, while demonstrating that "the editors don't seem to have done any work", was "not wholly unsatisfactory".<ref name=Barnacle>{{cite news|last1=Barnacle|first1=Hugo|title=Maxwell vs Murdoch – the untold story|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/maxwell-vs-murdoch--the-untold-story-1346669.html|access-date=23 December 2015|work=The Independent|date=10 May 1996|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925053313/http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/maxwell-vs-murdoch--the-untold-story-1346669.html|archive-date=25 September 2015}}</ref>

Archer has said that he spends considerable time writing and re-writing each book. He goes abroad to write the first draft, working in blocks of two hours at a time, then writes anything up to 17 drafts in total.<ref>John Darnton [https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/18/garden/lunch-with-jeffrey-archer-author-s-sweet-revenge-joining-house-lords.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm "At Lunch With: Jeffrey Archer; An Author's Sweet Revenge: Joining the House of Lords"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005101611/http://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/18/garden/lunch-with-jeffrey-archer-author-s-sweet-revenge-joining-house-lords.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm |date=5 October 2017 }}, ''New York Times'', 18 August 1993.</ref> Since 2010, Archer has written the first draft of each new book at his villa in [[Mallorca]], called "Writer's Block".<ref name=Wells>{{cite news|last1=Wells|first1=Emma|title=It's Archer's best plot yet|url=http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/style/homes_and_gardens/My_Place/article432153.ece|access-date=23 December 2015|work=The Sunday Times|date=31 October 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223140445/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/style/homes_and_gardens/My_Place/article432153.ece|archive-date=23 December 2015}}</ref>

In 2011, Archer published the first of seven books in ''The Clifton Chronicles'' series, which follow the life of Harry Clifton from his birth in 1920, through to his funeral in 1993. The first novel in the series, ''Only Time Will Tell'', tells the story of Harry from 1920 through to 1940, and was published in the UK on 12 May 2011.<ref name=Horowitz/> The seventh and final novel in the series, ''This Was a Man'', was published on 3 November 2016.<ref>{{cite web |title=The final novel in the Clifton Chronicles |url=http://www.jeffreyarcher.co.uk/books-and-plays/fiction/this-was-a-man/ |website=www.jeffreyarcher.co.uk |access-date=5 March 2019 |archive-date=6 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306044156/http://www.jeffreyarcher.co.uk/books-and-plays/fiction/this-was-a-man/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

''The Short, the Long and the Tall'', an illustrated collection of Archer's short stories, was published in November 2020, with watercolor illustrations by artist Paul Cox.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Short, The Long and The Tall |url=https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/jeffrey-archer/the-short-the-long-and-the-tall/9780230748279 |publisher=Pan Macmillan |access-date=6 October 2020 |archive-date=6 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200906153402/https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/jeffrey-archer/the-short-the-long-and-the-tall/9780230748279 |url-status=live }}</ref>

''Over My Dead Body'' was published in October 2021, and is the fourth book in a series of thrillers featuring detective William Warwick.<ref name="Chandler">{{cite web |last1=Chandler |first1=Mark |title=Macmillan lands Jeffrey Archer series in four-book deal |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/macmillan-snaps-jeffrey-archer-series-four-book-deal-965306 |website=www.thebookseller.com |access-date=5 March 2019 |archive-date=6 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306043426/https://www.thebookseller.com/news/macmillan-snaps-jeffrey-archer-series-four-book-deal-965306 |url-status=live }}</ref> The book was critically acclaimed and became a [[New York Times]] bestseller.

In January 2020 it was reported that Archer had sued his former literary agents, [[Curtis Brown (literary agents)|Curtis Brown]], for £500,000 in unpaid royalties.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Simpson |first1=Craig |title=Jeffrey Archer 'suing former literary agents in High Court over claims he is owed £500,000' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/24/jeffrey-archer-suing-former-literary-agents-high-court-claims/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/24/jeffrey-archer-suing-former-literary-agents-high-court-claims/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=25 January 2020 |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=20 January 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref>