Author: Daniel Handler

I love articles featuring Daniel Handler and his "associate," Lemony Snicket. The Guardian has an interview with Handler about his new book and the odd path to fame and fortune as a children's author.

We talk about children's fiction, which seems to be going through a golden age. "I don't have much to compare it to, but it has certainly undergone this explosion of attention. Another children's writer I know has compared it to playing rock'n'roll in the 60s. Suddenly, everyone's paying attention, so the stakes are higher."

And so are the sales. Does he know how many books he has sold? It's one of those questions you ask expecting evasive action, but Handler, after a decorous gulp, answers it. "It's about 50m as Snicket."

That's huge. "Yes. It's about 50m more than I thought I would sell."

And it's a source of ... ? "Astonishment."