Harlan Coben has sold 90 million books and produced 12 series on Netflix, but he insists that aside from being a writer, he has "no other marketable skills." Harlan tells Stephen Dubner how he went from a mid-list author earning $5,000 a book to leading a global mystery empire. Why does he refuse to do research? Why does he treat writing like plumbing rather than art? And why does he think most of the advice on your feed is garbage? Harlan talks about what it was like to go to college with David Foster Wallace and Dan Brown, the charity that lets you become a murder victim in one of his books, why even Stephen King still gets nervous sending out a book. Harlan says, "When you stop having that fear, maybe you're starting to be that writer who phones it in." #betterinperson #freakonomicsradio #harlancoben Airs weekly on Tuesdays. Don't miss an episode! Subscribe NOW: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXjf7anLJA4NqUv8kPFIJWA?sub_confirmation=1 Introducing ChatGPT Work - Put ChatGPT to work on your most ambitious ideas and projects. Download the new ChatGPT desktop app today at www.chatgpt.com ABOUT BETTER IN PERSON: Everyone has a public story. Stephen Dubner wants the rest. On Better in Person, Dubner invites remarkable people into his home for a kind of conversation that’s hard to find: curious, free-wheeling, even profound. They talk, play, eat and drink, argue and laugh. The result? Less interview, more shared discovery. This is how a conversation works. FOLLOW BETTER IN PERSON: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betterinpersontv TikTok: http://tiktok.com/betterinpersontv FOLLOW STEPHEN DUBNER: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephenjdubner LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-dubner-2a066578/ Substack: https://stephendubner.substack.com FOLLOW FREAKONOMICS: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freakonomics/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freakonomics/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@freakonomicsradio Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/freakonomics LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/freakonomics-media/ Threads: https://www.threads.com/@freakonomics Chapters: 00:00 Meet Harlan Coben 01:06 What Makes a Thriller Work 03:28 Writing Books vs. Writing for TV 05:05 Why Creativity Needs New Challenges 06:25 Why Hollywood Breaks Most Writers 09:05 Do You Need to Be a Full-Time Writer? 10:56 Living Next Door to David Foster Wallace 13:30 How Does Harlan Create Memorable Characters? 15:34 Finding the Telling Detail 17:42 Why Harlan Avoids Research 20:00 Turning Everyday Objects Into Thrillers 21:03 Writer's Block and Getting Stuck 24:09 Why Harlan Says to Ignore Advice 28:01 Where Do His Stories Really Come From? 32:16 Does Writing Keep Him Balanced? 35:18 Will Harlan Ever Stop? 36:49 How is Netflix Good for Harlan? 40:07 How to Write a Play in a Day Harlan Coben Turned His Books Into 12 Netflix Series | Better in Person https://youtu.be/u9Y7Bo84F2w