Paul Pilkington

Paul Pilkington is a British author of mystery, suspense and thriller novels. He is best known for his Emma Holden Suspense Mystery series, which follows the perilous journey of a young actress in search of her missing boyfriend.

Paul Pilkington was born and raised in the UK, although details of his early life remain private. He began writing regularly in 1999 and received encouraging feedback from agents. But his breakthrough came in 2010 after he was given a Kindle. Inspired by the success of self-published authors on bestseller lists, Pilkington decided to self-publish his work using platforms such as Smashwords.

In 2013, Pilkington signed a three-book deal with Hodder and Stoughton, part of the Hachette group, for his Emma Holden trilogy. The first book in the series, The One You Love (2014), reached number one on the official UK Heatseekers chart. Despite his success with traditional publishers, Pilkington has continued to self-publish in the US, retaining control of his e-book rights.

Pilkington is also known for his DCI Paul Cullen mystery series, which began with Long Gone (2019). This gripping debut follows Detective Chief Inspector Paul Cullen of the British Transport Police as he investigates the mysterious disappearance of Natalie Long, his daughter's close friend. Subsequent instalments include Fallen Angel (2020), Dead Ahead (2021) and Deep Sleeper (2024), which explores dark secrets aboard a luxury sleeper train to Scotland. The fifth instalment, May Day (2025), will be published shortly.

In addition to the series, Pilkington has written standalone novels such as For Your Own Protection and Someone to Save You. His works often feature ordinary people facing extraordinary challenges. "I wanted to create stories that would keep readers guessing while exploring themes of love, loss and redemption," he said.

Pilkington attributes much of his success to the 'first one free' model, which involves permanently offering one book for free to attract readers to his other works. Reflecting on self-publishing, he said, "I've achieved success without a publisher's backing, which still feels amazing.

Throughout his career, Pilkington has sold over 350,000 e-books and received support from platforms such as Amazon, Apple and Kobo.

Photo credit: paulpilkington.com