One Day author David Nicholls reveals the exact moment he knew his book would be a huge hit
- Bestselling author David Nicholls said it was 'thrilling' when One Day was a hit
- He had seen a news story of Geri Halliwell reading the book on holiday in 2009
- Nicholls described seeing other people reading his book in public as 'exciting'
He is the bestselling author whose novel, One Day, became a global phenomenon.
But David Nicholls has admitted that he was taken by surprise by the book's success – and revealed the exact moment he realised he had a hit on his hands.
The 57-year-old told Desert Island Discs presenter Lauren Laverne how he had opened a newspaper in 2009 and seen a photo of Spice Girl Geri Halliwell reading a copy on holiday in Sardinia.
He said: 'There was a photograph of Geri Halliwell reading it on the sun lounger in hardback.
'And then shortly after that, it became something that you saw on the Tube quite often, which is a big thrill for a writer to see someone reading your book.
Author David Nicholls said he was 'thrilled' to see the success of his novel, One Day
The author realised he had a hit on his hands when he opened a newspaper and saw Spice Girl Geri Halliwell reading a copy while on holiday in 2009
'That felt very exciting to see that it was out there in a way that I hadn't experienced before and that people were talking about it and responding to it and writing to me about it.
'That was really exciting and unexpected because my first book had done really well, my second book had done not so well and there were no expectations with the third book, so to see it take-off in that way was thrilling.'
One Day, which has sold more than six million copies worldwide, charts the lives of lovers Dexter and Emma on the same date each year over a 20-year period.
It found a new generation of fans when the Netflix adaptation went into the top ten in 89 countries.
Nicholls said he wanted One Day to 'capture the atmosphere of a great pop song, joyous and sad, constantly shifting between major and minor keys'.
'I've always thought that its always the biggest thing that happens to you, meeting someone and falling in love.
'It's the thing that shapes your life,' he told Desert Island Discs, which airs on BBC Radio 4 today.
For Nicholls this was meeting his partner Hannah Weaver in 1997 – the woman whose influence on his life was 'transforming' and to whom he dedicated one of his more romantic desert island choices: We Belong Together by Rickie Lee Jones.
But he added: 'I never quite believe in happy endings; I always want to know what happens next.
'It's very hard to write about happiness and contentment.
'It's a wonderful thing to experience, but a boring thing to watch.'
One Day found a new generation of fans when the Netflix adaptation went into the top ten in 89 countries. Pictured: Leo Woodall and Ambika Mod as Dex and Em
