I was a scientist at university and worked in investment banking and as a management consultant before deciding I would never forgive myself if I didn't accept an invitation to join the publishing company founded by my grandfather, Faber and Faber. I was there for five years, spending four of them as managing director, before leaving in 2001 to become a full-time writer.
Nowadays I remain on the Board of F&F and am Chairman of its sister company Faber Music but spend as much time as I can writing and lecturing (generally to Arts Societies in the UK and overseas). You might say that the general trajectory of my career has been away from money and towards quality of life. I also generally point out that the only one of my books to be published by Faber is the (forthcoming) history of the firm, Faber & Faber: The Untold Story.