Taran Matharu

Taran Matharu was our Writer in Residence from August 2017 to February 2018. It was a brilliant residency of demon drawing, gaming books and tips on how to score that publishing deal (not necessarily in the traditional way).

Taran Matharu, our former Writer in Residence, knows what it's like to go from writing via an app to becoming a bestselling author.

Straight after graduating with a first class degree in Business Administration, Taran was keen to explore a new avenue and get inside the publishing world, landing an internship in Digital Sales at Penguin Random House.

At 22, while taking time off to travel, Taran began to write The Summoner series as part of NaNoWriMo 2013. After posting the story on Wattpad.com, it received over three million reads in less than six months. After this was featured by NBC News, Taran decided to launch his professional writing career and has never looked back.

In August 2017, Taran said:

'I am so incredibly grateful to BookTrust for giving me the opportunity to pursue a cause that is very close to my heart – bringing the joy of reading to kids and teens across the country. It’s also my hope that I will be able to inspire young writers, both by my own example and highlighting the successes of other young authors.

'Over the next few months I'll be exploring various topics that I feel passionate about. I'm keen to give my thoughts on the benefits of reading and writing online, with a specific look at the same app I began writing on – Wattpad. I'll also be looking at the bridge between video games and reading and how the two hobbies need not be mutually exclusive.