Bill O’Reilly has become the most popular historian in America with his two books on Lincoln and Kennedy atop The New York Times best-seller list.
He has also revealed to The New York Times how he writes his books at breakneck speed, composing well over 1,000 words a day.
He told The Times about his workaholic habits, which includes the best sellers and personally writing his own show which goes out to three million viewers nightly on Fox.
“I work harder now than I have ever worked in my life, which is kind of insane,” O’Reilly said.
He works with co-author Martin Dugard, also co-author of several best sellers before he linked up with O’Reilly, but O’Reilly does all the interviews.
“He basically does the research, and I write it, and we go over every line together. I supply the-you-are-there narrative. It works great.”
O’Reilly does the interviews by phone and tapes them. For the Kennedy book, he said, “I did all the interviews with the F.B.I. guys, and they never talk to anyone but they “trust me.”
“I can write 1,000 words in my sleep,” he said. “I write for the ear, not for the eye."
He works on his books on weekends, especially after mass on Sundays at his home in Manhasset.
He says Lincoln would have loved his book on him “because it is simple and he was a really simple guy, straightforward guy. He didn’t like a lot of subterfuge or a lot of nonsense.”
O'Reilly is not so sure about the Kennedy book and whether JFK would have enjoyed it, “I don’t know if Kennedy would have liked the book “because it really lays him out as far as what he did, and some of it wasn’t very nice. But in the end he comes off as fairly heroic.”
He says he likes the Obamas and features a photo of him with the first family on his desk. “Michelle was very nice to my daughter,” he said
O’Reilly had to struggle to redefine himself as an historian. His publishers wanted more of the autobiographical books he had written that had been successful.
Instead O’Reilly, who studied history at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y, and is a history buff, wanted to change course.
He hired Martin Dugard, who had co-written “The Murder of King Tut: The Plot to Kill the Child King” (2009) and “The Last Voyage of Columbus” (2005).
He starts his new book, subject still a secret, right after Christmas and says it “will be a blockbuster of epic proportions.”
Given his record so far, who would disagree?
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.Commonsence | Jan 01, 2013, 07:32 PM EST
Making the Times' Best Seller List is far from determining an author's ability. You can find Mr. O'Reilly's other efforts on remainder racks in places like Walmart. His statement as regards his book on Lincoln "being simple" is quite true....simply full of errors! Real historians are researchers with the ability to present the facts in a readable fashion, without destroying the truth. O'Reilly and Dugard have simply developed a story line and adjusted facts to fit their story. Neither could hold the lamp to provide the Goodwins, Morrisons, Isaacsons and other real historians light to read. Someone has said that we are all entitled to our own opinions, just not to our own facts. Amen
McNamara31 | Dec 30, 2012, 04:15 PM EST
peterson "Most liberals don't read--illiterate" Hmmm... I guess that's another "fair and balanced" opinion.
peterson | Dec 29, 2012, 01:34 PM EST
I have read both books and found them accurate and very interesting. Read them- you might learn something !! Most liberals don't read--illiterate ?
rose528 | Dec 29, 2012, 01:08 PM EST
what a crock of crap, if he is an historian, I'm god
McNamara31 | Dec 28, 2012, 12:46 PM EST
BTW "BILL" that's my pithy, fair and balanced opinion of you as an author.
McNamara31 | Dec 28, 2012, 12:44 PM EST
I would read a "real" historian like Doris Kearns Goodwin any day before I would read anything by this bloviating self-serving slime mister and prop of Roger Ailes.
Smyrnian | Dec 28, 2012, 06:19 AM EST
FkntwistedJack - you need some psychological help. You are indeed twisted and sick.
Smyrnian | Dec 27, 2012, 05:42 PM EST
Test. I made a comment a couple days ago and it wasn't published . . . nothing controversial in it.
JackFknTwist | Dec 27, 2012, 04:42 PM EST
@ AncientSeeker : You speak the truth.
JackFknTwist | Dec 27, 2012, 04:16 PM EST
It is a matter of deep shame and embarassment to me among my American friends that this creep and Hannity claim Irish ancestry. Irish ancestry is now being held up to open ridicule and opprobrium because of empty headed charlatans like these two langers.
JackFknTwist | Dec 27, 2012, 04:13 PM EST
I am not using bullying tactics ! But my opinion is that this man is a bufoon. He appeals to the ignorant , is smug and self satisfied and the lowest common denominatoir listens to him ;ie angry old white men who thankfully are all dying off.
Schlomo | Dec 27, 2012, 08:13 AM EST
I like Mr. O'Reilly. Obviously those Liberals amongs us are using their internet bully tactics to besmerch him, but Bill will come out on top at the end of the day
Smyrnian | Dec 27, 2012, 12:29 AM EST
Olovely - I not over 65 and do not live in an all white area and I like Bill O? Making these kind of assumptions and generalizations make you look silly.
anndrewbright | Dec 26, 2012, 09:55 PM EST
I find it interesting that Bill O'Reilly is calling himself the best US historian. This must be a tongue in check article!. Bill O'Reilly is one of the poorest examples of irishness that I can think of. When I visited Ireland I didn't find the men to be so negative about women and narrow- minded about politics. I did find men who "embellished" but not in a mean way. As far as a historian he doesn't do his own research and he doesn't check his facts very often. He likes history written with his particular brand of bias which is not often the truth.
marian1877 | Dec 26, 2012, 08:54 PM EST
On his program he is afraid to delve into really controversal topics afraid to hurt someones toes instead of telling the truth about things. Anyone that objects to him is probably a far left wing who are deceived about everything going on. Everyone has their view about history and not all know the truth about what they write about.
CavanAncestor | Dec 26, 2012, 08:47 PM EST
Not sure what a great historian he is or that he writes good history. I was appaled to listen to Lincoln on Audio CD where O'Reilly repeatedly pronounced Cavalry repeatedly as calvary. Bon mots came out "Bonn Motts" or something like that.
sqeyes48 | Dec 26, 2012, 07:54 PM EST
To quote Bea Arthur in History of the World Pt. 1 by Mel Brooks. "Oh, a bullshit artist!"
olovely | Dec 26, 2012, 06:36 PM EST
If you're over 65 and live in an all-white retirement community Bill O'Reilly is the greatest thing that ever happened to America.
markday | Dec 26, 2012, 06:04 PM EST
It's all ghost-written. O'Reilly is a dumbbell.
AGRIPPAMOM | Dec 26, 2012, 05:22 PM EST
His books are full of lies, errors, and falsehoods- par for the course for him. It's appalling that so many fools take this blowhard seriously. That just shows you how many other stupid people there are in this country.
AncientSeeker | Dec 26, 2012, 05:16 PM EST
O’Reilly does nothing for truth, actually he has absolutely zero knowledge, he is sack of crap lying storyteller about the history of our country. Which Bill obviously knows nothing about, except what he has been told by dumber folks on the right? One of the failings of this system is letting brain-dead, rich guys write and publish anything. He does a disservice to reality, and makes money off of his acts of treason against the real citizens of this country, who he constantly shows so much contempt for everyday. He is a boil on the ass of America, and not a representative member in any form, he is actually a shameful exhibitionist with a god-like attraction to himself! A grand-Standing Clown for embarrassing the United States of America’s Irish-American population, who has had to prove with thousands of deaths in every American war we are to be taken seriously.
StevieVirginia | Dec 26, 2012, 05:06 PM EST
Bill O'Reilly is an idiot. He belittles the coverage that he gets from the Comedy Central network about his one man war against anything he doesn't believe in. This asshat of a man, he screams at his guest if they don't have the same shallow - narrow minded view as him. He's also a dumb ass who should be on Comedy Central because his is more funny than factual! This fool single handedly has the numb nuts at Faux News waging a "War on Christmas" against anybody who is not a christian! When a news outfit is caught lying over & over by Comedy Central. Maybe you should just shut the hell up! Watching Faux News is like watching wrestling. You know it's fake but the fools can't stop watching.
SingleDonald | Dec 26, 2012, 04:59 PM EST
I finished "Killing Kennedy", and am now reading "Killing Lincoln". These books are great, and are hard to put down! The Kennedy book makes it seem like Lee harvey Oswald was the lone assassin, but Bill O'reilly concedes that a conspiracy may have indeed occurred.
Smyrnian | Dec 26, 2012, 03:50 PM EST
Penile Murphy -,don't worry about my IQ. Worry about your own.
penelopemurphy | Dec 26, 2012, 03:46 PM EST
This guy is an opinionated IDIOT! If people THINK he's an historian then they are as stupid as he is. The IQ level of the USA has dropped considerably and if Irish Central THINKS this guy is worth writing about, I'm not too sure about YOUR IQ!
johnozed | Dec 26, 2012, 03:21 PM EST
In related news, the general IQ of the US has dropped 10 points, on par with Bill O'Reilly being the most popular historian.
Smyrnian | Dec 26, 2012, 02:46 PM EST
Bill O'Reilly is the best; he rocks! Go get them Bill!
Stiofain | Dec 26, 2012, 01:03 PM EST
Still Ford's Theatre book store refused carry his book,"Lincoln," because it "contained to many errors and falsehoods."
Stiofain | Dec 26, 2012, 12:31 PM EST
Bill O'Reilly knows as much about history as Sarah Palin knows about geography.
barnie4001 | Dec 26, 2012, 12:28 PM EST
never heard of him,has he a good imagination??
peggydf | Dec 26, 2012, 12:15 PM EST
What an arrogant idiot.
Joe Kelsall | Dec 26, 2012, 11:16 AM EST
'Breakneck speed'! 1,000 words a day! That is the measure of O'Reilly; he actually thinks he is an intellectual. The USA is welcome to this charlatan and Fox News!
maryosullivan | Dec 26, 2012, 11:13 AM EST
O'Reilly a historian, now that is a stretch I hope he found somebody responsible like Sarah Palin to help him with his research, after all she has access to a Kenyan witch doctor who helped her though the mine field of truth during her election run [Sorry , Kenya, no offense intended]
Will Hamilton | Dec 26, 2012, 11:01 AM EST
Popularity is not a measure of quality. He can't even figure out his own history. He was born in the US but thinks he is actually Irish. On one visit to Ireland, where he imagines he was born, in one short interview on radio he managed to mangle together the history of the peace movement in Ulster, the IRA and the shooting in Dublin of a journalist by drug dealers.
Eschetic | Dec 26, 2012, 10:48 AM EST
Even a sycophantic puff piece can hardly call someone a "historian" who admits that OTHERS do his research. This despised right wing clown may be an effective word smith and now a best selling author of semi-respectable books, but it might be interesting to speculate how many MORE books he might have sold had he not forever turned a large part of the literate public off (they will find true historical greatness in Doris Kearns Goodwin's "Team of Rivals") by his Tea Party twaddle masquerading as "commentary."
bunkerisland | Dec 26, 2012, 10:19 AM EST
It is difficult to view O'Reilly as an author of anything other than embellished fiction co-authored by 8 others.
Texan68 | Dec 26, 2012, 09:59 AM EST
TomDem55: Lincoln withheld supplies from Confed POWs. At Andersonville the South had no supplies. Their guards ate the same as the prisoners and many of them died as well. More Confed POWs died in Northen POW camps than did Nothern POWs in the South. Grant would not allow supplies to be shipped into Andersonville. He wanted the Northern POWs to be a burden on the South. Sherman could have freed them when he took Atlanta but elected to go east instead. Lincoln condoned this.
joreilly | Dec 26, 2012, 09:47 AM EST
I have grave reservations about this claim !!!! I would suspect a lot of plagiarism here,Bill o' is an authoritarian with blinkers on and hence only one view on everything i,e,HIS VIEW ! He probably pays The Times,for which he has no use,to put name on their list ?
TomDem55 | Dec 26, 2012, 09:38 AM EST
The dark side of Lincoln? Really those POWs had roofs over their heads, and were not living in holes in the ground in Andersonville. He preserved the nation you lost causers STILL wish to secede from bah
Texan68 | Dec 26, 2012, 09:09 AM EST
O'Reilly completely ignores the dark side of Lincoln - he bombed the civilian populations of several Southern cities (ala Hamas), he let Confed POWs die of starvation 90 miles from DC, he locked up politicians he disagreed with, he closed newspapers, etc.
Seanmor | Dec 26, 2012, 06:49 AM EST
Bill O'Reilly certainly benefits from freedom of expression and the free enterprise system, but he should be more supportive of our military veterans and of those now serving in our defense forces.