Samantha Shannon may not be the youngest author in Britain. But she has already a six-figure deal to publish her first three books in a seven-book supernatural fantasy series.

The deal has led to a comparison between Shannon and J.K. Rowling, author of the "Harry Potter" franchise having Bloomsbury as its publisher.

''I get asked all the time, 'Are you the next J.K. Rowling?', and it's always been an uncomfortable comparison for me,'' Shannon said via phone interview from London.

''J.K. Rowling is one of my favourite authors and I really admire how she created this big wizarding world. But I think our books are very, very different and I don't think there can be a next J.K. Rowling. She is one of a kind.''

Shannon noted 2013 has been a ''pretty surreal'' year as her debut novel, "The Bone Season," was published three weeks after she graduated in August from Oxford University. After a week of publication, it was on the New York Times bestseller list, debuting at no. 7 on the hardcover fiction list, 11 for ebooks and Sunday Times bestseller.

Recently touring Australia, she celebrated her 22nd birthday and made a guest appearance at Supernova, a support act to George R.R. Martin. "The Bone Season" will be made into a Hollywood-backed film. The dystopian novel has been put up for sale in 21 countries across the world. Recently Shannon sat between Neil Gaiman and Margaret Atwood and talked about her novel. We have compiled here some excerpts from the recent speaking engagement.

''I feel very much like a beginner and I have a lot to learn,'' ''I don't consider myself a fully fledged author by any means. I'm always learning from my editor and I hope I can improve my writing as I go along," she said.

''I have always been driven, I've always wanted to be published and I wanted to make that happen, so I worked very hard. Perfectionist would be a word to describe me," she continued.

''I was always more interested in my books and my writing than going out. It's OK to say I'm a nerd. That's me,'' ''My books are my boyfriends, apparently,'' she added sardonically.

''I was using too many perspectives and not properly connecting with any of the characters, whereas with The Bone Season I broke away from that and tried writing in the first person, in one narrator's voice,'' she said.

''I didn't obsessively edit it before showing it to someone and sending it to an agent. It was a fairly rough draft, but it had the original passion in there,'' she revealed.

All the best to Samantha Shannon. She has a long way to go.

Watch: Author Samantha Shannon on The Bone Season and Big Expectations

www.youtube.com/user/BiblioStarTV