© LIAM LONGMANTrainspotting, which was made into the hit 1990s film, has been dubbed the UK's 'most stolen book' - LIAM LONGMAN
The author of Trainspotting has said he "appreciates" when fans steal his books because it means he still gets the royalties.
Irvine Welsh, the author of the novel, which has been dubbed "the most shoplifted book in history", said he was unconcerned if people keep on shoplifting his books, describing the accolade as a "source or pride".
In an interview, he revealed that he gets paid whether his tomes are bought or stolen because the stores have to cover the cost to publishers.
He revealed the financial loophole on the podcast Midnight Meets with Colin Murray.
Speaking about Trainspotting, Welsh said: ''It is a source of pride that people kind of nick it.
''I always get some wee yob that comes up to me and goes, 'I got your books, I stole them all'.
''I say 'well, look, I appreciate that because they usually go to the booksellers on a sale or return basis.
''So if they don't sell, the bookseller can't return them to the publisher. That means I get my royalties.
''So I appreciate you stealing them because it means double sure that I get paid. Fabulous. It's brilliant. It's unbeatable.''
Welsh, 62, rose to fame with his 1993 bestseller, which was made into the Danny Boyle-directed hit film starring Ewan McGregor and Kelly Macdonald.
The novel has since been cited as the most shoplifted book in the UK and Welsh said the other titles such as The Acid House, Filth, and Porno, are also frequently the target of theft.
The novel Trainspotting itself deals with book theft, when its heroin-addicted protagonist Renton admits to a judge that he stole books by the existentialist writer Søren Kierkergaard.
© Provided by The TelegraphTrainspotting author Irvine Welsh - RUSSELL CHEYNE /Reuters
However, Renton manages to avoid a jail sentence by telling the judge his petty larceny was not aimed at feeding his drug habit but motivated by his curiosity about the philosopher's "concepts of subjectivity and truth".
Meanwhile, a list of the most stolen books in Britain, compiled by The Times in 2009 from interviews from independent book sellers, found the London A-Z the most popular with shoplifters.
Other books to make the top 10 included Ordnance Survey maps and the Highway Code. Among the most stolen novels on the list were the Harry Potter series, Terry Pratchett's fantasy books and J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
One seller, Patrick Neale, who worked at a Waterstones in London before setting up his own store in Chipping Norton, said at the time: "I've been in bookselling for 20 years and the London A-Z is the most stolen book in the world.
"A-Zs were like porn - you had to keep them under the till."
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