Paul Neilan is an American novelist. He is the author of the book Apathy and Other Small Victories.

Apathy follows Shane, a directionless and hopelessly apathetic man in his mid-twenties, and has been compared to Benjamin Kunkel's Indecision,^[1] possibly part of a trend of novels focusing on directionless people of an unusually young age for such restlessness. The book was described by Max Barry as being the “funniest book he'd ever read,”'^[2] and a review in Daily Kos characterized it as "magnificent, one-of-kind, immensely interesting, a five star must-read, and hilarious",^[3] but a review in Booklist characterized it as "Juvenile fun for undiscerning lads with two hours to kill."^[4]

Neilan has three brothers: John, Michael, and Ryan. He is the second oldest, followed by Michael and then Ryan. He has 3 nieces and a nephew. Lily Neilan, Lucy Neilan, Avery Neilan, and Quinn Neilan. He lives in New Jersey.