Redfern attended Pelsall Comprehensive School in Pelsall from 1976 to 1981.

Redfern joined a rock music and fashion magazine Zero in 1981; where he trained in journalism, writing, magazine production and photography, later going on write freelance articles on UFOs during the mid-1980s.

From 1984 until 2001 he worked as a freelance feature writer for the Daily Express, People, Western Daily Press and Express & Star newspapers, as well as a full-time feature writer Planet on Sunday. Between 1996 and 2001 he worked as a freelance journalist for the following newsstand magazines in Britain: The Weekender, Animals, Animals, Animals, Pet Reptile, Military Illustrated, Eye-Spy, The Unopened Files and The X-Factor.

Between 1996 and 2000 Redfern signed a three-book publishing deal with Simon & Schuster of London for the publication of A Covert Agenda: The British Government’s UFO Top Secrets Exposed (1997), The FBI Files: The FBI’s UFO Top Secrets Exposed (1998) and Cosmic Crashes: The Incredible Story of the UFOs That Fell to Earth (2000). These books were published in the UK, Canada, Russia, Poland, Australia, New Zealand and Portugal.

In 2003 Paraview-Pocket Books New York published Nick Redfern’s book Strange Secrets: Real Government Files on the Unknown in May of that year. And, in March 2004 Paraview-Pocket Books, New York, publish his book Three Men Seeking Monsters: Six Weeks in Pursuit of Werewolves, Lake Monsters, Giant Cats, Ghostly Devil Dogs, and Ape-Men. This book tells the story of his relationship with Jonathan Downes and Richard Freeman of the Centre for Fortean Zoology, and has been optioned by Universal Studios. Redfern has run the U.S branch of the CFZ since 2002.

Redfern has appeared on a variety of television programmes in the UK, including The Big Breakfast; Channel 5 News; and GMTV and is in constant demand on the lecture circuit, both in the UK and overseas, and has appeared in internationally syndicated shows discussing the UFO phenomenon.

Redfern is married to a Texan named Dana.

Redfern authored several best-selling books on UFOs including: The FBI Files: The FBI's UFO Top Secrets Exposed; and Cosmic Crashes: The Incredible Story Of The UFOs That Fell To Earth.

• Cosmic Crashes by Nick Redfern - ISBN 0-671-03306-9
• A Covert Agenda: The British Government's UFO Top Secrets Exposed by Nick Redfern - ISBN 1-931044-70-8
• Strange Secrets by Nick Redfern and Andy J. Roberts - ISBN 0-7434-6976-3
• Body Snatchers in the Desert: The Horrible Truth at the Heart of the Roswell Story by Nick Redfern - ISBN 0-7434-9753-8
• The F.B.I. Files by Nick Redfern - ISBN 0-684-86834-2
• Three Men Seeking Monsters by Nick Redfern - ISBN 0-7434-8254-9
• On The Trail Of The Saucer Spies by Nick Redfern - ISBN 1-933665-10-6
• Celebrity Secrets: Official Government Files on the Rich and Famous by Nick Redfern - ISBN 1-4165-2866-0
• Man-Monkey - In Search of the British Bigfoot by Nick Redfern - ISBN 1-9057-2316-4
• Memoirs of a Monster Hunter: A Five-Year Journey in Search of the Unknown by Nick Redfern - ISBN 1-5641-4976-5

In an interview with Nick Redfern, Strange Secrets: An Interview With Author Nick Redfern Redfern states that "Andy Roberts and I have a book coming out next year on an alleged UFO crash incident in Wales in 1974." This relates to the Berwyn Mountain Incident.