Must-read books for writers, established and aspiring
How did I learn how to write? By studying the craft of other writers, first and foremost – voraciously reading across genres from an early
How did I learn how to write? By studying the craft of other writers, first and foremost – voraciously reading across genres from an early
Here’s how publishing has worked since its inception: Author writes book. Author publishes book (him-/herself or via a publisher). Readers buy book. (Hopefully!) Author makes
I was most intrigued by a recent article in the Guardian on humorous quotations (‘Jane Austen tops humour league for Oxford dictionary compiler’). Gyles Brandreth
There are some who turn their nose up a little at romance novels, claiming that they aren’t sufficiently high-brow or literary. I’d have a little
When I first started writing, I wasn’t even out of knee-high-socks, and there was no means of writing open to me but the traditional pen
If publisher Random House was looking to ramp up publicity for Helen Fielding’s new Bridget Jones novel from sizeable interest to national outrage, it certainly
We live at a time when the cult of the celebrity has become so normalised and strong that it has spilled out of show business
The period, in 2011/12, that began with signing a publishing contract for my debut novel, Burning Embers, and ended with holding the said novel in
Recently, I visited the city of Oxford, home to Oxford University and a deep literary tradition in academia, publishing and writing. There, Lewis Carol devised
Recently, I blogged about Read a Romance Month, whose central focus is asking a wealth of romance novelists why romance matters. I’ve been reading with
August is Read-A-Romance Month! I stumbled across this initiative recently, and was keen to share it with those readers of my blog who, like me,
Readers, writers, publishers – the book world has been in uproar this week following the revelation that a recently published crime novel by ‘Robert Galbraith’
There’s no doubt that book covers are an art form. Those who create the very best examples are talented artists and designers; take, for example,
Traditionally, both writing and reading are solitary, perhaps even lonely pursuits. But thanks to the digital revolution, no longer! Being a writer or reader can
Chocolatier-created caramels and truffles and pralines and mousses that melt on the tongue and instantly release that ‘just fell in love’ hormone. Cupcakes topped with
There is no denying that writing changes over time. Compare Dan Brown to Edgar Allen Poe, J.K. Rowling to C.S. Lewis, E.L. James to Jane
I was fascinated to read a recent article in the Guardian Books section on the increasing success of self-published books in genre markets. According to
Why do writers write? For any or all of the following: Praise – the need to be recognised for the work Notoriety – the need
The publishing world is atremble. Having recovered from the excitement of Dan Brown’s Inferno launch, eyes are now firmly on the release of The Next
Being a published writer today means being within a competitive market – trying to stand out in a crowd with your words. But one organisation
I was fascinated to read of research published in scientific journal PLOS ONE that has found that British writers today are less emotive in their
As I see it, there are three types of writer: Type 1: The writer who doesn’t write but dreams of writing. Type 2: The writer
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