The Hobcast Book Show

On this week's episode we ask - how healthy is British crime fiction? Who better to ask than prolific reviewer and crime festival organiser, Donna Morfett, who returns to The Hobcast Book Show for a second time. A week after hosting her event, The Dark Side of Brighton, which featured some of the biggest names in UK crime fiction, Donna explains that whilst the genre remains hugely popular, new entrants to the industry are finding it harder than ever to find their way in.

Also this week, Adrian bemoans KDP's announcement to begin beta-testing AI narrated audiobooks in the U.S, while Rebecca asks if W H Smith's new book recycling service will impact second-hand sales in charity shops?

(645) Donna Morfett - YouTube

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This week's show is a departure for The Hobcast Book Show, as we're joined by one of Adrian's old BBC colleagues, Sanjeev Shetty. Sanj was a BBC Sport producer and presenter for many years, before taking a job as a speech-writer for the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. He's also the author of five books - two fiction and three non-fiction, with his latest novel, Who Is Jeff Walker, published in 2022. In this interview, Sanj explains how he's balanced the demands of his broadcast career with family life, whilst finding time to become an author of books on subjects such as Lionel Messi or a classic era of British boxing that featured characters such as Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn. Above all, Sanj ascribes his achievements as down to a high work ethic and 'discipline' - forged during a day job where it was customary to write up to 4000 words a day to keep up with the demands of a busy broadcast and news agenda.

Also this week, Rebecca tackles the issue of plagiarism in non-fiction publishing in the light of a furore caused by a leading UK politician's new book, and we return to the debate over whether it's right to listen to audiobooks at a sped-up rate.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Who-Jeff-Walker-Sanjeev-Shetty/dp/1398489735

(26) Sanjeev Shetty | LinkedIn

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This week we have a first on The Hobcast Book Show. Our guest, Geoff Major, is our first to have trekked to the North Pole. Not only that, but he's walked in the Sahara too, and over the years has raised thousands of pounds for charity. But our focus in this interview is on a more recent challenge for Geoff - writing crime fiction. His first novel Deadline was published in 2020, and his second, Hell Hath No Fury, earlier this year. As Geoff explains, he has plans for several more books, but they all have to compete with further charity challenges and running his business consultancy. This is a fascinating interview that explores how it's possible to juggle so many projects at one time.

Also this week, Adrian and Rebecca examine recent revelations about people's audiobook listening habits, and share their experiences as guests at the wedding of one of the UK's most successful indie authors, Rachel McLean.

Home (geoffmajor.info)

Deadline eBook : Major, Geoff: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hell-Hath-Fury-Geoff-Major-ebook/dp/B0BQB4L3DR

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We love historical thrillers on The Hobcast Book Show. There's something beguiling about asking the question - "what if...?" - and applying it to a famous historical setting and story. That's certainly the approach taken by our guest this week, the brilliant J.G. Kelly, whose latest novel The White Lie asks if the fabled heroic failure of Captain Scott's Terra Nova expedition to the South Pole in 1912 ended in tragedy not because of bad luck or poor planning, but were murdered instead? The novel is also set in 1969, and draws parallels between the Apollo moon landings that year, and the events in Antarctica almost six decades earlier. This is a fascinating insight into what it takes to find fresh narrative opportunities from a well-known and celebrated piece of history.

Also this week, more scrutiny of Spotify's plans to stream audiobooks for free, this time from the Society of Authors, and we pay tribute to author Dale Brendan Hyde who passed away last week.

Homepage - J.G. Kelly (jgkelly.co.uk)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/White-Lie-J-G-Kelly/dp/1529357837

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We're joined this week by British author Stephen J. Golds from his home in Nagoya, Japan. Regular listeners to the show will know that we are big fans of Japanese culture, so it was a real pleasure to speak to Stephen about his experiences of living and working in Japan for the past 17 years. Originally from London, Stephen is the author a series of hard-boiled noir novels, which until recently were published by Red Dog Press, which closed in August. We ask Stephen how that has impacted on him as an author, about his plans for a new series, and how poetry provided the gateway to becoming a writer.

Also this week, we discuss industry concerns about Spotify's plans to offer 15 hours of free audiobook content to subscribers each month, and Rebecca reflects on a weekend of travel challenges in rain-soaked Edinburgh.

Books – Stephen J. Golds (wordpress.com)

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Our guest this week, Kate Wiseman, had a late start to her author career. Attending university at 38 gave her the confidence to pursue writing, and she's now established herself as an accomplished author of Middle-Grade and Young Adult fiction. For her most recent series, Kate has drawn on her passion for mudlarking - exploring the foreshore of the River Thames to find forgotten objects in the mud and silt when the tide is out. Whether it be pieces of jewelry, lost toys or even Roman mosaic fragments, Kate feels a deep connection with the past with each discovery. But in the 19th century, mudlarking was a way of life for many, and their only way of sustaining themselves. It's a fascinating interview.

Also this week, Adrian and Rebecca reflect on the results of a recent survey of American authors which reveals that writers really are struggling to make a living from their craft.

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This week, Rebecca attended the Independent Publisher's Guild Autumn conference in London, where the impact of AI was the number one topic of debate among delegates. It's also where she bumped into our guest this week, Elaine Bousfield MBE, who runs Zuntold, a small independent publisher based in Manchester. Zuntold publish fiction to support mental health and well-being, working with established voices as well as debut authors. Elaine is also a pioneer in bibliotherapy, using reading and creative writing as a form of therapy to create positive outcomes for a range of mental health issues. As you'll hear, Zuntold and Hobeck Books share a number of the same pressures and challenges, trying to make an impact in the publishing world. It's a frank yet inspiring interview.

Also this week, Adrian updates us on his recovery from a recent mental health episode, and we ask if Amazon's efforts to curb AI written books flooding the market is too little, too late.

ZunTold

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We admit, at The Hobcast Book Show, that we can be a little obsessed with the modern phenomenon of "cancel culture" - and how rumour, innuendo and group think has the potential to destroy lives. It has echoes of another period of English history, the Civil War, where witch-finding became an obsession for a society riven along political and religious lines. It's the era in which our guest this week, Stacey Thomas, has set her brilliant debut novel, The Revels. Set in 1645, Stacey brings us a dark tale of witchcraft and the paranormal set against the background of the Civil War. This is a truly fascinating interview .

Also this week, in a change to our regular format, Adrian reflects on a very difficult week where his mental health issues came to the fore, and Rebecca shares the impact events have had on her, our wider families and Hobeck Books itself.

(1) Stacey Thomas (@Staceyv_Thomas) / X (twitter.com)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Revels-Stacey-Thomas-ebook/dp/B0BQPGLDVS

The Revels – Signed Copy | Booka Bookshop

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We're delighted to be publishing Chasing the Dragon by Mark Wightman this week at Hobeck Books. It's the second instalment of the Betancourt series set in Singapore in 1940. Mark's first novel, Waking the Tiger was hugely successful, securing shortlistings for four major prizes. It's been two years between the publication of the two books, and Mark explains how that's in part down to the level of research needed to recreate the historical setting accurately. One of the key themes of the novel is the prevalence and influence of opium throughout the British Empire, and it's impact on all strata of society.

Also this week, Adrian and Rebecca discuss the impact of piracy on their business, and wonder what Spotify's plans to offer free audiobooks to subscribers means to right holders and narrators.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chasing-Dragon-SCOTTISH-SHORTLISTED-Betancourt-ebook/dp/B0CFG7ZPX7

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B091DMDR4M

Historical Crime Fiction | Mark Wightman Author | Scotland

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We're all familiar with the concept of pen names. There are dozens of reasons why an author might adopt one, and some of our own Hobeck authors write under aliases. But what if you want to take that concept a stage further, and create a complete alter-ego to go with that name, and write from a completely different perspective to your own? That's the challenge celebrated Basque author Luisa Etxenike gave herself in writing as Antonia Lassa for her first crime novel, Skin Deep. Translated into English by our second guest this week, Dr Jacky Collins, aka Dr Noir, Luisa adopted a completely different voice and perspective as Antonia. For one thing, Antonia is French. She's younger than Luisa too, offering the author the freedom to find a fresh approach to her craft and an alternative voice to her established literary work. Then there's the challenge for Jacky to capture the spirit of Antonia's work in English. This is a fascinating interview not to be missed.

Also this week, 'Blurb-gate' rumbles on in the UK publishing industry, and Adrian gives us a sneak preview of the next Hobeck blockbuster audiobook, Chasing The Dragon by Mark Wightman which is published next week.

Luisa Etxenike | web oficial

https://youtube.com/@newcastlenoir7292?si=J60xsSvn2ofzwi2R

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Skin-Deep-Antonia-Lassa/dp/173929890X

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chasing-Dragon-SCOTTISH-SHORTLISTED-Betancourt-ebook/dp/B0CFG7ZPX7

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