The Hobcast Book Show

Our guest this week is no stranger to awards recognition. Heleen Kist is the author of three published psychological thrillers, the first two of which were shortlisted for a host of major international awards. Drawing on her surroundings in her adopted home of Glasgow, and inspired by the experiences of friends, her latest novel, What I Hid From You, features Radha, a dentist whose addiction to valium drags her into the orbit of one of the city's drug gangs. As Heleen explains, the scenario is all too real.

Also this week, Adrian and Rebecca draw inspiration from a visit to Birmingham, the home of the world's longest-running continuing drama serial, The Archers ...

Heleen Kist (author) - Home

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If there's one genre that has dominated the mystery and suspense market in recent years, it is psychological suspense and thrillers. Our guest this week, Louise Mangos, has built a strong reputation in the genre, with three novels published to date. Louise is, like no less than four of our own Hobeck authors, a graduate of the Crime Fiction MA at the University of East Anglia. That gave her the foundations of her writing craft, but her inspiration often strikes her while she takes advantage of the fabulous scenery around her in Switzerland. If Louise isn't writing, she can be found kayaking, skiing, running, open-water swimming or cycling around the lakes and mountains nearby. 

Also this week, we lament the latest cutbacks at Amazon to impact on the book trade, and how one publisher found themselves unwittingly at the centre of an identity theft scam.

https://louisemangos.com/

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It's probably the number one piece of advice handed out to all aspirant authors - "write what you know." Our guest this week has perhaps drawn on this advice in two key regards: write where you know, and write when you knew. Nick Edmunds, writing as N J Edmunds, is the author of Miles Away - a dark psychological mystery novel set in 1970s Scotland, and draws on Nick's own experiences of the period and locations, as well as his career as a GP. In this revealing interview, Nick reveals he's always been fascinated in the way the mind works, even inspiring him to become a hypnotherapist.

Also this week, we discuss the contribution made by the late Peter Usborne, founder of Usborne Books, and we admire the growing portfolio of publishing companies acquired by fellow UK independent publishers, Joffe Books.

www.njedmunds.eu

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We wear many hats at Hobeck Books. We're editors, cover designers, proof-readers, marketeers and audiobook creators to name but a few of our roles. We recently decided to combine these skills with a new arm of the company, Arch Publishing Services - helping clients to get their books from concept to finished product. This week we speak to our first clients, Bryn Thompson and Steve Lowndes of New World Selling, a consultancy offering world-class sales training for the business-to-business sector. They'd first considered writing a book together twelve years ago, but it wasn't until the Covid lockdowns that they actually made real progress with their manuscript. We became involved a year ago, and their debut book Transformational Selling was published two weeks ago to considerable acclaim. This may not be traditional Hobcast interview territory, but we're sure you'll learn a great deal about the new way to do business in this rapidly changing world.

Also this week, we discuss Penguin Random House's decision to limit their internships to candidates from lower socio-economic backgrounds and ask if that will work, plus there's another classic author being put through the  modern sensitivity reader mangle. Is Agatha Christie really that offensive to contemporary audiences?

HOME | Newworldselling

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There are so many potential avenues to pursue for the gifted writer. In recent episodes we've touched on poetry and writing plays, but have you ever considered the key role writers play in creating video games? Our guest this week, Colin Harvey, is a published fiction, non-fiction, and comic author in his own right, but it's his expertise in transmedia storytelling that we focus on in this interview. Colin was first drawn to the potential of writing in the digital space as a boy when he won an Atari home computer in the 80s. He's now Principal Writer with Saber Interactive, having been lead writer with Sony's PlayStation London Studio. It's a fascinating insight into a world many writers have no idea exists for them to explore working in.

Also this week, Adrian is concerned about more changes to the way that audiobook distributor Findaway Voices works, and Rebecca reflects on a positive return to Exeter University to inspire students to explore publishing.

https://www.colinbharvey.com/

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Our guests on The Hobcast Bookshow this week have inspired thousands of people to become writers. Sam and Barry Hall combine their day jobs with running Wordsmithery, an independent literary arts organisation and publisher in the Medway area of Kent. Wordsmithery was founded with the aim of encouraging more people to get into writing and reading, and to work on interesting literary projects with individuals and community groups. As you'll hear - Sam and Barry are incredibly inventive and creative in their approach to their mission. It's an inspiring interview for anyone who loves writing and the pleasures of literature.

Also this week, Adrian shares his views on the dominant media story of the week in the UK, and Rebecca reveals a hidden talent...

​Wordsmithery | Live Literature and Publishing | Kent

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Just ten minutes a day could make a huge difference to your writing productivity. That's the message from our guest this week, author, ghost-writer and book coach Nicole Johnston. Using that time to write, without self-editing, can help authors through writer's block she says, with the added benefit of increasing your overall creativity. Nicole has coached dozens of authors to overcome their writing roadblocks, drawing on her experience as an author, and her career in politics as an advisor to some of the biggest names in Australian and UK politics, including former Prime Minister Gordon Brown. It's a fascinating interview.

Also this week, Adrian and Rebecca discuss efforts by Bookshop.org to build a new ebook platform to rival Amazon, and reflect on the recent IPG Spring conference where the issue of the future impact of AI in publishing dominated discussions.

Ghostwriter, Author & Writing Coach Nicole Johnston - The Writing Tribe

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This week is a departure for The Hobcast Book Show, as we focus on poetry with our guest Susan Darlington. Speaking to us from her home in Leeds, we learn how nature inspires her poetry, and Susan shares her love of the challenge verse demands, especially choosing the optimum words to express the themes she wants to explore. Susan has published three collections of her work to date, and is a regular contributor and reviewer for a range of publications and websites.

Also this week, as Adrian and Rebecca enjoy a week away in Rye in East Sussex, they debate the recent sensitivity changes made to Roald Dahl's childrens books and the furor that's created in the publishing world.

Under the Devil's Moon: Amazon.co.uk: Darlington, Susan: 9781326187583: Books

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Are you a plotter or a pantser? It's arguably the question we ask most often on The Hobcast Book Show of our guests. This week we speak to an author who takes pantsing, or if you're being more politically correct, discovery writing to new levels. Abigail Osborne says the only way she can approach her craft is to write as her mood dictates, and jumps around the timeline of her stories as a result. She relies on the editing process to make sense of the raw material she create, and while unconventional, her method has brought success with three superb psychological thrillers published to date. Abbie says it's her way of harnessing her ADHD superpower, and shows no matter how unconventionally your mind works, there is always a way to bring your writing to the world successfully. It's a brilliant and inspiring interview.

Also this week, Adrian and Rebecca reflect on the disappointment of not securing a nomination for the Nibbies (National Book Awards) this year, and ask if the new trend of big publishers trawling TikTok for potential authors is a welcome development or not?

Abigail Osborne – Author

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Abigail-Osborne/e/B01JN1G4CY

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There are few cities, if any, that rival London for their literary impact, and whilst the grime of Dicken's London, or the elegant squares of Bloomsbury are celebrated as literary locations, there's one borough that can justifiably claim to match all others - Clapham. As our guest this week, author Julie Anderson explains, Clapham has been home to some of the most celebrated British authors, such as Samuel Pepys, Graham Greene, Roald Dahl, Noel Coward and Angela Carter. There's a healthy community of writers in Clapham now too, and for the past few years, Clapham Writers have organised the Clapham Literary Festival, attracting leading authors from all genres of fiction and non-fiction to speak there, and while other festivals have found times difficult since the pandemic, it seems that Clapham's is going from strength-to-strength.

Also this week, Adrian and Rebecca express their dismay at the revelation that Hobeck Audiobook productions have potentially been used to feed the development of A.I narration systems, and they support moves announced this week to raise freelance pay rates in the UK publishing industry after years of stagnation.

claphamwriters | Living & writing in Clapham (wordpress.com)

Julie Anderson – Writer and author (julieandersonwriter.com)

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