There's a healthy debate within publishing about the impact of blog tours. They're designed of course to support book releases and raise awareness of the authors. But just how effective are they? Our guest this week on The Hobcast Book Show is Zoe-Lee O'Farrell who is both a book blogger and a blog tour organiser. What does she see as their key value? We also discuss her first novel Ouija and her work with fellow indie press, Spellbound Books.

Also this week, Adrian and Rebecca reflect on a post London Book Fair bout of COVID, and discuss the impact a bad agent has had on one of the UK's leading promoters of new writing, Jericho Writers.

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We made it! It's been an epic few days at the London Book Fair at Olympia, and in our concluding special Hobcast Book Show we speak to two of the key figures in the growth of indie publishing, Mark Dawson and Mark Stay.

Mark Dawson is the multi-million selling author of three series including the John Milton series, but he's also the creator of the Self Publishing Formula courses which have helped thousands of writers fulfill their dream of becoming full-time authors. 

Mark Stay has also been highly influential in this area through his podcast The Bestseller Experiment which has now run to over 400 shows. 

Adrian and Rebecca also speak to two further members of the Independent Publishers Guild: Jon Barton from Vertebrate Publishing and Alison Jones from Practical Inspiration Publishing.

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The Hobcast Book Show is at the London Book Fair! In this first in a series of special podcasts, we speak to one of the most successful indie crime authors in the UK today, Barry Hutchison, who under the pen name J D Kirk has built a huge following for his DCI Jack Logan series. Originally a traditionally published author, Barry was quick to recognise the potential of the Amazon KDP platform and decided to become an independently published author of crime novels - a genre he'd never even read before he created Jack Logan! In this fascinating interview, Barry reveals the challenges he's overcome to become one of the UK's most successful crime writers.

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The relationship between music and literature is long established. For Dorset based author Guy Gardner, his love of one inspires the other. A gifted jazz musician, Guy published his first novel, The Mirror Game earlier this year. It's a historical thriller set in the 1920s. So how much work does it take to recreate such a complex decade accurately?

Also this week, Adrian and Rebecca discuss their plans for this week's London Book Fair where they'll be recording a series of special shows from Olympia.

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It's a debate that has raged among authors for decades. Write in one genre or literary area, or try as many as possible? Our guest on The Hobcast Book Show, Liverpudlian author Dave McCluskey has tackled quite a number over the past 11 years. Horror may be his mainstay, but he's also written romance, graphic novels, historical crime fiction and children's books too. As he tells Rebecca and Adrian, if he has a story idea, regardless of the genre, he HAS to write it come what may. 

Also this week, we discuss Phillip Pullman's resignation from the Presidency of the Society of Authors, and could TikTok really be the answer to selling more audio books?

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It's one of the aspects that frustrates us most at Hobeck Books. When it comes to awards, most of the odds are stacked in the favour of the big publishing houses and traditionally published authors. There are exceptions of course, but it was this situation that motivated our guest this week Pauline Barclay to launch the Chill Awards five and a half years ago. Only open to independent authors or small independent presses, the awards celebrate the wealth of great books produced by the indie community. Pauline has readers across the world who select the books on offer, and if several of them agree independently, the book wins an award. It's an inspiring interview.

Also this week, Adrian and Rebecca discuss even more signs that print books are about to rise in price, and there's news of another author signing for Hobeck Books.

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Every writer dreams of being a published author. It's tough enough when you're based in a country like the UK with hundreds of agents and dozens of publishers to target, but when your own country has almost no fiction publishing scene - it's far harder. That was the challenge Awais Khan faced. At 25, with two degrees to his name, he followed his heart and signed up for the renowned Faber Writing Academy, studying online from his home in Pakistan. But finding a way to publication wasn't easy. Dozens of rejections followed before a London literary agent expressed an interest. Now working on his third novel, Awais has been widely praised for his second No Honour, a gripping depiction of the issue of honour killings in his native Pakistan. 

Also this week, Adrian and Rebecca reflect on the future of Blackwells, and the latest industry trend in signing up stars from TikTok.

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Two billion books sold and 102 years after the publication of her first novel, we bring you this Agatha Christie special edition of The Hobcast Book Show. Adrian and Rebecca return to the place they first met, Exeter University to meet Annie Price, who curates the Agatha Christie archive within the university's special collections department. 

As we discover, the collection charts the relationship between Agatha and her literary agent Edmund Cork, and reveals fascinating details about how she worked, how she thought, and how determined she was to ensure her characters were reflected accurately on stage and screen. With contributions from some of our own Hobeck authors about the influence Christie has had on their work, we are proud to present this unique insight into the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie.

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If you ever search for a crime novel on the UK Amazon store, the chances are you'll soon see an ad for Rachel McLean's books. In the space of three years, the Birmingham based author's two crime series have established an army of fans, and her titles regularly hit the number one spot. Rachel was also awarded the coveted Kindle Storyteller Award for 2021. So what does she put her success down to? Writing with your reader in mind. As Rachel tells us, if you truly meet reader expectations, they will reward you in return. 

Also this week, Adrian and Rebecca have taken The Hobcast on the road again, this time to Anglesey in North Wales where they discuss just how costly Apple's changes to data sharing have been to Facebook, and the wider digital marketing landscape.

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