The Hobcast Book Show

There was a time, not so long ago, when the name Moss Side conjured up images of dystopian Manchester streets riddled with drug-related gang gun crime. The epicentre of 'Gunchester' in the 90s, the district was one of the toughest areas in the UK to police. Our guest this week, James Ellson did just that, and was responsible for serious crimes in the division, from shootings, robberies to suspicious deaths. Seeking a change of direction after his police career, James is now a smallholder in the Peak District, as well as a crime author. Drawing on his passion for Nepal where he has trekked extensively, James devised the DCI Castle series, which plunges Manchester-based DCI Rick Castle into a series of investigations in the Himalayan nation. As James tells us, it's a passion project, combining his front-line police experience with his love of Nepal and its people.

Also this week, we discuss how a Liverpool library was caught up in recent social unrest across the UK and the campaign to raise funds to replace the books destroyed in the subsequent fire, and we hear about the latest efforts to protect creative professionals and their incomes against the march of AI.

James Ellson – Writer, Smallholder, Speaker

DCI Castle Series - available here

Fundraiser by Alex McCormick : Books for Spellow Lane (gofundme.com)

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When it comes down to it, The Hobcast Book Show is above all else a celebration of storytelling. Our guest this week, Tim Sullivan, has been a storyteller his whole career - beginning with theatre productions at Cambridge University, making short films, working throughout the Granada TV empire in all departments including news and drama, and becoming a director of shows such as Coronation Street, Cold Feet and The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes. Tim has directed and written films too, working with legendary figures such as Judi Dench, Alec Guinness and Eileen Atkins. He's written big-budget Hollywood animation movies, and most recently he's turned to crime fiction and the DS Cross Crime series, set in Bristol. As Tim tells us, he's proud of how George Cross has been received by readers, particularly those in the autism community. Tim spent many months research into autism before creating his lead detective, who he describes as being rude, awkward and difficult with people, but also a champion of the voiceless and dispossessed, with the best conviction record on the force. The most recent novel in the series, The Teacher, was released earlier this year. This interview is a celebration of storytelling in all its forms.

Also this week, we learn which genres dominate sales on Amazon in the UK, and Adrian reveals the impact that a new audiobook project on the Titanic disaster is having on him.

Home - Tim Sullivan

The Teacher: A brand new case full of twists for the unforgettable must-read detective in 2024 (A DS Cross Thriller) eBook : Sullivan, Tim: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

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There seems to be a theme emerging on The Hobcast Book Show. Iet's amazing how many guests begin their literary careers in comics and graphic novels. That's certainly the case for our guest this week, D.V. Bishop. David was the youngest editor ever of the celebrated 2000 AD comic. As he explains, many of the lessons he learned from that experience have given him advantages as a novelist and creative writing course leader. Author of the Historical Dagger-winning Cesare Aldo series of historical crime novels set in Renaissance Florence, David's evocative recreation of the city at its height in the 16th century has gained him many admirers. As he explains in this illuminating interview, his passion for literature was forged in his New Zealand upbringing - where finding books to read involved a lengthy bike ride to access the mobile library service once a week.

Also this week, we look ahead to the release of two new Hobeck audiobooks, and we debate some of the 3200 new words added to the Cambridge Dictionary. Just what is a "face journey"?

D. V. BISHOP (dvbishop.com)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0CKXN9W6S

Bodies in the Water Audiobook: https://open.spotify.com/show/2zPQ27dQcCWbRAKOJaxloG?si=zkWTF7icTlOB_2RtHQ8bgA

Blood Notes Audiobook: https://open.spotify.com/show/5QREmjP90mjN7A4sQ47dJc?si=chp1InqCSk-JUinSwjNIig

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There can't be many authors who haven't dipped into the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook at least once in their career. First published in 1906, the 2025 edition came out last week. It's the go to reference guide for the UK publishing industry, with comprehensive listings of all the agents, publishers, periodicals, newspapers, awards and festivals that make up the British publishing scene. But as yearbook editor, Alysoun Owen, tells us - the book is far more than that. Each year she commissions articles and essays from leading authors and industry figures shining a light on the key developments within the industry - whether it be the growth of independent publishing or the influence of new technology and AI. It's a huge challenge for Alysoun and her team to reflect all the changes within publishing and illustration each year, but the yearbook has retained it's reputation as the most trusted chronicle of the evolution of the industry over the 118 years since it was first published. It's a fascinating insight into what it takes to keep this great institution fresh and relevant.

Also this week, we discuss the shock felt by some academics that their work has been licensed to Microsoft AI by their publisher without consulting them, and we reflect on our feelings at missing this year's Harrogate festival.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Writers-Artists-Yearbook-2025/dp/1399411780

Alysoun Owen Consulting

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On this week's Hobcast Book Show, we talk to our latest Hobeck Books author, David Jarvis about his new thriller - The Violin and Candlestick, and about how a career as an internationally-renowned strategic planner has fueled this latest novel in the Mike Kingdom series. Michaela 'Mike' Kingdom is a former desk-bound CIA analyst who becomes a reluctant freelance field agent thanks to the machinations of her former boss, Leonard De Vries. In this third adventure, Mike finds herself investigating the death of a leading Canadian billionaire who's made his fortune supplying the building boom across the Gulf states, but who's been living a secretive double life. As David explains, he draws heavily on his personal experience of the hidden parts of the Gulf that tourists never see, as well as his understanding of the power-dynamics at play in this fascinating region.

Also this week, Adrian reveals the personal impact that a major UK crime story had on him this week, and Rebecca prepares herself to chair her first meeting as a 'boss'...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Violin-Candlestick-Mike-Kingdom-Thrillers-ebook/dp/B0D54FBVK8

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Who knew that the innocent looking Foxglove at the bottom of the garden could kill you? Or could your Peace Lily be trying to poison you? Our guest this week, author Jill Johnson, has drawn on her knowledge from her degree in Ornamental Horticulture and wider passion for plants to create her Eustacia Rose mystery series. Eustacia is the putative professor of Botanical Toxicology at University College London, and her expertise in the poisonous qualities of various plants draws her into becoming an amateur sleuth. Jill's first novel, Devil's Breath was featured on BBC2's Between the Covers review show, and her second book in the series, Hell's Bells is published on 11th July 2024. But Jill's literary roots, (awful pun, we know) are deep - she opened London's leading comic-book store Gosh! comics shortly after arriving in the UK. This is a fascinating interview in which Jill reveals although she writes crime novels, she's not read many other books in the genre. Does that hold her back?

Also this week, what will the UK general election result mean for publishing? And how are UK book festivals doing to bridge the funding gap caused by the withdrawal of support by controversial investment management firm, Baillie Gifford?

Jill Johnson – Author of Devil's Breath & The Time Before The Time To Come (jilljohnsonwrites.com)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CJ2YHCXQ

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0CC4YW9M9

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Welcome to this special edition of The Hobcast Book Show, bringing you highlights from Europe's biggest independent publishing show, SPS Live! 2024. Hundreds of authors descended on the South Bank Centre in London for this fourth edition, for two days of talks by bestselling authors and industry figures - all offering insights into the potential future for independent publishing. The two dominant themes this year were the march of AI in publishing, and the developments in the audiobook industry. Picking up on those themes, we speak to Ricardo Fayet of Reedsy, and Craig Thomson of audiobook giants W.F Howes Ltd. How big a role do they see AI playing in the future? Or will the need for human connection keep the bots at bay?

Also this week, as we proudly publish two books in his Mike Kingdom thriller series, we speak to new Hobeck Books author David Jarvis about the world he's created for his reluctant freelance ex-CIA field agent.

Reedsy: Find the perfect editor, designer or marketer | Reedsy

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Amazon-Ads-Authors-Advertising-Potential-ebook/dp/B0BQ3BR152

W. F. Howes | RBmedia (rbmediaglobal.com)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0D5799WYG

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Whatever happened to the Artful Dodger? That's a question that our guest James Benmore has explored with The Dodger Papers trilogy of novels, exploring how one of Charles Dickens' most-beloved characters might react on his return to London after five years hard labour in Australia which was his fate at the end of Oliver Twist. Some might say that it's a brave call to return to the world of a literary giant like Dickens and ask 'what if?', but for James it was something he felt compelled to do. He secured a publishing deal with Quercus, before taking the rights back and publishing the books himself. His most recent novel is Ask for Mercy, a contemporary crime thriller. So what has he learned from the transition from traditionally published author to becoming an indie author?

Also this week, we discuss what's behind that rarest of phenomena in publishing - industrial action - and we look ahead to our visit to the Self Publishing Show Live in London this week.

James Benmore Author Website | mystery thrillers (james-benmore.com)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0CV8ZW2CX

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ask-Mercy-James-Benmore-ebook/dp/B0CJ8BPM5V

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You'll forgive us for talking shop this week on The Hobcast Book Show, as we speak to fellow indie-publisher, Phil Rowlands of Diamond Books. Set up by three friends during the Covid crisis, Diamond Books specialises in crime fiction. Phil, and his fellow founders Jeff Dowson and Steve Timmins all had experience as authors, directors and script writers in their own right. Born partly out of frustration at their experiences with the publishing industry, they set up Diamond Books to give a platform to talented unpublished writers. So what's their publishing journey been like? What challenges have they faced and how have the adapted? As you'll hear in this revealing interview, it's been tough at times, but they remain determined to forge on and continue to publish work by new authors.

Also this week, we discuss the shortlist for the new Theakstons McDermid Debut Award for newly published crime writers, and we examine the implications of a survey of Canadian readers that suggests that more than half of them access all their books and audiobooks from free sources.

https://diamondbooks.co.uk/

https://diamondbooks.co.uk/authors/phil-rowlands

McDermid Debut Award - Harrogate Theakston Crime Awards

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One of the joys of interviewing authors for The Hobcast Book Show is delving into the myriad ways they conduct research for their novels. Our guest this week, Liz Webb, is a great believer in immersing herself in a setting and finding inspiration from those experiences. So it was quite natural for Liz to take the plunge into the freezing waters on a remote 'slate' island off the west coast of Scotland to gain insights for her most recent novel, The Saved, which begins with a husband being resuscitated despite being clinically dead after drifting in the water following a boat accident. We also explore Liz's varied career - she spent ten years on the UK stand up comedy circuit, before becoming a radio drama producer with the BBC. This interview is a celebration of storytelling and making connections with the people and the world around us.

Also this week, we discuss the continuing impact of the campaign by pressure group Fossil Free Books as investment firm Baillie Gifford pull their support for a number of UK book festivals, and hear how some authors are alarmed that their Facebook ads have suddenly begun to spend far more than they budgeted for.

Liz Webb, Author. Order The Saved now!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Saved-Secrets-bodies-remote-Scottish-ebook/dp/B0C6FS7NMT

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