Amazon v. Goodreads?

Recently, I’ve heard mixed things about Goodreads and Amazon, so I thought I’d explore a little more.

My initial and anecdotal impression has been that Goodreads encouraged fairly considered and balanced observations, while Amazon often offered either blatant adoration of a book or a flippant rejection. Goodreads reviewers were tied to a social profile […]

What interests readers?

Authors write books.

Books get published.

Then it begins…

Authors, publishers, publicists and promoters go into full swing, telling the world about the new book, the author’s lifestyle, their children, garden, holiday. Background posts about the book’s setting, the author’s journey, research discoveries, insights, writing hints are posted. Facebook profiles and pages are populated with […]

Not all self-published work is grey in the night

Not all self-published work is crap.

Not all mainstream books are good.

Many self-published works are excellent.

Many mainstream books are dire.

All true. But the demarcation between the two is blurring. A reader doesn’t give a toss who produced a book they love. The things they do notice are rubbishy covers, unintelligible blurb, coarse, […]

What does reading do for you?

People nowadays have to work more and get less time to think. Thinking and learning is an important aspect of self development, it is also essential for professional success. Reading is a vital basic skill for life. Poor reading skills tend to go hand in hand with social exclusion (Guardian, 2007, Does Reading Matter?).

That’s […]

INCEPTIO - Pembury Library talk

When I was planning the launch of INCEPTIO at Waterstones in Tunbridge Wells, I was very keen to go and talk at my local library on the same trip.

I lived in Pembury for over 24 years and spent many happy hours in the library when my son was small (storytime) and when looking […]