Blog posts
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I am delighted see that Joffe Books, which publishes my crime novels, had been shortlisted for another award. Already shortlisted for Independent Publisher of the Year, part of the British Book Awards 2026, the fast-growing company has now been shortlisted for Trade Publisher of the Year in the Independent Publishing Guild (IPG) awards, which it…
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So, you are an emerging writer seeking to get on top of the myriad of technical elements that comprise writing fiction. From creating credible villains to devising strong motives, making sure that your story grabs the reader from the first line to providing an ending that wraps everything up in a satisfactory manner, there is…
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All authors value their books bringing in large numbers of reviews and star-ratings, as long as the majority are positive, of course! For instance, I am, delighted if one of my novels tops 1,000 reviews/ratings on Amazon. It is good to know that you are not being ignored. Then you come across a statistic that…
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Rapidly-expanding Joffe Books has completed its takeover of respected publisher Severn House, which was founded in 1974 and whose specialties include crime fiction, as does Joffe Books, as well as horror and ghost stories. Severn House’s crime writers include Simon Brett and the company has a particularly strong presence in the United States.
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Research carried out as part of the National Year of Reading, in partnership with KPMG UK, has revealed that pressures on young families, as well as gaps in confidence and knowledge, are contributing to a sustained decline in parents’ engagement with activities known to support children’s early literacy development. The research is part of an…
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How can characters help authors to find a way through writers’ block? Read the latest of John Dean’s free Handy Hints for emerging authors in the Characters pages of this website to find out.
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You can check out my latest book review – The Whiskey Bar Mystery by the excellent Irish crime writer David Pearson – by visiting the Review pages of my website, accessed off the main menu.
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The Scottish Book Trust is seeking support for its campaign to ensure that it becomes a legal requirement for Scottish secondary schools to provide their own library. No such requirement exists at the moment but the trust says that recent research highlights that school libraries play a vital role in supporting pupil well-being beyond academic…
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New Writing North and Northumbria University have announced that funding is in place for their new centre for writing and publishing in Newcastle. They hope to buy the Old Post Office in Newcastle for the centre, which will be a public building hosting events and courses for writers based in the north, everyone from professional…
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It’s the foolproof way of checking that your manuscript is ready to be submitted to a publisher, agent or to your designer for self-publication, and it never fails. But what is it, I hear your cry? Why, the Page 95 Rule, of course. You can find how it works as part of the free Handy…
John Dean - Crime Writer 