books
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Like many authors, I receive all sorts of emails on a daily basis, most of them selling services such as promotion of my books, perfectly genuine but basically sales pitches. Others are obviously scams, some patently obvious as they demand money from the outset, but some are more subtle. I can usually spot them but…
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Some interesting findings from Writers of the West, a firm specialising in publishing and ghostwriting services in the USA, Canada, and Europe. Looking at what readers are buying in 2026, using data including that from Circana and NielsenIQ, Amazon, Kobo, Apple Books, Audible, BookTok, Kindle Unlimited and indie sales figures, they say that the leading…
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Two popular crime writers and one of the genre’s most respected editors will help authors develop their craft when a hotel in Dumfries and Galloway hosts a specially-organised weekend of events later this year. Entitled Crime Fiction at the Selkirk Arms in Kirkcudbright, the event will take place at the four-star hotel in High Street…
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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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Are you an emerging writer seeking to learn about creating fiction and keen to receive plain-speaking advices? Then a book written by best-selling novelist John Dean, in which he examines the craft behind fiction, could well be for you. In On Writing, John, who is best known for his crime novels, 26 of which have…
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“I know that some novelists do not plan, just start writing and see where the story takes them, but in my experience that often takes them into a cul-de-sac and things can become horrendously convoluted as they try to write themselves back out. I am one of the many novelists who do plan and I…
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A question which I am sometimes asked by readers is ‘what do you think is your best book?’ The answer may come over as glib but is absolutely genuine. ‘The next one,’ I say. That is because I genuinely believe that an author never stops learning, however many books they sell and however positive reviews…
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One of the most prestigious honours in the crime writing world has been awarded to Mark Billingham, in recognition of his twenty-five year contribution to the genre. The author, whose debut novel Sleepyhead was abestseller, the first of many, has been awarded the Diamond Dagger by the Crime Writers’ Association. Mark was born in Birmingham…
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He’s back! One of the fictional world’s most unusual killers has returned in the sequel to the novella Koki, by thriller writer Malcolm Beadle. The first book in the series by Malcolm, of Darlington, County Durham, which was published in 2025, introduced readers to former rodeo clown/turned Army sniper Trent Blane. Blane has been a…
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Authors and football personalities supported the official launch of the National Year of Reading at The Emirates, the home of London club Arsenal. The nationwide initiative from the Department for Education and the National Literacy Trust seeks to address the steep decline in the nation’s enjoyment of reading by inspiring people of all ages to…
John Dean - Crime Writer 