News

A message from Brian Aldiss

  As Brian Aldiss enters his 89th year, we’re publishing a long-overdue retrospective of the career of one of the most acclaimed science fiction writers of all time, and a true literary legend. Here is a short note to mark the occasion from Brian Aldiss himself and his publisher, Scott… Read More

Five Things I Learned About Writing Books – Mhairi McFarlane

Mhairi burst onto the scene with her first novel You Had Me At Hello selling over 400,000 copies in print and ebook.  Here Mhairi (pronounced Vah-Ree) shares the lessons she’s learnt along the way. 1) It gets easier – but not easy The best analogy I’ve found for how the… Read More

The Dazzlingly Original New Picture Book from Eoin Colfer and Oliver Jeffers

“How did Imaginary Fred begin? We were all sat at a crowded dinner table, and after a few drinks I asked whether he’d like to work on a project together. Oliver was very enthusiastic and immediately said yes. Unfortunately, what he hadn’t realised was that at the time I was… Read More

Jonathan Bate is shortlisted for the 2015 Samuel Johnson Prize

  “Ted Hughes said that the only capital he had for his work as an author was his own life. His published writings might be described as the authorised version of the story…” We’re absolutely delighted that the brilliant Ted Hughes: The Unauthorised Life by Sir Jonathan Bate was shortlisted… Read More

Warriors of the Storm by Bernard Cornwell

  Warriors of the Storm follows Uhtred into what may be his finest hour, as a fragile peace is about to be broken… The ninth installment in the The Last Kingdom series hit Number 1 in the hardback fiction charts following its release, and reader interest has been stoked… Read More

S. K. Tremayne talks about The Ice Twins

We sat down to chat with author S.K. Tremayne about terrifying new psychological thriller, The Ice Twins, the super-scary book that will leave you sleeping with the lights on… Tell us about yourself… I am a travel writer and thriller writer. I have two daughters. I live in London. I love taking taxis. Read More

Backlist Recommendation by The Cotswold Bookstore: The Homecoming of Samuel Lake

Tony from the Cotswold Bookstore recommends The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield “I received my proof copy of this debut novel in mid February and so, by the end of the second month of the year, I felt I had already read my favourite adult read of… Read More

Backlist Recommendation by The Whitby Bookshop: Divergent

William Jaggs from The Whitby Bookshop recommends Divergent by Veronia Roth. The collector’s edition released in November 2014 is a stunning hardback edition of the No. 1 New York Times bestseller debut, boasting 72 pages of bonus content, including:Two essays by Veronica Roth, including excerpts from early drafts of Divergent,… Read More

Backlist Recommendation by Blackwell’s Edinburgh: Sanctus by Simon Toyne

Sanctus is an apocalyptic conspiracy thriller like no other – it re-sets the bar for excitement and fascination, and marks the debut of a major talent in Simon Toyne. Revelation or devastation? The certainties of the modern world are about to be blown apart by a three thousand year-old… Read More

Introducing S. J. Parris

After Heresy comes Prophecy and with it the return of the enigmatic Italian, Giordano Bruno. Set against a backdrop of Elizabethan London, Bruno finds himself at the centre of religious and political disquiet. He’s tasked with uncovering the catholic plotters within the French embassy whilst also investigating a series of… Read More

Backlist Recommendation by Bay Tree Books: August and Then Some

Jaggedly beautiful and intensely realised, tightly plotted yet expansive, this debut novel is the coming-of-age of a striking new voice in American fiction. This is a taut and gripping family drama, in which horrifying secrets kept between father and daughter, and mother and son, explode during one tragic night. Set… Read More

A letter to Indie booksellers from baker and food writer Dan Lepard

Hello, In September my baking book Short & Sweet is published. As a baker and food writer I encourage home cooks to seek out local independents: whether that be small flour wind or water mills, specialist ingredient suppliers that stock a rarer selection than any supermarket offers, and – in… Read More

A Q&A with Mark Mills

The new book from Mark Mills, bestselling author of The Savage Garden, is published this month and it is an absolutely thrilling read. House of the Hanged is set in the South of France in the mid 1930s, at a time when Europe is heading closer to another war. In this… Read More

Hilary Mantel talks about Anne Boleyn

Watch Hilary Mantel, author of the Man Booker Prize-winning ‘Wolf Hall’ and its sequel ‘Bring Up The Bodies’, talking about the primary focus of her new novel, Anne Boleyn. Read More

A letter to independent booksellers from a former bookseller, Ian Sansom

Dear Bookseller, My publisher has asked me to write a brief letter to you about my new book, Paper: An Elegy. The book is a cultural history of paper in its many forms and functions. It is an attempt, I think, to show how and why humans became attached to… Read More