The Hobcast Book Show Adrian Hobart

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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Crime fiction is the most enduring genre in UK publishing, as well as the most popular. For over two hundred years, readers have had a love affair with whodunnits and murder mysteries, police procedurals and amateur sleuths. So what lies behind crime fictions eternal appeal? Who better to ask than our guest this week, Martin Edwards, who is recognised as the foremost authority on the history of British crime fiction. Martin is the president of the Detection Club, succeeding such legendary figues as G.K Chesterton, Dorothy L. Sayers and Agatha Christie. He's also a former chair of the Crime Writer's Association, a Diamond Dagger recipient and the author of dozens of novels and non-fiction works. His most recent books are Sepulchre Street, the fourth novel in the Rachel Savernake Golden Age mystery series, and award-winning non-fiction work, The Life of Crime - Detecting the History of Mysteries and their Creators. In this fascinating and wide-ranging interview, we ask what lies behind crime fiction's popularity and how has the genre changed to meet changing public taste?
Also this week, we ask how the once powerful Romance Writers of America organisation has collapsed into bankruptcy, and we discuss the challenge that arts festivals face as campaigners force the Edinburgh Literary Festival to become the latest event to sever links with a major sponsor over their links to fossil fuel companies.
Martin Edwards - Martin Edwards Books
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sepulchre-Street-Rachel-Savernake-Book-ebook/dp/B0B2FFJR12
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Crime-Detecting-Mysteries-Creators-ebook/dp/B09JB4GV7Q

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"Relax. The inspiration will come." That's the message for writers from our guest this week, novelist Orla Owen. The author of the critically acclaimed Christ on a Bike, Orla has learnt to trust in the writing process to solve problems she faces, whether it be a plot point or character development, or any other of the myriad puzzles that need solving during the creation of a novel. Orla is also a great believer in putting a manuscript aside and returning to it several months later. She finds that will help her to recognise any issues or flaws that need solving, and she also finds reading the work aloud a great help in improving the flow of the prose. This is an interview full of insight into the creative process and a deep dive into the writing craft.
Also this week, as a UK general election is called, Adrian and Rebecca reflect on the potential impact that an important piece of legislation that was passed last week may have on the way that publishing is impacted by the big digital companies such as Amazon and Facebook.
Orla Owen
Christ on a Bike | Bluemoose Books

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