Ben Westerham non-fiction related blog posts.
As well as being an author, I am, naturally, a reader. I’m also a collector of books. I have a particular soft spot for old books, especially those with beautiful artwork on the boards and spine, with the late C19th and early C20th being especially fertile ground for such books.
Character names. They are a pretty important part of the average novel, but they can be a bit of a challenge in their own right. Just how much of a challenge, I’ve been reminded of these last few weeks as I’ve worked on building out my new project.
Ugh, getting my writing done these last couple of weeks has become more and more difficult, though it’s been entirely of my own doing. The problem is that old chestnut plotting.
At a time when we authors are being encouraged to overcome the challenge from AI by highlighting our humanity, it is interesting to look back to another time when authors were busy getting themselves physically in front of their readers.
So, I’ve recently completed the initial version of The Meyer-Hoffman Affair (Alexander Templeman book two) and despatched it to the editor. That’s very definitely a good thing. However, the act of hitting the send button on that email does always plant a tricky question in my mind, namely what comes next.
I love the whole concept around the creator economy, which is essentially about the outstanding opportunities that exist right now for creators to make a living from the things they produce. It’s easier said than done, the making money part, but the opportunities are there in a way they haven’t been before, certainly during my life-time.
I do love a good hardback. There’s something extra-special about the physical experience of holding a hardback in your hands. Maybe it’s the dust jacket or the extra weight or, perhaps, it’s just that it’s so much nicer turning the pages in a hardback than it is a paperback.
Whilst I’ve long known that Charles Dickens released his stories in serialised format before they were published as books, I’ve been surprised recently to discover how long this practice has been going on and the extent of its use.
I’ve recently started sharing some of my favourite covers from the books in my collection. I don’t have as many books as I once did, but there are still around two thousand, so there are plenty to choose from. But going through making my initial selections prompted another thought. Book spines.
