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Comment from the book world in April 2016

April 2016

'Trapped between adulthood and childhood'

25 April 2016

‘I remember as a teenager I was trapped between adulthood and childhood. I still loved reading Roald Dahl but I also loved Stephen King, Clive Barker and James Herbert. I think teenagers are drawn to both worlds so I try to tell stories that have all the darkness of adult books, but which are written with a younger audience in mind. I'm always conscious of not taking it too far, but at the same time I believe YA books can go very far. But I never glamourize violence, never write about it as an offhand thing. The violence is always there for a reason and I explore the consequences of it. It's about how the characters come to terms with these events and overcome them.

I think really good horror and fantasy books are always a reflection of the world in which we're living. There's much more going on in them than just the fantasy trappings.'

Darren Shan, author of the just-published Zom-B: Goddess in Bookbrunch

 

 

'Everything that's wrong with the business'

18 April 2016

‘Barnes and Noble is in dreadful shape and Borders closed. The big brand-name authors with a track record, we're still fetching top dollar for them without breaking a sweat. It is progressively more difficult to launch a new voice and to create a sales track that's sustainable, and that's all about the inefficiencies of retail... The thing that seems to have peaked is the runaway success of certain self-published authors, and the sense that self-publication was going to be a panacea for everything that's wrong with the business.' Sloan Harris, co-head of ICM's book department in the Hollywood Reporter

'Just write what's in your head'

4 April 2016

There are fewer fairy tales in publishing these days, but there's still some magic left and dreams can come true.

Don't write for the publishers and don't try to second guess the market; it's elusive and impossible to pin down.

Just write what's in your head and what's in your heart and give the reader a reason to keep turning the pages, whether it's love for your characters or a need to find out what happened ten years ago or what happens next.

And don't worry if it sometimes feels impossible. It's supposed to feel that way.

Lisa Jewel, author of The Girls and Ralph's Party, in the Mail online