Authors

No one seems to have escaped the fan fury over the finals season of Game of Thrones. While likely no one got it quite as bad as showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, even author George R.R. Martin-who wrote A Song of Ice and Fire, the book series upon which the show is based, faced backlash surrounding the HBO hit.  Read more

After the death of the great Nobel-prizewinning author, Ben Okri, Alice Walker, Elif Shafak and others offer their personal tributes

by Ellah Wakatama Allfrey, Aminatta Forna, Danez Smith, Caryl Philips, Lynn Nottage, Candace Allen, Candice Carty-Williams, Elif Shafak, Bonnie Greer, Preti Taneja, Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff, Kamila Shamsie and Margaret Busby

We all judge books by their covers. A cover is the most important piece of marketing for any book. Publishers know this, which is why they have entire departments devoted to the design of book covers. Art departments do tons of market research, A/B testing, and usually go through several designs before deciding on a direction for a cover.

Lee Child has had the kind of success most authors can only fantasise about. He's written 23 thrillers featuring American hero Jack Reacher - with total sales of at least 100 million copies worldwide. He's just been named author of the year at the British Book Awards. And if he hadn't lost his job in TV none of it would have happened.

For many authors, live readings and events are the best part about writing books. It's a chance to celebrate the completion of a years-long effort, to interact with enthusiastic fans, or to introduce an audience to one's writing. But, though they can be fun, author events require plenty of work not only to draw a crowd, but to ensure that they provide long-term value.