London’s first annual Social Book Week is almost upon us. It’s a celebration of the social side of reading – sharing stories, authors, and ideas. The overall theme is: the book that changed me. For me, I was a very reluctant reader as a boy. I couldn’t find anything in book form that was as […]
As a boy, a very reluctant reader, it was the ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ game-books that finally got me interested in reading. If you’re not familiar with them, they were an 80’s phenomenon; paperback books written in the 2nd person where “you” were the protagonist of the story. In many ways, they were the precursor […]
Today marks the kickoff of the annual London Book Fair – the annual marketplace for the global publishing business. Whatever book you’re reading now, chances are it debuted at LBF last year. Like London Fashion Week, MIP, tiff, or the Cannes Film Festival, LBF is a taste-making trade fair – the place where the entertainment […]
In the Spring of 2007, I attended my very first Bologna Book Fair (the global marketplace for buying & selling children’s book rights) with an eye towards finding hidden gem publishing properties to turn into television shows. At the Simon & Schuster stand, I stumbled upon a brand new (as yet unpublished) book series from […]
“By feeling truly present, you can share unbounded spaces and experiences with the people in your life. Imagine sharing not just moments with your friends online, but entire experiences and adventures.” Mark Zuckerberg Yesterday Facebook announced its $2 billion (that’s b for billion) purchase of upstart virtual reality gaming company Oculus Rift. Mark Zuckerberg said […]
Today my new book debuts to the world….well, to the publishing world at least. The real world still has to wait until the 7th of August. Right now, in Bologna, Italy, the children’s publishing world is meeting up for the annual Bologna Children’s Book Fair. And my publisher, Faber, is showcasing their new and upcoming titles…including my […]
I’m delighted to announce the launch of MetaWars Blood Nexus today! Blood Nexus is a three-part, interactive e-book that launches first on Apple’s iBookstore. It’s a prequel to the world of MetaWars, charting the action-packed weeks leading up to first meeting Samantha Kavanaugh and her father Axel in MetaWars 1.0: Fight For The Future. The […]
Yesterday I was invited to give a guest lecture to the MA Writing students at Kingston University. I was honoured to receive the invitation and since it was an open brief to speak to a group of incredibly talented new writers, I chose the topic of world building. I believe that great fiction comes out […]
I’ve been on book tour for the past three weeks, visiting over three thousand of students across 30 schools, signing a lot of books and answering hundreds of questions. It’s been a joy and privilege to meet so many avid readers and reluctant readers (like I used to be). My favourite part of any school […]
Yesterday as I was waiting in the lobby of a school (which I won’t name), I noticed that all-too-familiar sign on the door which read something like ‘Our staff are free to work in an environment without assault. Verbal or physical assault will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted’…or something like that. We’ve all […]
