BOOK BARGAIN ALERT! We have no idea how long this offer will last but The Portrait Girl by Nicole Swengley is now only a fiver on Waterstones’ website! Described as “a throughly engaging mystery” by the FT, this gorgeous paperback is also the perfect #BookClubRead.

Now on our substack, a teaser from The Portrait Girl by Nicole Swengley. Meet plucky Freya, a jewellery designer on a quest to discover the identity of an inherited locket, and the reptilian Ralph, an art collector who literally ‘lives’ his obsessions… breakthroughbooks.substack.com/p/extract-th...

We couldn’t be more delighted that Figgles & Flo, so sensitively written by Antonia Blackmore, beautifully illustrated by Sarah P Sharpe and created for the charity Families in Grief has been named a Finalist in the Little Peeps Award by Chanticleer Book Reviews & Media. #kidlit #chlidrensbooks

Huge thanks to the prestigious Historical Novel Society for featuring a write-up on The Fire In Their Eyes by Stephanie Bretherton! 📖 ✍️ 📖 ✍️ We’re delighted that the reviewer found much to like in this dual timeline novel set in both ancient prehistory and the present day. 🕰️ 🌍 🕰️ 🌍

Where the bloody hell is Jeremy? ;) #booksky

A new #substack post with an #extract from Entropy by @brethertonwords.bsky.social, one of the short stories in our #anthology, Order and Chaos. What would you do if your partner was there one minute and had completely disappeared, the next? Link in comments…

Well this is just as it should be! We are tickled pink to see the uniquely brilliant Two Similar-Looking Men With Umbilical Hernias on the shortlist for Satire and Humour in the CIBAs! #humorousfiction #shortlistedbook #comedywriting @zenabarrie.bsky.social

Huge thanks to Hannah's Bookshelf 📖 for her review of 🔥 The Fire In Their Eyes 🔥 by Stephanie Bretherton on North Manchester Radio 1066 FM! “THOUGHT-PROVOKING and COMPELLING in its scope.” “ENGAGING characters that feel very real, very flawed, and most importantly, very human.” #bookreview

If you are not yet familiar with the humorous musings of Zena Barrie, we highly recommend you familiarise yourself with a free #extract from her hilarious and surreal collection, Two Similar Looking Men With Umbilical Hernias, now up on our #Substack… substack.com/home/post/p-...

Almost embarrassed to keep posting this stuff, but hey, I worked hard for it and it would be ungracious not to be thankful? So, of course I’m “thrilled” to have also progressed as a Global Thriller Finalist in the Chanticleer Awards with the Fire In Their Eyes! #booksky

Thrilled to get further recognition for The Fire In Their Eyes, and this time for “Visionary Fiction” - thanks to The Independent Press Awards for a “Distinguished Favourite” badge! Maybe all that daydreaming hasn’t been a waste? @breakthroughbook.bsky.social #booksky

Absolutely thrilled that Figgles & Flo, our children's book for Families In Grief has made the shortlist of the Chanticleer Little Peeps awards! Fantastic to see this helpful and enriching book get the recognition it so deserves. #kidlit #booksthathelpkids #picturebooks #shortlisted

What a year! Six books, one award win, a new webshop and a few free short stories on our Substack! But we’re getting ahead of ourselves… #HappyNewYear #YearInReview #ThankYou #BookLife

Brussels season is at an end. Now is the epoch for a new vegetable to rise… Please enjoy this tasty little palate cleanser over Betwixmas with this short story from Breakthrough’s own Jamie Chipperfield, available for free on our Substack! substack.com/@breakthroug...

A new fun and #festive story just been posted, and is available for free, on our Substack. Weekend reading sorted! #Free #ShortStory #FestiveSeason substack.com/home/post/p-...

With only one more weekend until Christmas, now is the perfect time start getting in the mood for the festive season with this free short story from our very own @brethertonwords.bsky.social! #FreeShortStory #ChristmasReading #FestiveSeason #Substack breakthroughbooks.substack.com/p/arctic-yul...

Many congratulations, @brethertonwords.bsky.social! How fantastic to see The Fire in Their Eyes on the list! 👏👏👏 @breakthroughbook.bsky.social

Well, this is nice! The Fire In Their Eyes makes a Top 20 book pick in a holiday gift guide… @breakthroughbook.bsky.social #booksky #booksforchristmas #giftsforbookworms

Oh come on, it’s not #Christmas without #books as gifts? And if you’re doing the right thing by the ones you love, why not support ethical indie businesses, while also getting a fantastic read? Whether that’s an award-winning literary thriller, YA fantasy with brilliant world building…

Our first Substack post is live! It’s a general introduction to who we are and what we do, with much more to come. So for all our latest updates and bonus content, please consider subscribing! open.substack.com/pub/breakthr...

Lovely to see Nicole Swengley and The Portrait Girl getting the attention they so deserve in Round & About magazine. Huge thanks to Liz Nicholls for this lovely piece! #AuthorInterview #MysteryThriller #Victoriana #ArtWorld #BookClubRead

It’s too soon to think about Christmas! But in case you are, books such as these make excellent Christmas presents for the readers in your life! #booksky #giftsforbookworms #christmasgiftideas

We are delighted to announce that our children’s book, Figgles & Flo, has been long listed for the Little Peeps category of the Chanticleer International Book Awards. #Books #ChildrensBooks #PictureBook #KidLit #BooksWorthReading #CharityBook #Longlisted

After some bone-chilling reading for #halloween? Breakthrough has some seriously #spooky offerings from some dangerously imaginative authors… #HappyHalloween #SpookySeason #HalloweenReading #Books #Bookstagram #BooksWorthReading

#ICYMI, the e-book of Nicole’s Swengley’s “thoroughly engaging mystery”(FT) The Portrait Girl is now only 99p for a limited time in celebration of its birthday! An ideal #bookclub read, this is for fans of #art, design, #Victoriana and contemporary female sleuths…

Thanks @brethertonwords.bsky.social and @womenwritersnet.bsky.social for a great #AuthorInterview. The hour passed in a flash as usual. It was hard to keep up. Stephanie, you did a great job.

Welcome to our #WomenWritersNet #AuthorInterview series. Today, we're chatting with Stephanie Bretherton, author of the recently published novel, "The Fire In Their Eyes". @brethertonwords.bsky.social @breakthroughbook.bsky.social

Final reminder! #AuthorInterview hosted by @womenwritersnet.bsky.social and @valeriavescina.bsky.social begins in less than an hour! #BookTalk

We can’t wait for tomorrow night’s #AuthorInterview hosted by @womenwritersnet.bsky.social and @valeriavescina.bsky.social with our own @brethertonwords.bsky.social. Please do join us on here this Thursday (23rd Oct), 6pm GMT.

Excited to be interviewing Stephanie @brethertonwords.bsky.social for our next #WomenWritersNet #AuthorInterview. 🗓️ Thursday 23 October ⏰ 6pm BST 📚The Fire In Their Eyes @breakthroughbook.bsky.social Everyone welcome to join in the Q&A. Do share with anyone who might be interested!

We’re looking forward to this latest #authorinterview by @womenwritersnet.bsky.social with our very own @brethertonwords.bsky.social who will be discussing her writing journey and her award-winning novel The Fire In Their Eyes. Come and join in on Bluesky this Thursday at 6pm BST.

Happy #BookshopDay! 📖 ❤️ 📖 ❤️ 📖 ❤️ 📖 Here’s to all the wonderful booksellers who take their time to share the love and knowledge . 😻 🧐 😻 🧐 😻 🧐 😻 🧐 😻 And thanks to all those bricks and mortar shops who will go that extra mile… especially for small indie publishers and less famous authors! #lovebooks

Some of us prefer to read at 10pm… #take10toread

To mark the first #bookbirthday of The Portrait Girl by Nicole Swengley, the e-book is now at the very special price of 99p (on both Amazon and our own website) for a limited time! Why not help us celebrate and load your #Kindle with what the FT described as “a thoroughly engaging mystery”!

Book lovers in and around the Rugby area, do not miss the Rugby Literary Festival this weekend, but especially the spoken word evening hosted by Word Of Mouth this Friday. A range of fantastic performers will be on stage including our own @zenabarrie.bsky.social! #Books #LiteraryFestival

So who are we, what makes us different and why support an award-winning, #indiepublisher - or more importantly, our authors? 🧵

We love seeing our books out in the wild no matter where they are but it’s fantastic to see them in a library, especially one which will send the book to any of the libraries in the Borough if it’s ordered! #LoveYourLibrary #SupportLibraries #LibraryLife #BookLife #Books

Fresh off the back of being recommended by @robinince.bsky.social, today’s #BookQW is taken from the short story anthology Two Similar Looking Men With Umbilical Hernias by @zenabarrie.bsky.social, and is a prime example of her ability to combine the absurd and the existential to masterful effect.

Congratulations to @robinince.bsky.social for his thoroughly deserved award. And thank you ever so much for once again recommending the hilarious Two Similar Looking Men With Umbilical Hernias by @zenabarrie.bsky.social. We would love to see it in more independent bookshops.

It is great to see The Portrait Girl and Nicole Swengley included in the Success Stories on the Cornerstones website. She is certainly one of ours, with The Portrait Girl described as “a thoroughly engaging mystery” by the FT! #Mystery #Thriller #HistoricalFiction #HistFic #LiteraryFiction #LitFic

🎉🎉🎉 Huge congratulations to @brethertonwords.bsky.social for being recognised by the Chanticleer Global Thriller Awards and for winning the Medical Thriller category in the NYC Big Book Awards! Needless to say we are… thrilled! 🥳🍾 #NYCBigBookAward #GabbyBookAwards #AwardWinningPublisher #SmallPress

A massive thank you to @karlou72.bsky.social for this thorough, thoughtful, and absolutely stunning review for The Fire In Their Eyes by @brethertonwords.bsky.social.

Yes, we know we may not be flashy, but we will keep on keeping on because we believe in what we’re doing and that authors deserve to be at the centre of the industry not at the bottom of the pile…

Breakthrough Books is the only publisher to arise from the Unbound ashes that’s author-centred and author-led. A “happy ending” growing organically not flashily. Maybe a good news story of trailblazing authors just isn’t headline worthy? @observeruk.bsky.social observer.co.uk/news/busines...

For today’s #FirstLineFriday we’re going back to the beginning with a quote from our very first short story anthology, #TakingLiberties. Quote from On The Brushes by @sueclarkauthor.bsky.social.

As ex-unbounders turned author-publishers we applaud initiatives helping those affected by the fiasco, as we’ve been doing for 2 1/2 years, and are happy for anyone on this new lifeboat. (1/2)

Whether or not you have read Bone Lines and/or The Fire In Their Eyes, you may enjoy this carefully curated and oddly eclectic playlist inspired by the books - and I’d love to know if you resonate with any of this or recognise the characters… open.spotify.com/playlist/3yG...

All at Breakthrough wish to express our thoughts and sympathies for everyone affected so badly by the terrible Unbound / Boundless / Neem Tree fiasco. (Continued)

For this week’s #FirstLineFriday, not only do we have the first line of the bestselling Bone Lines, but also the first line of The Children Of Sarah series. A perfect read for anyone who enjoyed BBC’s #Humans. Available FOR FREE* from our website. For details, see the link below.

For a limited period on the Breakthrough web shop, you get a free Bone Lines e-book with any purchase of The Fire In Their Eyes and a free The Boy Who Stole Time e-book with any purchase of The Dream-Pedlars’ Parade. (*for this offer paperbacks can be sent only in the UK)