This week's Book Pitch Doctor's surgery is a thought experiment to unlock a pitch: 'what question is this book asking?' Link here: mailchi.mp/e3f5bc62b507... #booksky

This was a groundbreaking piece of work. A work so good it means a life well spent. Millions of people understand Iran, the diaspora and the weird bittersweet details of the immigrant experience through the work she did.

My amazing wife Sarah Brown and her team put heart and soul and extraordinary care into making this. Please consider watching it. On Netflix now.

The AOI’s 2026 Mentorship Scheme is open now! I’m thrilled to be one of their mentors. (Obvs I would mentor any mentee with gusto, but I hope they’re a comics person… 😎) Are you an underrepresented illustrator (or comic artist!) interested in mentoring? Apply here👇 theaoi.com/news/aoi-men...

Doorstep Library are doing an excellent job trying to break the link between poverty and low literacy, bringing the magic of books and reading directly into family homes. Can you donate to the Big Give? donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...

In August I'm doing a bike ride through the Outer Hebrides to raise money for The Callanish Society, a Canadian charity run by my sister in law, which cares for people living with or dying from cancer. Care to sponsor me? www.canadahelps.org/en/charities...

No YOU check your connection, OneDrive. Absolute bellend of an app.

How do you intervene in meetings? New Book Pitch Doctor's Surgery today. Let me know if you have a pet phrase you use ... :) #booksky mailchi.mp/4853b918eb50...

History Bluesky! Daughter and I tried to have a sensible conversation about career prospects for medieval women (medieval women blacksmiths etc) but then turned into us wondering if there were such things as 'party nunneries' or some nunneries which were more for arts and crafts etc. Possible?

10 needed in the next 11 hours!

This week's Book Pitch Doctor's Surgery is about Being a Recommender mailchi.mp/3f03bb735da8... #booksky

What's the reality of motherhood? In this graphic short story, Bruna Martini takes it one day at a time: www.fictionable.world/stories/one-... Image: Josh Bean #books #reading #writing #fiction #comics #ShortStories #translation #blog

On Monday Bruna Martini will be speaking about her work at LDC and giving a glimpse of her #GraphicStory due in next week's #spring issue. She'll be appearing online with Myfanwy Nixon and Fionnuala Doran. Tickets are at: ldcomics.com/product/ldco... #books #comics #reading #writing #events

I appreciate Tommy Fleetwood’s commitment to the wider trouser

Animals doing human things, a very occasional and frankly unnecessary series. No. 1: Gull Steps On Lego

Historical buildings types: was there an earlier equivalent to Pevsner's Architectural Guides in the Thirties? Something you could have looked a stately home up in before visiting, sort of thing? Pevsner didn't start his guides until 1945, which scuppers something I'm writing a tiny bit.

This week's Book Pitch Doctor's Surgery is about origin stories and finding your deeeeep motivation: mailchi.mp/b6804d723b0d... #booksky

Yesterday I heard a publishing corporate merger being described in trope terms: "rivals become allies" lol #booksky

Playing along with Last One Laughing, at home, is *excellent* (and torture)

Have you read this book, @iammilliam.bsky.social ? It occurred to me you might like it, and not just because it includes Anthea Bell references ...

Musos of a certain age insist on saying 'New Musical Express' in full, the same way Liverpool fans say 'Liverpool Football Club'. That is all. #InconsequentialSky

This book is such a feat of diligent research and unflinching reporting. It’s based on deep care for the victims and provides the accurate record they and their surviving relatives deserve.

This book by Stephen McGinty is the definitive, forensic, deliberately unsensational telling of a tragedy that destroyed lives, devastated a town & - thanks to the tireless campaigning of the parents- changed the law/ the country. It feels important that events have been recorded so meticulously.

This week's Book Pitch Doctor's Surgery picks some favourite tips from @dominiccolenso.bsky.social excellent book IMPACT. Link here: mailchi.mp/db1ebd036729... #booksky

still haven't recovered from Kathy Burke's verdict on Kerry Fox, in her memoir 🔥😂

This is THIS WEEKEND, wtf. Please say hello if you come along!

If you'd like to come work for us at Good Law Project we are currently recruiting four new roles! (Please do share.) 🧵

Randomly remembered that excellent editorial line from The French Dispatch: 'Just try to make it sound like you wrote it that way on purpose'

Glad Maggie finally got a shout out

Waterstones has a whopping 25% off pre-orders of Noisy Valley until tomorrow! www.waterstones.com/book/noisy-v...

Hello Andy the archaeologist from Bury St Edmunds I signed a hardback for today. Currently he is mainly digging up Saxon graves, I think for work, but maybe just for a laugh.

been working with a few other booksellers from different shops to compile a contemporary dictionary of book trade slang. here is how it stands at the moment - please, if you are "in the trade", let us know what we've forgotten. (NOT lingo specific to just one shop, pls - only widely-understood terms

I doubled down (nearly) on 66 fascinating hours of the audiobook of The Power Broker, by listening to about 30 *more* hours of @romanmars.bsky.social and Elliott Kalan discuss it. Worth every second. Clever, funny, richly rewarding on every level. Sending warm vibes of gratitude to all involved.

This week's Book Pitch Doctor's Surgery takes us back into trope-land. Link here: mailchi.mp/1d24ef8c1f20... #booksky

From tomorrow, @jamesbluecat.bsky.social will be coming to a @waterstones.bsky.social near you! Swipe through to see the full list. Do pop in to say hello, not least because he is bringing *multiple* Muppets t-shirts with him and we need photographic evidence: www.waterstones.com/events/searc...

why are templates in Outlook so shit? Why is *everything* in Outlook so shit? In fact, why is everything microsoft so shit? Accursed software.

My mate Stef and the amazing @xobikes.bsky.social (plus their new barbers' shop) www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Waterstones, where I used to work as a bookseller, have made Pagans their Science Fiction/Fantasy book of the month (with two quid off). THE MOTHERSHIP HAS CALLED ME HOME. www.waterstones.com/campaign/boo...

This was ACTUAL FUN.

This week's Book Pitch Doctor's Surgery is all about the joy of tropes! Link here mailchi.mp/c00176d5dc2a... #booksky

The one thing I would definitely wear if I was on The Traitors: *quiet shoes*

This week's Book Pitch Doctor's Surgery is all about the self consciousness of team pitching mailchi.mp/91e79b716d58...

Caught up with this. So good. Need to re-read a few of these for the names alone (think there was a Roman athlete called Gluteus Maximus??) ... and pretend I understood the satirical subtext all along 👍

So good!

So lame of Labour politicians to adopt the Tory messaging tactic of using the word 'clear' as though it has magic properties.

Dear X, This is a message from The Traitors. The Traitors have murdered you, by order of The Traitors. Signed, The Traitors

Benoit Blanc is so Shelby Foote 👌

I use Amazon more than I'd like, so I was pretty chuffed to get a Kobo reader for xmas. Now it's ebooks from them (and hopefully via @bookshop.org in future) and audiobooks from @xigxaguk.bsky.social hurrah.

Amadeus ep1: reet good imo

Back from xmas shopping, pleased to report King's Road booksellers are nailing it. Staff at Sandoe and Waterstones ultra helpful (and speedy, and well-informed). Didn't buy anything at Book Bar but the vibes were welcoming and I'll be back there soon. Handshakes all round. Keep it up lads. #booksky